We sit. A lot. I mean, A LOT. We all know it is not good for us but do we really pay attention to why? Or do we just keep sitting and scrolling? We’ve already made the argument for training in a very high heart rate zone for short periods of time and a low heart rate zone the remainder of the time. Let’s talk about the low…
Low cardio training includes many things: slow yoga, easy hiking, even easier biking, rolling, stretching, and tissue work. But, the most important thing on that list is walking. We as a species are meant to walk. If you go far enough back, we are meant to walk long distances. When was the last time you walked farther than from your car to the door of your house/store/restaurant? I have heard all the excuses, so you can save it. If you are about to tell me you don’t have 20 minutes to walk, I ask that you check the screen time on your phone for the day. Like I said…save it.
The Benefits of Walking
If you don’t believe me, believe that data. Below are 2 graphs from studies in The Lancet that show exactly what walking does for us:
The sweet spot seems to be somewhere between 7,000 and 10,000 steps a day according to most studies. You can see in both graphs that the risk of pretty much everything drops significantly as you walk.
The Lymphatic System
One of the most important reasons we need to get up and move around is to stimulate our lymphatic system. The lymphatic system does not have it’s own pump so we have to get the fluids moving. And…you guessed it, you have to do that through movement or massage. You also have to do it daily, several times a day is ideal. The lymphatic system is crucial in helping your body carry out toxins and waste. If it is not moving correctly, your body is not detoxing [if you are not sweating regularly you are not detoxing either but that is a different discussion].
So, what do you do about it?! Stop, stand up, and walk out the door. It is free, it stimulates the lymphatic system, if you do it outside it is also great for your mood. Win/Win/Win in my book.
Walking is Not Instagram-able…
But it is easy to get done and one of the best things for you. Doing the 60-min orange theory/core yoga/spin cycle/jogging/boot camp routine looks way better on a social media post, I get it. I’ll let you in on a secret: those types of cardio are suppressing your sex hormones, raising your cortisol level, and stressing out your adrenals; even more so for women.
Side note: you’ve heard me bitch about weight vests. If you are going to wear one while walking, please make sure you are someone that needs to.
Like I said, we all have 20 minutes most days, we just choose to do other things with it: scroll mindlessly thru our phones, read depressing news, shop on-line, watch tv, argue in some ridiculous on-line forum (don’t get me started), and the list goes on…
Try it. Try it for 2 weeks. See how you feel, how your body feels, how you sleep. It is actually a little magical. It may be hot, you might sweat – good! Remember earlier when I said you need to sweat daily, I meant it. It may be cold – suck it up! Put some layers on and go for it. What other excuses you got?
Here’s the catch: you can not be looking at your phone and walking. Just NO (plus that’s a good way to get run over)! Listen to music, a podcast you like, or even better: give you brain a break! Learn to do nothing again. We have lost the ability to be bored, and it is extremely important for your brain to not have constant stimulation. So give your brain a 20 minute break, once a day, while you walk. Or, you can split it into 2 – 10 minute walks somewhere in the day. You can thank me later!
Stay in the game.