The secret weapon for longevity

This post was originally written for and shared through my Kinsei-Do Fitness Nuggets newsletter in February 2022.

Not everybody may have the desire to live well into their 80s or 90s - I sure do! - but I can't imagine anybody would not want to be healthy and well until kicking the bucket. And thus we keep looking for the secret weapon, the magic pill or whatever, that will keep us healthy into old age.

Well, guess what, this secret weapon already exists, and it's so simple that it's dismissed or ignored by many, especially in the "modern" world:

It's called walking.

In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the researchers observed a representative sample of American adults over 40, and found that those who took an average of 8000 steps a day had a 51% lower risk of all cause mortality compared to those who only got 4000 steps a day!

Hiking that number up even further to 12000 steps further decreased the mortality risk, but not in a proportionate amount. And as someone who usually gets 7000 to 8000 steps a day quite easily, and 10000 steps with a bit more deliberate effort, I can tell you that getting those additional 4000 steps a day regularly and consistently will - if you work a typical desk job - be quite challenging!

The good news however is that the pace of these steps doesn't seem to matter very much, so you don't need to be jogging or going on strenuous hikes if that's not your cup of tea. What counts is that you move it, move it!

And if that's not enough reason for you, or you're wondering when you should squeeze a 20-30 minute walk per day into your busy schedule, how about right after lunch?
Not only will doing so help you to get to your 8000 steps, but there's also a host of other benefits:

• Burn off some of the calories you just consumed
• Improve and speed up your digestion
• Help you manage your blood sugar levels and insulin response
• Prevent or drastically reduce the impact of the post-lunch energy dip

Happy walking, my friends!

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