Walking is NOT enough

A lot of people think they do enough, despite not being happy with the results they're getting.

They wear a watch that tells them "well done, you've completed 10,000 steps today" and are then baffled why the weight isn't shifting.

WALKING IS NOT ENOUGH!

Unfortunately, constant 'activity' throughout the day is our baseline.

If you've done NOTHING for years, then walking may be a good place to start, but that's still just to get you back to baseline.

If you want to progress your health and fitness, you have to train for that.

 

Fitness-wise (i.e. cardiovascular health), walking just doesn't push you hard enough.

Up hill might be hard work, but just walking around hitting your step goal each day doesn't stress your body enough to need to adapt and get fitter.

If you want to IMPROVE your fitness, you have to push yourself harder.

It's the same as building muscle, your body won't build muscle in response to lifting a cup of tea a few times a day - you have to lift something heavy that challenges and stresses the muscle so that it will, in response, grow stronger, ready for the next time it faces that stress.

If you don't use your muscles enough, your body will offload any excess because it's not needed.

If you never stress your cardiovascular system, you'll LOSE fitness.

Studies have shown most people have lost about 40% of their lung capacity by age 50, and about 60% by age 80.

Why? It's not because of their age (or it'd be everyone, not just "most" people), it's because they haven't used it.

When was the last time you used your lungs to their maximum capacity? (We're talking all-out sprint for 200m+, run for your life type effort).

As soon as you're able to walk for more than half hour with minimal effort, you need to start adding intensity, not more "steps".

You need to create the stress for your body to adapt to.

What's the other thing we lose rapidly as we "age"? 

Strength.

So if you want to remain able-bodied as you age, this is the other thing you HAVE to be training.

Again, stress your body so it keeps hold of the muscle and strength it has, and also builds new muscle tissue and gains strength, instead of losing it as you get older.

YOU DO NOT LOSE STRENGTH OR FITNESS BECAUSE OF YOUR AGE - YOU LOSE IT BECAUSE YOU DON'T USE IT!

So to get the results you want, you just have to find or make the time and get it done.

Make sure you're doing the right things.

Look at the things people tend to lose as they get older (strength, speed, fitness, mobility) and work those! It's that simple!

And if you're already lagging in any of those, then get to work asap!

MoveBetter.Club can help