What if I told you there was something that you could do every single day that lowers cortisol AND improves insulin sensitivity – a benefit to almost every neurotype!
It’s something so simple, you’re probably sick of hearing it by now.
Did you guess WALKING? If so, you are correct!
Well, guess what… the magical powers of walking extend beyond lowering stress, improving insulin sensitivity, increasing total daily energy expenditure, and improving cardiovascular health.
Walking Increases GAINS
Based on a recent study, walking can actually increase your GAINS!
That’s right… the study looked at 11 young men and had them complete 7 days of habitual physical activity followed by 7 days of step reduction.
Muscle protein synthesis was measured using biopsies and saliva samples.
During the active week, their step average was around 13,000 and during the sedentary week, it was reduced by approximately 91%.
Muscle protein synthesis decreased by approximately 27% from the active week to the sedentary week!
Remember that hypertrophy or building muscle occurs when muscle protein synthesis is greater than muscle protein breakdown. A 27% drop in MPS is significant from simply moving less!
Obviously there are limitations to the study like a small sample size, short duration, and only tested with young males.
However, it’s easy to understand the mechanism here and chalk up another win for walking!
The reason I bring this up is two-fold…
- Simple habits are not sexy but hot damn they’re effective!
- Many of you have actually shared with me that you were told to walk less, which is just shocking to me.
Fitness and Nutrition Coaches Listen Up
Apparently some people are out there spewing nonsense that if you walk too much, you’ll lose your gains.
Well, it’s actually the opposite :).
Look, anything can be taken to the extreme… even walking.
However, it’s one of the most effective and beneficial activities that is simple to do. A little planning and consideration go a long way.
We’ve heard the strategies a million times…
Park farther away, take the stairs, set reminders in your phone, walk during lunch breaks, get a dog, get many dogs, etc.
Find what works for you and make it happen. It’s one fitness routine that will serve you in a number of ways.
And now we know it’s important to maintain your gains as well!
Now gets to steppin!
