When it comes to exercise, we stand by the unpopular truth that a daily walk can have a greater impact on your health than a back squat PR.
Walking 21 minutes per day can decrease your risk of heart disease by about 30% (According to a study by Harvard Medical School).
Considering that heart disease is the number one killer in the United States and Europe and that one person dies every 34 seconds in the US from heart disease, that’s a big deal.
Does that mean you should stop lifting and spend all of your exercise time walking?
No! It means you should step back and look at the exercises you’re doing and WHY you’re doing it.
If performance is your number one concern, then you’ll be laser-focused on getting that next PR in lifting. We can say the same thing if you are trying to run your fastest marathon or 5k. There’s nothing wrong with them as long as those are the goals you are looking to achieve.
If health is your primary concern, a solid foundation of cardiovascular fitness, strength, and joint health to perform those activities needs to be present in your life.
Don’t sleep on walking; it’s one of the best exercises you can do to keep yourself healthy across your entire lifespan, and once you get your walk in, go crush that PR you’ve been chasing!
And if you’re in pain and unable to get out for that walk, back squat, or run, contact us.
We’ve helped hundreds of people just like you get out of pain and reclaim their active lifestyles with science-base training and nutrition. I’d love to help you next if I can. If you want to see if working together is a good fit for your fitness goals, come JAM with us.
Matt Donlin
