TL; DR (Too Long; Didn't Read)

Walk. Often. In Minimalist Shoes.

You’ll burn fat and build glutes like a mother.

WHY

Building on Mini Pause #53: Fat Loss Basics–Tucking Into Calories & Hunger, I want to remind you that one of the best ways to lose fat is NOT:

• Punitive cardio.
• Pounding the pavement, racking up miles week after week.
• Any class you go to 4-5 times a week for “high intensity” training.

I’ll take this opportunity to remind you that working out “hard” does NOT tap into your fat stores, ends up breaking down muscle, and is largely catabolic.

Not for you, Betty. You want the opposite. Your cardio should be:

• Gentle.
• Low and slow.
• Something delightful that easily melts fat off your body and helps to grow muscles in places you didn't know you had them.

Sounds like a romance novel, filled with steamy encounters, ear nibbling, rose petals, and silk sheets.

And hey, while I’m down for that, too, what I’m talking about is low-intensity, steady-state cardio for the win when it comes to fat loss. AKA WALKING.

For years, we have been fed this lie idea that cardio needs to hurt for it to count. If your legs are not wobbling your way home, beating some personal record, or drenching in your sweat….did you even work, bro?

All the Strava high fives, the bikes that tell us our latest FTP was lower than the last time, and the gamification of exercise have perverted our sense of what constitutes fat loss.

Instead of aiming to be in a fat-burning state, we are driven to want more, more, more!

But what is “less is more?” What if, like a delicious piece of chocolate melting slowly in your mouth, you could savor it, and it would have long-lasting benefits like easily burning fat and growing your glutes?

WHAT

Wait. What did she say? Glutes?

You bet your big toe I did.

The great toe, as it’s sometimes called, is intrinsically related to your glutes.

Whenever you are pressing down through your toes during a squat, lunge, or any machine will activate your glutes. Pressing down through the big toe (plantar flexion, think ballerina point) activates your glutes.

The same is true when we walk! When you’re able to press through our toes, specifically the big toe, you can easily activate the muscles in your posterior chain, like the glutes and the hamstrings.

Great toe, great ass.

I should also mention that high-intensity cardio is not effectively tapping into your fat stores. As the intensity of your cardio climbs, your body’s tendency to use fat declines. It is energetically expensive to break down fat, so with higher intensity, your body will preferentially take glycogen (from your liver and your muscles) to use for energy.

That’s why you’re usually hungry after a run but not after a walk. After a run, your body must replace the glycogen stores it gobbled up. This is not true for walking.

HOW

There are so many easy ways to incorporate walking into your life that don’t require a heavy lift (literally and figuratively).

Here are a few examples of how I’ve integrated walking pretty seamlessly into my life:

• I walk to the gym and back in the spring, summer, and fall.

• I have a treadmill under my desk in one room and a Walking Pad in another that I use for all my meetings, when I write, or when I do my Duolingo lessons.

• I walk after dinner in the evening. The Italians call this la passeggiata, and I have kept this habit since returning from Italy last year. It is sacrilegious not to walk after dinner there!

• When my boys are at soccer practice, I walk around the track.

• Recovery walks! My leg training days can leave me sore (not always, but often enough) so that I walk consistently for days afterward as my “cardio.”

NOW

Add Many people (including myself) have invested in a weighted vest or a rucksack to accompany their walks. But you don't need to!

Just put on a pair of shoes (the less cushy and less supportive the better) and head out within your neighborhood, to your local gym, or your home treadmill desk for a walk. When I walk indoors, I walk in my socks or my Peluva minimalist shoes.

Reframe that cardio needs to be hard. It can be super easy, even joyful, and good for your buttocks!

MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE

• UREVO Under Desk Treadmill 

• Walking Pad: 30% off selected collections; minimum purchase $300; use code DRSTEPHANIE

• Peluva: minimalist shoes, any style; use code DRSTEPHANIE to get 10% off to your email.

What I Recommend

Calm Your Nervous System

A piece of the women’s health puzzle that’s been getting more attention–but still not enough–is nervous system regulation. Being stressed or anxious can become too familiar when juggling a busy life. Sometimes, you need an assist.

I’ve found that the soothing vibrations of the Apollo wearable gently nudge me into a calmer state. These vibrations engage with the body’s nervous system to help regulate stress responses and promote a state of calm. The vibration settings also can be tailored to support women’s unique physiology, such as hormonal fluctuations throughout the menstrual cycle and infradian rhythms.

Apollo can enhance your ability to manage daily stressors–just the assist you need for your nervous system.

Learn more about the science behind Apollo and the features that make it work at https://apolloneuro.com/drstephanieestima. Use code DRSTEPHANIE to get $60 off.

EVEN BETTER! Premium Membership

DON'T MISS OUT! Join other like-minded Bettys in a community where you can get exclusive access and resources.

• Early and ad-free weekly BETTER! podcasts.
• Post-podcast commentary.
• Insights from the guest discussions coupled with recommendations you can use to build habits and routines that support your goals.
• “Ask Me Anything” episodes.
• “Dr. Stephanie SOLO” shows.
• Bonus content.
• Exclusive discounts on favorite brands.

Subscribe HERE to find a membership option that fits your budget.