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Mini Pause #55: Why Walking is the Heavyweight Champion for Fat Loss

Posted on by stephanie-estima

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

What I Recommend

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Mini Pause #45: Holiday Strategies for Your Emotional, Nutritional & Physical Health

Posted on by stephanie-estima

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

Let’s devise some responses to family members who don’t know any better, a nutrition plan, and a lifting session the day after your big meal.

You can have your cake and eat it, too, by thinking ahead and planning in advance.

WHY

When it comes to the battle of the bulge, most of the war is lost in the last six weeks of the year. The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas offer up temptations galore. The stuffing, the pies, the gravy, the potatoes, and of course….the chocolates.

Now, you’ll never hear me say that you can’t have these foods or break bread with your family. What we are going to do is devise a plan for when you are marinating in the temptation so that you have some predetermined tools to choose from and do not have to rely solely on motivation. Because motivation is just like your flaky friend who bails on plans last minute when you’re already at the restaurant and have ordered an appetizer.

WHAT

We all know excess calories relative to energy expenditure cause weight gain. At this point, the science is irrefutable. Anyone saying calories don’t count, please disregard them and anything else they have to say about health.

Calories matter.

Other things matter too, of course, hormones, age, fitness level, sleep quality, amount of muscle mass, etc. But calories in relation to calories out largely drive whether we store excess energy or use it.

The holidays are notorious for excess and abundance. But it doesn't have to be if you start thinking of your strategy and game plan now.

HOW

Emotional Strategy
To start, think about the meals you’re likely going to eat, with whom you’ll be eating, and where you’ll be eating.

So often when we’re dining with family, comfort foods from our childhood are present, and family members may treat us like former versions of ourselves. This can cause a regression in our own behavior and we find ourselves, often unwittingly, falling into patterns of acting like we did 10, 20, or 30 years ago.

Before we get to this environment, however, we can envision the foods, the people, the environment, and how we might be inclined to feel. We can then begin to imagine a scenario where we fill our plate with exactly what we want to eat, allowing ourselves to eat, but not overindulge.

Then we might imagine our elders making inappropriate remarks about our body shape or weight or treating us like former versions of ourselves. You have the depth of character to know that these comments reflect on their internal environment and demons and not the reality of who you are right now.

Let’s recognize as a collective that some people have no other way to make themselves feel better than by putting others down. The only way to feel better about themselves is by trying to make you feel less-than. It is the sad (and pathetic) reality. But it’s not yours to carry.

One of the most effective ways to make someone understand how inappropriate they have been is often silence. Literally, dead staring them in the face. Maybe a little facial expression that reads, “Wow, you just said that in your out-loud voice.”

You also can literally just say that:

  • “Wow. You just said that out loud. I’m shocked you feel comfortable saying that to me.” Follow it up with a dead stare.
  • Or, “Why would you say that? My body/food selection/life choices are not up for discussion here.”

Begin to formulate sentences in your mind that are polite, but send a clear message that comments about your weight, your body, or the foods you choose to eat are inappropriate and off-limits. Build an arsenal of clapbacks that in no uncertain terms tells people it is not okay to engage with you like that.

Some more examples:

  • “I find it interesting that there are so many people whose only way to make themselves feel better is to put others down. What do you think about that?” Followed by a dead stare.
  • Or, if you’re not quite that bold yet, something like: “I’m going to assume the best about your intentions with that comment, but when you do make comments about [INSERT INAPPROPRIATE COMMENT HERE] it makes me feel bad. If you won’t stop making these types of comments, I won’t be able to stay for dinner today or attend future plans.”

Choose a comment that fits you and your personality, but the throughline is you are worthy of sticking up for yourself. So do it.

Nutritional Strategy
The second strategy is a nutrition one. We’re most susceptible to overeating and making poor nutrition decisions when we’re hungry, stressed (from family dynamics, a hectic holiday schedule, or just life). Have some protein and healthy fats before the big family meal or the event.

I usually go for super-high protein options. An easy example you probably can whip up now is a serving of cottage cheese topped with honey and nuts. (I also mention some meat sticks, below). This will render you much less likely to overeat at the actual meal.

Physical Strategy
The third strategy is physical. Even if your entire plan to set boundaries and eat protein before the big day fails, the good news is that you can use a few levers to help manage the excess calories.

First: Go for a walk after dinner. Get on your cute mittens and scarf and walk for 20 minutes in the neighborhood. You’ll be adorable while simultaneously pushing the excess energy into your muscular system, where it is sequestered and held for a rainy day.

Got young kids? Put them on your shoulders for some extra weight. You can also put on a weighted vest or a rucksack. Walk briskly.

This helps regulate blood sugar, mood, and of course, gives you a little glute pump. And who doesn’t want that?!

Second: Plan for a big leg or back lifting session tomorrow. It’s going to be glorious–pinky promise! Your legs will be full of glycogen and ready to WERK. My best lifts are always when I’m well-fed, both from a performance standpoint and a strength one.

If you’re away from home, get passes by the day or week at a local gym.

NOW

Start devising your holiday emotional, nutritional and physical strategies.

  • Think of some crisp, polite responses to questions or comments that may come up. Don’t be afraid of conflict and don’t feel responsible to manage the awkwardness someone else creates. Let them deal with their own stuff.
  • Have some protein an hour or so before the big event.
  • Walk after dinner.
  • Plan a leg day session the next day either at home (if you already have a weight set-up) or at a local gym.

A Protein Snack to Give Your Nutrition a Holiday Assist

You don’t have to give up snacking altogether during the holiday season to stick to your nutrition and fat loss goals!

MEAT STICKS: I’ve found simple snack swaps at Paleovalley that can help you resist the barrage of sweets that yes, make the holidays merry, but also make it harder to stay on track with your protein.

Paleovalley’s beef sticks are an easy and filling choice:

  • Zero added sugars, zero carbs, and only 70 calories per serving.
  • 6 grams of protein per serving.
  • Contains naturally occurring gut-friendly probiotics.
  • Available in five delicious flavors: Original, Summer Sausage, Garlic Summer Sausage, Jalapeno, and Teriyaki.

I’ve partnered with Paleovalley to bring you several specials so you can choose what best suits your tastebuds and lifestyle:

  • 50% off beef sticks when you purchase 4 or more packages (of 10) Save HERE.
  • 15% off any beef, pork, venison, or chicken meat stick (1-3 packs of 10 or more), or any other Paleovalley product. Save HERE.

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