When you think about Fitness, what do you typically think of?
Some people will think about the Weight Room and Getting Gains.
Others may think about Distance Runners, from Milers to Ultra-Marathoners.
Then you also have More Extreme Fitness Practices.
Extreme Hikes.
Obstacle Course Racing.
Parkour.
Martial Arts.
Dance.
Professional Sports.
What you can see within All of these Modalities are Benefits to Muscle Mass, Physical Performance, and Mastery of the Body.
But there is One Modality that is Frequently Debated when you ask people about Fitness.
Walking.
Some people would say that Walking is Not a Fitness Activity and that the Research around Walking, especially the 10,000 Step Rule, is based on Myths.
Others say that there are High Correlations between Walking and Certain Fitness Results that can be Seen with other Fitness Practices.
Better Energy.
Feeling Less Anxiety and Depression.
Improved Muscle Retention (But Not Gain).
Even Lost Weight.
So, which is it?
Does Walking Make You More Fit?
Or Is It All A Myth?
Perhaps the Answer to Both of these is No.
I believe there is Another Answer to what we See with Walking.
One which would Explain Why People can Both Say that Walking is Not a "True" Fitness Activity while Simultaneously Explain Why the Results are Not a Myth.
So what Exactly is Walking?
Well, from a Physiological Perspective, Walking is a Progression (aka a More Difficult Version) of a Cross-Crawl.
Now, the Cross-Crawl is just the Perfected Form of Crawling.
Like Babies Do.
Where one leg and the opposite arm move forward, then the other arm and leg move forward.
This may not Sound Impressive to us as Adults, but from a Movement Perspective, this Transition is Highly Complex and Engages a Vast Amount of the Body.
Coordination.
Balance.
Micro-Adaptation based on Changes in Surfaces Felt through Nerve Endings.
Vision.
Subconscious Mental Preparation of Terrain.
All Simultaneously Occurring.
But there is something even More Fascinating that Happens Underneath All of These.
The Cross-Crawl is a Calming Mechanism to the Nervous System.
When you look at the Natural Movement Patterns that we Learn and Engage in as Babies, We Discover that they All Directly Impact and Improve the Nervous System.
Now You May be Asking...
What does this have to do with the Fitness Debate?
Don't worry, I'm getting there.
When you look at the Nervous System, we can Ask What are the Consequences of our Nervous System having Problems?
Well, the Initial Challenges seem Fine.
Our Nervous System puts a Large Focus in our Fight-or-Flight Mechanisms.
Which are Great and Necessary for Survival.
They Initiate Action when Necessary.
But the Real Problems begin when we Fail to Leave the Fight-or-Flight Mode.
See, there are Two Modes that our Nervous System tends to Move Back and Forth Between.
Fight-or-Flight and Rest-and-Digest.
Now, if we get Stuck in Fight-or-Flight, we Fail to go into Rest-and-Digest.
Which is where we Begin to See Parallels with Fitness.
What all Occurs in Rest-and-Digest?
Muscles Grow.
The Body Repairs Itself.
The Mind can Settle.
But what Occurs when the Body Fails to Rest-and-Digest?
Through Multiple Chain Reactions, Much Will Negatively Occur.
Weight Gain.
Muscle Irregulation due to Lacking Repair.
Constant Inflammation.
Growing Anxiety, which if left Unchecked, can become Depression (Via a Form of Psychological Learned Helplessness).
Eating Dysfunctions, Such as Difficulty Controlling Snacking (As More Fuel becomes Necessary in Fight-or-Flight Mode).
Cardiac and Breathing Dysregulation.
When you look at all of these, they have Many Striking Similarities with the Benefits of other Fitness Practices.
When people begin Exercise Programs, many of these are Outcomes they Want.
However, there are some Obvious Exceptions to the Benefits of Walking compared to other Fitness Practices.
Growth of Muscle Mass.
Body Mastery.
Athletic Performance.
For all of the Benefits of Walking, it seems to Fail to get what many would say are Essential Fitness Results.
Which Brings me to Something that I believe is Important to Understand in Today's World that Most People Miss.
We have a Gigantic Nervous System Problem.
One which Fitness Practices are Often the Wrong Modality to Solve, but which Walking May be a Better Solution.
Why?
It has to Do with Stressors.
What we have to Understand is that All Stress Adds.
What happens when we Experience Too Many Simultaneous Stressors?
Dis-Stress.
Which itself can Put the Body into Fight-or-Flight Mode...
Assuming it was Not Already there.
So, what do All "True" Fitness Practices Share in Common?
They will All Cause a Stress Response.
Now, Stress can be Great for Us "If" It Remains within a Level our Bodies are Able to Handle.
This is called Eu-Stress, and is Necessary for Growth, Wellness, and Wellbeing.
But if We are In Dis-Stress and We "Add" More Stress?
It makes all the Problems Discussed Above (and More) Worse.
The Response of this Stressor Reaction can also be Multiplied when our Bodies are Not Used to Engaging our Muscles, as is Common in the Modern World.
If we have Not Participated in Fitness and then We Suddenly Start Up Again, it can cause Extreme Dis-Stress Quickly.
This, as you can Imagine, ends up having a Negative Result to Our Goals, and also Explains why So Many People Subconsciously Self-Sabotage their Fitness Goals.
The Nervous System goes into Extreme Fight-or-Flight, and it Drives Us "Away" from the Source of the Extreme Stress Response.
However, do you know what Does Not Cause a Stress Response?
Walking.
It Causes a Relaxation Response.
So, if your Stressors are Too High and You Walk, then you can Lower Your Stressors into the Eu-Stress Zone.
This is Why Many People, when they Encounter a Difficult Problem, will "Walk Away" quite literally and Come Back with a Solution to their Problem.
They were in Dis-Stress, and their Walk Lowered their Stressors into Eu-Stress which allowed their Brain to Function at its Potential.
Now, if a Large Portion of the Population is Experiencing a Nervous System Problem...
Which we can Absolutely Say is Certain Because of Burnout, or an Extreme Version of Constant Dis-Stress, which is Impacting 80% of the Workforce...
We Know that Fitness May Not Necessarily be the Needed Solution.
Rather, something that Improves the Nervous System, such as Walking, may be Significantly Better.
Now, this does Not Mean that becoming Physically Fit should be Ignored.
That is Not Ideal Either.
Instead, we must First Solve the Nervous System Problems and Allow the Body to Fix Itself Up a Bit.
Then, we can begin other Fitness Practices for Even Better Results.
So, regardless of whether You consider Walking a "Fitness" Practice...
Rest Assured It is Beneficial!
Are You Ready to Go Beyond Leadership?
Tired of Broken Algorithms and AI Slop?
Excited to Dive Deeper into Psychophysiological Mastery?
Want to Change The World?