Transcription
All I did was change the way that I was walking and I lost 5 lbs without changing my diet, without counting my steps. 10,000 steps had nothing to do with health initially and it originated from a marketing campaign.
The benefits of walking. Doctors say there are many, but research shows Americans could be doing more.
Americans appear to be walking more often now than they did about a decade ago. But the distance is less.
Everyone was walking less. I really believed if I just walked more, if I got in more steps, I would get better results. And if I didn't hit 10,000 steps every single day or beyond, kind of felt like a loser. Who has time for that? Like, no one. I started getting in longer and longer walks. You've probably seen those videos. Like, I was doing 20,000 steps. And for a while, it did work, but then it stopped. I was convinced that my metabolism was slowing down again. I started looking at the recent research on interval walking, Japanese walking, how it was so beneficial for pmenopausal and post-menopausal women. I'm like, "All right, I can do this." It was exactly what my body needed to start responding again. So, if you love walking, but you haven't been getting the results or you've hit a plateau or maybe you've even gained weight recently, this could be your fix.
Hey, my name is Shelene Johnson and thank you so much for tuning in to this episode of the Shelene Show. If you can do me a favor real quick, it's free, I swear. And it automatically delivers to you good karma. And that is to just double check and make sure that you're subscribed to the channel. And you get bonus points if you tell me what level you are. And by level, I do mean age. I am level 57 and proud. Let me know what level you are. And please don't forget to like and share this video if you think it's going to be enjoyable and if you think you're going to learn something, which I know you're going to. I'm happy you're here. Let's get to it.
So, let's start at 10,000 steps because that's the bar. That's a number that we've all been kind of like brainwashed into believing it's going to save us. But did you know 10,000 steps had nothing to do with health initially or research or fat loss? It's actually just a word that took on a life of its own and it originated from a marketing campaign. This Japanese device called the Mampo Key, I think it's how you say it. It literally means 10,000 step meter and it was the name of an early pedometer and it caught on because it was simple. But here's the question. Why are we still treating 10,000 steps like it's the ultimate measure of health? Somewhere along the way that number turned into a test. It turned into the holy grail. And if you don't get 10,000 steps a day, well, you feel like you've failed. I mean, at least I know I felt and sometimes still do feel like I failed if I haven't gotten in 10,000 steps. In fact, there are days that I found myself doing more and more and more steps. And if I didn't hit 10,000 steps every single day or beyond, I kind of felt like a loser. I didn't just feel like I failed. I felt like I was going to gain weight, that I wasn't going to live as long as everybody else. Sound familiar?
You get to the end of the day, you've worked, you've done a million things, you've handled everything for everyone, and then you look at your pedometer, you look at your Apple Watch or your Aura Ring or whatever you use to track your steps, and it says 4,800 steps, and you just feel like it's not enough. And so maybe you're marching in place or maybe all you want to do is go to bed or lay down or watch a YouTube video. And honestly, that's the problem. 4,800 steps. And then you feel like you have to march around in your kitchen and somehow it just doesn't feel like it's enough. You feel like you've missed the mark, like you've failed. That's the disconnect. That's the problem.
Because when researchers actually looked at this, the data told a very different story than 10,000 steps. Health benefits didn't magically appear when we hit that 10,000 number. It actually starts around 4,400. And then something really interesting starts to happen. The longevity benefits start to level off at around 7500 steps, not 10,000. So let me ask you something. If a lot of the health benefits kind of plateau at that 7500 mark, why are we chasing 10,000, 15,000, 20,000 steps? Why are we maybe needlessly carrying around this extra guilt and feeling like we failed for not going beyond? I need you to hear this very clearly. You are not behind. You're not failing. And you don't need to catch up or get extra steps in your kitchen. That part needs to go.
Now, I do want to be very clear. Walking is great and it's very effective. It's how I really got over that overtraining plateau. Walking is incredibly powerful. But here's where things start to shift. If your goal is fat loss and if you suddenly reach a plateau, if your goal is to get in better condition, then we have to change the way your body responds. The issue is not how many steps you get in. It's whether your body is still responding because your body will hit a plateau once it adapts. And that doesn't change no matter what level you are in level 57. What level are you, by the way? I like to say level and not age cuz who would want to go back a level? Nobody, right? Like, so I'm level 57. Please let me know in the comments what level you are. And regardless of your level, the body still adapts. If you're going the same pace, using the same effort, same routine, same thing pretty much every single day. You're going to start to see fewer and fewer returns. It's going to stop working. Let that sink in. It's just the truth. And you don't need to let that discourage you because there's a way around it.
But this is where most women get stuck. They're being disciplined. They're being consistent. They're doing the work. But the results start to slow down or like maybe you even start to gain weight. I know that was true for me. And then the assumption becomes it's like we go into that thinking that we had in the '90s where you're like, "Okay, I guess I need to do more. I need to do more steps. I need to do more cardio. I need to spend more time walking. I need to put in more effort." But that's not always the answer. Guess what? The issue isn't always effort. It's stimulus. Because doing more of what your body has already figured out, what your body's already adapted to, that doesn't fix it. In fact, it reinforces the plateau.
Let me tell you where I personally messed this up. I got caught in this exact loop. I really believed if I just walked more, if I got in more steps, I would get better results. And you can see, I've done YouTube videos about like doing 20,000 steps a day. I pushed it. It's just like my go-to. But longer walks and getting in all those extra steps, I I enjoyed it. But eventually, it's like, how much time do I really have to be walking all over the city all day long? And for a while, it did work. And I continued to see results. But then it stopped. Not only did it stopped, but I noticed that my metabolism was slowing down again. And that's the frustrating part because nothing changed on paper. Like if anything, I was putting in more effort. I was getting in more steps. But my results were slowing down. And I remember thinking, "Oh man, is this happening again?" Like, "Am I doing something wrong?" And looking at my nutrition, looking at like everything and just realizing like maybe walking isn't working anymore. What does this mean for me?
And that's when everything shifted because instead of doing more, I started doing different. And that's the moment when I realized I had to make a change. And at first I did that like I started doing some interval walks just on occasion. I would add some intervals. I would add some hills. I would wear my weighted vest. I started changing the pace. And I noticed it was making a difference almost immediately. Like it felt different. And I realized I didn't have to work as long on those days. And it wasn't harder on my body per se, but it was definitely more intentional. So I thought I should take a look at the research. And after I did that, I realized like I want to see what happens to my body if I commit to doing this on a regular basis according to the science. And that's what I did. And this is where things got really interesting for me. In the last 30 days, I did this style of walking every single week for 30 days. And I lost 5 lbs in the last month, getting in fewer steps. Yeah. without increasing the amount of time that I was exercising, without, you know, chasing that number and being obsessed with it, but instead changing the stimulus. And this is where most women miss this incredibly cool opportunity, especially if you're someone who's been getting in their steps, like you've been doing the zone 2 walking. And you think that walking has stopped working for you, but it hasn't. Your body is just really good at adapting. And that's what it's done. It has adapted. And that is so easy to fix.
This is where interval walking comes into play. Now, you've probably heard it called Japanese walking. Don't get stuck on that name. That's just a trendy term for what I'm about to describe for you. Kind of like zone 2 walking is the trendy way of describing walking at a steady state. What matters is that you walk differently. Instead of walking at a steady state, you're going to alternate your pace. Easy then fast. Easy then fast. Or I could say easy than intense. Easy than intense. That's it. And here's why this is so cool for us. It gives you the opportunity to get a better workout. In many cases, a a more intense workout in less time. You don't have to get in more steps because in many instances, it's just not realistic. Like, I can't be walking all day, and neither can you. Maybe you work at a full-time job and you you've got to sit at a desk most of the day and you really don't want to get up at 5:00 a.m. to get in 10,000 steps or it just doesn't work with your lifestyle this week or next week. And there's so much benefit to feeling good about what you've accomplished. And when we're just focused on a number and not truly looking at the science and understanding how things benefit us, that's not of benefit to anyone. And how things benefit us in the long run, that's not great for our mental health.
By the way, you know what is really good for mental health? Adopting a dog. This is Penelopey. And I you may have noticed she's wearing a donut around her neck right now because she recently had a doctor's appointment. We did find we're going to call it the C word and she's going to be fine. She's too cute to be living with that. So, we've had some things removed. Don't worry. We're going to get the biopsy back and everything's going to be fine. In the meantime, I would like for you to know that you should adopt an amazing dog. This dog is perfection. She brings us so much joy. Like, it's pathological how much I love this dog. We just did this event called Can't Be More, and I had her wearing a matching outfit to me every single day. Like, she had more outfits than I did. We're trying to soften the pitbull reputation. They're the sweetest dogs. This is the sweetest dog we've ever had, and we've had a lot of dogs.
Okay, back to walking. I think it's really important that we just remove this unnecessary pressure around 10,000 steps. I know for me it was just getting into my psyche and then I I personally kept moving the bar up like, "Oh, 10,000 isn't enough. Now I got to get 12,000 every day." It's not true. Based on the science, what matters most is the stimulus. And with the right stimulus, you can break that plateau. Not only can you break that plateau, you might, just as I have, find that it's the thing that you need to lose a couple extra pounds. may have crept up.
How does interval walking work or Japanese walking work? It's a very simple structure and the research is based on 3 minutes of high-intensity walking and 3 minutes of comfortable walking. Then you're going to repeat that for about 30 minutes. So it's only four times a week in order to get incredible results. Let me simplify this method even further. You're basically going easy pace, intense pace. that easy pace, you should be able to talk very comfortably. It shouldn't even really feel like a workout. And when you're going at that intense pace, you should feel slightly out of breath. You should be thinking to yourself, this is what I do. Okay, I don't want to do this much more than 3 minutes. So, it's not sprinting. It's not running. It's literally pushing yourself where you're like, okay, this is intense and difficult to carry on a conversation, but I it's not killing me. So, easy pace, fast pace. It can be more intense because you're on an incline or you're on a hill or maybe you're wearing a weighted vest, but you're adding intensity with intention. And this is the part you're going to freaking love. You're going to have shorter workouts. You don't need more time. I literally have lost 5 lbs in the last month without really even trying, without putting more time in walking. I just need a better stimulus. You just need better stimulus, which means you can get great results in less time.
Let's talk about the science. In studies on interval walking, participants increased leg strength and knee strength by 13 to 17%. But this part is huge because better knee strength means better leg strength. And that's not just about fitness, that's about stability, that's about mobility. And girlfriend, boyfriend, if you're over 40, you need to be thinking about that. This is how we improve our knee strength. This is how we improve our hip strength. This is how we prevent injuries. This is how we stay mobile. This is how we stay youthful. This is how we age powerfully. And here's something most people don't realize. As you age, you don't just lose muscle. You also lose power. We lose our fast twitch fibers. And you might be thinking, "Well, why do I need to go fast? Why do I need to sprint?" Well, because that helps with your stability. It makes you more capable. And this matters if you're over 40. This matters if you want to age and still be young. Do you know what I mean? Like we're all going to age, but you don't have to be old. And you know what I'm talking about. Because there are plenty of people who are like the same level as you, but they seem so much older. It's the people who aren't training the right way. They're beating their bodies up and doing things that are harder than they need to be. Sometimes it's not about more. It's about the stimulus. And this matters most of all after 40 because now it's not just about calories or fat loss or weight loss. It's about ability, agility, feeling strong, feeling like you can do things maybe you couldn't do even when you were younger.
And the benefits of doing interval walking, Japanese walking go beyond that. Those higher intensity intervals, they create more recovery demand. And what I mean by that is your energy expenditure, your metabolism is higher after the workout. Now, let me be clear, it's not magic. you're not going to be like, you know, burning an extra 500 calories per day, but you will be burning more calories, more calories than when you're doing steady state or zone 2 walking. So again, it's not about doing more steps, it's about thinking through your stimuli. It's about doing things with more intensity, getting the body to guess again. It's about making what you do actually count. It's getting your body to, I guess, kind of be off kilter, like to guess again, to break that adaptation and to break that plateau.
Here's how you can put this into practice. First, you want to make sure that you've warmed up. So, that just means you're walking at a steady state for anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes. Now, I use a timer on my phone. I'll put a picture of it up on the screen. There's lots of free timers on the app store. And set the timer for 3 minute intervals. You go 3 minutes at a nice easy pace and then 3 minutes at a pace that's intense. Something that feels very challenging, something that's making you breathe a lot harder, something that would be much tougher to carry on a conversation. Repeat that cycle easy then intense for five rounds and then just cool down by walking normally. That's it. So easy.
So, let me ask you this. Do you really want to get in more steps or would you like a workout that's a little shorter? Oh, and by the way, guess what? You don't even have to do the 30 minutes continuous. You can split it up. The research suggests you could do 15 minutes in the morning and then 15 minutes later in the day following that same cycle. It still works. And for a lot of you, that's going to change everything. Don't get into the habit of believing that like if you can't do it all together at once, it doesn't count. That's a big mistake. The next biggest mistake that people make is not changing their pace enough. like it's not truly challenging. It feels pretty much the same. And if it feels pretty much the same, just a little bit tougher, you're not going to get the same results. Another mistake is going like way too hard, like trying to sprint. I mean, you can do that. You just don't have to. And if you're not looking forward to it, if you're like me, you're not going to do it. Another big mistake I want you to avoid is continuing to chase the 10,000 steps on a day when you've actually done interval walking. that defeats the purpose. And the last mistake that I want you to avoid is expecting your body to change like overnight. I felt changes, but I didn't see any changes on the scale or even the way my clothes felt for probably the first I don't know maybe a week and a half. And then suddenly I was like, "Oh, wait a second. Things are starting to feel like things are changing. Things are moving." And I felt like I'd broken that plateau, like I was losing some inflammation. Be patient with this. You still have to look at your nutrition, but give your body time.
I know it sounds super simple and there's no need to over complicate this. You can start by adding intensity by simply using an incline on your treadmill, finding hills to walk. If you're walking on a treadmill, you could like put your weighted vest on for 3 minutes and take it off for 3 minutes. I'm fortunate enough to live very close to the ocean. So, walking in the sand or even walking at a faster pace on the sand definitely increases the intensity. Lastly, I want to make it very clear that if your goal is to hit 10,000 steps and and you're not anywhere near that right now, 10,000 steps is a great goal, but interval walking might be the solution. If you are someone who's been doing 10,000 steps for a a while now and you've hit a plateau, interval walking is ideal for someone who doesn't have the time to get in 10,000 steps. But there's nothing wrong with doing 10,000 steps, especially if you're still getting great results. Keep it up. I mean, our bodies were meant to move. And on the days that I'm not doing interval walking, Japanese walking, whatever you want to call it. I'm I'm still hitting my 10,000 steps, but I want to share something with you that I'm kind of proud of. I have not worn an aura ring or any kind of a tracking ring now in well, more than a month since I started doing the interval walking. Mainly because I wanted to stop looking at that number. And again, as a result, I end up breaking that plateau and losing a few extra pounds and frankly freeing myself from getting obsessive sometimes about that step count. Like I just I know my own personality and I'm prone to be obsess. I'm prone to fall into this habit of like, well, if a little bit's good, then more and more and more must be better. But that's just not true. And sometimes you have to take steps so that you don't become addictive to checking your weight or checking your steps or just obsessing about your health metrics. I mean, all these tools are fantastic, but if they make you crazy, if you're constantly looking at your sleep score, if you're constantly looking at your step count, is it really helpful? I don't know. I I feel healthier this month than I did last month, then maybe that has a lot to do with it. My goal isn't to get more steps in. My goal is to be stronger. My goal is to be more capable. My goal is to be resilient. And for a lot of women, this approach is going to deliver those results for you. It's not just a trend. It actually does work. So if zone 2 walking, steady state walking, you know, trying to get your 10,000 steps a day has stopped working for you. You've hit a plateau, don't stop walking. You just need a better strategy and interval walking might just be it.
I hope you enjoyed this. Thanks for hanging out with me. And if you want to continue to hang out, I would love to invite you to check out my Patreon. It's a private community. It's kind of like a deer diary. I share my thoughts, things I don't normally put on the regular show. It's just like I call it keep you company content. There's no videos. It's just audio. And I would love to invite you to check it out. In fact, I'll put a link for you to check it out below this video in the description. You do know you just like click the little words how they're kind of truncated. Just click on it says more and then you'll see all the information you might need to learn more about like camp be more or patreon or or all the things. I love you. I mean it and I'll talk to you soon.