How to Live Longer, Healthier, & Lose Weight
- chelsie462
- Oct 14
- 7 min read
This article is a transcribed, edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in September 2024. For the original video, go to https://youtu.be/-N_ZyjtRm1s
Brad: Good morning. I just got done with a morning walk. It's a beautiful autumn day outside. Perfect time to get out and walk, but we know some people don't like to walk, can't walk, or have indoor things. What do we have for them, Mike?
Mike: So we have three options at the end, if you're not a walker, that you can try.
Brad: And there are good options.
Mike: So today we're talking about walking, but we need to have some data first, right, Brad?
Brad: Right. We have a nice study. We've got it listed below, and it talks about active people, and the bottom line is that they live on average two to four years longer.
Mike: Now, a great way to be more active and live two to four years longer is to actually get up and start walking. So we thought we would do it right now.
Brad: Right. So I just got in from walking, and we're going to do a little more. Come on in, start marching in place. We'll just walk in place. I do want to talk about the benefits of walking, and we got this information from the Mayo Clinic. Let's go through some of the benefits so people can really understand it. Go on.
Mike: So the first benefit is weight loss, and it helps reduce stress. Obviously, you're burning calories and those feel-good hormones from exercising.
Brad: That's right. And it also reduces the risk for heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes, which is a big thing nowadays.
Mike: It can also improve your mood, memory, and sleep. I actually wake up when I start exercising normally.
Brad: I'm feeling better already. I bet you guys are too, just marching here. It strengthens the immune system, bone integrity. So if you've got osteoporosis, walking is a great way to get those bones in the legs and the hips, and the back stronger.
Mike: Now, if you haven't been walking very much and you want to start a walking program, we're going to give you five guidelines to have success.
Brad: That's right. That's going to be the biggest thing, getting started. Or if you were walking and you got out of the program, how to get back in? Now, one thing about walking is that the faster and further, and more frequently you walk, the greater the benefits.
Mike: Number two is you want to avoid doing too much too soon. Typically, people can get burnt out or tired. So start with less walking initially and build up over time. For example, start with maybe just five minutes of walking, or if you're a distance person, maybe just try something like two to five blocks.
Brad: That's right. I know a number of people actually invigorated to get out there and walk, walk two miles, get sore, their feet are sore, and they're done with it. So make sure you start out easy, like Mike mentioned. And the other thing is that mood thing. Have you ever gotten up in the morning and you are feeling poorly, things aren't going good. Maybe you had a bad day the night before, a bad dream, and you don't want to do anything. Those are the days you want to get out for sure. Even if you walk two blocks and come back, you're going to improve your mood. Everything will go better. So get through the tough days and maybe even have a friend or a family member help give you a little push.
Mike: I would recommend having a cup of coffee first, which brightens my day before I walk. But anyway, the next talking point is to avoid boredom; try doing some type of interval training. Now I'm not saying go run a sprint, but maybe one part of the block you walk a little bit quicker pace, and then you slow back down on the other part of the block. Just keep doing that, and they can make it a little more interesting.
Brad: That's right. And if you're going to do that and you want to find out, well, how should I do that? 50-50, in other words, walk fast for one block, take one block, and slow down. Get a breath, breathe a little bit. And then when you hit the next block, get going, pick it up again, and repeat that. I do this a lot with my exercises. It just makes it a little less boring and kind of gets me going. It's a great option.
Mike: Now I must admit, Brad mentioned a little bit, but option number five is to go walk outside when possible and with a friend or maybe your pet, because it's much more entertaining than standing in place and marching inside like we are right now.
Brad: Right. So actually, there are studies, I don't have them sighted on this, but we have them in other videos. Outside in nature, if you can. Don't walk around traffic where you're smelling the fumes from the car and there's stress; get out in nature and go for a relaxing walk, a good way for stress relief, and it makes you feel much better.
Mike: But some people can't walk real well. So we're going to show you some other very good options.
Brad: Right. You may not, maybe you have a bad knee, whatever it may be. Maybe you just don't like walking, or it's winter time, like here in Minnesota or Wisconsin. Indoors, we're going to go through some options that'll do the same health benefits as walking outside, with the exception of being indoors.
Mike: This reminds me of marching band all over again.
Brad: Oh, yeah. Were you in a marching band?
Mike: Yes.
Brad: What'd you play?
Mike: The drums.
Brad: Wow, we should do that. Alright, let's go
Mike: Now, some other options, rather than walking, that are good cardio exercise. A stationary bike, like I am on, or Brad has a FitGlide there. We're going to go through some more options, but these are good because they're low to no-impact options. So they're good on your joints if you have some arthritis going on.
Brad: Right, we just have a sample there of a stationary bike, but there are probably 30 different stationary bikes you could buy. You just go online and see what works for you. Try them out at the store and health club. Now the FitGlide is a really nice one, very low impact. And the big benefit is extremely light. Weighs about three pounds, you can put it in the closet and take it with you when you travel. So this is an option. There are other devices similar to this as well. Mike, did we miss any yet?
Mike: No. If you happen to go to a gym or own an elliptical, an elliptical is a good option. You have to be comfortable standing up and getting on them yourselves, but they are very low-impact compared to walking or even running, so they're a good option as well.
Brad: So one of my favorite machines is actually the rowing machine, where you sit down on it and actually row. Now we have an elliptical rowing machine that I just got at my house, put it together. We're going to show you a little clip of it, and I'll be on it. It's nice because the seat is up off the ground.
Brad: A lot of rowing machines I've used they're very low to the ground, and some people will have problems with that. That's why this rowing machine has big benefits that way. It's built very well. Anyways, look at that. But if you just want to do the marching or the walking inside, like we were doing earlier, maybe you did join us, Mike, we've got a good option for that. This is really good.
Mike: Yeah, check out Jordan, someone who is working with us, and she creates follow-along workout routines. They change in duration, but here's a 10-minute one, "10 Minute Walking Workout for Seniors."
Brad: And that video has a lot of views, so we know people like it. It's very popular.
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