grandpa

He has put words to it Hector Leiro in it podcast from ADH Fitness Talks, but the numbers are clear and solid. It is true that caloric expenditure is somewhat inflated and that the annual count somewhat distorts its real impact. However, the underlying message is good: in exercise, consistency is better than intensity. So we’ve asked ourselves, are we valuing walking less than we should? What do the coaches say? Leiro’s message was quite clear and sensible: “I’m not saying jogging or walking fast, but taking a grandpa walk five days a week (…) that translates into 78,000 calories a year, or what is the same, ten kilos of fat.” “The important thing is to build the habit. Not (…) a superhuman effort, it is a habit.” In the same line, insisted the fitness instructor Susane Pata in Infobae that “walking 30 minutes seven days a week generates 700–1,400 kcal per week.” And what do the figures say? To begin with, the accounts are a little inflated if we take into account that energy expenditure not only takes into account intensity and time, but also weight. The more weight, the more expense. This, translated into manageable figures, means that for a 70 kilo person, an hour of “grandfather’s walk” produces an expenditure of between 140 and 200 calories. It is far from the 300-350 that Leiro manages to reach 78,000. To achieve that we would have to go at a more intense pace or weigh more (about 120 kilos). These are estimates, of course, but it allows us to get an idea of ​​what exactly we are talking about. But let’s admit 78,000 calories, what does that mean? Not too much, really. If we look at it in perspective, we are talking about something like three pieces of fruit a day. By “annualizing” it, the expense appears larger than it really is. It is not a problem in itself, of course: as with the famous milestone of 10,000 steps a day, they are ’round’ figures that help guide goals (as long as we know that they are not ‘exactly’ true). Okay, but 78,000 calories are 78,000 calories. “We’ll lose some weight, right?” And the answer is curious. The problem is that the body is not a piggy bank. The Hadza, an indigenous people of about 1,300 people living in northern Tanzania, They do not burn more calories than any Western office worker despite walking 12 km a day. It is a good example because they are one of the last hunter-gatherer societies left in the world and they allow us to get a different idea of ​​what we are talking about. 78,000 calories a year continuously does not translate into 10 kilos of fat. It is true that in certain contexts it could happen, of course. But stating it cheerfully can generate excessive expectations. So, why walk daily? Because weight is not the only (nor the most important) thing that is gained through the practice of andurrear. And walking daily improves cardiovascular health, glycemic control, bone density, mood and reduces mortality. As I said at the beginning, consistency matters more than intensity. And that is an excellent message. Image | Juliane Liebermann In Xataka | Twenty years ago, researchers got a group of young women to walk together. And they discovered something unexpected