Issue #30: 🏃🏽 How Much Exercise?
Good morning. It’s Monday, September 26th. Yesterday, the Cleveland Guardians clinched the AL Central with a 10-4 win over the Texas Rangers. The youngest team in MLB, the Guardians proved age is just a number when it comes to team success. No, this isn’t a Cleveland sports newsletter, but we need to share the news when our hometown wins. Maybe the new nickname will break the curse - Go Guardians!
Did you miss any of our issues on ENVIRONMENT last week? Catch up on Issues #25 - #29 here.
This week we're switching gears and talking about MOVEMENT, specifically Metabolic Training.
“Exercise is in a league of its own when it comes to extending life and reducing all-cause mortality. There’s really no intervention...that’s going to rival it [exercise].”
Yes - today's Monday Metabolic Workout includes The Heisman so don't miss it!
Olympic gold-medalist mile pace (6 min 31 seconds) in Men's 20KM (12.4 miles) race walking. Now that's "brisk walking".
The Trillion Dollar Medicine
Countless headlines tout the benefits of exercise. All of us feel we "should" exercise.
But why? It's not just about losing weight - why should we make the time and effort to move so much? After all, it takes time and energy, and you could argue keeps us from doing what we want or need to be doing for life.
Fitness Extends our Healthspan
No other Element is proven to extend longevity like exercise.
Even modest improvements - going from Low Fitness Level (bottom 25% percentile) to Below Average Fitness Level reduces all-cause mortality (hazard ratio) by 50%!*
This equates to an estimated 6-8 years of improved healthspan.
*This is a more significant impact on all-cause mortality than smoking vs not smoking
How Much Exercise?
Short answer - more is better than less.
Wait, what? I thought just a little exercise was enough?
Ok - maybe I have to do some high intensity interval training (HIIT) - but just a few minutes, right?
The reality is you don't have to live at the gym.
Our goal isn't to win an Ironman.* It's to optimize our health & longevity with a fitness plan to feel great, live with high energy, and increase our healthspan (see above).
But, it isn't going to happen from just 10 min of walking either. A recent study from Harvard found that optimum health outcomes correlate with 2x the recommended time of exercising.
Oh and that NYTimes article above - Peter Attia calls out that the study was done for only 7 days and found correlation, not causation. So many studies, even with the best intention, are limited in their findings...alas the media needs a headline.
So try this plan*:
Lots of time in Zone 1 (1+ hrs/day) - easily able to talk and pay attention to what's around you
80-90% of active exercise in Zone 2 (3-4 hrs/week) - challenging to hold a conversation (70-75% of max heart rate)
10-20% of active exercise in Zone 5 (0.5 hrs/week) - very challenging (90% of max heart rate)
*If you're gearing up for a triathlon race or the CrossFit Games, then your "Performance Training" might be different. That said, even Marathon world record-holder, Eliud Kipchoge, spends most of his time in Zone 2 training (see Speed Read below).
Going to the Met
No - not the NY Metropolitan Museum of Art (although that was home to one of my all time favorite movie scenes - Thomas Crown Affair).
A MET* is the metabolic equivalent to sitting (basically doing nothing). That (doing nothing) would be 1.0 METs.
Typing at a keyboard is 1.5 METs and walking slowly is 2.0 METs.
Here are some of the moderate exercises (i.e., Zone 1) in terms of METs.
*The metabolic expenditure of sitting at rest is roughly 3.5 mL per minute per kg of VO2max. Umm - don't worry about it.
A MET-hour = METs x # of hours (e.g., playing doubles for 2 hours = 10 MET-hours)
More MET-hours = a longer life
Peter Attia - The Drive Podcast
Bottom line = stay active throughout the day and the week.
Moving Frequently —> Builds Habits of Being Active —> Improved Fitness
The 5X Challenge (Zone 1)
Can you commit to moving for at least 10 minutes 5x per day everyday this week?
Why 10 minutes? This is often how long it takes to positively impact your skeletal muscles and boost your glucose/insulin metabolism.
Why 5x? It leads to about an hour of activity and ensures you're up and about throughout the day.
Take a look at the list above for suggestions of Moderately Intense Movements.
It can just be brisk walking (no, not at an Olympic pace) to start the morning, take a work call, get outside with your pup, recharge your brain, whatever...
Working in the yard (like me this afternoon prepping for Hurricane Ian), or even sex (tell your partner it’s for a health challenge).
Would love to hear from you for any day you hit 5x this week!
Shoot us a note at team@thrive25.com
Trust us, sharing this helps build the habit AND inspires the rest of us!
Speed Read
Health & Longevity in the News
Marathon World Record: Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge broke his own world-record in the 26.2 mile race in Berlin yesterday with a time of 2 hours 1 minute and 9 seconds. So he averaged a 4:37 mile pace for the entire race! Want to know his secret? Check out this detailed profile of his life and training regimen.
The Microplastics Invasion: A recent study reveals that microplastics induce mitochondrial damage in human liver and lung cells. It's estimated that the average adult consumes 32,000 pieces of microplastics per year. So avoid plastic wherever possible, recycle what you use, and consider ditching the nylon and polyester.
The Health & Wellness Industry is...Healthy: McKinsey & Company estimates the market for wellness products and services to be more than $450B in the U.S. and growing at more than 5% annually. As our community knows, the segment is a growing priority for consumers and investors, but unmet needs remain. Thrive25 is coming up with ideas to get the right information to you in the right way at the right time to be the most impactful. Stay tuned.
Monday Metabolic
Today we're doing the Heisman!
Get ready for 3 exercises to complete every minute on the minute (EMOM) for 5 minutes. This will definitely help maintain or become "Elite" (see chart above)!
Click HERE to view the workout on our YouTube channel.
Workout and video courtesy of Connor J. Obrochta. Check out all of Connor's workouts on Playbook!
Product Recs
Primal Kitchen - get some of the healthiest and most delicious condiments and dressings. Their ketchup and avocado oil mayo are staples in our fridge and my wife absolutely loves their buffalo sauce! Thrive25 readers get 10% off - use code “THR25” at checkout
Phat Fudge - check out the new flavor reishi and ashwagandha for that perfect adaptogenic chill-out snack. Ideal after a workout, long day, or stressful meeting. Thrive25 readers get 10% off by clicking the link on the name
*Thrive25 is an affiliate for both of these amazing brands.
Thanks for joining us today! Hope you enjoyed it - tomorrow we're stepping up to Zone 2 so bring your jogging shoes!
Check out the latest workout videos on our YouTube channel
Got feedback? Tell us what you think at team@thrive25.com
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Why Thrive25
We’re 40-something dads that felt our bodies and minds start to slow down and we’re not ready for that. We found too much information on every subject. So we started Thrive25 to transform what we’ve learned into something useful for the rest of us to spend just 3-5 min a day to optimize our health & longevity.
This newsletter is for you and we truly value your feedback. Never hesitate to reach out to us at team@thrive25.com.
To health!
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The information in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and may not be appropriate or applicable based on your individual circumstances. Thrive25 Labs LLC does not provide medical, professional, or licensed advice. Please connect with your healthcare professional for medical advice specific to your health needs.