Masterful Fitness Architecture: Constructing a Resilient Body in Perimenopause
Part Three
“Building athletic skill is like constructing a bridge. It takes time, patience, and hard work, and once you’re over, you find strength you never knew you had.”
– Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Olympic Athlete
In the first two parts of our Masterful Fitness Architecture series, we discussed the foundational importance of challenging your muscles and bones to grow with heavy strength training, and adding interval training for effective calorie and fat burning. Next up is the vital role of walking, an often-underestimated activity that is a cornerstone of your day’s caloric burn (Thank you, NEAT!) Just as muscle-building is the foundation, walking is the mortar that holds all the bricks together. Walking, a simple yet effective form of physical activity, not only contributes significantly to daily caloric burn but also offers a range of health benefits, making it a key component of our fitness regimen as perimenopausal women.
Let’s look at seven benefits of adding a daily steps goal to your routine.
Major Contributor to Caloric Burn
Did we mention how much walking comprises in your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE)? Oh wait – did we not mention TDEE at all?
Let’s back up then. TDEE is the sum of all energy (aka, calories) you burn on a given day. It’s broken up into four basic categories: basal metabolic rate (BMR), non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), thermic effect of food (TEF) and exercise activity thermogenesis (EAT).
NEAT is all of your physical activity, conscious and subconscious, outside of your workouts. That can include pacing while on the phone, tapping your toes to the radio, fidgeting with a pen, etc. Walking, as a NEAT activity, can be the most substantial contributor to an individual’s overall caloric expenditure. For many, especially those who may not engage in structured exercise, incorporating more walking into their daily routine can significantly impact energy balance and weight management.
Achievable Goal
I encourage my clients to aim for 8,000 to 10,000 steps per day. This target is not only about increasing caloric burn but also about integrating sustainable, health-promoting activity into daily life.
We get there incrementally, however. If a woman spends most of her day at a desk, 8-10K steps may seem unobtainable. So, we start where she is, by tracking how many steps she naturally gets for three days. Then we take the average as our starting point and add 1,000 steps to get her first step goal. Once she’s been able to achieve that for at least 80% of the time, we add 1,000 more steps, until 10,000 steps is her daily habit.
How do we add to the daily step count? By taking the stairs instead of the elevator. By parking further away from the destination. By opting to walk instead of taking the bus or driving, when appropriate. By doing the grocery shopping instead of ordering Shipt. By planning date night to include a romantic walk from the restaurant to the theater.
All these little choices add up to make a big impact.
Beyond Caloric Burn
While walking does aid in caloric expenditure, its benefits extend far beyond just burning calories. Regular walking helps improve cardiovascular health, enhances mood, and boosts overall energy levels. It also plays a role in maintaining joint health and mobility, which is crucial during perimenopause.
No Need for Speed
While you may feel the need to speed walk, that’s not really what we’re after. The goal is to increase overall movement throughout the day. I don’t really want you to think of your walking as a workout. I know how difficult it can be for a goal-driven woman like yourself to not try to push the pace and instead opt for a leisurely stroll.
The main goal, however, is stress management. Which leads me to my next point…
Reduced Stress and Improved Mental Health
Walking, particularly in natural settings, can significantly reduce stress levels and improve mental well-being. This aspect is especially beneficial for managing elevated cortisol levels, a common concern during perimenopause, because it contributes to systemic inflammation and fat accumulation. Ah, the oft-maligned Meno-belly of abdominal fat.
Abdominal fat is inconvenient, making our clothes fit tighter. But it can actually be quite unhealthy, as it tends to be more visceral fat, or fat lining our internal organs. This is the kind of fat that contributes to cardiovascular disease. And it results mostly from chronically elevated cortisol due to poor stress management and insufficient sleep. Let a nice daily ritual of a walk in nature melt the stress away.
Customizable to Individual Needs
For clients already meeting the 8,000 to 10,000 steps goal, we can consider adding more steps as long as it doesn’t contribute to additional stress. The key is to find a balance that enhances health without causing fatigue or overexertion.
Easily Incorporated into Daily Routine
Walking can be seamlessly integrated into daily life. As suggested previously, taking stairs instead of elevators, parking farther away from destinations, or incorporating short walking breaks during the workday. Another way to weave walking into your day is to attach it to something you already do every day. This is called habit stacking.
Habit stacking is an excellent method for building a good walking routine. This concept involves attaching a desired activity to something you already habitually do. For example, taking a 10-minute walk after you eat lunch, or dancing while dinner simmers, or practicing balance by standing on one foot while brushing your teeth – all are great ways to connect activity to something you already do. I regularly program 10-minute walks after each meal for clients. This particular habit stack has the added benefit of aiding digestion and insulin regulation. Bonus!
In conclusion, walking, a fundamental NEAT activity, is a crucial building material for the optimal perimenopause fitness program. It is an accessible, low-impact way to enhance physical activity, contributing to weight management, cardiovascular health, and overall wellness. By prioritizing walking and making it a regular part of daily life, we can significantly improve health outcomes, especially when navigating the complex physiological changes of perimenopause.