THE METABOLIC EFFECT OF WALKING
I hear it all the time. When questioning drivers about their exercise habits out on the road, again and again I hear, “Yeah, I walk a lot. I always park at the back of the truck stop . . . .” That’s their fitness program!!!!!!??????? The truth is these drivers are in total denial about their own medical reality and what it takes to lose weight and keep weight off permanently. So, now I need to set the record straight.
TO LOSE WEIGHT AND KEEP IT OFF, YOU HAVE TO RESET YOUR METABOLISM.
TO RESET YOUR METABOLISM, YOU HAVE TO “SPIKE” IT FOR 4 MINUTES EVERY DAY FOR 91 DAYS!
I know this because this is exactly what I measure, monitor, and improve in Prime’s Driver Health and Fitness 13 Week Basic Program. I have already discussed this in my post, “Resetting Your Metabolism”
So let’s look specifically at walking. According to the applications I have received for the DHF program, 62.7% of drivers reported that they get out of their truck specifically to exercise either never or only a few times a month. So, for the vast majority of drivers in Prime’s fleet, their typical day is as follows:
Wake up, walk into the truck stop, use the restroom, get food, walk to the truck, pre-trip, drive, stop for fuel, walk in and out of the truck stop again, drive, reach destination, walk in and out of shipper/receiver office, walk back to truck, relax, walk to get bills signed, walk back to truck, drive to truck stop, walk in to truck stop, eat dinner, walk back to truck, go to sleep. In general, that is a typical day for most drivers. The extent of their physical activity, with the exception of working the landing gear and opening/closing the trailer doors, is WALKING. If that is all you are doing, you must ask the question: is all my walking effectively spiking my metabolism? How can I know?
Here’s an example of a driver in DHF Class 14 for the week of September 15 to 21, 2013:
The driver averaged 3738 steps per day.
The driver also averaged 47 minutes of moderate activity. On September 21, the driver was able to get 2 minutes of vigorous activity as well.
Look at his metabolic profile for September 17th.
On this day, the driver registered 23 minutes of moderate activity. That’s any activity that is 3.0 METS or more. As you can see above, the driver got moderate activity seven times during the day. His highest MET was 5.3 which was during the driver’s 15 minute workout. What this shows is that for 23 hours and 37 minutes, this driver was only “lightly active”. That means his metabolism was on its lowest level – from 0 to 3 METS. During the “normal” course of the day, the driver only raised his metabolism to just over 3.0 METS. That is typical of most drivers – if all they are doing is walking, they are not raising their metabolic levels high enough and long enough to engage their fat burning system for effective weight loss. Walking simply will not reset your metabolism.
Here’s an example of another driver in the DHF program.
This is what effective weight loss looks like. On three separate occasions, the driver “spiked” his metabolism to “vigorous” levels – that’s anything over 6.0 METS. Early in the morning the driver almost reached vigorous levels, too. This is what it takes to rest your metabolism. The more often and the longer you force your metabolism to work in this vigorous level, the more your body burns fat. When you walk, yes you burn some additional calories, especially if you were just going to be sitting anyways. But you could walk for 100 miles and never elevate your metabolism to effective fat burning. That is why I laugh when people say with such conviction that they park at the back of the truck stop and walk a lot. They just don’t know!
