(Breather) In this episode, I will explain what led to my decision to quit jogging, and share how you can maximize your cardiovascular health benefits by making a very modest commitment to cardio.
This means that simply putting in a couple of hours a week (at a comfortable pace) is ideal. And what a relief! Yes, it turns out that making a modest commitment to cardio, meaning merely going on a brisk walk, a comfortably paced jog, or just riding your bike around for a bit, is actually the bes way to go, and it’s time to rethink the way you approach cardio, and evolve it into a more creative and challenging routine that also offers much broader fitness benefits.
The inspiration for my transition away from jogging first came from a Mark’s Daily Apple titled The Case Against Cardio that really shook things up for endurance athletes who were used to doing hour long runs and hours of biking every week (me!). Reading the article opened my eyes to so much, particularly a few warning signs about my health and body that I had been ignoring. One of them was a spontaneous meniscus tear that I got from simply taking my dog on a walk, which prompted my physical therapist friend who took a look at it to ask me, “What happened?” I couldn’t think of anything, so I researched online, and quickly found an article about how athletic males around 40 years old often experience a spontaneous tear to the meniscus, with no known attribution! Clearly, the accumulation from impact trauma causes cartilage to stiffen, so you’re more susceptible to tears, even when you’re just walking around the street.
Fast forward a couple years after this incident. I’m leaning over the kitchen counter to quickly eat some eggs before heading out on a road trip, and then, my back goes out. Now, everyone’s heard someone in their life talk about their back “going out” but I had never actually experienced it, and it was quite shocking to suddenly find myself flat on the floor, gasping for air, and in a lot of pain. This led to 3 days of severe pain on bed rest, and then 5-6 days of barely being able to walk (we’re talking wincing with pain with each tiny step I took). Two weeks would pass before I was even able to do any kind of exercise.
But you can escape from the life-long ordeal of constant back pain that most males seem to suffer from, and this episode will highlight the key things that made all the difference for me:
Engaging in strenuous core exercises
The more you do, the more risk you have
“Run for your life, but not too far, and at a slow pace”
Humans are genetically adapted to perform magnificent endurance feats, but the thing is, these are best done once in a while only, with a lot of rest, gentle walking, and other forms of support present.
Follow me on social media for more great content!
Instagram: @bradkearns1
Facebook: @bradkearnsjumphigh
Twitter: @bradleykearns
