By, Tim Irvine
I was recently talking with a friend of mine about a hiking trip he was planning and it reminded me of this article I read several years ago. If you want to read about an objective, physical transformation, give yourself five minutes to do just that and be amazed at what a consistent, sustained approach to physical activity can do for you.
The author, and subject, is Kyle Boelte, and he is a self-described active person, who also, at the time the article was written, happened to have a job where he sat at a computer for eight hours daily.
In the eyes of society, Kyle was in good shape and lead an active life. This allowed him the physical capability of planning and completing a 29-day hike of the Colorado Trail. This is no small feet (486 miles), but the compelling part was how he measured himself before and after. He took several different physical measurements and was completely blown away by the changes. So was I.
From my perspective, the most remarkable changes were his cortisol and testosterone levels. He was at the high end of normal cortisol before he started (17.8 ug/dL) and this dropped 40% by the time the hike was over. What surprised me much more was his testosterone which more than doubled. Incredible!
So what does this have to do with us ‘normal people’? The main messages are twofold.
One, even though we do some daily physical activity, if we sit all day for our work, our body will respond appropriately. We just won’t be in as good of shape as we think we should be. This can be helped by mini-breaks during the day where you literally move through a five to ten-minute movement routine to make sure you counteract the sitting. This needs to be done multiple times daily.
Secondly, consistent, sustained movement will make a big difference over the long term. For some, this might be three times weekly. For others, it might be 30-60 min every day. It’s the consistency piece that is the most important that your body will get the most positive impact from. The point is, make this your own so you start where you are at. That’s the only thing that really matters. Progress will come with consistency.
Of course, if you want to do a 30-day hike, by all means, go for it. Just make sure you prepare yourself properly beforehand. It is clear that it can be a game-changer.