We were built to move but, today, our sedentary lives are slowly killing us. For the typical person who doesn’t engage in any exercise, a lifetime of inactivity results in increased risks for practically all diseases. It also give you a shorter lifespan AND shorter healthspan. One of the best things we can do to improve our lives, both physically and mentally, is get in the habit of regularly engaging in moderate physical activity and moving on a regular basis.

Takeaways:

• Sedentary lifestyles significantly increase the risk of various diseases and shorten lifespan.
• Regular physical activity is essential for improving both physical and mental health.
• Engaging in moderate exercise can enhance cognitive function and reduce cognitive decline.
• Even small amounts of movement can yield substantial health benefits, especially for the sedentary.
• The Goldilocks Zone for exercise suggests a balance between too little and too much activity.
• Incorporating movement into daily routines, like standing up every 30 minutes, benefits productivity and creativity.

Movement is part and parcel to who we are as humans. In order to live, and thrive, we must move. Therefore it makes sense that inactivity or limiting movement can’t be a good thing for us, especially if we want to have a healthy, productive life as we get older.

Benefits of Movement

Regular, intentional Movement that raises our heart rate is vital for our physical and mental health. Research has shown that frequent moderate to vigorous physical activity builds our muscular and cardiac capacity and fortifies our brains. In addition, “ground-contact” activities like walking, hiking, rucking, and jogging/running increase our motor control, which can help reduce cognitive decline as we age.

The question of how much of these activities is enough to be beneficial but not harmful has been a debated subject among Sports Scientists, Physiologists and MD’s for years. Recently, however, studies have started to narrow in on what the “ideal” amount of cardio/aerobic activity is needed to have the greatest impact on our health

Back in 2012, cardiologist James O’Keefe gave a TED talk titled “Run for your life! At a comfortable pace, and not too far”.

Now, while he was speaking about running at the time, his basic conclusion was that moderate aerobic exercise of any type is good for you, especially compared to inactivity, but only in a certain range. At that time he figured the “sweet spot” (for improved overall health, not competitive excellence) was 10-20 miles a week at 8 to 10 minute a mile pace. Anything more than that might be detrimental to overall health. Since then he has modified that to a slightly higher amount.

A more recent article (2018) by Dr James H O’Keefe , Evan L O’Keefe , Carl J Lavie  in Pub Men Central titled [“The Goldilocks Zone for Exercise: Not Too Little, Not Too Much”](The Goldilocks Zone for Exercise: Not Too Little, Not Too Much) gave a summary of their current view. Based on their research they make the following recommendations for how much activity is “ideal” from the standpoint of increasing healthspan. They call it the “Goldilocks Zone”.

The Goldilocks Zone for Physical Activity or Physicians Exercise Prescription.

• Aim for the CDC Physical Activity Guideline 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity (Zone 2) aerobic exercise or 75 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity
• Try to limit doses of vigorous (heart-pounding, sweat-producing) exercise to not more than 4 to 5 cumulative hours per week, especially for those over 45 years of age.
• After 30 consecutive minutes spent sitting, stand up and move, ideally walking briskly for about 5 minutes. Consider a standing desk to reduce prolonged sitting.
• Changing from a completely sedentary lifestyle to one that incorporates even a modest amount of PA will confer substantial benefits to mental and physical health.
• For individuals performing doses of strenuous exercise above recommended levels, consider substituting less aerobically demanding PA, such as walking, yoga, stability exercises, strength training, etc.
• There appears to be no concerns about an upper threshold for safety when performing leisure-time low-to-moderate intensity activities, such as walking at a comfortable pace, housework, gardening, baseball or softball, bowling, volleyball, golf, doubles tennis (and other racquet sports), dancing, croquet, etc.
• Take at least 1 day per week off from vigorous exercise.
• For very high exercisers over 50 years of age, consideration should be given to some cardiac testing (e.g. CT scanning for CAC, or exercise testing and/or echocardiography.)

So, maybe running isn’t your thing. Maybe you like to ruck, walk, or cycle or row. Whatever aerobic activity you enjoy you should probably try to get at least 2-3 hours a week of that activity at a pace/effort that puts you in what would be called Zone 2. Zone 2 is the effort that allows you to carry on a conversation but with a little effort. We’ll talk a lot more about Zone 2, how to determine it, and how to optimize it for your training in upcoming episodes. You should also try to get some of those “ground contact” activities, especially outside as those are good for mental well-being as well as increasing motor control.

Makes your brain stronger, reduced risk for cognitive decline

The benefits of moderate exercise and movement are more than just physical. More and more research shows just how beneficial almost any activity, but especially moderate walking and running and other aerobic exercises, are to your brain.

This research is especially interesting to me because my Mother was diagnosed with dementia in 2018 and unfortunately passed away in 2024 from complications due to Alzheimers. Numerous studies have shown the benefits of aerobic exercise on reducing the incidence and severity of cognitive decline, including dementia. My Mother had a fair amount of inactivity in her life and did not do much intentional aerobic activity. While dementia isn’t necessarily inherited I’m hopeful that my lifetime of aerobic exercise will help reduce my risk.

A recent study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that people with a high CRF (Cardio Repiratory Fitness) had a 40% lower chance of developing dementia as well as delay the onset of dementia if someone were to get it.

More evidence:

A study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health in 2021 concluded that, in part:

Dementia can be prevented, and there is a growing body of research demonstrating this. All studies emphasize on changing eating and exercise habits, as well as increasing mental training. Exercise has been shown effective to both prevent and delay the progression of dementia. Aerobic exercise and muscle-strengthening exercises are preferable. Exercise may have a preventive effect due to the neurotrophic factor (BDNF) secreted by the brain, which can prevent hippocampal atrophy and maintain cognitive function. However, because everyone’s physical condition differs, the need for preventive measures should differ as well.

Even more evidence:

Aerobic exercise training improves cognition, even for young and middle-aged adults, according to a study led by researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. The study of 132 adults between the ages of 20 and 67 found that aerobic exercise training increases executive function—cognitive processes important for reasoning, planning, and problem-solving—in adults as young as 20, although the effect was stronger with increasing age.

Increases in Creativity

I have long felt that getting out for a moderate run or walk is one of the best ways for working things out and coming up with new ideas or ways of looking at things. Many times I start out with very few ideas and finish with an entirely new outlook or strategy. I’ve come to depend on these walks and runs as a way to do some “on the feet brainstorming”. Well, it appears it’s not just me:

A recent article in Psychology Today Canada talks about how walking benefits mindfulness and the creative process for some of the best known writers.

Collectively, these writers suggest that the mind and body in motion, with no practical destination in mind, sharpens attention and loosens imagination. Their writing, always reflective and often dense with language and ideas, invites readers to engage with similar degrees of attention and imagination. Walking may be the antidote to the rushed thinking and short attention spans rewarded by social media.

Stanford researchers found that walking boosts creative inspiration. They examined creativity levels of people while they walked versus while they sat. A person’s creative output increased by an average of 60 percent when walking.

A person walking indoors – on a treadmill in a room facing a blank wall – or walking outdoors in the fresh air produced twice as many creative responses compared to a person sitting down, one of the experiments found.

So, there you have it. Evidence that movement is good for us, both physically and mentally.

How to Take Action

Now, what to do with all that evidence? I hope it’s pretty obvious that movement, especially the kind that elevates our heart-rate, is good for us in so many ways. Further, it seems like weight bearing movement (walking, hiking, rucking, running) has some additional benefits. How each of us go about putting those suggestions into our daily routine is a highly individual decision based on a number of factors like, current health, experience and history with exercise, personal goals, life situation, etc.

The bottom line is that all of us should try to move/exercise on a regular basis, preferably doing something every day. I see a couple different scenarios:

1. If you’re currently not doing any movement beyond the basics of getting around your home/office, 1st get the OK from a qualified medical professional and then start slow and easy to add more intentional movement to your life. Find something you enjoy and build a habit of movement.
2. If you’re currently active, or very active, take a look at your activity with an eye towards balancing the benefits and potential risks of “over movement”. Decide if your goals are competitive or purely healthspan based and work as best you can to get the most from each while limiting negative outcomes as much as possible.

In either case, make sure you are having fun and enjoying the process! That will make it much easier to continue these positive habits for the remainder of your life.

Poll of The Week

I’m exited to announce a new segment that I’m calling the Poll of The Week. I think this will be a great way for all of you to provide some context and additional information as a follow up to each episode.
Each week you will have the opportunity to chime in on a question related to the current episode. I’ll tabulate the results and review them in the next episode so be sure to make your voice heard! 

Let’s Connect

Strava: Join The Fitness Roadmap Club on Strava! https://www.strava.com/clubs/thefitnessroadmap Strava is a free to join social media fitness app and The Fitness Roadmap club is where people who use Strava to stay healthy and fit can share their workouts and ideas for living life better. From running, walking, cycling and swimming to rowing, strength training, yoga, and pretty much any other activity, you can join the club and community of like minded “Roadmappers”!

ZWIFT: Another app I use is ZWIFT. It’s an indoor cycling and running app and if you have a membership you can follow me here. If you don’t have a ZWIFT account but you want to check it out you can use this code to get a free 30-day trial.

Concept 2: If you have a Concept 2 rowing machine and/or you just want to see what I’ve been doing on the indoor rower you can follow me here and see all the recent activities I have done.

Send Me a Message: If you have a comment or suggestion for the podcast or website head over to https://thefitnessroadmap.com/contact/ and leave me a message.

Research Links

• Exercise Dosage in Reducing the Risk of Dementia Development: Mode, Duration, and Intensity—A Narrative Review – PMC
• British Journal of Sports Medicine
• Why in 2025 you should do two hours of exercise a week – Brighton Journal
• The Goldilocks Zone for Exercise: Not Too Little, Not Too Much – PMC
• Stanford study finds walking improves creativity | Stanford Report
• The Profound Benefits of Walking | Psychology Today Canada
• Run for your life! At a comfortable pace, and not too far: James O’Keefe at TEDxUMKC