I’m so pleased to introduce another show with my main man, Mark Sisson, especially on the occasion of yet another book launch of the exciting new title, Born to Walk!
We can’t wait to release this book to the world and promote the heck out of it, but this episode is a nice comprehensive overview of the content in the book as we try to stick to covering things chapter by chapter. You will hear about the intriguing presentation—it’s really a two part book where part one details the broken promises and the unintended consequences of the running broom and how running is quite likely unhealthy for the vast majority of participants, while part two is embracing the Born to Walk lifestyle. You will hear about the comprehensive benefits of aerobic conditioning and building a base the correct way, the genetics of walking and the human imperative to walk for optimal health, foot functionality, and how to embark upon a full-body functional fitness program that is rooted in general everyday movement as a foundation, but also requires you to engage in the primal approach of strength training, brief intense resistance, exercise, occasional all out sprints, and of course, playtime.
One question I hear a lot is: “What’s it like to write a book? What’s the process like?” and in this show, I answer that question, sharing details of my writing process, the things I’ve learned from years of working on books, and my advice to people who want to write a book.
TIMESTAMPS:
Brad’s advice is if you want to write a book you need to just start typing. [01:57]
Part one of the book covers broken promises of the running boom, weight loss, calorie burning, padded shoes, and chronic cardio. [04:44]
Part two is more positive, telling about the benefits of building an aerobic base and the benefits of walking in barefoot shoes. [07:48]
LINKS:
- Brad Kearns.com
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- NEW: B.rad Superfruits – Organic Freeze-Dried Exotic Fruit Powder! Natural Electrolyte Hydration & Energy Powder
- B.rad’s Shopping Page
- Born to Walk
- Two Meals a Day
- Two Meals a Day Cookbook
- The Primal Blueprint
LISTEN:
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TRANSCRIPT:
Brad (00:00):
Welcome to the B.rad podcast, where we explore ways to pursue peak performance with passion throughout life without taking ourselves too seriously. I’m Brad Kearns, New York Times bestselling author, former number three world-ranked professional triathlete and Guinness World Record Masters athlete. I connect with experts in diet, fitness, and personal growth, and deliver short breather shows where you get simple, actionable tips to improve your life right away. Let’s explore beyond the hype, hacks, shortcuts, and sciencey talk to laugh, have fun and appreciate the journey. It’s time to B.rad.
New Speaker (00:38):
You must sit down and start typing. I think that is kind of underrated these days, especially when we have access to so much information. It’s not like the old days where
Brad (00:50):
I’m so pleased to introduce another show with my main man, Mark Sisson, especially on the occasion of yet another book launch of the exciting new title. Born to Walk. Oh my gosh, we can’t wait to release this book to the world and promote the heck out of it. You’ll hear us on podcast interviews and generating a lot of content, but this is a nice comprehensive overview of the content in the book as we try to stick to covering things chapter by chapter. And I think you’re gonna really get intrigued by the presentation. It’s really a two part book where part one is detailing the broken promises and the unintended consequences of the running broom and how running is quite likely unhealthy for the vast majority of participants. And then part two is embracing the Born to Walk lifestyle. So we’re talking about the comprehensive benefits of aerobic conditioning and building a base the correct way.
Brad (01:57):
The genetics of walking and the human imperative to walk for optimal health. We talk about foot functionality and how to embark upon a full-body functional fitness program where you have general everyday movement as a foundation, but you’re also engaging in the primal approach of strength training, brief intense resistance, exercise, occasional all out sprints, and of course playtime. So here we go with Brad and Mark, authors of Born to Walk. You know, a lot of people ask me what’s it like to write a book or what’s the process like? And how it happens is, since Mark and I have been writing so many books together since 2008, this is like our ninth book together. It’s a wonderful team effort because I think we have similar life experience and we think alike, especially when it comes to talking about the role of endurance training and how to do it properly as highlighted in this book.
Brad (02:56):
But what happens is we start talking about ideas naturally. So we’re not on any schedule, even though we’ve cranked out a lot of books with almost without interruption. It happens when it happens, and it’s been a few years break now since our last release of Two Meals a Day and Two Meals a Day Cookbook, but then we started focusing on this topic of longevity and how extreme endurance training actually compromises longevity instead of promotes longevity. So we started to take some notes and run around some ideas what might make for a book. Everything happens kind of organically. We’re not like starting with a marketing angle or a branding goal and then trying to fit a book in there. It just feels like we get the calling or the compulsion to write a book and then we start getting organized.
Brad (03:47):
But I think the key for me is you must sit down and start typing. And I think, that is kind of underrated these days, especially when we have access to so much information. It’s not like the old days where writing a book entailed going to the library, checking out a stack of books, doing some research, figuring out what you’re gonna talk about today, we can just bang to another a webpage and get all the facts we need and then, you know, turn into like a machine. And then at the end of the day, you haven’t really typed much of your own because you’re too busy doing research and organizing things and using fancy software. So my system is I turn on that blank screen and get going, and it’s the, the essence of, you know, um, how to come up with a thoughtful and unique finished product.
Brad (04:44):
So, let’s give a little plug for sitting down and typing. And then also, in the case of Mark and I, when we’re working on a book together, talking things out and remaining open-minded and reviewing drafts carefully and figuring out the, the continued course as the product and the project unfolds, but it’s really about rolling up your sleeves and getting something on paper. So, that’s my most favorite answer when someone asks me how all this works. So now here we go with yet another release. And over this interview, we are gonna just run through the, uh, content and give you some compelling insights about each chapter. The first one is how the running boom started and the advent of elevated cushion shoes that allowed ordinary people to run. In most cases, people who shouldn’t be running, were now able to do something that’s overly stressful, thanks to the cushion shoe back in the seventies from Nike.
Brad (05:47):
Then chapter two is the broken Promise of weight loss and how burning calories with endurance training doesn’t really help you lose excess body fat. So a lot of details there. Chapter three is The Broken Promise of Cushioned Shoes. As I mentioned, they enabled the running boom, but they also enable Ill adapted people to run with poor form and excessive impact trauma. So today, running shoes, these fancy pantsy things with a whole bunch of fake research behind it are the driving cause of the extreme rate of overuse injuries among regular runners. Chapter four, we talk about the catastrophe of chronic cardio, and you’ve heard us mention this term, uh, for many years in the Primal Blueprint and on mark’s daily apple.com. Chronic cardio is the overly stressful pattern of cardiovascular training sessions where you’re going at a slightly too significantly too difficult pace to, uh, engender true healthy aerobic development.
Brad (06:48):
then finally, part one concludes with chapter five, the ordeal of the obligate Runner. So part one is all kind of, um, negative tone and the unintended consequences of the running boom. And then part two, um, we talk about the wonderful benefits of a movement oriented lifestyle. The term obligate runner was coined way back in the seventies by behavior psychologists studying this, sort of obsessive type, a overly driven mindset and people who push themselves too hard, particularly found in the running community. So we’re gonna talk about the, some psychology that could hit people pretty hard there. So then in chapter six in part two,
New Speaker (07:30):
we talk about the benefits of building an aerobic base, which is the key to health and peak performance in all manner of athletic activity. So you need that aerobic conditioning base, and the way to build it is to exercise at a comfortable fat- burning pace, which most runners are not doing.
Brad (07:48):
Uh, chapter seven, we talk about the human genetic imperative to walk and how this is a fundamental expectation for human health. As evidenced by research among modern day hunter gatherers, humans are meant to move frequently throughout the day at a comfortable pace. That’s how we best operate and process energy and improve cognitive function. Everything is tied to movement. Chapter eight is about foot functionality. And as you know, with the recent launch of the Peluva five toe minimalist shoe company that’s been a major obsession of Mark in recent years. And the feet are the foundation for all manner of everyday movement and fitness and athletic activity. And we’ve disgracefully destroyed our feet over time through the use of these constrictive elevated cushion shoes. So it’s time to reclaim that and try to transition more to a barefoot inspired lifestyle. We have a whole ebook with details about this. So if you go to peluva.com, you can download a free ebook called The Definitive Guide to a Barefoot and Minimalist Shoe Lifestyle. And then, chapter nine is talking about full body functional fitness for longevity. So then we talk about the strength training, the sprinting, the playtime. And there’s also a wonderful appendix in the book giving suggested workouts as you transition out of this obsession with steady state, overly stressful cardio.
Brad (09:13):
Thank you so much for listening to the B.rad Podcast. We appreciate all feedback and suggestions. Email, podcast@bradventures.com and visit brad kearns.com to download five free eBooks and learn some great long cuts to a longer life. How to optimize testosterone naturally, become a dark chocolate connoisseur and transition to a barefoot and minimalist shoe lifestyle.
