Read time: 3.8 minutes

The High Performance Journal - January 21st, 2025

​In 2023, my beautiful daughter Kaia was born, and our family officially went from 1 to 2 children.

As all parents know, the game changes when you go from 1 to 2 children. You feel like you went from 1 to 10 children, and the stress piles on when you're deprived of sleep and time.

Unfortunately, despite my best intentions, my body fell by the wayside.

I gained 20 lbs of fat, which seemed to go all towards my belly. Every time I looked in the mirror, I shuddered at what was looking back at me.

This just proves that despite being in the fitness industry, NO ONE is infallible.

I was ashamed. Here I was, talking to the world about getting fit, and my belly was just getting bigger and bigger.

I couldn't hit the gym as often as I would have liked, but I had to do something.

Then I remembered something my old fitness mentor Allan once said,

"You can always do something to improve your body. Something is always better than NOTHING".

So I took his sage advice and that "something" was WALKING.

Walking Is The Most Underrated Tool For Fat Loss. Here's Why...

If you go on social media, you'll see everyone toting the benefits of "zone 2" cardio. But the reality is, while zone 2 *might* be good from a longevity perspective, it sucks for fat loss, and it's super inconvenient.

1. You gotta do too much to get a benefit. Around 120-180 minutes a day are recommended, and, quite frankly, not many people have enough time for that sh*t when you're lifting, taking care of kids, and trying to advance in business.
2. You invite injury. Too often, I've seen people do zone 2 and get injured due to misuse or doing too much too soon. And I get it, you need to run slow, but even doing that over long distances has its inherent injury risk.
3. Risk of muscle loss. Long-distance cardio can invite muscle loss while also doing nothing to eliminate visceral fat (more on that later).

Walking, on the other hand, is underrated. Humans weren't born to run long distances; we were trained to walk, sprint, and lift.

1. You can do it while doing other activities. You can literally walk while watching sports, Netflix, or doing Zoom calls. If you get good at it, you can even walk while typing. I got a walking pad (see pic) under my standing desk, and it's been a game-changer for my health and productivity.
2. It's low-impact. Walking is easy on the joints, no matter how much you weigh. I've rarely seen someone injure themselves while walking because it's literally what we're born to do.
3. It's easier to build and keep muscle. Because it's low intensity, your body is not trying to use energy from muscle to sustain itself while strolling. But that's not even the best part...
4. Walking is great at eliminating visceral fat (aka. dangerous fat). A few studies indicate that walking is efficient at reducing visceral fat, with one study showing that walking with a heart rate of 50% HRmax for 40-60 minutes, 5 times per week, led to significant reductions in visceral fat.

Walking has been the best tool for my clients and me to lose fat, build muscle, increase energy, and become the best versions of ourselves.

In fact, I used it myself to lose weight and get into my best shape in the LEAST STRESSFUL way possible. It's a wild story but I'll save it for the next newsletter ;)

That said, if you're willing to play the long game and lose belly fat in a sustainable way, walking (and sprinting*) are the only types of cardio you'll ever need.

Here's how to do it...

*Dan's note: Sprinting has a greater risk of injury. I would not advise someone who is obese or dealing with injuries to do sprinting until their issues have been resolved.

The Best Walking Workout To Lose Belly Fat

Before getting into this, I need to say that if you're not trying to optimize your lifestyle, you can walk 8 to 15k steps a day and crush your goal of looking great naked.

If you want to optimize your time while walking, here's the workout I would suggest:

The Ascending Walking Workout

Total Time: 30 Minutes Flat

When doing this, I suggest getting an iPad or your phone to read a book, conduct a meeting, watch a video, or do some work. It will make the time go by much faster and may even increase your productivity.

Warm Up (0 to 5 minutes):

• Start at a low speed (1-2.5, depending on skill level) and an incline of (0-1).

1st Phase (5 to 15 minutes):

• Increase speed by one level and incline by one level (e.g., Go from a 1-2 or a 2-3 in speed and incline from 0 to 1 or 1 to 2, depending on where you started).
• You'll start to feel your body temperature rise.
• Your body will get into more of a groove as time goes on.

Phase 2 (15-25 minutes):

• Increase incline by one level and speed by .2 to .5
• You'll find the body is warmed up by this time.
• Breathing becomes slightly more difficult, but you'll get used to it.

Final phase (25-29 minutes):

• Increase incline by 1 or 2 levels and speed to .2 to .5
• This is the highest intensity, causing more heavy breathing and sweating.
• You'll have to consciously swing your arms at this point.

Cool-down (29-30 minutes):

• Return to your warm-up settings.
• Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth to lower heart rate.

Now, if you don't want to do this on a treadmill and prefer to do this outside, it's best to wear a Garmin, Apple Watch, or even your phone.

You'll be tracking your pace. While you won't be able to mimic the incline on a treadmill, you can swing your arms a bit more to enunciate the walking pace and burn more calories.

Congrats. You Just Walked Your Way To A Slimmer Stomach.

Will this workout magically trim the inches off your belly in a matter of days? No. It doesn't work like that.

We add this to our lifestyle because we feel good after doing it. Reducing belly fat is just a bonus.

After doing this, you will realize that your brain will work better, be less stressed, be more creative, and have more energy than you know what to do with.

Seeing your belly fat go down and your visceral fat disappear is a bonus compared to the above.

You've got a new tool in your fat-burning arsenal. Now it's time you use it.

Let me know how your first session goes. I hope this helped you become a bit healthier this week.

Onwards and upwards. 🚀

- Dan Founder, ​Dan Go Fitness Coaching​ ← If you want to transform your body in 2025, check this out.

When you're ready, here are 3 ways I can help:

1. The Lean Body 90 System: When you’re ready to get in great shape, Lean Body 90 is the obvious choice. You can get in great shape and reach your fitness goals in just 90 minutes a week. Lose weight and build muscle even without hours in the gym or highly restrictive diets. Join 1000+ students here.

2. Are you an entrepreneur who wants to get lean, boost energy, and get in your best shape? Apply for private one-on-one coaching here.

3. Promote yourself to 375,000+ subscribers​ by sponsoring this newsletter.

References

1. Harun I, Briawan D, Riyadi H, Khomsan A. Effects of Walking Exercise Program Based on Duration on the Body Composition and Lipid Profile in Overweight and Obesity Female College Students. Curr Res Nutr Food Sci 2022; 10(3). doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.12944/CRNFSJ.10.3.26
2. La New JM, Borer KT. Effects of Walking Speed on Total and Regional Body Fat in Healthy Postmenopausal Women. Nutrients. 2022 Jan 31;14(3):627. doi: 10.3390/nu14030627. PMID: 35276986; PMCID: PMC8840715.
3. La New JM, Borer KT. Effects of Walking Speed on Total and Regional Body Fat in Healthy Postmenopausal Women. Nutrients. 2022 Jan 31;14(3):627. doi: 10.3390/nu14030627. PMID: 35276986; PMCID: PMC8840715. 
   
   

Disclaimer: This email is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services. The information provided should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, and those seeking personal medical advice should consult with a licensed physician.