I wake up every day, open my eyes, and fall into a delicious world of actually looking forward to exercising.
What in the world is going on?
I am looking forward to my challenging 1.5 hrs exercise in the morning, in the rain, in the cold?
Hell yeah.
I was browsing Instagram back in September and one of the people I follow came on and said: “this is the exercise that all the personal trainers and gyms don’t want you to know about. It’s simple, complete, only requires investment in one piece of equipment and will make you shredded!”
I was so freaking intrigued that I began to read furiously about anything that had to do with it.
I was finding it challenging to fit exercise into my weekly routine while having to go to a very toxic work environment every day (at that time) - and so I was looking for something simple and all in one that truly worked - in other words, something effective and sustainable.
I had usually been able to fit in some movement during my week but I couldn’t do it on a regular basis as my burnout state had caught up with me and I had no capacity for it.
I did do long walks with my dog on the weekends, Peloton rides a couple of times per week (usually on the weekends), and Kettlebell swings 1X per week (on the weekends as well).
Weekdays were shot. No way. I was just too mentally exhausted. On the weekends, I had to make myself do something even though I was burned out and didn’t look forward to it at all.
After hearing about this promising form of exercise and movement, I bought the necessary equipment and left it right there in front of my bed looking at me, waiting for the right moment to start.
Truth is, I couldn’t have started it while still working at that job because this amazing exercise, while simple and effective, does require proper recovery on an ongoing basis so your body can adapt well and give you the benefits full on.
Fast forward to today, no more toxic job and I have fully incorporated this magical exercise into my daily routine for about 6 weeks now.
AND I not only look SO forward to my daily amazing exercise routine, but I also get to do it for 1.5 hrs and enjoy every single moment of it!
This is literally the awesomest exercise one could ever engage in.
I am convinced.
I am mostly convinced because of my own raw and effective experience so far, but also convinced because of all the credible articles, research papers, and personal accounts I have been reading about.
I am obsessed.
The following are my body’s evidence based results - these matter just as much as the stuffed up evidence based ‘science’ results - of which there are also, actually, many!)
I am starting to look REALLY good naked.
It is, literally, melting extra fat off of my body. In 1 month, I lost more than half of my belly fat - around 10 pounds or so
(gained because of an enormous and constant cortisol release due to a toxic and stressful work environment NOT diet. Also, the fact that my body was so fully bathed in cortisol day in and day out, ongoing for like at least 3 years, it made it almost impossible to exercise during the week - oh the damage cortisol does - to be written more about here soon).
I get to do it outside rain or shine or cold or whatever! Grounding and natural light and being in nature.
My body is becoming bulletproof - I can feel it everywhere!
Both my entire legs are much more muscular now, my hips are smaller and I feel so freaking strong. I can move better, jump faster, go up the stairs like I am bouncing on clouds…and it has only been 6 weeks!
Have not done a bone density scan lately, but I bet my bones are getting stronger too.
It is the perfect zone 2 exercise (FAT burn and mitochondrial happiness baby!).
It is also the perfect weight training work out making your muscles strong as steel and your bones solid as rocks! (You get that lean strong look).
So easy on the joints - got the supplest and bounciest knees and ankles.
I get to use my time in the most effective and sustainable way: it is a challenging zone 2 aerobic exercise, it is a challenging weight bearing exercise, it is a challenging bone building exercise, the legs+the butt+the core wow - they all get a rockstar treatment workout, I get all my steps in at once, I breathe fresh air and get natural full-spectrum light all at once, and I get to listen to amazing audio books and have great ideas for my business. Seriously, I could not ask for a better exercise.
Drumroll…..can anyone guess what exercise this is?
This MAGIC is called RUCKING.
What is rucking?
Rucking is simple: it is carrying weight on your back. This weight creates such a centre of gravity that, as you walk, physically works muscles in your entire body, burns calories 2-3X faster, makes you strong and supple and lean all over the place. And mentally, it makes you resilient!
Humans are meant to carry things! Hunter-gatherers hunted and then carried prey back to their tribes for preparation and meals.
According to Michael Easter, the author of the amazing book ‘The Comfort Crisis’, where he unpacks the full historical argument for rucking:
“Rucking has led people from ages 8 to 88 who hate exercise to take up rucking. Humans are, in fact, “born to carry.” We evolved to walk great distances while carrying weight. But our need to carry was largely rendered moot to technology. We have shopping carts, wheeled suitcases, strollers, vehicles, moving Dollies, semi-trucks, forklifts, etc.
Carrying is powerful. It’s a sort of mix between strength and cardio that works wonders for your health, fitness, and mindset.”
Just to give you a taste for the science evidence-based benefits:
Burns 2-3X as many calories as walking while you are doing the activity AND continues to burn calories after (as it is the perfect combo of aerobic and strength training workout).
Express fat burns! It is the perfect ZONE 2 exercise: this is when your heart is working hard, but you can still carry a conversation (60-70% of your max heart rate), and fat oxidation is maximized. (I was personally flabbergasted at how fast I lost extra fat!)
Builds & maintains lean muscle mass: rucking activates all the muscles required for walking plus your shoulders and back. As you feel that weight in the centre of gravity of your lower back (with a rucking backpack not weighted vest), your body has to adapt to keep you walking properly and in balance.
In a study on male and female backcountry hunters on a 12 day hunting trip in Alaska, who carried all necessary supplies in heavy packs on their backs, subjects were tested for body fat and muscle mass before and after. Body weight, BMI, cholesterol levels and fat mass all decreased by a significant margin, but the hunters experienced no decrease in muscle mass, defying expectations. Basically, they consumed way too few calories, lost a lot of fat, lowered cholesterol significantly, but saw no decrease in muscle mass. Some hunters even gained lean muscle mass. The exercise “resulted in considerable negative energy balance and provided comprehensive benefits in metabolic health without any reduction in skeletal muscle.”
Preserves your beautiful joints for healthspan suppleness. Just so you have an idea, research shows that running puts 8X body weight of force on your knees per foot strike, while walking/rucking only places about 2.7X body weight.
Builds stronger bones. Rucking is the best for preventing and reversing bone loss. Carrying weight will improve bone formation and as bone cells weaken it is essential for replacing old cells with stronger new ones! In other words, rucking activates your bone strengthening chemicals right after the rucking session itself and for hours after.
Helps body process carbs and sugar way faster and better: not only because it slashes visceral fat to the ground and less visceral fat makes your body more insulin sensitive, but because it builds and activates muscles in your body to such an intense extent, that it helps to continuously suck up the carbs/sugar that you eat throughout the day and life.
I mean, if you’re not enthralled by rucking yet, dear paid subscribers that I fully and utterly appreciate, stick around because things are about to expand to even more effective and sustainable proportions!
In this multiple part series, I will share my process of starting my rucking routine from day 1 and how I listen to body, adapt, tweak, support my body with recovery and raw materials, observe, and then tweak my routine to continuously make this sustainable.
No matter how magical and effective a ‘health thing’ is, you ALWAYS have to listen to your body, first and foremost, and then create your own process.
At the end of this article series, you will have a rock solid starting protocol and enough foundational knowledge to weave in your own rucking process.
Rucking gives you tremendous leverage for actually achieving healthspan.