I was driving past Bear Creek Lake Park around noon today. If you are from the Denver area, you know it was bluebird morning seventy-five degrees, with a light breeze. Today was supposed to be an easy day: just a couple of light neighborhood loop walks. I had already knocked out 1.5 miles earlier to get some steps in.
Looking out over the lush green grasses covering the hills and the meadows which surround the deep blue water of Bear Creek Lake, I did a quick mental gear check: I was dressed in a t-shirt and shorts, my sunglasses and ball cap sat next to me on the passenger seat. My weighted vest, nicknamed Vesty, was in the back, along with a couple of pairs of hiking boots. Did I have hiking socks, my water bottle, my sunscreen? I wasn’t sure, but told myself, “If I have two of the three, I can make it work.” It turned out that I only had the water. Oh, well, I thought. I can pull my hat down low over my face and wear cotton crew socks today.
Lacing up my hiking boots, I did a few stretches and then donned Vesty, a ballistic nylon vest with 16 pouches, each holding 2.5 lbs. of lead shot. After adding my water belt, total carried weight comes to 42 lbs. I headed out at a fast clip on my usual path towards the summit of Mount Carbon, two and a half miles away. Ninety-five minutes later I returned to the car, out of water and feeling strong.
Now, I know what you are thinking “How does a guy in his 60s carry 42 pounds up a mountain at midday and feel strong? And how does this relate to changing habits?” It is all a little bit like magic, to be honest.
I believe that there are three forces working together here in my favor. First, it is my conviction that walking, the same walking you have been doing since you were a child, is the key to a healthier life, both physically and mentally. I dive into this deeply in my book, arguing that all fitness plans for longevity and painless aging must incorporate walking as a lifestyle choice.
The second force is that of starting small and then “habit stacking” over time. I am the most impatient person I know. Starting slowly with one small step? Not my jam. It took me years, no — decades to learn the power of consistency. I believe that the strongest habits I have, like brushing my teeth, got set by daily repetition. The magic happens over time. This is especially true when it comes to diet and exercise.
The third force, and one which leverages something I had all along, but didn’t appreciate, is to stress the body with added weight on your exercise walks. If you do this with some forethought, replacing the weight you lose through diet and exercise, your body will hardly realize that you are carrying extra weight! I lost 90 pounds. Is it that surprising that I can strap on 42 pounds and carry it for five miles? The benefits include not only the additional calorie burn from carrying additional mass, but the increased strength and bone density that come from stressing your lower body with additional weight. It is a fact: load your musculoskeletal system now and you won’t be as apt to break a hip in your later years.
Remember how I decided to go on the walk, even though I lacked the proper socks and sunscreen? I could have bailed; it is reasonable to not train without needed equipment, especially on a hot day like today turned out to be (it was 85 degrees when I finished). My feet missed my soft wool socks, and I got some light sunburn. But walking with my vest has become such a part of me that once I got the idea to knock out a quick five miles, I never considered not walking today. I truly love it.
You will have to take it on faith, for now, that it is possible, with the right program to go from couch potato to weighted-vest walker in a relatively short period of time. I mean to embrace it and love it. Daily. You may not believe me when I tell you that if my vest is not in the car, I will drive home for it. It is, unlike proper socks and sunscreen, mandatory equipment. Ultimately, you don’t have to believe me that you will come to like it. Consider this instead: walking 4-6 miles a day six days a week carrying an additional 20-25% of your body weight will give you significantly more latitude in what you can eat and not regain the weight you lost. Hang with me. I promise I am getting to the fundamentals (eating) of my 90 pound weight loss soon.
