Dan Buettner, National Geographic longevity expert who study's the world's longest-living people, recently discovered a Greek Island by the name of Icaria where one in three residents live to enjoy their 90s.

Buettner reports 20 percent lower rates of cancer, 50 percent lower rates of heart disease, and almost no dementia amon Icarians. He credits some of their health success to family gardens from which they enjoy a high intake of fruits and vegetables and because the walk a lot. When Icarians go to church, to visit friends and such, they walk. Walking is a daily part of their lives. How valuable is the habit of walking daily?

Walking, a Daily Habit

Hippocrates said, “Walking is man’s best medicine.” Thomas Jefferson attributed his excellent health to a habit of walking 2 miles each day. According to Dan Buettner, in addition to Icaria, residents of Sardinia, Italy and Okinawa, Japan boast having the highest numbers of centenarians in the world, people who live into their hundreds. They do not engage in high-impact exercises—they walk. Walking is a gentle, low-impact exercise that can ease you into a higher level of fitness. We encourage you to walk 30 to 60+ minutes a day.

To burn the most calories possible from fat during exercise, maintain an age appropriate heart rate for burning fat (see Exercise Zones below). As you maintain a fat burning heart rate, you will burn about 50% of your energy needs from fat and 50% from glycogen (simple sugars stored in the liver and muscles).

As your heart rate exceeds the fat-burning rate, you will burn more glycogen and less fat. Use the Exercise Zone chart below to determine your ideal heart rate for burning fat and weight control.

Uplifting Support

We are gregarious creatures by nature and we enjoy, thrive, and succeed best when surrounded by loving and supportive people. When others believe in us and in our potentials, we seem to more easily believe in ourselves and more easily establish good habits which help us achieve our true potentials.

As you participate in fitness activities enjoy good company, nature, and a higher level of health. For best lifetime results, form a habit now to walk at least 30 to 60+ minutes a day, for the rest of your life.

Supercharging Fitness

In addition to walking, we encourage you to review Twenty Minute Magic on pages 206 and 207 of Original Fast Foods. The strength training exercises shared on these pages can be easily and successfully incorporated into your daily walks. By so doing, you will enjoy and preserve great natural strength.

Finally, we also encourage you to review the Flexibility Exercises found on pages 204 and 205 of Original Fast Foods. This simple daily five minute routine will help maintain mobility and independence throughout a lifetime.