400 Miles = 6lbs.
October 1, 2022 // Uncategorized
58 days abroad. No gym access. No diet strategy.
For the majority of this past summer, my wife and I capitalized on a rare opportunity to travel and live abroad in Europe for two (2) months while working remotely the entire time. This has always been a dream of ours, and we were incredibly fortunate to have a number of factors fall into our favor in order to make this summer abroad possible.
Knowing that there was unlikely to be any time for nor access to a gym, as well as not wanting to feel a pressure to force a formal exercise routine into a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of living in Europe, I made peace with the understanding that my fitness level(s) and overall physical health would be solely dependent on my outdoor mobility.
That’s correct: For two months, I completely abandoned all resistance and aerobic training of my regular fitness routine, and instead selected walking as the only exercise component of my daily activity.
How much walking did I set as a daily target?
~15,000 steps (the equivalent of 6 miles per day).
I also made a similar sweeping shift with my management and oversight of my caloric intake.
As much as I love the world-class calorie coaching software Carbon Diet Coach, I vowed to put my trust into the good nutrition principles I’ve learned and coached clients for decades. Without having a specific data and analytic software, I relinquished specific control and oversight of my weight management.
The principles that were to guide my daily health decision-making were as follows:
- Aim to drink 200oz of water
- Eat a protein source in each meal
- Eat a fiber source in each meal
- Aim to finish a meal satisfied, not stuffed
That’s it. These were the tools I used to keep my weight management [somewhat] under control, given the circumstances of traveling abroad and eating our way through various cultures in Europe.
Starting in London in early July, we traveled in and around Europe for fifty-eight (58) days straight. As people that believe in fully immersing ourselves into a culture, my wife and I made a pledge to live like the locals to get the real experience of being European.
From Jersey to Guernsey, Madrid to Barcelona, Venice to Florence, Rome to Naples and finally Nice to Paris, we said yes to just about everything that was suggested to us.
Bread? Almost daily.
Alcohol? Almost daily.
Sweets? Almost daily.
We had it all.
You name it – we ate it, guilt-free.
For 58 days straight.
Now, we all know that unless you actively manage your caloric intake, whether that be from tracking your calories or just having a system of specific choices and habits, there is little chance anyone can indulgence to this level f
For the majority of this past summer, my wife and I capitalized on a rare opportunity to travel and live abroad in Europe for 2 months while working remotely the entire time. This has always been a dream of ours, and we were incredibly fortunate to have a number of factors fall into our favor in order to make this summer abroad possible.
Knowing that there was unlikely to be access to a gym, as well as not wanting to feel a pressure to force a formal exercise routine into a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of living in Europe, I made peace with the understanding that my fitness level(s) and overall physical health would be solely dependent on my outdoor mobility.
That’s correct: For 2 months, I completely abandoned all resistance and aerobic training of my regular fitness routine, and instead relied on walking as the only exercise component of my daily activity.
How much walking did I set as a daily target?
~15,000 steps (the equivalent of 6 miles per day).
I also made a similar sweeping shift with my management and oversight of my caloric intake.
As much as I love the world-class calorie coaching software Carbon Diet Coach, I vowed to put my trust into the good nutrition principles I’ve learned and coached clients on for decades. Without having a specific data and analytic software, I relinquished specific control and oversight of my weight management.
The principles that were to guide my daily health decision-making were as follows:
- Aim to drink 200oz of water
- Eat a protein source in each meal
- Eat a fiber source in each meal
- Aim to finish a meal satisfied, not stuffed
That’s it. These were the tools I used to keep my weight management [somewhat] under control, given the circumstances of traveling abroad and eating our way through various cultures in Europe.
Starting in London in early July, we traveled in and around Europe for 58 days straight. As people that believe in fully immersing ourselves into a culture, my wife and I made a pledge to live like the locals to get the real experience of being European.
From Jersey to Guernsey, Madrid to Barcelona, Venice to Florence, Rome to Naples and finally Nice to Paris, we said yes to just about everything that was suggested to us.
Bread? Almost daily.
Alcohol? Almost daily.
Sweets? Almost daily.
We had it all.
You name it – we ate it, guilt-free.
For 58 days straight.
Now, we all know that unless you actively manage your caloric intake, whether that be from tracking your calories or just having a system of specific choices and habits, there is little chance anyone can indulge to this level for this period of time without gaining weight. I was well aware and prepared for some weight-gain from this European experience. The intrigue, to me, was “well, let’s see what happens when I abandon all of the tools I use regularly to keep fit, and just use the primitive activity of walking to keep the weight gain modest.”
After 2 months in Europe, our total activity numbers were as follows:
Miles walked = ~407
Steps walked = ~810,000
Once my wife and I finally returned home to Miami in late August, the next morning I got on the scale to assess the damage.
Total weight gain after 2 months of nonstop indulgences, coupled with no structured exercise:
6 pounds.
That’s all.
I was legitimately figuring at least a 10-pound yield, given our lifestyle of saying “yes please” to anything offered and everything local/traditional.
This just highlights the importance and the impact of how something so simple and primitive as walking can have on overall fitness levels. As well, by prioritizing a high intake of water and a regular intake of protein and fiber, your body is well satiated throughout the day, and your choices of foods and portions will be much more wise and modest.
And one last note of interest…
After just 2 weeks of getting back to a regular, sustainable and enjoyable health routine, almost all of the European 6 pounds that I had gained have been lost.
Takeaway: The effectiveness of walking cannot be ignored and should not be dismissed. By incorporating a regular brisk walk into your life, you will safeguard (or certainly mitigate) any surprise weight gain. As well, prioritizing what you need in your daily diet rather than what to avoid is a much more sensible, and arguably more enjoyable, way to approach total daily caloric control and nutritional health.
Madrid, Spain