When Brad Kearns, professional triathlete, speed golf champion and Tahoe-based health author started his fitness career, he thought running and intensive exercise were some of the primary keys to fitness, as many others do.
However, as he continued in his fitness career, winning medals and competitions, he found that intensive exercise, despite having several positive impacts, was negatively impacting his health in certain ways. After nearly a decade of intensive competition, he shifted gears into pursuing a career in the health and fitness industry.
His new book, “Born to Walk,” co-authored with fellow fitness author and triathlete Mark Sisson, aims to dispel the idea that running is the main component to health, and promote walking and gentle movement as an alternative. Kearns and Sisson argue, using research and their own life experiences, that humans are actually “born to walk,” per the title, not “born to run,” and that a lifestyle of consistent movement is healthier than intensive and sometimes physiologically stressful running. Kearns and Sisson have co-authored several books together, including the New York Times bestseller, the “The Keto Reset Diet,” and “The Primal Blueprint.”
Q&A:
Q: Can you tell me a little bit more about your background as an athlete?
A: I’m a former professional triathlete. So I raced on the pro circuit when I was a young person. I was national champion twice and number three in the world back in the day. But then I pursued a career in health and fitness after that. So I’ve been working in performance nutrition, writing books, hosting my podcast. It’s called the B.rad podcast.
Q: What inspired the book “Born to Walk: The Broken Promises of the Running Boom, and How to Slow Down and Get Healthy – One Step at a Time”?
A: I was a pro triathlete for nine years, so I lived and breathed endurance training. I was so hardcore and pushed my body so hard, and then when you finish and you look back and you realize, hey all that crazy stuff we did it’s not really healthy at all.
In fact, it’s extremely unhealthy for the body to go to that extreme. So I was like a super fit guy when I was young but I wasn’t overall very healthy and it’s actually a way to accelerate the aging process in the body when you push yourself to that extreme.
It’s no different than someone who is super stressed and doesn’t sleep that much. I might as well have been a rock star partying for 10 years of my life. It has a similar impact on your overall health and well-being so that’s kind of my message about extreme endurance training and the problem today is that you know marathon running is so popular.
Q: What is the main message in “Born to Walk”?
A: There’s the Tahoe 13-mile and the Ride Around the Lake. And all those things are nice to see that people are getting out there and enjoying nature and challenging their bodies. But most people are doing it in a very ill-advised and overly stressful manner. So the book is trying to convince you to pursue your endurance goals the right way without all the extra stress on the body.
Q: What are the repercussions of putting too much strain on the body while exercising?
A: The breakdown and the burnout are a worst kept secret of running scene, people don’t really lose weight, which is probably the number one goal of people out there putting in the mile is they wanna look good and they wanna lose body fat. And it doesn’t work. And it’s been proven by modern science.
There’s an area of research called the compensation theory of exercise, where if you push yourself too hard with your workouts you get lazier and you eat more food for the rest of the day. It’s the body adjusting to the extra stress of exercise with to the extra stress of exercise with slowing down other mechanisms and turning down the dials that make you an active, alert, energetic person.
Q: Are there any favorite trails you recommend for locals in Tahoe?
A: I love the Rubicon Trail of course, and a great hike for sightseeing is Castle Rock. The Lam Watah trail is great for jogging/walking, and I recommend going all the way to Nevada Beach, take a swim and hike back to the parking lot.
