Burn it Nutrition Podcast · Joseph Navarro Fitness, Nutrition, Ketogenic, Paleo, Keto, Diet Coach

Ep192: Most Downloaded of 2025 | Born to Walk, Built to Perform w/ Brad Kerns | Rethinking Movement for Longevity

·54 min·2 clips

The 10,000-steps-a-day recommendation came from a 1960s Japanese pedometer ad campaign, not from science.

1. The Burn It Nutrition Podcast Ep192, a 'Most Downloaded of 2025' episode, examines Brad Kearns's book Born to Walk and its case against chronic endurance running. 2. Host Joseph Navarro interviews Kearns, a former world-ranked professional triathlete for nine years, co-author of The Keto Reset Diet with Mark Sisson, and host of the Be Rad Podcast. 3. Kearns's thesis is that humans are 'born to walk and sprint,' plus lift, and that overly stressful running sends the body 'genetic signals' to store fat and shed lean muscle. 4. He says 50% of devoted runners are injured every year, and blames cushioned elevated shoes for poor technique and impact trauma, using the New York City Marathon's 54,000 starters as an example of the mass-participation trend. 5. He recommends training at a 'fat max' heart rate, noting that even Eliud Kipchoge's easy day is far slower than race pace, and says exceeding it dysregulates appetite and leads to 'a lot more consumption of Ben and Jerry's.' 6. He cites a statistic that 38% of people over 65 who fall and break a hip die within a year, and argues that strength training and brief explosive sprints, including low-impact options like bikes or stadium stairs, protect against this. 7. He compares humans with the African lion that sleeps about 20 hours a day, then cites research that sitting for 20 minutes lowers glucose tolerance and recommends moving for one minute every 20 minutes. 8. He calls the 10,000-step target 'completely arbitrary,' tracing it to a 1960s Japanese pedometer ad campaign, and says walking should be treated like sleep or brushing teeth. 9. On gear, he cites Katy Bowman's view that standing desks are 'not the end all,' and says the American Podiatric Association reports 83% of Americans suffer chronic foot pain, which he links to elevated-heel, narrow-toe-box shoes and to the Achilles tendon's role in human evolution. 10. Suited to runners, desk workers and fitness enthusiasts rethinking exercise intensity.

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