Debate Over 'Elite' VO2max from Walking

This episode is brought to you by BiOptimizers, Cozy Earth, and Fatty15.

While the “10,000 steps a day” idea came from a marketing company in Japan, that doesn’t mean walking itself is a gimmick. Today’s guest shares why he is so passionate about walking and the research that supports this accessible habit, one that can be incorporated into most people’s lives and lead to significant results and shifts in their health and wellness journey.

Today on The Dhru Purohit Show, Dhru sits down with Greg Mushen to explore the profound benefits of walking as a fundamental aspect of health and wellness. Greg shares how walking can be more effective than medications for managing blood sugar. He explains why maintaining a high step count supports weight loss and mood regulation, and highlights the critical role walking plays in cardiovascular health. He also emphasizes the importance of fiber and potassium in the diet, the influence of genetics on health, and the benefits of personal experimentation in achieving optimal outcomes. The conversation reveals why walking, one of the most low-cost and accessible habits, could be the missing link to better health and why you’ll want to hear the data for yourself.

Greg Mushen is a health researcher, writer, and systems thinker with a long career in the tech industry. After years of building and scaling technology products, he turned his focus to one of medicine’s biggest puzzles: why subsistence populations largely avoid chronic disease. His approach combines anthropology with modern science, connecting lipid kinetics, gut microbiome ecology, and evolutionary biology into a systems-level understanding of human health. A lifelong builder, whether in startups, overland rigs, or new health frameworks, Greg now approaches human healthspan as the ultimate engineering problem: resilience, adaptability, and longevity.

In this episode, Dhru and Greg dive into: 

• The importance of doubling down on walking (1:10)

• Greg’s physical transformation through walking (9:31)

• Combining walking with resistance training (20:26)

• The link between lipid clearance, fat oxidation, and walking (26:25)

• Incorporating regular movement into daily life (27:45)

• Key comparisons between walking and running (34:08)

• Developing an elite VO₂ max (37:47)

• Vascular stiffening and endoPAT testing (41:47)

• Why fiber intake matters and how Greg increases intake (44:45)

• The role of genetics in cardiovascular health (58:43)

• The importance of potassium in the diet (1:08:15)

• Lessons from subsistence populations on chronic disease (1:14:02)

• Final thoughts and key takeaways (1:15:12)

Also mentioned in this episode:

• Study on the Association of Daily Step Count and Step Intensity With Mortality Among US Adults

• Study on Postmeal Exercise Blunts Postprandial Glucose Excursions In People On Metformin Monotherapy

• Try This: 5 Things I Changed After Getting Genetic Testing

• Greg’s Chili Recipe

For more on Greg, follow him on X/Twitter, Instagram, Threads, and Substack.

This episode is brought to you by BiOptimizers, Cozy Earth, and Fatty15.

Go to bioptimizers.com/dhru now and enter promo code DHRU to get 30% off any order of Magenesium Breakthrough and find out this month’s gift with purchase.

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Fatty15 is offering an additional 15% off its 90-day subscription Starter Kit. Go to fatty15.com/dhru and use code DHRU to replenish your C15 levels for long-term health.

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