Abel James Show Mark Sisson: Why Walking Beats Running for Longevity
Mar 6, 2025
01:08:57
What’s better for longevity—running or walking?
It’s a bit of a trick question.
But if there is one answer, it’s definitely walking.
If you want to be fit and live for a long time, you don’t need to subject yourself to suffer fests and slog through long runs.
In fact, when you combine daily walks with the habit of sprinting just about once a week, magic starts to happen.
Today, I’m thrilled to be joined once again by our friend Mark Sisson, New York Times bestselling author and founder of Primal Kitchen and Peluva minimalist shoes.
Mark had an incredible career as an elite endurance athlete, qualifying for the 1980 Olympic trials in the marathon. But as you’ll hear, his high-mileage running habit ultimately took a toll, leading him to rethink everything he thought he knew about fitness and longevity.
In his new book, Mark makes a compelling case that we humans are actually born to walk, not necessarily run, and that walking is one of the most powerful and most underrated tools we have for improving our health, body composition, and quality of life.
As usual, this conversation challenges mainstream fitness dogma, and Mark always brings the receipts.
In this conversation with Mark, you’ll hear:
Pick up Mark’s new book, “Born To Walk” on Amazon or wherever books are sold.
Join the Abel James’ Substack channel: https://abeljames.substack.com/
Listen and support the show on Fountain: https://fountain.fm/show/6ZBhFATsjzIJ3QVofgOH
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/fatburningman
Like the show on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/fatburningman
Follow on X: https://x.com/abeljames
Click here for your free Fat-Burning Kit: http://fatburningman.com/bonus
This episode is brought to you by:
AG1—claim your FREE $76 gift with your subscription. Just go to DrinkAG1.com/abel to start your new year on a healthier note.
Pique Life – Save 20% off the Pu’er Bundle plus a free starter kit when you go to: PiqueLife.com/wild
It’s a bit of a trick question.
But if there is one answer, it’s definitely walking.
If you want to be fit and live for a long time, you don’t need to subject yourself to suffer fests and slog through long runs.
In fact, when you combine daily walks with the habit of sprinting just about once a week, magic starts to happen.
Today, I’m thrilled to be joined once again by our friend Mark Sisson, New York Times bestselling author and founder of Primal Kitchen and Peluva minimalist shoes.
Mark had an incredible career as an elite endurance athlete, qualifying for the 1980 Olympic trials in the marathon. But as you’ll hear, his high-mileage running habit ultimately took a toll, leading him to rethink everything he thought he knew about fitness and longevity.
In his new book, Mark makes a compelling case that we humans are actually born to walk, not necessarily run, and that walking is one of the most powerful and most underrated tools we have for improving our health, body composition, and quality of life.
As usual, this conversation challenges mainstream fitness dogma, and Mark always brings the receipts.
In this conversation with Mark, you’ll hear:
- Why effective exercise includes walking, strength training, and sprinting (but not necessarily jogging or running)
- How “biohacking” is broken
- Why stem cell treatments might be more dangerous than we thought
- What longevity really means
- And much more…
Pick up Mark’s new book, “Born To Walk” on Amazon or wherever books are sold.
Join the Abel James’ Substack channel: https://abeljames.substack.com/
Listen and support the show on Fountain: https://fountain.fm/show/6ZBhFATsjzIJ3QVofgOH
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/fatburningman
Like the show on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/fatburningman
Follow on X: https://x.com/abeljames
Click here for your free Fat-Burning Kit: http://fatburningman.com/bonus
This episode is brought to you by:
AG1—claim your FREE $76 gift with your subscription. Just go to DrinkAG1.com/abel to start your new year on a healthier note.
Pique Life – Save 20% off the Pu’er Bundle plus a free starter kit when you go to: PiqueLife.com/wild