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The Ultimate Walk Hacking Guide

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Troy Delaney independently researches, reviews, and recommends the best products. He may receive commissions on some (not all) purchases made from his chosen links. Learn more.

I love my morning walk. It’s a habit I’m consistent with, rain or shine.

I’ve written about eight reasons to take a walk every day and ten ways to optimize your walk, but what excites me the most is how much I get out of my walk because of the hacks I’ve implemented.

First, you need to understand the purpose of my morning walk. It’s designed to:

  1. Anchor my day with a healthy habit
  2. Get a low-impact workout that burns fat and builds strength
  3. Push myself slightly out of my comfort zone (eat that morning frog) and inoculate myself to discomfort
  4. Enhance the benefits of my morning fast like autophagy and fat burning
  5. Reset my circadian rhythm
  6. Walk my dog (@lunacovedelaney)
  7. Warm up enough to make my morning cold plunge more desirable
  8. Optimize my mindset for the day. Research has shown that 20 minutes outside (3X/week) leaves us feeling calmer and with sharper and more productive, creative minds.

So how do I accomplish all of this in a 40 minute walk?

I’ve hacked and stacked it. I’ve hacked everything from my sauna time, cold exposure, fasting, and exercise to optimize the time during these uncomfortable things so that I get the most out of them. But I’ve definitely hacked my morning walk the most.

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My 2022 Workout Plan

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I’ve written about how to create an ideal home gym and also created a video on my current garage gym to spark some ideas for you.

It’s much easier to stay consistent if you have immediate access to the equipment, even if it’s just a kettlebell.

My 2022 fitness goals include increasing my zone 2 training (more rowing and running) which is a big part of improving longevity. I also want to build more muscle through strength training.

If you’re interested in following my workout plan in 2022 to see how I incorporate sauna, ice baths and balance out my routine with strength training, zone 2 cardio, and recovery, check out my 2022 workout journal here.

I hope this helps you kickstart your fitness goals or at the very least, gives you some ideas.

Build the Best Home Gym for Health, Longevity and Performance

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If you’re ready to burn fat, build muscle and get in the best shape your life…at home and maybe even save some money while you’re at it, read on.

But don’t jump right in and spend $3000 on a Peloton. You can build an incredible gym at your home for almost nothing.

For under $100, you can get a kettlebell and some online training and have the ability to train from home and home office, for the rest of your life. So there’s literally no excuse in the world why you wouldn’t be able to exercise.

Don’t even have $30 to spare? Get Onnit In 30 Bodyweight, 10 awesome, on-demand workouts for $10.

Here’s how I got back into a fitness routine after thoracic surgery.

My Approach

The easiest way to build your own home gym is to use a modular design by adding pieces of gym equipment over time so that you can start very small and end up with an amazing home gym over a period of time.

I’ve built mine over several year (you can view it below).

Where to start?

First we need to find what a good exercise program looks like for longevity.  According to Dr. Peter Attia (my go-to longevity expert), “A well-crafted exercise program [designed for longevity] should be geared towards strength, muscle mass and respiratory fitness” 

The way I prioritize home gym needs and recommendations are as follows:

  • Functional training
  • Strength training & muscle building 
  • Cardio (HIIT & endurance)
  • Balance & stability work
  • Recovery & mobility
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Part 5 Recovery Series: Become Harder to Kill with Movement & Exercise

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deadlift max

I mentioned in Part 1 of my RECOVERY series that I had been hospitalized for 14 days and had thoracic surgery. In my RECOVERY series, I layout my blueprint for accelerating recovery and coming back stronger from a setback.

Movement and physical activity had a big part in my speedy recovery.

Not only does movement help maintain muscle and keep the body strong, it’s essential to keep the lymph system flowing which helps with the detox process.

Needless to say, maintaining an active day (and “active ” was very relative to my current circumstances) was important. I approached my movement and activity in three progressive phases which can be used by anyone wanting to get into strength training or just looking for a good workout routine:

  1. Walking…a lot.
  2. Movement basics…mobility, body weight exercises and natural movements
  3. Strength training
  4. Used sauna

I had been regularly exercising prior to all of this so starting back to the basics was very humbling but very important.

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Hack Your Sauna Experience for Increased Benefits

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I’m constantly looking for ways to maximize the time I spend doing something, including my sauna time. Through extensive research, I have found ways to improve the sauna experience and increase the benefits you get from it (because there are a lot). 

I’ve broken down the hacks into Pre-Sauna (before you get in the sauna), Intra-Sauna (while you’re spending time in the sauna), Post-Sauna (what to do after your sauna session) and a few upgrades you can do if you have a Jacuzzi Clearlight sauna.

Keep in mind, this is just what I do. I would love to hear from you in the comments below.

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