648: How to walk to optimize your health | Courtney Conley, D.C.

"I want people to start thinking of walking as a physiological necessity, not simply as a form of exercise,” explains Courtney Conley, D.C.

Conley is a renowned foot and gait specialist, chiropractic physician, and founder of Gait Happens and Total Health Solutions clinic and Total Health Performance gym in Lakewood, She is a founding member of the Healthy Foot Alliance and coauthor of Walk, a new book about the power of walking.

0:00 - Walking is fundamental

03:34 - Debunking 10,000 steps

05:37 - The power of a microwalk

08:15 - Steps vs heart rate

09:46 - Weighted vests & step counters

13:26 - Walking to reset the nervous system

16:07 - The 15-minute post-meal walk

19:53 - How walking unlocks teenagers 

22:41 - Why uneven terrain matters 

26:55 - The mechanics of good walking 

32:15 - Calluses are good for you

34:00 - Conley’s favorite footwear

37:08 - Why you should lift barefoot

Referenced in the episode: 

• Find Conley at her website: ⁠https://www.drcourtneyconley.com/⁠ 

• Buy her book here: ⁠https://a.co/d/0eEvaiGi⁠

• Study on how brisk walking reduces cancer risk (2025): ⁠https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12885-025-14258-x⁠ 

• Study on how 5,000 steps a day reduces depression (2024): ⁠https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2828073⁠ 

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