The missing puzzle piece (walking)

We tend to overcomplicate things.

We fall for the lies of advertising specific diets and fads.

We follow societal norms producing unnecessary stress and expectations on ourselves.

We buy the newest workout gadget because a fitspo told us to.

You don't need any of that.

That's just complicating your potential fitness achievements more than necessary.

But let's say those things don't get to you. You don't feed into the BS of the fitness industry (go you!). You get your workouts in. You eat pretty okay; there's room for improvement, but certainly not out of the ordinary. You sleep 6-7 hours/night; you'd like to sleep for longer, but that's just what this season of life is allowing. So what's the missing piece?

*Walking.

Yup, that's it.

The daily movement of walking.

There's a love-hate relationship with having the ability to do everything from home. It's convenient, absolutely. But now that everything is at home -- work, meals, bathroom, workout, etc. -- you likely aren't moving around quite as much as you might have at your office.

No need to walk over to your co-workers desk to check-in. No need to walk down the street for lunch when you can use what's in your kitchen or Door Dash to your door step. No need to take a stroll down the hall to the bathroom when you can walk 6 steps to the loo.

Now, there's nothing wrong with working from home. I love that it's an option for most and gives people more freedom and flexibility. The only thing is now you need to be more intentional with your steps.

The average adult walks 3K steps per day. A recent study was completed, which compared walking 2,700 steps per day to 17,000 steps per day. You have a 3x higher risk of all-cause mortality by walking 2,700 steps per day than 17,000 steps per day. This doesn't mean you need to drop everything and walk 17,000 steps per day. What this does mean is that simply walking can significantly reduce your risk of mortality. It's cheap (free) and does not require much planning or preparation.

Start by increasing your steps by 500-1,000 steps and progress over time. And, no, I don't expect you to walk 17,000 steps per day. But I believe it would be beneficial to aim for 7-8K steps per day in the long run.

Things like parking your car further away at the grocery store, taking the stairs, or walking around the block during your lunch break may seem small, but the steps add up over time.

*Disclaimer: I am generalizing BIG time. This is not to say this is THE only missing piece.