People want to feel better.

If you read to the end of this article and find a way to follow through with it, you will get results, and you will never forget the day you took that first step towards planning for success.

There is a great emphasis on step count or increasing the amount you walk in a day. It comes with great reason, a lot of it is with your quality of life in mind rather than just your body image.

As trainers, we want you to have tools in the toolkit to manage the uncertainties of life. We want you to have ways to keep your body healthy while managing stress. Walking does both.

You may hear us often talking about the term, N.E.A.T. This stands for Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. Essentially, in the simplest terms I can offer, our energy balance is influenced by more than simply calorie counting.

You might see content out there that screams CALORIE DEFICIT at you. But, that might make you think that you have to be really restrictive of how much food you eat.

There is much more nuance than that to the human experience.

What if there was a way that we could integrate more movement into our life, though small changes that add up over time?

For some, it might be a treadmill under your desk.

For others, it might be hiking with a back pack.

Walking will also be good for your range of motion in exercise, it will be good for your body's functions and your ability to utilize the energy you consume.

In addition, if you're walking at the park, it is also a way to block out time for you to think through your day, and process important emotions or decompress after a stressful day.

Sometimes, walking is the time you spend with your best friend (doggo) or your kids, or loved ones.

Often times, you will hear us give you a recommended number of steps. I often say 7000-10 000.

However, let's look at this with the future in mind. If you are only getting 2000 steps a day, every day of the week. What if we made a goal to get 2500 everyday this week, and 3000, the following week, until you build up to average 10 000 steps per day as a minimum.

Here's another thing that will help you in your journey. Get set up with a strength training program. It doesn't have to be complicated, and a lot of trainers such as myself offer remote training which gives you customization while allowing you to work through your program independently with my weekly support.

By engaging in strength training, you are likely to feel better in all areas. Not only do strong muscles make us feel more confident, they often help us avoid nagging injuries or discomfort in our day-to-day activities.

I kept this article pretty short. The truth is, I'm always one message or email away. Want to talk more about how you can feel better and make the most out of your situation? Let me know.