No single metric captures the complexity
of human health or performance. 

Cardiorespiratory fitness matters.
But it lives alongside strength, muscle mass,
metabolic health, mobility, sleep, and nutrition.

The more meaningful fitness signal is simpler:
Are you moving regularly?
Are you building capacity?
Does your body handle the demands of real life?

Kelly Starrett

Inspiring you to coach yourself…

Ya…The more we measure, the more we gather. The more we gather, the more opportunities we have to understand the complexities of health and being well.

But…what is your definition of health and wellbeing?

So…what are you doing to support your health and wellbeing?

Many of you have a system for collecting movement metrics, the most prevalent being a device tracking the number of steps you take throughout the day.

The recommendation of 10,000 steps per day was initially a marketing concept for a Japanese company producing pedometers in 1964. While taking 10,000 steps per day checks the movement box, how those steps are taken is becoming more of the focal point.

For example, a person who moves throughout the day and accumulates 10,000 steps would probably benefit more from the concept than a person who walks 10,000 steps and sits for the balance of the day.

Your routines and tracking device should indicate, over a period of time, movement patterns including time of day, type of movement, heart rate and intensity; all of which should yield benefits that are measurable but, more importantly, felt.

All medical and movement experts agree that “physical activity is the closest thing we have to a wonder drug” but how and when you move is yours to determine.

Like some of you, I wear a watch/tracker and use a steps app on my phone when I walk. At the end of the day, the combined data gives me a total number of steps while separating my daily movements from my daily walk–how my body responds to these patterns is the metric I use to adapt and revise my weekly fitness plans.

Generally, the human body is designed to move.

Our goal is to weave movement throughout the day to minimize long periods of stillness so we think better, feel better and live better!

Inspiring myself…

Some of you will recall me asking you this question:

If you had limited space and time for physical activity, would you prioritize movement, muscle or mobility?

I find this difficult to answer, I try to touch these zones in some balanced way throughout the week.

Depending on my schedule, here’s a typical pattern:

• Movement & Mobility:
  Move and mobilize every day; movement throughout the day plus a walk if time permits, mobility in the morning and in the evening.

• Muscle:
  Design 5 resistance sessions each week; 2-day split twice (totalling 4 sessions) plus a body weight-cardio session.

All of my fitness details are tracked in two formats: movement is app-based; mobility and muscle are analog-based.

When I encourage others to record the details of their physical activities, most tell me they don’t have time.

There are thousands of apps and fitness journals out there, but the simplest format is a notebook with enough space for you to keep notes, however long or short, on a daily basis.

These notes provide invaluable information when injuries crop up.

In my case, the most communicative joints in my body are my shoulders and my knees. When I feel an injury coming on, or it feels like my fitness sessions take more energy than they give, I review my notes before revising my fitness plans.

Most often, my notes usually indicate it’s time for a change like this most recent revision to my strength training:

September, 2025 to March, 2026:

• Day One: Push & Pull (Legs), Pull (Back) & Core

• Day Two: Push (Chest), Push & Pull (Arms & Shoulders)

Now:

• Day One: Pull (Back & Hamstrings) & Push (Triceps), Core

• Day Two: Push (Chest & Quads) & Pull (Biceps), Core

Remembering the specifics of your physical activity three months ago might prove challenging. I recognize some devices provide more data than others, but I aim to keep my screen time minimal plus I like how pen to paper calms and clarifies.

However you plan, review and revise, you are striving to create M-CUBED: Movement, Muscle, Mobility!

On Writing…

The manuscript for the third book in my Fort McLeod series, Intersection, will be ready for professional editing by the end of May, but I may let it marinate a bit.

As the Intersection story elements came to life, so did a fourth book, currently titled Dissolution–it may never shift beyond an outline of possible chapters but it definitely provided more substance to a key Intersection plot line.

For those interested, the setting for these books was created from my imagination based on geographical elements around Calgary, Bragg Creek and Naramata–my version of Fort McLeod is similar yet different than Fort Macleod, hence the spelling variation, as are the Rocky Mountains and the US border.

The stories take place in different times: Shadows of Silence: 1900; Confluence: 1874 - 1900; Intersection: 1992, 2000, 2016; Dissolution: 1916.

Aside from writing, I’m digging into publishing opportunities for indie authors…it’s never been a more exciting time to blend business with creativity.

All I need to do is come to terms with transitioning from the privacy of my writing studio to connecting publicly with those who read my books.

Gratitude…

Life is busy.
Inboxes are full.
Screen time needs to be managed.

If you read to this point,
thank you.