The Movement We Lost Without Realizing It (And Why I'm Bringing It Back)
Like many women, I blamed menopause.
Then one day I started thinking about how my daily life had changed.
Before COVID, I worked in an office.
Every morning began with a walk to the bus stop, followed by another walk from the station to my office—with a heavy laptop in my backpack. Sometimes in heels. At lunch, I almost always went outside. Some evenings I skipped the bus entirely and walked home. On weekends, I'd walk for miles along the marina simply because I enjoyed it.
None of that felt like exercise.
It was simply part of my life.
Today, I work entirely from home.
My commute is twenty steps from the bedroom to my desk.
Without realizing it, I had removed nearly all of the natural movement that once filled my day.
Maybe you've experienced something similar.
We Didn't Just Lose Our Commute
Remote work has given many of us tremendous flexibility.
But it also quietly eliminated something we rarely appreciated while we still had it.
Movement.
Not workouts.
Not running.
Not the gym.
Just everyday movement.
Walking to the car.
Walking to public transportation.
Walking to lunch.
Walking to a coworker's desk.
Walking through the grocery store.
Walking the dog before work.
Those small moments added up to thousands of steps without us ever thinking about them.
When they disappeared, many of us didn't replace them.
Why Everyday Movement Matters
Exercise is important.
But there's another type of movement that's just as valuable.
Researchers call it Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, or NEAT.
NEAT includes all the calories your body burns during ordinary daily activities that aren't planned exercise.
Things like:
- Walking around the house
- Climbing stairs
- Cooking dinner
- Gardening
- Shopping
- Carrying groceries
- Cleaning
- Walking to lunch
While each activity may seem insignificant, together they can account for hundreds of calories burned each day.
More importantly, they keep our bodies moving the way they were designed to.
Walking Isn't Just About Burning Calories
When people think about walking, they often ask one question:
"How many calories does it burn?"
That's actually the least interesting benefit.
Walking throughout the day helps improve circulation, supports joint mobility, reduces stiffness from prolonged sitting, improves blood sugar regulation, and provides frequent opportunities for muscles to contract and work.
In other words, movement sends your body a constant message:
"Stay active."
After 40, that's a message worth repeating often.
One Long Walk Isn't the Only Answer
For years I believed I simply needed one long walk or exercise at the end of the day.
Now I think differently.
Our bodies were never designed to sit for eight or nine hours and then suddenly become active for forty-five minutes.
Research increasingly suggests that breaking up long periods of sitting with short walks may offer important metabolic benefits, including improved blood sugar control after meals.
Instead of thinking about one workout, I now think about building movement into the rhythm of my day.
A morning walk.
A short walk after lunch.
Another walk in the evening.
Not because I'm chasing a step count.
Because I want movement to become my normal again.
Menopause May Not Be the Whole Story
Hormonal changes absolutely affect metabolism, muscle, and body composition.
But for many of us, something else changed at almost exactly the same time.
We moved less.
Much less.
It's impossible to separate those two changes completely.
Recognizing that has been surprisingly empowering.
I can't control every hormonal shift my body experiences.
But I can choose to put movement back into my day.
What I'm Doing Differently
Instead of trying to squeeze all of my activity into a single workout, I'm focusing on moving more often.
That means:
- Walking before I start work
- Standing up regularly throughout the day
- Taking a short walk after lunch whenever possible
- Walking while listening to podcasts or making phone calls
- Choosing walking over driving when it's practical
- Protecting my weekend walks as appointments with myself
None of these habits feels dramatic.
Together, they recreate the lifestyle I had before working from home.
The Bottom Line
Sometimes the biggest changes in our health don't happen overnight.
They happen so gradually that we barely notice them.
For me, one of those changes wasn't just menopause.
It was quietly losing the movement that had once been built into my everyday life.
Getting stronger isn't always about doing more.
Sometimes it's about putting back what was there all along.
Related Reading
- Walking for Weight Loss: Why It's One of the Best Exercises for Midlife Women
- Why Building Muscle After 40 Should Be Your Number One Health Priority
- Can You Build Muscle After 50 If Your Joints Hurt? Here's What You Should Know
Trusted Sources
- National Institute on Aging
- American Heart Association
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- The Menopause Society