Little Steps, Big Life
In my 20s my dad taught me to climb a mountain. 25 years later a walk around the block feels just as significant.
This week’s theme at It Matters is all about the magic of showing up and the truth that: little consistent steps create huge change. We love to think transformation happens overnight, but the real change, the kind that lasts decades, is built in the small, daily moments.
And nothing reminded me of that more than a walk I took recently with my dad, Norbert.
This week, I went for a walk with my 88-year-old dad. And not a shuffle-around-the-driveway kind of walk, we’re talking a half mile, chatting the whole way. Our walk even included a detour up a steep hill to avoid one house because, as my dad put it: “They feed the geese and their road is always covered in goose shit. So, we take the long way home. Not too bad on a beautiful day, right?”
“Right.”
Now, if you’ve ever walked with an 88-year-old, you know a half mile walk is impressive. But here’s the thing: you don’t start walking half a mile at 88. You get there because of what you’ve done every day for the past 87 years.
My dad isn’t into diets or workout fads. Norbert is just someone who has always had to move every day. Working in his woodshop, fixing things, tending to his bees, walking to the mailbox, snow blowing the driveway, staying curious about life… in my memories, he was consistently up to something. Including once begging a 11-year old me to bundle up and come build a snow fort with him so the neighbors wouldn’t call the cops on some old man out playing in the snow.
On our walk, I ask him if he remembers when we climbed Big Horn Mountain.
“Oh, yeah.” He pauses on a steep hill to catch his breath. “And when you got tired –
“We’d stop a minute to catch our breath, we might have been last to camp, but we made it!”
“Mm, everyone else was focused on getting there. They had their head down, watching the trail. But when you stop time to time, you get to enjoy the view along the way. It’s not just about getting there, it’s all the beauty you get to see along the way. Ready?”
He keeps walking and join in at his pace. One step at a time.
Little investments in you, through moving everyday, it matters. Paying attention in the small moments, that’s the magic: it’s the little things that make the biggest impact on your life, longevity, and joy.
That half-mile with my dad reminded me why I do what I do, and why It Matters.
We don’t just move our bodies just for sexy arm muscles and a mood-boost. We also move now, so we can keep moving later. For walks on a beautiful fall day at 88. For strong legs that still carry us to the people we love. For the conversations we’ll have while doing the most ordinary, beautiful things, like pointing out the goose shit to avoid and reminding ourselves to pause and look around once in a while.
When I am tired, or fussy, or overwhelmed and I just don’t want to workout on any given day, I try to remember: every little bit of movement I do now is an investment to being able to keep moving long into the future. That matters to me as I look at my 11-year old twins, who I hope to be walking and talking with well into my 80s.
Investing in your body and longevity doesn’t always have to be an hour at the gym with everything maxed out. Your daily investment could be: A 10-minute walk, five squats between meetings, dancing while you stir the pasta… all of it adds up. Your future self will thank you for every investment you make in your muscles and your mental health now.
And when we take those little steps, not perfect, not huge, just consistent, we build the kind of life that lets us keep walking and talking and laughing for decades to come.
Because movement is not just exercise. It’s preparation for the life you want to live: the long, joyful, goose shit avoiding life that you deserve.
So lace up, step outside, take a deep breath, and start your version of a half-mile today. It doesn’t have to be fancy. It just has to happen.
One little walk, one little step, one big life.
If you need a place to start, come move with us at It Matters with Viv.
We keep it short, real, and doable: 30 minutes of movement that makes your body stronger, your mind lighter, and your future brighter. Because these little steps? They really do matter.
See you on the live-stream!
xo💛Viv