“How long before the surgery starts?” I had to ask that question three times before they finally understood what I wanted to know.

My wife, Ava, was in pre-op. We had already talked to the doctor who told us the surgery would take between 30 and 45 minutes. It was minor outpatient surgery. Ava kept calling it a procedure, but anesthesia was involved so it felt like surgery to me.

After asking my question several different ways I finally got my answer. I added that to the projected length of the surgery and determined it would be at least an hour before Ava was in recovery and I could be with her again.

We live in a culture where we are conditioned to sit and wait. At the airport we arrive an hour before we can get on the plane and then we sit. When we have business at the motor vehicle administration we take a number and then we sit. And, at the hospital when we aren’t the patient we are directed to the waiting area where we then sit.

During my 20k One Year Step Challenge a friend called me crazy. I get it. Walking 20,000 steps every day for a year without a break is a little crazy. It takes less than four hours to get that many steps. But, that meant, because I sleep about seven hours, I was still sitting 13 hours every day! And, I wonder how much of that sitting happened while I was waiting? That’s the crazy thing to me!

If you’re doing The 30 Day New Year Fitness Challenge I hope, at minimum, your perspective has begun to change. You’re not required to sit and wait nearly as much as you believe.

I gave Ava a kiss as the nurse directed me to the waiting area. I said “thank you” and walked out of the pre-op area down the hall towards the large waiting room filled with comfortable chairs, lots of TV’s, and plenty of magazines and just kept right on going.

I walked out of the hospital and pulled out my iPhone to figure out which direction I should head. When we got to the hospital a couple hours earlier I checked Google Maps for a nearby coffee shop. I love coffee, but I love coffee shops even more. Turns out there was a coffee shop just a half mile from the hospital.

The coffee was good. The coffee cake was better. Taking a walk was best.

Just because everybody else is sitting while they wait doesn’t mean I have to as well. Neither do you!

WHAT YOU CAN DO TODAY

If you don’t have a daily step goal, I want to challenge you to give it a try and create a new fitness habit. I call it The 30 Day Fitness Challenge. This free guide will walk you through how to get started. It’s very easy.

If you don’t have a Fitbit I recommend the Fitbit Inspire HR. This is the Fitbit I use to track my 20,000 steps a day. The Inspire HR also tracks your heart rate and sleep so you get an even wider picture of your fitness progress.

(By the way…if you use the links in this article to make a purchase this blog will receive a small commission. It won’t add anything to what you pay, but letting you know is the right thing to do)

This blog is designed to help you embrace walking as a fitness activity. It’s sustainable, flexible, effective, and fun. Every week I post new articles with stories and helpful suggestions to Win at Fitness.

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