#75- How Fitness Rules Might Be Holding You Back (and Why “Enough” Is Actually Enough)
We’ve all heard them — the rules.
A “real” workout should be an hour long.
You need to hit 10,000 steps every day.
If you miss a day, you’re “off track.”
If you’re not sore, it “didn’t count.”
These beliefs are so ingrained in fitness culture that most of us don’t question them. We simply assume they’re true — and if we don’t meet them, we feel like we’ve failed.
But here’s the truth:
Most of these rules weren’t created by science at all.
They were created by convenience, business structures, or marketing campaigns… and somewhere along the way, they became gospel.
And unfortunately, they’ve also become one of the biggest things holding people back from building sustainable fitness habits.
Let’s talk about why — and how to rewrite these rules in a way that actually supports your life, your energy, and your goals.
The Problem With Fitness “Rules”
I see this every week in coaching:
“I only had 25 minutes, so I skipped my workout.”
“I didn’t hit 10,000 steps today, so today doesn’t count.”
We internalize these numbers so deeply that anything less than “the full thing” feels pointless.
And that mindset — the all-or-nothing approach — is the real problem.
Your body does not operate on perfection.
It adapts to what you do consistently.
And sometimes, consistent looks like 60 minutes.
But sometimes, it looks like 20 minutes — or even 5.
The wisdom is in allowing both.
Myth #1: Workouts Need to Be an Hour Long
Where did this come from?
Not science — gym scheduling.
Most gyms and training studios operate in 60-minute blocks because it fits neatly on a calendar. Personal training sessions, group classes, CrossFit class times — they all follow the hour format because it’s practical business, not physiology.
Research is clear:
10–20 minutes of focused exercise improves strength, blood sugar regulation, metabolic health, energy, and mood.
Your heart, muscles, metabolism, and nervous system do not know how long the clock has been running.
They respond to how you move, not how long.
Short workouts done consistently beat long workouts done occasionally.
If you have 15–25 minutes, use them. Your body will thank you.
Myth #2: You Need 10,000 Steps a Day
Let’s clear this one up:
The 10,000-step guideline was created as part of a 1960s marketing campaign for a Japanese pedometer called manpo-kei, which literally means “10,000-step meter.”
It wasn’t based on a study.
It was branding.
Modern research now shows:
Health benefits increase significantly around 7,000–8,000 steps/day
After that, the benefits plateau
And any amount of walking is beneficial
So if you’re at 4,000 steps today?
That’s movement. That’s circulation. That’s joint health. That’s stress relief.
Your steps are not a moral scorecard.
They’re just movement — and movement is always good.
Myth #3: “Go Hard or Go Home”
As a former elite athlete, I lived this one for years.
But here’s the reality:
Progress happens due to recovery
Hormones respond best to balanced stress
Training to exhaustion every day leads to burnout (especially in postpartum and perimenopause)
Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is:
Walk.
Stretch.
Rest.
Breathe.
You don’t need to crush every session — you just need to keep showing up.
My Postpartum Story: Relearning “Enough”
After Oliver was born, my entire training world changed.
I didn’t have an hour.
I barely had 30 minutes.
Some days, I only had 15.
So I did what I could.
I pulled out my pink dumbbells and did 15–20 minutes in the living room while he napped.
Some weeks I trained twice, some weeks three times.
It felt small — but it wasn’t.
Over time, those sessions:
Rebuilt my strength
Stabilized my energy
Supported my mental health
Helped me feel like me again
As he grew and sleep got easier, my sessions grew to 30 minutes.
And honestly? I stayed there for months.
Now — a year later — I sometimes train for 45–60 minutes.
But I no longer need the hour to feel successful.
Because I’ve learned to trust the power of enough.
Rewriting the Rules
Instead of:
“If I don’t have an hour, there’s no point.”
Try:
“I’ll use the time I have today.”
Instead of:
“I didn’t hit 10,000 steps.”
Try:
“I moved, and that counts.”
Instead of:
“I need to be perfect.”
Try:
“I just need to show up consistently.”
Key Takeaways
Movement doesn’t have to be perfect to be meaningful.
10–20 minutes of intentional movement absolutely counts.
The 10,000-step goal is arbitrary — your movement still matters.
Consistency > intensity.
You’re allowed to do less — and it still counts.
Want Support Building a Routine That Feels Good?
If you’re tired of starting over…
If you want movement to feel doable again…
If you need something that fits your real life —
You don’t have to figure it out alone.
You can book a 1:1 Clarity Coaching Session with me here:
👉 BOOK NOW
We’ll map out a plan that works for your season, your schedule, and your energy — not someone else’s rules.
If this resonated, I’d love to hear from you 💛
You can message me anytime on Instagram: @fitwitheik
Until next time —
keep showing up — one small, imperfect, enough step at a time.
