For exercise during this health reset, I’ve kept things pretty simple: strength training three times a week and cardio twice a week.

Originally, I planned to do three cardio sessions a week, but one thing I’ve learned over the last week is that it was simply too much alongside my current workload and other responsibilities. So I’ve scaled it back to two.

For me, that’s part of making this sustainable. Behaviour change isn’t about creating the perfect plan on paper and forcing yourself to stick to it. Sometimes it’s about noticing what isn’t working, adjusting it and finding something you can actually maintain.

Managing stress loads and rest is important too.

From a longevity point of view, there’s good reason for doing both strength and cardio. Strength training helps preserve muscle, strength and bone density as we age, which are hugely important for staying physically capable and independent later in life. Cardio helps improve cardiovascular fitness and VO₂ max, with higher levels of fitness strongly associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and premature death.

I’ve also added a new focus on my daily steps, aiming for around 8,000 to 10,000 a day.

I bought a basic pedometer for about £10 from Amazon and it’s actually pretty accurate. And yes, I tested it by counting my steps in my head and then checking!

It’s already changing my behaviour. I’ve started getting up and walking during breaks at work rather than staying at my desk, I roughly know how many steps certain dog walks will give me, and so far I’ve managed over 10,000 steps each day.

There’s good reason to care about steps too. A major 2025 review found that compared with 2,000 steps a day, around 7,000 steps was associated with a 47% lower risk of dying from any cause, alongside lower risks of cardiovascular disease, dementia, type 2 diabetes and depressive symptoms.

And 10,000 isn’t some magic number. For many outcomes, some of the biggest gains seem to come from moving from low step counts towards around 5,000 to 7,000 a day. The message for me is pretty simple: move more, and it all counts.

A couple of years ago, I went completely the other way and bought a WHOOP. It tracked everything: sleep, recovery, heart rate variability and loads more. It works really well for many people, but it wasn’t for me. I became far too focused on the numbers. I even found myself waking up in the night and checking how deeply I was sleeping, which is pretty counterproductive! Eventually, I sent it back.

This time I’m learning that the right amount of tracking for me is enough to change my behaviour, but not so much that the numbers take over.

I’m still sticking to my nutrition principles, tracking the four daily habits I set myself, and now keeping an eye on my steps. Together, they give me simple, visible feedback on how I’m doing.

And that’s one of the things I’m learning about behaviour change through this reset. Motivation is useful, but feedback is powerful. When I can see what I’m doing, I become more aware of my behaviour. That gives me the opportunity to adjust it, whether that’s taking an extra walk, getting up from my desk or parking further away.

Nothing particularly sophisticated. Just making the behaviours I want to repeat easy to see and easy to act on.

What gets measured gets managed, but maybe we don’t need to measure everything.

Keep it simple.

Ill do a body composition scan Sunday and write again Sunday night week 4 lessons.

Catch up soon.

Dan