'I did zone 2 cardio every week for an entire year – 8 things I learned' | Goose Pod

Authors: Kate Cheng

Publisher:

Women's Health

Published: 1/20/2026

Language:English

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Taylor

Good evening Project, I am Taylor, and this is Goose Pod, specifically for you. Today is Thursday, January 22nd, at 11:00 PM. We are diving into a fascinating year-long experiment: doing Zone 2 cardio every single week to see what actually happens to your body and mind.

Holly

And I am Holly. It is so wonderful to be here with you tonight. We are exploring the journey of Keltie O'Connor, who learned eight profound lessons from slowing down to speed up. It sounds like such an absolutely lovely way to approach fitness, doesn't it?

Taylor

It really is a strategic masterpiece of a fitness plan. Keltie O'Connor decided to commit to 180 minutes of Zone 2 cardio every week for a full year. Most people think running has to be this agonizing, throat-burning experience with lactic acid everywhere, but she found the opposite was true.

Holly

How surprising! She discovered that by running slower, she actually became faster over long distances. She called it her conversational pace, which is just so charming. It is that sweet spot where you can still hold a full conversation comfortably, using oxygen and fat as your primary energy sources.

Taylor

Exactly. It is all about building that aerobic base. Keltie used this foundation to tackle some massive challenges, including her very first marathon and even a 30,000-step challenge. Zone 2 was the one constant in her routine, the cornerstone that kept her entire training strategy from collapsing.

Holly

I love that she used the talk test literally. She would actually call her fiancé or a friend during her runs to make sure she was not pushing too hard. It makes the whole process feel so social and gentle, rather than a grueling chore one must endure alone.

Taylor

That is the clever part. Our heart rates are so finicky. A cup of coffee or a bad night of sleep can spike your numbers. By focusing on the ability to speak, she bypassed the tech fluctuations and stayed in that fat-burning, mitochondrial-building zone that Dr. Peter Attia recommends.

Holly

It is quite remarkable how she handled setbacks too. When a medical procedure meant she could not run or lift for two months, she did not give up. She realized that walking counts as Zone 2! She rebuilt her foundation by alternating walking and running very gradually.

Taylor

That gradual rebuilding is a lesson in patience. She went from 500 meters of running to full marathons without a single injury. When she finally crossed that marathon finish line, she was not a broken mess. She was actually dancing and smiling! She even went to Oktoberfest two days later.

Holly

That sounds like a dream! Most people can barely walk after a marathon, yet she was celebrating. It shows that her body had truly adapted to the stress. Her resting heart rate even dropped by six beats per minute, which is a significant indicator of a very healthy heart.

Taylor

And her heart rate variability, or HRV, jumped up by ten points. In the world of high-performance strategy, that is a huge win. It means her nervous system was becoming more resilient. She was adding volume to her training, but her body was actually getting less stressed, not more.

Holly

It is almost like she was banking health for the future. Even when she faced the deep sadness of losing her father to heart disease, running became her solace. It provided a small victory every day, a way to move through grief while taking care of her own heart.

Taylor

She realized that for her, this was not just a trendy fitness challenge anymore. With her family history of cardiovascular issues, Zone 2 became a literal life-saver. It was a way to fight back against her genetics. Slow running turned into a long-term strategy for longevity and survival.

Holly

How absolutely poignant. It reminds us that movement is not just about the numbers on a watch or the pace on a track. It is about how we feel in our souls and how we prepare ourselves for the long, beautiful journey of life ahead of us.

Taylor

The data backs her up too. Studies show that 150 minutes of moderate intensity cardio can cut heart disease mortality by up to nine percent. Keltie was doing 180 minutes, going above and beyond the standard advice to ensure her heart was as robust as possible.

Holly

I find it so encouraging that she admitted she could not optimize everything at once. She had to let her strength training and mobility take a back seat for a while. It makes her journey feel so much more relatable for those of us with busy lives.

Taylor

Absolutely. You cannot be a CEO, a marathon runner, and a weightlifter all at peak capacity simultaneously. She chose to prioritize her aerobic foundation for one year, and the results were transformative. It is about choosing your battles and playing the long game with your health.

Holly

To truly understand why this works, we have to look at the philosophy of Dr. Peter Attia. He views exercise as the most potent longevity drug we have. He often speaks about the Centenarian Decathlon, which is such a sophisticated way to think about our future selves, don't you think?

Taylor

It is a brilliant framework. The idea is to ask yourself what physical tasks you want to be able to do when you are one hundred years old. Do you want to pick up a grandchild? Do you want to carry your own groceries? Then you train for that now.

Holly

How lovely! It turns exercise into a gift for our older selves. Dr. Attia identifies four pillars of fitness: stability, strength, aerobic efficiency, and anaerobic performance. Zone 2 cardio is the heart of that third pillar, building the foundation for everything else we do.

Taylor

And the cellular science is where it gets really interesting. Zone 2 specifically targets our mitochondria. Think of mitochondria as the power plants in your cells. As we age, these power plants can become inefficient or even toxic, leading to things like insulin resistance and cognitive decline.

Holly

So, by doing this gentle cardio, we are essentially renovating our internal power plants? That sounds like a wonderful bit of housekeeping for the body. It increases the size, the number, and the overall efficiency of those little mitochondria, helping us stay vibrant and energetic as the years pass.

Taylor

Precisely. It improves mitochondrial flexibility, meaning your body gets better at switching between burning fat and burning glucose. This is a massive defense against metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. It is like upgrading your body’s engine to be a high-efficiency hybrid that never stalls.

Holly

And we cannot forget about VO2 max, which Dr. Attia says is one of the strongest predictors of how long we will live. It is quite startling to learn that after age twenty-five, our aerobic capacity drops by ten percent every decade. We have to work to keep it!

Taylor

The statistics are staggering. Moving your VO2 max from the bottom twenty-five percent to just below average can reduce your risk of death from all causes by fifty percent. If you can get it to the top tier, that risk reduction jumps to seventy percent. It is more impactful than smoking status.

Holly

That is truly powerful information. It makes me want to put on my walking shoes right this moment! Dr. Attia recommends at least three hours of Zone 2 a week, often broken into forty-five-minute sessions. It is a lifelong pursuit, not just a quick fix for the summer.

Taylor

It really is a marathon, not a sprint, literally and figuratively. He points out that for people between forty-five and sixty-five, cancer is actually the leading cause of death. But exercise, specifically this kind of aerobic base building, helps protect against the metabolic issues that often fuel chronic diseases.

Holly

It is also about the heart-brain connection. They say what is good for the heart is good for the brain. Building that aerobic capacity helps prevent neurodegenerative diseases too. It is a holistic shield that we build for ourselves through consistent, gentle effort over many years.

Taylor

I love the concept of the cardiorespiratory fitness triangle. You need that wide base of Zone 2 to support the peak of your Zone 5 performance. Without the base, the peak cannot go very high. It is pure structural engineering applied to the human cardiovascular system.

Holly

And for those who worry about their joints or getting injured, Zone 2 is so kind to the body. Whether it is cycling, swimming, or even rucking with a weighted backpack, the goal is sustained effort without the high-impact damage that comes from sprinting or heavy lifting every day.

Taylor

It is also worth noting how much of our current fitness culture is based on marketing rather than science. Like the ten-thousand-step rule. That actually started as a Japanese marketing campaign in the 1960s to sell pedometers! It was never a scientific gold standard for health.

Holly

Oh, how fascinating! So while ten thousand steps is a lovely goal for general movement, it does not necessarily mean you are getting the intensity needed to stress your heart and lungs in a way that actually improves your fitness. We need those sustained periods of slightly higher intensity.

Taylor

Exactly. Volume is great for reducing sedentary time, but intensity is what drives the mechanical and metabolic adaptations. You need that brisk pace where your heart rate stays elevated for at least twenty to thirty minutes. That is where the real magic of mitochondrial health happens.

Holly

It feels like we are reclaiming our agency over our health. Instead of following arbitrary numbers, we are listening to our breath and our heart. We are building what some call muscle banking, investing in our physical resilience today so we have plenty of strength for tomorrow.

Taylor

Muscle banking is such a great term. It is like a high-yield savings account for your body. Every Zone 2 session is a deposit. When you get sick or stressed later in life, you have those reserves to draw from. You recover faster because your baseline health is so high.

Holly

It is a very sophisticated form of self-care. It is not about vanity or looking a certain way in the mirror. It is about the quiet confidence that comes from knowing your heart is strong and your cells are functioning at their very best. It is truly elegant.

Taylor

And it is accessible to everyone. You do not need an expensive gym membership to walk briskly or hike a hill. It is one of the most egalitarian ways to improve your lifespan. Whether you are twenty or seventy, the benefits of building that aerobic base are immense and immediate.

Holly

I think that is the most beautiful part of it all. It is a practice that meets you exactly where you are. If you can only walk today, then walk! Eventually, you might find yourself wanting to jog, and then perhaps even run, just like Keltie did.

Taylor

The key is consistency. Peter Attia is very clear that this is a lifelong pursuit. You do not just do it for a year and stop. You integrate it into your identity. You become someone who moves, someone who breathes, and someone who values the slow, steady build of a long life.

Holly

It really is a shift in mindset. We are moving away from the idea of punishing our bodies to the idea of nourishing them with movement. It is a much more sustainable and joyful way to live, and I think that is why it is resonating with so many people.

Taylor

It is the ultimate strategy for the long game. By prioritizing these four pillars, especially the aerobic efficiency of Zone 2, we are setting ourselves up for a final decade of life that is full of vitality rather than decline. That is the goal of every mastermind, after all.

Taylor

Now, we have to talk about the tension in the fitness world. There is a real debate between the Zone 2 enthusiasts and the High-Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT, crowd. Some people argue that you only need short bursts of intense exercise to get fit, and that Zone 2 is a waste of time.

Holly

It does seem like a bit of a clash of styles, doesn't it? On one hand, you have the fast and furious approach, and on the other, the slow and steady. Some people find Zone 2 training to be quite tedious, as they would much rather get their workout finished quickly.

Taylor

That is a major hurdle. People detest the feeling of going slow. They feel like they are not working hard enough if they aren't gasping for air. But the conflict here is that if you only do HIIT, you never build that deep mitochondrial foundation. You are basically building a house with no basement.

Holly

I heard a story about an ultra-trail runner who learned this the hard way. They were doing high-intensity runs every single time they went out. Eventually, they became chronically fatigued and injured. Their heart rate variability plummeted because their body was simply under too much constant stress.

Taylor

That is the classic overtraining trap. When you stay in Zone 3 or 4 all the time, you are in a physiological no-man's land. It is too hard to be restorative, but too easy to drive elite performance. This runner eventually switched to an eighty-twenty split: eighty percent Zone 2 and only twenty percent intensity.

Holly

And did that help them? It sounds like such a drastic change to slow down so much! But I suppose giving the body time to recover is just as important as the effort itself. It is all about finding that delicate balance that works for your unique physiology.

Taylor

It transformed their performance. Their HRV bounced back, and they stopped getting injured. But this brings up another conflict: how do we even know what our zones are? The old formula of two-hundred-twenty minus your age is often wildly inaccurate for many individuals.

Holly

That is so true! I have friends who are very fit, yet their heart rate seems to go through the roof the moment they start to jog. It can be so confusing and even a bit discouraging when the numbers do not match how you actually feel.

Taylor

This is where the future of precision medicine comes in. There is a move away from one-size-fits-all protocols. Companies like Fountain Life are using AI and genomic analysis to create deeply personal training prescriptions. They are looking at everything from your microbiome to your stress levels.

Holly

AI helping us exercise? How incredibly futuristic! I imagine having a little digital assistant like Zori AI analyzing gigabytes of data just to tell you how fast to walk. It sounds like something out of a science fiction novel, yet it is happening right now.

Taylor

It really is. The conflict is between traditional, simple methods and this new, data-driven complexity. Some people find the tech overwhelming, while others find it liberating. But the goal is the same: to find the exact intensity that triggers adaptation without causing burnout or injury.

Holly

There is also the debate about how much time is truly required. Some say two thirty-minute sessions a week are enough to start, but others, like Lindy Andrews, say you really need four forty-five-minute sessions to see significant improvements in your aerobic health. It is quite a commitment!

Taylor

It is a major time investment. For a busy professional, finding three hours a week just for slow cardio can be a strategic challenge. You have to weigh that against strength training, family time, and work. It is not just a fitness choice; it is a lifestyle and time-management conflict.

Holly

But as Lindy said, you do not have to eat the whole elephant in one sitting. You can build up to it gradually. I think the conflict often arises when we try to do too much too soon, rather than allowing ourselves the grace to grow into a new routine.

Taylor

The impact of sticking with it, though, is undeniable. One of the most immediate changes people notice is their heart rate recovery. A well-trained heart can drop thirty beats per minute in the very first minute after you stop exercising. That is a massive sign of cardiovascular health.

Holly

That is quite impressive! It shows that the heart is becoming more efficient at calming itself down. It is not just about how hard you can work, but how quickly you can return to a state of peace and rest. It is like having a very responsive brake system in a car.

Taylor

Exactly. And it moves the body into the parasympathetic nervous system, the rest and digest mode. Most of us spend our days in a sympathetic, fight or flight state. Zone 2 cardio acts as a physiological reset button, helping us spend more time in recovery mode.

Holly

I love the idea that these workouts do not smash your nervous system. You finish them feeling refreshed and energetic rather than exhausted and depleted. It makes it so much easier to stay active in other parts of your life, like playing with children or gardening.

Taylor

That is the secret to metabolic health. If a workout leaves you so tired that you sit on the couch for the rest of the day, you have lost the benefit of incidental movement. Zone 2 gives you the stamina to keep moving all day long, which keeps your metabolism humming.

Holly

It also has a profound impact on our mental well-being. By staying in a zone where we can breathe and think, we are not triggering the same stress hormones that high-intensity exercise can. It becomes a form of moving meditation, a time to process our thoughts and feelings.

Taylor

We saw that with Keltie. Her HRV improved by ten points, which is a direct measurement of her stress tolerance. She was literally becoming more resilient to the challenges of life, both physical and emotional. She was building a buffer against the world's stressors.

Holly

It truly is like banking resilience. We mentioned the idea of muscle banking earlier, but this is also heart banking and mind banking. We are creating a reserve of health that we can draw upon when things get difficult. It is a very wise investment of our time.

Taylor

The long-term impact on aging is perhaps the most exciting part. By keeping our mitochondria healthy, we are slowing down the biological clock. We are keeping our cells younger for longer. This translates to better cognitive function and a lower risk of all those age-related diseases.

Holly

It is so heartening to hear stories like Todd Liles, who lost twenty pounds and saw his VO2 max soar to over fifty-three thanks to Zone 2. Or Lindy, who at seventy-one feels transformed and more fit than ever. These are real, life-changing impacts for everyday people.

Taylor

It proves that it is never too late to start. Whether you are correcting for a family history of heart disease or just wanting to feel more vibrant, the impact of these slow, steady miles is profound. It is the foundation upon which a long and healthy life is built.

Holly

It really brings a sense of hope, doesn't it? We don't have to be elite athletes to reap these rewards. We just have to be willing to slow down, breathe, and enjoy the journey. It is a very gentle and beautiful way to take care of ourselves.

Taylor

Looking ahead, the future of Zone 2 training is going to be even more personalized. We are seeing the development of digital twin technology. This is where AI creates a virtual model of your body to simulate how you will respond to different training intensities before you even start.

Holly

A digital twin? That sounds like something out of a fairy tale! Imagine being able to see into the future of your own health. It would allow us to refine our routines with such grace and precision, ensuring that every step we take is the very best one for us.

Taylor

It is the ultimate optimization. Dr. David Sinclair has even suggested that Zone 2 training might directly translate to slower biological aging because of its effect on mitochondrial powerhouses. We are moving toward a world where exercise is prescribed with the same precision as a life-saving medicine.

Holly

It is not just about living longer, as Dr. Sinclair says, but about maintaining our vitality and cognitive capacity throughout our entire lives. The future is about building systems that continuously optimize based on how our individual bodies respond to movement and rest.

Taylor

We are also going to see more polarized training models becoming mainstream. The idea of doing massive volumes of Zone 2 to build a metabolic foundation, combined with very specific high-intensity work, will no longer be just for professional cyclists or marathoners. It will be for everyone.

Holly

I think that is a wonderful future to look forward to. A world where everyone has the tools and the knowledge to nourish their bodies and hearts in the most effective way possible. It is a future full of energy, health, and a great deal of joy.

Taylor

That brings us to the end of our journey today. The key takeaway is simple: do not be afraid to slow down. Building your aerobic base is a strategic investment in your future self. Thank you for listening to Goose Pod, Project. It has been a pleasure.

Holly

It has been such a lovely evening. Remember, every gentle step is a gift to your heart. Thank you for spending this time with us on Goose Pod. We look forward to being with you again tomorrow. Goodnight for now.

This podcast explores the benefits of a year of Zone 2 cardio, emphasizing its role in building aerobic base, improving mitochondrial health, and enhancing longevity. Keltie O'Connor's journey highlights how slowing down to a conversational pace leads to increased speed, resilience, and overall well-being, proving it's a strategic investment in future health.

'I did zone 2 cardio every week for an entire year – 8 things I learned'

Read original at Women's Health →

Slow running has been emerging as an unexpected way to run faster over long distances. Easy, conversational-pace runs can help you build up your aerobic base and improve your endurance without burning out. Runner Keltie O'Connor discovered this for herself when she committed to 180 minutes of zone 2 cardio every week for a year.'

Everyone thinks running is about being in pain. Running as fast as humanly possible till the lactic acid burns your throat,' she said. 'But the slower I ran, the faster I got.' Putting in the miles at a reduced pace helped her achieve fitness and personal milestones like completing her first marathon and working through grief, while also improving key health markers.

Here's what she learned after 12 months of zone 2 runs.---1. Zone 2 cardio can be the foundation of your trainingAs a reminder, zone 2 cardio is activity done at 60 to 75% of your max heart rate. Out of the six heart rate zones, with zone 1 being very light exercise (walking) and zone 6 being extremely intense (flat-out sprint), zone 2 is done at a light-to-moderate intensity.

'It's the pace where you can still hold a conversation comfortably,' says Keltie, and uses fat and oxygen as an energy source.Slow running requires you to work within zone 2, which, counterintuitively, will help you to run faster long term, as research shows it builds mitochondria in the cells, allowing to produce more energy.

'Instead of killing yourself and giving 100% every single workout or every single run, you slowly build up your endurance by increasing your volume through a lot of slow-paced runs throughout the week.'Although Keltie engaged in a wide variety of exercise styles throughout the year, zone 2 was the cornerstone of her routine.

'I did a lot of challenges: the 30,000 step challenge, my run streak, the Berlin Marathon, hybrid training. But throughout that, the one constant was always getting that weekly dose of zone 2.'Her aim was to increase her general health, and she didn't have a particular target in mind. 'A big focus of mine was Dr Peter Attia's recommendations, which is 180 minutes of zone 2 cardio a week for overall longevity.

No specific goals, no races, just try to get two to three runs a week or some kind of cardio where my heart was in that zone.'2. Zone 2 is individual-specific and changes day to dayWhile a slow running and zone 2 pace often overlap, they aren't the same speed for a lot of people. 'At zone 2, or 60 to 70% of your max heart rate, normally you can do cardio and speak full sentences.

Breathing feels controlled – that's slow running. However, some people feel like they're going easy on a run and will look down at their heart rate on their watch and it is through the roof.' Conversely, for some very experienced athletes, even a fast run might fall within their zone 2. So heart-rate zones are very specific to the individual.

A good baseline formula to use for your max heart rate is 220 minus your age, and calculate the zones from there, Keltie suggests. 'But the only accurate way is to go get tested.' Instead, gauge whether you're in Zone 2 by the 'talk test': if you can carry out a conversation. Sometimes, she took this literally: 'I call my fiancé or a friend.'

She also says the talk test works better than using set numbers. 'Your heart rate will change every single day from so many factors aside from how much you're pushing yourself in a workout. Did you just chug an energy drink with loads of caffeine right before? How much sleep did you get? Did you drink a lot last night?

Hormones and other factors will also have an effect.'---Losing fat while building muscle is the goal for many fitness fans – and while it isn’t easy, it is possible, says FIIT personal trainer and coach Laura Hoggins. In this four-week plan – created exclusively for Women’s Health COLLECTIVE members – you’ll get the workouts and nutrition guidance needed to improve body composition in 2026.

Ready to build and burn? Tap the link below to unlock 14 days of free access to the WH app, find the plan and start training today.Click here---3. Zone 2 training helps you prepare for a marathonZone 2 training helped Keltie build up to her first marathon safely. 'Doing relaxed runs made me want to train for a marathon because I realised, "Oh, I can run slow and long, not just short and fast."

' So she set herself the goal of running her first marathon and of being fit enough to enjoy the 42km.'My programme was five to six runs a week, which in the past I would've thought was one to three hours every day just lactic-acid building – that's what I thought a run was. But then when I looked at the programme Runna gave me, it was mainly zone 2, a little zone 3: slow, comfortable, sustainable.'

While there was some speed work and one to two harder runs a week, the pace remained mostly relaxed and conversational. 'I was kind of shocked at how you just cruised.'Over time, she increased her mileage. 'I didn't just start cranking out 200 km weeks. I started at 12km in a week and then it moved up to 14.

Then my long runs went from 10 km to 12 km. Zone 2 gave my body space to adapt while still getting the volume in to allow my body to run 42 km injury-free.'Concentrating on zone 2 paid off, as Keltie successfully completed her first continuous marathon. 'I never had to stop. I finished it dancing and smiling on my face – it felt easy.

I left the marathon in a good enough mood that two days afterwards I went to Oktoberfest.'4. Walking counts as zone 2When a medical procedure meant that Keltie couldn't train for two months during marathon preparation – 'No running, no jumping, no lifting' – she had to switch up her approach. 'I thought, "There's a different way to do zone 2.

Rather than just running, you can also do it walking.'Things got easier once she'd properly recovered. 'Once I was cleared from the doctor, I slowly got back into running. I would run 500m, walk 500m, then do a slow 5km, then a slow 10km, then a slow 20. Instead of forcing it, which I know makes me hate something, I slowly rebuilt my foundation and then signed up for a half and full marathon.'

5. You'll see clear health improvements as your body adaptsKeltie showed improvements in several key health indicators. Her blood work results after the medical procedure 'came back great' despite worries that the marathon would wreck her hormones.Her resting heart rate also dropped by six beats per minute.

'It was about 60 beats per minute in January. By the peak of my zone 2 training, it was averaging about 54 beats per minute.Her heart-rate variability (HRV) also improved by 10 points. 'This is the craziest stat for me because HRV [measures] your stress,' Keltie reflected. 'If your HRV is lower than your average, you're probably under-recovering – so you're stressed, not sleeping, or you're overtraining.'

But even though Keltie was running more, her HRV improved due to sleeping enough, recovering properly, and not overreaching with her training by slowly adding in volume. 'It's cool to see how my body was able to adapt to more stress because I was doing it at at slow rate versus the opposite – overtraining and overreaching – which would've caused my average HRV to plummet.'

Aside from some tweaks and sore muscles, I never got injured once during my marathon training or on marathon day,' she continued. Keltie also decreased her body's age by 9 years, according to Whoop's algorithm, which, though not 100% accurate, took into account factors like zone 2, VO2 max, sleep and recovery.

YouTube6. You can't optimise for everything at onceKeltie admitted that her zone 5 and strength training suffered that year while she concentrated on zone 2. 'I focused less on strength training and mobility. I pretty much only lifted enough to avoid injury. The main reason? That's life. We only all have so many hours in a day and you cannot optimise every single second, especially when a lot of us have desk jobs and our job isn't being a marathon runner.'

However, she planned to restore more balance in 2026. 'Instead of more miles, I'm thinking of reducing my volume and refocusing back on the five pillars of my health span: Zone 2 cardio, VO2 max, strength training, mobility, and social and fun.'7. It's effective for longevityAt the end of March, Keltie's dad passed away from heart disease, which changed how she viewed the runs.

'Suddenly, this wasn't just a fun little fitness challenge anymore. My grandfather on my dad's side had died of a heart attack. My dad died from a combination of cardiovascular disease and a stroke. And my own blood work had shown not great Apo B (Apolipoprotein B) and Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) [key indicators of heart disease] and cholesterol.'

She saw that zone 2 work could help her reduce her risk of heart disease. 'In that moment, I realised even though I'm fit, I'm genetically cursed when it comes to heart disease, which [incidentally] is the number-one killer on Earth. I realised slow running wasn't a trendy thing that I saw online [but a way to] train for longevity.

I don't think the concept really...clicks until you experience something like this.' Research has long supported her thoughts, with a study finding that moderate-intensity cardio for 150 minutes a week led to blood pressure drops that cut coronary heart disease mortality by 4-9%.8. Consistent, small steps make a big differenceUnderstandably, Keltie found it hard to stay active initially.

'When my dad passed, I stopped training for a little while.' But then running became her solace, a way to remind herself that life was still moving in the right direction. 'I started something tiny. Even it was just for a few minutes or a 1 km run, I needed a small victory every day in that moment of grief.

It wasn't perfect, but every day I was able to show up and that built momentum. Sometimes a run is all you need.'---