The strangest part of my day wasn't the traffic.

It was the fact that I would spend nearly two hours travelling across Delhi-NCR and barely move at all (in this gym obsessed world I am a ‘no-gym’ girl).Every weekday, I would leave my home in Malviya Nagar, sink into the backseat of a cab or auto, spend close to an hour inching towards Film City, sit at my desk for the rest of the day, and then repeat the process in reverse.

Somewhere along the way, I had mistaken convenience for efficiency.The price of convenienceThe numbers were hardly insignificant either.

A one-way cab ride cost me roughly Rs 320 on most days.

By the time I returned home, I had spent nearly Rs 640 simply getting to and from work.

Over a month, that translated into well over Rs 12,000 — a figure that became increasingly difficult to justify, especially now when fuel prices are continually increasing and that could eventually lead to transport fare hike (among many other things).But the money wasn't what primarily bothered me.What bothered me was that I had somehow built a lifestyle designed to eliminate movement.Work happened in front of a screen.

Meetings happened in front of a screen.

Entertainment happened on another screen.

Even my commute involved sitting still while someone else navigated Delhi's traffic.So I decided to spend the next 15 days commuting exclusively by Delhi Metro.

The goal was refreshingly unambitious.

I simply wanted to move more.The stairs became non-negotiableWhat I didn't anticipate was how quickly movement would begin to insert itself into the fabric of my day.The first week was humbling.I made a rule for myself: no escalators.

Taking the stairs helped increase my step count.

(Photo: Author) If I was going to do this experiment, I wasn't going to half-commit.

That meant stairs, long corridors, platform changes, and walking wherever possible.

For someone accustomed to choosing the quickest route from point A to point B, the adjustment felt surprisingly dramatic.By the third flight of stairs, I was questioning my own decision-making.My legs felt heavier than they should have.

My lungs complained.

The convenience I had spent years cultivating had quietly eroded my stamina more than I realised.And yet, within days, the same stairs felt less intimidating.The walks became easier.

My pace became quicker.

The distances that initially felt inconvenient started feeling normal.Without consciously trying, I found myself approaching 10,000 steps almost every day.

Completing 10k steps became much easier.

(Photo: Author) For years, 10,000 steps had belonged to that category of wellness advice that sounded admirable but impractical (to me).

Like many people with desk jobs, I constantly wondered where exactly those steps were supposed to come from.As it....