Each April, Move More Month encourages people to rethink their relationship with movement—not as something time-intensive or difficult to maintain, but as something that can be integrated into everyday life.

In a culture that often equates results with intensity, it’s easy to overlook the value of simple, consistent habits. But for many women—especially those balancing demanding schedules, careers, and personal responsibilities—sustainable movement is what actually drives long-term results. The question isn’t how hard you can push your body, but how well you can support it over time.

To explore how small, consistent habits like walking support women’s health, we spoke with Dr. Sarah M. St. Louis, an OB-GYN specializing in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery. Through her work, she sees firsthand how everyday movement patterns influence pelvic health, recovery, and overall quality of life.

In this conversation, Dr. St. Louis explains why walking isn’t just a starting point—it’s one of the most effective, low-barrier ways to support your body, protect long-term health, and maintain consistency in a busy life.

Doctor-led Q&A with Dr. Sarah St. Louis

Move More Month encourages people to increase daily activity in simple ways. From your perspective, why is this approach so effective—especially for people with demanding schedules?

It is effective because simple increases in movement can be just as effective over time as going to a gym or working out.  It is not always possible to get in a full training session, so by moving your body more each day, you are helping your muscles, blood flow, joint health, metabolism and cardiovascular system. 

How do small, consistent movement habits translate into long-term health outcomes?

By adding these types of activity to your day to day life, you eventually become accustomed to that amount of activity and it becomes a naturally desired movement.  This translates to more activity, caloric burn, and skeletal movement over many years which will prolong life and the quality of life.  The more we decrease our activity, the more likely chronic debilitating diseases can set in place. 

From a pelvic health perspective, what’s happening in the body when someone consistently chooses low-impact movement like walking?

With this choice, you are placing less pressure and stress on the entire pelvic floor, which includes the uterus, bladder, rectum, vagina, and all of the pelvic muscles that hold those organs up.  Less pressure on the pelvic floor keeps the tissue as strong and healthy as possible and can decrease the risk of prolapse or incontinence.  

Are there conditions you treat that could be reduced or prevented with more consistent daily movement?

More consistent daily movement helps manage weight and fights obesity.  This is directly correlated to pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence.  Daily movement also promotes gastric motility, which can decrease constipation.  Constipation, if left untreated, can actually cause pelvic organ prolapse as well as pelvic floor dysfunction. 

For someone balancing a busy lifestyle, what’s one simple habit you’d recommend starting with?

Simply taking a walk.  A leisurely relaxed walk without emphasizing heart rate, or pace, or distance, or time.  Walking calmly clears the mind, decreases stress, restores your energy, increases metabolism, decreases glucose spikes, and overall promotes longevity.  Once it becomes a regular habit, you can add things to increase the cardiovascular component.  Taking a walk is a great way to catch up with a friend on the phone, or to have a meeting, or to get to the convenience store, or to listen to an audiobook.  There are so many things to do while walking.  There are days where I only walk 5-10 minutes, and there are days where I walk for 30 minutes.  Each one of these is equally important to our overall health.  Start moving!!

For many women, building consistent movement habits also comes down to how comfortable they feel while doing them. At Oya, we think about this intentionally—designing pieces like our tummy control leggings to provide gentle support and breathability, so movement can feel less restrictive and more sustainable throughout the day.

At its core, Move More Month is a reminder that health doesn’t have to rely on extremes—it can be built through small, consistent actions. As Dr. St. Louis emphasizes, low-impact movement isn’t just beneficial; it’s foundational. From supporting pelvic health to improving long-term well-being, the habits you repeat daily ultimately shape how your body performs and recovers over time.

For women navigating full schedules and competing priorities, movement isn’t about doing more—it’s about doing what’s sustainable. Walking offers a practical, accessible way to stay consistent without adding unnecessary strain. This Move More Month, the goal isn’t perfection—it’s continuity. A few extra steps, a short walk between tasks, or a moment to move with intention may seem small, but over time, they become a meaningful investment in your health.