Ten months ago, I ditched my Apple Watch. It was a clean break. No regrets at first—I had switched to a different type of smartwatch. But that new one gave me a rash, and nobody wants validation that comes with an itchy price. So, I made do with my phone tracking my steps. It wasn’t perfect, but it was “good enough.” Or so I told myself.

Yet, deep down, I knew I was being short-changed in the step department. We all have that internal counter that says, “I know I took more steps today.” But with the phone method, let’s be honest—when you’re not wearing pockets or carrying your phone like a security blanket, those steps are lost to the ether. Imagine taking thousands of steps a day, only to have them vanish because your phone was on the counter. Tragic.

This weekend, I had enough. My need for step validation overpowered me, and I triumphantly re-enabled my Apple Watch. Back on the wrist it went, like a long-lost friend—or a nosy one who suddenly wants to know everything about your daily movement again. Now my steps are tracked in real time, and I’m finally getting credit where it’s due. But here’s the kicker: while it captures steps more accurately, it’s falling short on recognizing my active time. So now I’m left wondering, what’s more important: steps or actual movement?

It all comes down to what kind of validation you want. Do I care that I walked 10,000 steps (because let’s be real, I’m in constant motion), or do I want the recognition for real, honest-to-goodness movement that involves getting stuff done? Is one form of validation more legitimate than the other? Or am I just playing a tech-driven version of “who’s a good dog?” with myself, where each ring closed feels like a treat?

In the end, I guess it’s not just about steps, active minutes, or even rashes. It’s about the quest for validation in a world where we’re all constantly searching for that thumbs-up—whether it’s from a smartwatch or just from ourselves. So here’s to finding those moments where we stop counting and just start moving, validation or not.