Learn Hardcore Russian: Новый режим дня помогает мне больше двигаться: шагомер показывает больше шагов, а на работе лучше держится концентрация. - The new daily routine helps me move more: the pedometer shows more steps, and at work my concentration holds better.

больше двигаться slightly emphasizes the amount of movement as the goal.
двигаться больше can emphasize the action “to move” a bit more, with “more” following it.

In everyday speech, they are both natural, and the difference is subtle. In this sentence, больше двигаться is very typical and sounds smooth.

What part of speech is больше here, and why is it used without a noun?

Here больше is a comparative adverb meaning “more”.

It modifies:

the verb двигаться → больше двигаться (to move more)
later, an implied number of steps → больше шагов (more steps)

As an adverb, it doesn’t need a noun right after it:

Он хочет больше читать. – He wants to read more.
Мне нужно больше спать. – I need to sleep more.

What does шагомер mean, and how is it formed?

Шагомер means pedometer (a step counter).

It’s a compound word:

шаг – step
-мер – from мерить / измерять (to measure)

So literally: “step-measurer” → pedometer.

Grammar:

шагомер is masculine, inanimate, nominative singular in this sentence.
Шагомер показывает… – The pedometer shows…

Why is it больше шагов instead of больше шаги?

After больше (more), Russian normally uses the genitive plural:

больше шагов – more steps
больше дел – more tasks/things to do
больше идей – more ideas

So:

шаги – nominative plural (steps)
шагов – genitive plural (of steps → used after больше)

Pattern:

больше / меньше + Genitive plural:

меньше денег – less money
больше друзей – more friends
больше ошибок – more mistakes

Why is there a colon (:) after двигаться?

In Russian, a colon is often used to introduce:

an explanation
a result
a consequence
a more detailed description

Here:

The part after the colon explains / specifies the results of the new routine:

more steps on the pedometer
better concentration at work

So the colon works similarly to English “–” or “:” in an explanatory sense.

What does на работе mean grammatically, and why is it not something like в работе?

На работе means “at work” in the sense of at my workplace / during my working hours.

работа – work, job
на работе – prepositional case with на → “at work”

With places / institutions, на + prepositional is very common:

на работе – at work
на уроке – in/at the lesson
на концерте – at the concert

В работе exists, but it has a different, more abstract meaning: “in (the process of) work” / in one’s work / in the job itself. Here the meaning is physical/locational, so на работе is correct.

What does держится mean here, and why is it reflexive (-ся)?

The verb держаться (here держится) means roughly “to be maintained / to stay / to hold up”.

концентрация держится – concentration holds / stays (at a certain level)

The -ся ending makes the verb reflexive / intransitive. Instead of someone actively “holding” concentration, concentration itself is the subject and “holds”:

Я держу книгу. – I hold the book. (держать, non-reflexive)
Книга держится на полке. – The book stays / holds on the shelf. (держаться, reflexive)

In the sentence:

концентрация – subject
держится – “remains, stays”

Why is the word order на работе лучше держится концентрация and not концентрация лучше держится на работе?

Both orders are grammatically correct. The chosen order affects emphasis.

На работе лучше держится концентрация.
Fronts на работе → “At work, concentration holds better.”
Emphasizes the place first, then the situation there.
Концентрация лучше держится на работе.
Fronts концентрация → “Concentration holds better at work.”
Emphasizes concentration first.

Russian word order is relatively flexible; speakers can move elements to highlight what is most important. Here, starting with на работе makes the sentence flow naturally from the previous mention of work/activity.

What is лучше here – an adjective or an adverb, and what does it modify?

Лучше is the comparative form of the adverb хорошо (well). So it means “better” (in the sense of “more well”).

In на работе лучше держится концентрация:

лучше modifies держится (how it holds)
Literally: “At work, concentration holds better.”

Examples:

Он пишет лучше. – He writes better.
Сегодня я себя лучше чувствую. – I feel better today.

Why are all the main verbs (помогает, показывает, держится) in the imperfective aspect?

They describe regular, repeated, or ongoing situations, not one-time completed actions.

помогает – helps (generally, as a habit/effect)
показывает – shows (each day / regularly)
держится – holds / stays (generally)

Imperfective is used for:

habitual actions: Он каждый день бегает. – He runs every day.
general truths: Зимой рано темнеет. – It gets dark early in winter.
ongoing states: Тут всегда тихо. – It’s always quiet here.

Here, the sentence talks about the general effect of the new routine, so imperfective is natural.

What is the difference between режим дня and расписание?

Both can relate to time and structure, but they are different:

режим дня – your daily routine / lifestyle schedule: when you wake up, eat, exercise, work, rest, go to bed. Often includes health/lifestyle connotations (sleep, physical activity, meals).
расписание – a timetable / schedule with specific times:
- расписание уроков – class schedule
- расписание поездов – train timetable

So in this context, режим дня is correct because it’s about a new daily routine that leads to more movement and better concentration, not about a written timetable.