12/02/2025
Last year in late November, I started walking 5k 3-4 times a week outdoors and I found myself.
It’s a privilege to be able to move my schedule around and engage in joyful movement that makes my body feel good.
With the increased activity, I started noticing a new pain in my left hip. Turns out, I learned I’m hyper mobile and my lsacrum is fused to a part of my lumbar spine, which contributed to the pain. I got evaluated by a physical medicine doctor and start PT this week.
In September, after my trip to PR, I got sick, really busy with work, traveling a lot, raining a lot, and also started feeling the hip pain a lot.
I fell off my movement routine hard; I noticed my mood and mental health struggling, feeling depressed and overwhelmed with life, but I didn’t worry about it too much because I knew that when I was ready, I would go on my walks again. I didn’t stop entirely though.
I slowed down.
I took shorter, less frequent walks.
I rested.
I sought ways to relieve the pains.
And today, I went on my little 5k nature walk and I found myself again. I felt grounded, inspired, my mind felt uncluttered. My hips kinda hurt for the first half of it, but then I warmed up.
Sometimes my walks are active and mindful. Other times, I dissociate and let the sidewalk lead me.
It’s okay to slow down, pause, take a break. It’s easy to lose momentum when life is lifing, but remind yourself of how good you felt doing the things that make you feel good and know that it never has to be all or nothing.
Life, movement, nutrition ebbs and flows. We go through seasons just like the earth does. Move with it. If it’s safe to, tune into what your body is telling you and listen to it.
