A bit of a long read - but hoping to inspire our community with my story with movement as medicine and how it's all connected 💚 Active Living Week on CanMar has made me pause and reflect on my own journey with movement and staying active, and I’ll admit – it’s stirred up a bit of guilt too. As a child, I was constantly outdoors. Whether I was playing in my parents’ garden, climbing trees with my sister, or riding bikes with the neighbourhood kids, I was always moving. Although I wasn’t a natural athlete, and tried and failed at most sports, I found my passion in horse riding at a young age, which kept me active for almost two decades. I’ve always loved being outside, soaking up nature. While I was still living at home, my dad and I would take daily walks, and hiking with friends on the weekends was a regular treat. But life has a way of knocking you off your feet. I suffered a bad fall while training for a show jumping competition, and the resulting back injury forced me to step away from horse riding. To this day, I still deal with pain and mobility issues from that injury, which drastically reduced my physical activity. As the years passed, I spent more and more time behind a desk, and somewhere along the line, I stopped moving. I gained weight, felt uncomfortable in my body, and was in constant pain from my lower back injury and accompanying migraines. This pain is something I still have to manage, but I’ve found ways to cope. Several years ago, my sister invited me to a yoga class. After committing to twice-weekly sessions, something incredible happened: for the first time in years, I was able to touch my toes again! It might sound small, but to me, it was a huge milestone. But, as life often does, it got in the way, and once again, I let my health slide. The weight crept back, and I found myself frustrated with my body. About two years ago, I went through a very bad breakup after a long and toxic relationship. I looked in the mirror one day and didn’t recognize myself anymore. I was the heaviest and unhealthiest I had ever been. I had lost myself to unhealthy coping mechanisms – overeating, smoking a pack a day, and using alcohol to manage my anxiety (news flash – it didn’t help.) It was at that moment I realized I needed to make a change. My biggest blessing at the time was my hyperactive Malinois-cross, who forced me to start walking and jogging with him every day. He needed the exercise to burn off his energy, and I desperately needed it too. After a year of implementing drastic lifestyle changes, I ended up losing 20 kgs and becoming the healthiest I’d been in over a decade. I quit smoking, stopped drinking, and transformed my relationship with food. There were many other aspects that played a role in turning my life around (but that’s a story for another day), but getting outside and moving every day was a huge part of my transformation. I could see and feel the changes in my body, but also in my mental wellbeing. The more I moved, the more I noticed a shift in my overall mood. Walking and jogging started to clear my mind and reduce the constant cloud of anxiety that had been hanging over me for years. It didn’t fix everything overnight, but it gave me a sense of control over my mental well-being. It was really then that I truly realized the connection between mental and physical health. Today, as I write this post, I can honestly say my wellness journey is far from over – in fact, I’m fairly certain it’s only just beginning. Life has a way of throwing challenges our way, and I’ve been guilty, especially over the past few months, of not moving as much as I should. I certainly used the cold, wet winter months as an excuse, but if I’m honest, it was more about a lack of discipline and motivation. With the summer months approaching here in South Africa, I’m determined to get moving again. I’m setting a goal for myself, right here, with all of you as my witnesses: I will get back into a healthier routine. I’ll feel the sun on my face, breathe in the fresh air, and, most importantly, move my body. Remember, at the end of the day, we’re all human, and shit happens. But it’s how we pick ourselves up and move forward that truly matters. One step at a time. One foot in front of the other. #TogetherWeAreActiveLiving

Posted by Melissa Jane Sydie at 2024-10-23 15:29:58 UTC