Living with chronic illness has its difficult moments, but I’ve always said it’s a bit of a “blessing in disguise”. At 22 years old, I was forced to listen to my body. It had a new credential after all – “HLA-B27 positive, Ankylosing Spondylitis.”
This diagnosis felt empowering (there’s potential to heal a diagnosis). People were now seeing what I had felt for years. And it was unique – it stunned each and every one of my health care practitioners. No one suspected it and I felt like a diagnostic detective – thank you Google. I pulled together the mismatched pieces, asked questions, and requested certain tests.
At a young age, I learned to prioritize my health and stay curious. I was given a choice – to see myself as chronically ill and untreatable or see myself as a “work in progress” with a lot of opportunity to grow. I was given a reason, a prescription so to speak, to put myself first.
And it’s not been a perfect, easy journey. But through all of this trial and error, I have learned about the importance of staying flexible and curious.
The one thing that has stayed constant is the importance of movement. I have to find a way to move every day whether that’s stretching, walking, HIIT, weight-training, etc. You “move it or lose it” right? And I absolutely love hiking.
There’s something about being in nature, alone or with people, that just brings so much joy to my life. It’s spiritual, it’s grounding, it’s home. And it’s a healthy challenge that proves my body isn’t just giving up on me. 💕
I also find that it’s a wonderful way to both meet people and grow friendships – there’s something about summiting a super steep hill with a person that gives you enough to start talking about on the way down. You also find some common ground – especially when we’re both complaining about our aching back and joints when we get down. 😂
Health is much more about what you do, than what you take.
