Cardio, Not Just Courage

Hiking isn’t just a choice.
It’s survival.

For the heart that races when it shouldn’t.
For blood pressure that spikes or drops without warning.
For joints that ache before the day even begins.
For a nervous system that never quite settles.

Movement became medicine—
not the kind you swallow or inject,
but the kind that seeps into bone,
waking systems dulled by fatigue and fear.

When my body feels fragile, hiking becomes a quiet promise.
A vow I make each time I lace up:
to show up, even if the pace is slow,
even if the steps are heavy, hesitant, unsure.

It’s cardio, yes—
but it’s also courage.

The courage to face unknown limits.
To push gently at the edges.
To honor what hurts without letting it define me.

It’s not just physical endurance.
It’s emotional flexibility.
Psychological resilience.

Because the hardest part isn’t the trail.
It’s deciding to begin.

To trade comfort for discomfort.
To choose motion over stillness.

Because motion is resistance.
A quiet rebellion against illness’s shrinking grip.

It says:
I’m here.
I’m moving.
Still rolling.

← Explore more of Series One

Keep momentum:

Do a 2–5 min ritual — quick reset for low-capacity moments.

Build capacity — sleep, basics, and minimums that matter.

Reflect for a minute — short reads with a long tail of calm.