MOVE while we still can…

17 September 2026

While we CAN move, let’s not take it for granted.

Let’s MOVE.

Last Saturday, as I walked along this road, I took a video.

It may look like an ordinary road. But to me, being able to walk along it freely is something quite extraordinary.

Every step feels like freedom.

Recently, I have been reading about ALS—a devastating disease in which the motor neurons controlling our muscles progressively deteriorate. Over time, a person can lose the ability to walk, use their hands, speak, swallow and eventually even breathe independently.

ALS is not something we can simply prevent through exercise, diet or supplements.

But reading about it reminded me how precious something as ordinary as MOVEMENT really is.

I wasn’t always a walker!

Twenty years ago, my spouse practically had to drag me up a hill.

I disliked walking. My legs tired easily and, given a choice, I wouldn’t walk very far.

Today he tells me:

“You are stronger at walking than me now!”

What changed?

My stroke changed me.

After my stroke, I was genuinely shaken. For the first time, I was frightened by the thought:

What if I can never walk properly again?

I remember praying:

“God, please help me walk again. If I can walk again, I will never complain about walking again.”

And I haven’t.

I didn’t restart with 5,000 steps.

I started with just a few.

First I had to regain confidence in my balance.

A few steps became a few more.

As my balance improved, my confidence grew. And as my confidence grew, I walked further.

Zero → a few steps → hundreds → thousands → around 5,000 steps a day.

Today I can go out. I can explore. I can travel.

My own two legs can take me where I want to go.

What a wonderful feeling of freedom.

Two years after surviving a potentially fatal stroke, I didn’t simply grow two years older.

I GREW OLD STRONGER.

And I am deeply grateful to God.

I have seen what regaining mobility can mean for someone else too.

I once assisted a woman who started out in a wheelchair and had become so weak she couldn’t even use her hands sufficiently to feed herself.

Gradually she regained the ability to feed herself. Eventually she could take small steps around her home—and even go on holiday again with her young family and two sons.

Her recovery was different from mine, and everyone’s circumstances are different.

But both experiences left me with the same thought:

Never take for granted the abilities you still have.

For many of us, inactivity can contribute to loss of muscle mass and strength, particularly in our legs.

Sometimes it begins innocently enough:

A painful knee. Thigh pain. Cramps. Weak legs. An aching back. Fear of falling.

Then a vicious cycle can develop:

PAIN → LESS MOVEMENT → MUSCLE LOSS → WEAKER LEGS → POORER BALANCE → LESS CONFIDENCE → EVEN LESS MOVEMENT

And eventually loss of mobility can affect our independence, social life, confidence and emotional well-being.

So don’t automatically dismiss persistent pain, cramps or weakness as:

“I’m getting old.”

Find out why—and where appropriate, find a safe way to keep moving.

What can we do?

🚶 WALK

Don’t compete with somebody else’s 10,000 steps. Start where YOU are. Even a few steps count.

🏋️ BUILD MUSCLE

Walking is important, but so is strength. Work your thighs, hips, calves, core, back and arms. Sit-to-stands, resistance exercises, appropriate weights and stairs can all help.

The muscle we maintain today becomes part of our physical reserve for tomorrow.

⚖️ TRAIN YOUR BALANCE

This was particularly important for me after my stroke. Better balance gave me confidence—and confidence helped me move more.

🦵 KEEP YOUR JOINTS MOVING

Strong muscles help support our joints. Persistent pain deserves investigation rather than simply giving up movement.

🥚 FEED YOUR MUSCLES & BONES

Adequate protein, nutrient-rich food, calcium, vitamin D and appropriate weight-bearing and resistance exercise all have a place.

And this brings me back to KISS.

Diet • Lifestyle • Supplements

I walk.

I work at maintaining my strength.

I eat to nourish my body.

And I supplement wisely.

My own daily EB protocol includes:

🌿 Network Antioxidants — VigourCells + Pine Bark

Providing nutrients and antioxidant compounds involved in cellular antioxidant and redox systems. VigourCells includes alpha-lipoic acid, CoQ10, vitamin C, vitamin E/tocotrienols and selenium.

☀️ Vitamin D3 + K2

Vitamin D contributes to normal muscle function and bone health, while vitamin K participates in normal bone metabolism.

🐟 Omega-3 — EPA + DHA

Important fatty acids incorporated into our cell membranes, with roles in cardiovascular and inflammatory biology.

But supplements cannot exercise our muscles for us.

**We still have to WALK.

We still have to STRENGTHEN.

-We still have to MOVE.**

There is one more thing I am particularly grateful for.

Years before my stroke, I trained as a Duke Integrative Medicine Health Coach.

I never imagined then how much I would eventually draw upon what I had learnt for myself.

The course taught me to look at health as more than simply treating a disease—to consider nutrition, movement, sleep, behaviour, mindset, resilience and the many interconnected parts of our lives that influence health.

When my stroke happened, that knowledge became personal.

It helped me approach my recovery actively and purposefully: to set small goals, work on my balance, rebuild confidence, keep moving and participate fully in my own recovery.

Of course, every stroke is different and recovery depends greatly on where and how severely the brain has been injured, as well as rehabilitation and medical care.

But I genuinely believe my training gave me knowledge and a mindset that helped me make the most of the recovery opportunities I was given.

For that, I will always be grateful to Duke Integrative Medicine.

And perhaps that is one of the greatest lessons my stroke taught me:

Don’t wait until you lose something before appreciating it.

Twenty years ago, somebody had to drag me up a hill.

Today nobody needs to drag me.

I walk because I WANT to walk.

And when I walk, I feel free.

If you’re starting from almost nothing, don’t be discouraged by someone else’s 5,000 or 10,000 steps.

Start with your few.

A few can become hundreds.

Hundreds can become thousands.

And one day you may look back and realise just how far you’ve come.

Every step is a gift.

Every step feels like freedom.

Don’t just grow old.

🌿 GROW OLD STRONG.

Take care of tomorrow’s body today.

Eat well. Live well. Supplement wisely.