When life handed her obstacles that felt insurmountable, Pack Member Connie Ward, age 48, turned to walking as a way to fight back and regain the life she desired. What she found was a braveness and strength she didn’t know was within her that would help her not only recover, but also thrive both physically and mentally.
In 2017, Connie, whom already had a history of high blood pressure and arrhythmia, began suffering from chronic gastritis and arthritis which led to debilitating pain in her joints. Adding medications to help her through the joint pain, she started having severe stomach pain due to the medications affecting the lining of her stomach and liver, causing her discomfort when eating. The result—malnourishment. These events, stacked one on top of another, caused this enthusiastic home cook tremendous sadness and she found herself depressed. Add to that anxiety and panic attacks, as well as a fear to work out because her body was literally going haywire, Connie found herself in a dark place and on more medications than she could count.
Connie, now a real estate broker in North Carolina, had studied Health and Fitness Science in 2016, as well as obtained her personal trainer certification, just one year before her debilitating illness set in. Unable to exercise at all, and fearful about how her body might react left her inactive, stressed and feeling like she could hardly function. She found herself in a vicious cycle that she couldn’t stop, in and out of the hospital multiple times a week or month for almost two years. She knew she had to do something, so she turned to walking.
In 2019, Connie took to nature and began to move her body again as a way to reduce stress. “Walking was actually hard when I started. I would only walk about 5 minutes and worked my way up to 10, 20, 30 minutes, and then hours of trail walking and hiking,” said Connie. “As a result, I fell in love with nature.”
But, Connie’s challenges didn’t end there. Though she was making great progress by walking every day, Connie was furloughed from her marketing job in March 2020 and permanently laid off in May 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hurt deeply by the loss of her job and lack of communication from her former employer, she stopped walking completely. “I literally cried every day for about two months. It was just really hard and I was feeling hopeless,” said Connie. “I felt myself falling into a deep hole.”
This is when Connie found 99 Walks. Though she had slowly started walking again on her own, she was struggling with consistency. “I joined 99 Walks in August of 2020 as motivation and to hold myself accountable towards being more consistent. It brought me back to life. It was exactly what I needed at the time I needed it most,” said Connie. “99 Walks got me out of the house and back to doing what I loved so much.”
In the past six months, Connie has found that she has improved significantly and attributes most of it to walking. Not only that, but she is down to just one medication for her heart rate and blood pressure with a goal to get off it some day! “Walking gives me so much joy and peace,” said Connie, “and has taught me that I have a great appreciation for quiet and the beauty of nature.”
Connie at Stone Mountain. “I hiked the entire mountain from one side to the other. Such an amazing, grounding, and healing experience.”
Walking has become the highlight of Connie’s day. Since starting back with her walking practice, Connie said she rarely misses a day. “I love the way walking makes me feel. It lifts my spirits, boosts my mood and calms my mind. On the off chance that I struggle to get moving, I remind myself how great I'll feel once I get going,” said Connie.
When asked what one piece of advice she could give to someone new to walking, Connie advised to start slow and work your way up. “Once you start, you may fall in love like I did,” she said, “and don't pressure yourself to do more than you're ready for.”
Today, you might find Connie on any one of the amazing trails in North Carolina, but her favorite place to hike is Stone Mountain State Park near Sparta, NC. “Not only because it's such a beautiful place to walk,” said Connie, “but because it's where I had my greatest walking victory. When I was at my lowest point, I hiked Stone Mountain which was physically challenging. It showed me how strong and brave I was. It has given me the courage to keep pushing forward. As I continue to heal, I reflect on that day and I know the worst is behind me.”
Click here to join thousands of women like Connie who are walking their way to better with the 99 Walks walking app. Along with motivating walking classes, inspiring stories and podcasts, and a supportive community, women are using the robust walking tracker to achieve better health and wellness, both mentally and physically. Plus, you’ll earn an inspirational bracelet when you accomplish your goal!