The part of my daily routine I always try to skip is stretching. I know it’s good for me—especially with my back history—but I still drag my feet on it.
For those who don’t know, I have something called Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis, or DISH for short. It’s a condition that causes parts of the spine to slowly fuse over time. Under an MRI, my lower spine looks like a candle where the wax dripped all the way down—no real space between the vertebrae, just a solid column. It’s almost as if I had a spinal fusion surgery, only my body decided to do it naturally.
The upside is that my back doesn’t “go out” anymore like it used to. The downside is stiffness—lots of it. I wake up feeling like the Tin Man before his first oil can. And that’s why stretching should be my top priority. My doctor once told me that keeping my weight down and staying active would make all the difference—and he was right. On the days I actually do the stretches, I move better, feel looser, and even think clearer.
But if I’m being honest, it’s still the part of my day I’d rather skip. I’d much rather grab my coffee, check my blog stats, or hit a flea market before the crowds show up. Those things light me up. Stretching just feels like paying taxes on my body before I can go live my life.
Still, I’m learning that a little discipline now saves a lot of pain later. So I sneak in micro-stretches during the day—just a few minutes here and there. It’s not perfect, but it keeps me moving.
Because in the end, life isn’t about perfection—it’s about motion. And as long as I can keep moving, I’ll take it—stiff spine and all.
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