A Different Way to Enter the New Year

The start of a new year doesn’t always feel hopeful.

For many women I work with, it feels complicated. Heavy. Uncertain. You may be entering this year carrying pregnancy loss, infertility, chronic pain, hypermobility issues, or a body that no longer feels familiar or trustworthy. And while the world pushes resolutions, timelines, and fresh starts, your body may be asking for something very different.

Support. Clarity. Patience.

If this is you, you’re not doing the new year “wrong.” You’re listening to your body's needs.

When your body feels unfamiliar

After pregnancy loss, years of navigating fertility challenges, or feeling limited by your body's capabilities, it’s common to feel disconnected from your body. Movement that once felt natural can suddenly feel intimidating. You might question what’s safe. You might feel unsure how to start again or whether you should start at all.

For those living in a hypermobile or Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome body adds another layer. Joints feel unpredictable. Strength feels inconsistent. Advice that works for others doesn’t work for you. And too often, you’re told to “just listen to your body” without being taught how.

This isn’t a lack of motivation. It’s a lack of guidance.

The problem with “New Year, New You”

Most New Year messaging is built around urgency. More effort. More discipline. More pushing.

But healing, especially after pregnancy loss or in a complex body, doesn’t happen through urgency. It happens through understanding. Through learning how your body works, how your pelvic floor responds to movement, how your breath, posture, and strength all interact.

Your body doesn’t need fixing. It needs support.

What movement can look like this year

This year, movement doesn’t have to mean doing more. It can mean doing things differently.

It can look like:

• choosing exercises that support pelvic floor function instead of straining it

• slowing down strength work so your nervous system feels safe

• learning how to breathe, brace, and move without fear

• rebuilding trust one intentional movement at a time

Strength doesn’t have to be aggressive to be effective. Gentle, well-supported strength is still strength.

A year of rebuilding trust

Instead of resolutions, I invite you to consider this year as an opportunity to rebuild trust with your body.

Trust that your body is allowed to move slowly. Trust that rest and strength can coexist. Trust that needing support doesn’t mean you’re failing.

This is especially important after pregnancy loss, when the relationship with your body can feel fragile. And it’s just as important for women with hypermobility who have spent years feeling dismissed, misunderstood, or told their symptoms are “normal.”

How I support women in this season

My work is centered around women who want to feel strong again without fear. I support women navigating pregnancy loss, infertility, trying to conceive, postpartum recovery, and those living with hypermobility or Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

Through women’s health physical therapy, education, and individualized movement, I help you:

• understand what’s happening in your body

• feel more confident returning to exercise

• support your pelvic floor without pressure

• move in ways that make sense for your body

There is no one-size-fits-all approach here and there shouldn’t be.

You don’t have to do this alone

If you’re entering this year feeling unsure, guarded, or overwhelmed by movement, that makes sense. And you don’t have to figure it out by yourself.

This year can be about learning, support, and steady progress - not rushing, fixing, or proving anything.

You are allowed to move forward gently. You are allowed to ask for help. And you are allowed to define what strength looks like for you.

Navigating womanhood and it’s not something you should have to do alone. I work with women across many seasons, including pregnancy, postpartum, pregnancy loss, infertility, trying to conceive, and those living with hypermobility or Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. My approach blends education, movement, and individualized care so you feel informed, supported, and confident in your body again. If this post resonated with you, feel free to share it with someone who might need it. With advanced training in women’s health, pregnancy and postpartum fitness, and hypermobility-informed care, I help answer the questions that are often dismissed or left unanswered and guide women toward movement that truly meets them where they are.

Thanks!

-Stay Strong.

Jessica Shiyomura, PT, DPT

Enhanced Physical Therapy & Wellness