Walking and Exercise

[Guest_1055]

Hey to anyone reading this.

Last night I had an idea about starting a new thread about exercise especially walking. I am aware that walking is very beneficial for our mental, emotional and physical well being. And by actually doing it....well it can make a huge difference to how we cope with the storms that we face in life.

OK, I am not real good at disciplining myself to walk, and have to really push myself to do it. And sometimes it is even hard to leave this bedroom. Anyway I am not a beginner walker, as I have stuck to sort of a plan before. So I know that it does make me feel somewhat better. But I only stayed on the plan for a couple of months, then gave up.....for whatever reason. So here I am again wanting desperately to not fail this time.

So I guess this thread is for anyone that does walk, anyone that is struggling to walk because of depression or anxiety issues. And anyone else really......

I am unsure of the outcome of all this. But my ideas included: Sharing about things we have found out about exercise especially about walking. Writing down the reasons that one would chose to walk ( like something to help motivate). Being accountable in same way. Sharing about the places where we actually do walk, like the beach, gym, around the block, with the dog, out to the clothesline and back. And any other useful tips that could help others. So here we go......

[Elizabeth CP]

I walked this morning between periods of rain. I did the steps once but wasn't as tired as I have been lately so that's positive. The sky was very grey but the leaves were all vibrant green after being washed clean by the rain. Flowers seemed to be extra vibrant against the green leaves. I also did a walk yesterday morning so I'm back on track.

[Guest_1055]

Hi there dear Elizabeth

No the weather wasn't that warm the day I used the beach showers. The water got reconnected later in the day.

Did you end up getting your hiking boots that day? How are you going with the pain and such, are you feeling better, like can you physically do more.

This is my walk for today.​

A Stroll in the Rain Walk Yes! I decided to head out in the rain, with my umbrella, that was battling to stay up the right way a bit. It was windy. It probably would have made more sense to wear a waterproof jacket, but I didn't think of that.

Anyway I walked along hearing the sloshing sounds of my shoes with each step. Looking out from under my umbrella, I could see puddles and the raindrops. The air was fresh. It was pretty quiet, but I did hear the odd car drive past. I was walking on the straight and narrow road heading to Woolies. Eventually I turned into the street that the super market was on. Which is on my right. Walking...no strolling, because it was a bit of a challenge walking in the wind and light rain.

Anyway on both sides of this street are houses. Two pigeons were walking in the light rain along someone's driveway, bopping there heads like they do. They flew off as I approached.

It was a little busy in the supermarket. I purchased want I intended to, which included fresh basil and red wine. Love the scent of fresh basil....It was for a lasagna.

I then made my way home walking with one hand carrying two bags and the other hand carrying the handle of the umbrella. I needed to stop every now and then to change hands.

Did I enjoy this particular walk? Well... yes I did.

OK bye now

Love Shell xx

[Elizabeth CP]

Hi Shell. Glad you enjoyed your walk in the rain. Good on you for going. We found a pair of boots for my husband which he liked on sale for half price so that was great.

Yesterday was very wet . My son visited in the morning with one sone The other was helping his mum make desert for the family dinner that evening. It was too wet for the playground so we did a short walk. My grandson chased birds across someone's front garden. He couldn't understand why he shouldn't do this. It was a pleasant although cold walk. Fortunately the rain had stopped at that time. I am better than I was but still tired & I need to be very careful using my left arm as the tendon is almost completely torn so it would only take one stupid movement to tear completely. So no reaching above my head & no lifting more than a mug or similar. My ribs are still sore but not as bad as before but Im 'having to be careful not to aggravate them.

[Elizabeth CP]

I missed a couple of days walks but went out this morning after dropping my husband at the station. Thee was a lovely pink sunrise & a break from the rain so I stayed dry. I did my normal walk so nothing outstanding to report but I did it.

[Guest_1055]

Hi Elizabeth, I also missed a couple of days. So where is your hubby off to? Is it something to do with vision Australia? You may have mentioned it before, but I don't remember.

And good on you for keeping up with the walking. Did you mention that you were interested in joining a bush walking club, you may have said it at the beginning of this thread? Are you still going to join, when your body is able and healed?

I went for a walk too today, though not as early as you. I walked around the reservoir with my sister this afternoon. After entering the gates, we spotted a suspicious looking man. So we started our walk by heading up towards the care takers cottage. The cottage is on top of a grassy slope. Once we were almost to the top, we turned around to see the man down below on our normal trail. So we waited a while until he had walked some. It was OK to wait, because we also were looking at the view of the large reservoir, which was full of water and some birds.

After walking back down the hill, we continued to talk and walk. My sister pointed out this tiny man made island in the water. It is sort of a refuge for ducks. As there is foxes in this reserve area.

Way up ahead was the suspicious man, we just stopped a bit, to allow him to get more in front of us. All cool! As we neared the end, we saw a group of kangaroos in the fenced in paddock. They were just laying around. Except for one who was pounding along quite quick.

Thanks for reading this post, if you did Elizabeth. I hope you go for a walk tomorrow. And are you by yourself, now your hubby has gone off somewhere?

Happy and peaceful walking

Shell xx

[Elizabeth CP]

Thank you Shell, I love hearing about your walks. I hope they are helping you feel better. I saw a TV program on meditation including mindfullness. They were talking about the effects on the brain which has a positive effect on mental illness such as depression & anxiety. One person who had severe depression which couldn't be treated by medication due to side effects. He turned to bushwalking using mindfulness meditation. In other words he spent the time noticing all the different things around him. When other thoughts came into his head he acknowledged them & went back to noticing his surroundings as he walked. He found huge impacts on his depression. The presenter underwent tests including brain imaging before & after a program of meditation including mindfulness. The test results showed improved reaction times, memory & clearer thinking & changes showed in his brain. The message to me was to keep walking for both physical & mental wellbeing but to try to be more mindful of my surroundings while walking to get the extra benefit.

My husband catches the train to Vision Australia to do woodwork once a week.

We went to Phillip Island to stay with friends for a few days. We did a few small walks most days. On Saturday we went to the Nobbies. It was cold & wet & very strong winds whipped up the waves as they crashed on the rocks sending salt spray high in the air. We walked along the board walk stopping regularly to watch the sea. Earlier we went to the beach to take the dogs for a walk before the rain started. Afterwards I noticed my head felt clear from the fresh air & my ribs didn't hurt even though I had walked a bit. Maybe it was because we weren't walking fast & stopping to enjoy the view so my body felt good from the outing rather than sore. Another time we walked around the next estate to were we were staying. I liked looking at the different houses & gardens. There seems so much more variety compared to metropolitan suburbs. I like looking at plants & gardens & getting ideas.

[Elizabeth CP]

I missed my walk yesterday but today I walked to the hospital for my physio appointment. I left a bit late so I had to rush. I walked up the steps & continued up a steep road & then down some more steps to the road to the hospital. I made it but felt really hot by the time I arrived. I was pleased to make it without any problems other than being puffed out on the hill & too hot. The walk home was easy as it was flat or gentle down hill & no time constraints. Overall positive in that I showed I could do it so it boosted my confidence.

[Guest_1055]

Hi Elizabeth, good on you for walking.

Yeah I enjoy looking at people's homes and gardens also when walking. I particularly like homes that sort of look like they tell a story. So mostly older homes, like ones from the late 1800's, early 1900's.

And don't you love that when you head feels clearer from fresh air??The invigorating feeling, I call it.

Phillip island actually sounds really good. It sounds like you had some relaxing sort of walks there Elizabeth.

Well I went for a walk today, pretty much in the late afternoon. My walk started on a grassy slope, that led down to the beach. As I walked down the slope, there were a couple of people just sitting on the grass and another girl stretched out reading a book.

I continued walking down the slope, until I approached some concrete steps that led down further to the beach. After walking half way down the steps, I filled my water bottle up from the bubbler there. Then continued on down.

Once on the sand, I took my shoes off. The air actually smelt a bit fishy. Looking to my left is the ocean, I counted about 10 cargo ships out there on the horizon. Probably so many because of the long weekend or something. Walking along I noticed heaps of different sized foot prints. Including ones from the many seagulls that just stand there. There was a bit of seaweed, as well as the odd flat smooth stone in the sand. And there was sand castle fort that had been constructed complete with a stone chimney.

There were not many people on the beach itself, but there were black specks in the waves, these were surfers wearing there wetsuits. I sat down a while, and watched them waiting for the next promising wave. While sitting on the sand, I dug a small hole on either side of myself.

I kept walking a bit more, then I noticed the waves turning a more deeper colour as the late afternoon was soon turning into early evening. So I turned around and walked back, the surfers were still there sitting on their boards. And a lone fisherman was standing up fishing. I walked back up the steps, and now saw a few people going for there after work run on the main "fitness path". This path is the same one, that I have walked on many times.

OK Elizabeth that is it for my walk today, I am planning to go on the same one tomorrow. Hope you are able too as well.

Hugs

Shell xx

[Elizabeth CP]

Thanks for your lovely descriptions of your walks. I find them inspiring. Today I walked to the steps & then continued up the steep road which is is only for emergency vehicles. I was very tired when I reached the top but I did it. I met a street cleaner who jokingly asked me to help him by using the blower to clean the road as I walked back down. I gave an excuse but he thought I had taken him seriously so apologised. He was nice & friendly without being inappropriate so it was a pleasant exchange. I then returned home the shortest way. Unfortunately I woke with a headache & haven't been able to shake it even with meds.'

I feel more confident about pushing myself to try longer or steeper walks so that is positive.

[Guest_1055]

Hi Elizabeth

I am glad you feel inspired. I have been trying to imagine the steep road that you walked up. Has it got trees lining it? And like how long is it?

I was planning to walk on the beach, but my plans didn't work out. Oh well.... However I did go for a short walk up the street in a town called Morpeth. It is a historical sort of town. It even has like cobbled walk ways in sections. It is also has a lot of tourists on the weekends. Towards the end of the walk, we came across a blackboard sign at the front of a small park. Written on the sign it said " Please write your ideas, on what we could do with this park". It also had a tiny box of white chalk tapped to the sign. Some people had written "markets", so we decided to write our opinion. I wrote a "fountain, and the person I was walking with wrote "giant chess set". Have you seen a sign like that before? Well I haven't. Hope your headache goes away soon too.

OK Elizabeth it is 11:45 pm, and I am heading to bed.

Hugs

Shell xx