Walking Shoes - Walking and Other 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......

[Guest_1055]

Hadn't really been walking since Friday.. But today I did, out on the Breakwall Path. So breezy out there, which is one of the reasons I like walking there.

As I was walking, I happened to look down and noticef tiny bugs darting from the path to the rocks on the side. There were quite a few of them. And all along a section of the path. Very weird. I have no idea what they were. Anyways that is something different out there today.

It did feel good to be out.

[Guest_1055]

It felt really good to be out there again today. It was a little humid in sections on the path. Especially where light house hill walls the path in. The hill does look a bit like a wall and can block any breeze coming from the ocean side. But it is only a small section.

After walking in that section.... I felt blessed by the very breezy cooler air. Soo nice. I walked right to the end feeling that cooler air.

I saw a few dogs out walking with their leads on too.

[Guest_1055]

It was sprinkling with rain as I walked on the breakwall path today. Those black bugs were their again and darting quick across the path in groups. Back into the rocks on the side. I actually looked more closer at the rocks. The bugs were scattered in groups on the flater rocks. I found it gross. And wanted to get away quick like. I still don't know what they are. Or why they are there. I had never seen them before. And I have been walking out there for a few years now.

Anyways I walked to the end and back.

[Guest_1055]

Went for a walk just before 7am today. On the breakwall. It's much easier to get a car spot in the beach carpark at that time. Being a Saturday.

As I was walking, I could hear deep breathing from behind me. It was from a dog. One of those ones with the flat faces. And sort of stocky build. Not sure what bred it was. But I have seen them before, and they seem to breathe that way. She and her owner soon past me. But I caught up and overtook them. As the dog and the owner had stopped to chat with another dog and owner.

The black bugs were not on the path this time

It was good to walk out there

[Guest_1055]

Yesterday I walked in a historical town. I was hoping the rain would stop for a bit so I could walk. And it did mostly.

From a carpark, which is near a river, I walked up a newish wide bike path. This path led up to the main road here. As we walked up the path, we needed to walk through a bit of water. The water was not real deep, but enough to get our shoes nice and soggy. Properly should have taken them off, but didn't think of it until later. To the left of us was a couple of houses, one had like a tall rock wall in their backyard. It looked like natural bush rock. There was water gushing down it... Maybe from the road above. It was a like beautiful sounding waterfall. Further up there bails of rolled hay. They didn't smell very nice. We turned around when we got to the road, because it looked like it may suddenly belt down with rain. We walked back on the path. It didn't rain much at all.

We then decided to walk up the hill and along the path near the main road. It is a very beautiful town with old yet well maintained shops. We walked along and chatted some. It was now sprinkling with rain, and windy. We kept walking, past a park, across another road. This road leds to an old timber bridge. I really like this bridge. It has much history. I have never walked over the bridge, I am not sure there is enough room for both vehicles and people. But I have walked under it before. Their is a large grassy park like area under there. And you can here the clunking clunk as the cars go over the timber planks. I like that sound too.

We crossed over that bridge road and huddled under some kind of awning for a while. There is a cafe right there. But it was shut today. After a time, we walked back. Back under the protection of an umbrella. Still could feel my back getting wet. But I didn't mind at all. We peered in a shop window and saw some linen dresses hanging up in the window. Quite pretty.

Anyways we walk back, down the hill... towards our cars. I noticed a few ducks hovering and fluffed up some in the short glossy and wet grass. I also noticed the river. The water level was quite high. We could see the number 4 sign in the river, with most of its pole under water. I am not sure what the sign means. Maybe its a speed sign for the boats. Or maybe it's a flood sign. Don't know.

[Guest_1055]

Went for a walk around our neighbourhood tonight. There was a bit of a breeze.

We walked past a couple of kerbside pick ups. Sometimes people do throw away stuff that is not ready for the tip. We discreetly shone the torch over. We saw quite a few plastic chairs at one. All stacked up high. I am not really into plastic though.

On another road, dogs starting barking as we approached.

[Guest_1055]

Today I went ten pin bowling. Not a lot of walking... but some. And lifting a ball quite a few times. We played 2 games. Think my score was 77 in one game. I cannot remember the other score. Yeah so a very low score.

I tried to aim my ball to hit the pins. And I stood there watching it roll down the lane. Oh my gosh... so very slow. One time I hit 9 pins. That was my highest go.

I did enjoy this bowling for the most part. And it was good to do something different.

At times I felt self conscious and awkward especially just after I bowled and turned around. As I was now facing towards other people. People in other lanes even. And I didn't know how to hold myself, like stand in a relaxed manner.

But over all I did enjoy it.

[Guest_1055]

It had been a while since I went walking out near the ocean. Been feeling very unmotivared mostly. Of course eating junk food robs me of energy. Plus the weather has been weird.

Anyway I went out there today. I looked at the waves in the ocean when I first got there. It all looked different. There was not a lot of beach itself . And the waves seemed to go in unusual directions. There were quite a lot of waves. Not super large, but rather choppy and many of them. A studied them for bit.

Then walked on to the breakwall path. I only walked a short distance, then decided to take the sandy track down to the beach. I wanted to see what it all looked like further along. So I saw it. The waves were the same as before... choppy and going in different directions. And there still wasn't a lot of beach. I decided to walk along the beach now. It was nice to feel the sand on my feet. The sand and sand dunes looked different. Almost felt like I was walking on a different beach. The atmosphere felt unusual too. Can't really describe that. Maybe a stillness, besides the breeze and the ocean moving.

I was walking on the bottom of the dunes, so there was a slight slant. I did walk a bit were it was flatter. But it was a challenge to know what the waves would do. The more I walked along, the more driftwood and logs I saw on the sand. I noticed the waves now came in with lots of foam. The foam was blowing across the sand in sections. And onto my feet. Two standing seagulls looked like they didn't know what to do , as the foam touched them.

I kept walking on the sand. A tree with no leaves must have washed up. It still had some tree roots attached to it.

The end of the beach looked very different. The sand dunes were rearranged. And there was only a narrow amount of sand at this end. Even the little hill was not so steep going up to the breakwall. And I sat in the sand on the top there. And watched the changed landscape. There use to be more rocks up there. But it looked like more send had gathered up against the wall or something. Maybe covering up the rocks. The ocean was further up to.

After I sat there for a while. Actually the place where I was sitting was beautiful in a way.

I got up and walked on the breakwall. I didn't walk right to the end us there was too much water and spray splashing over. I stood and watched it for a while. Mostly to see if there were some gaps when the water was not spraying up. But it seemed unpredictable.

[Guest_1055]

I turned around and walked back along the path. To my right is the port. I noticed the water in there was a milky coffee colour. And the water was high as well. And a bit choppy. There were a few logs floating out to sea.

I walked along just simply looking. I noticed large plastic buckets or maybe more like a small plastic drums. There were a couple of those washed up and caught in the many logs along the narrow shoreline. There was also a couple of super large piles of long... what looked like bamboo caught up there too.

A baby was all snuggle and their pram. And was being pushed along by their mother. The sweet cry of a newborn is so sweet. I love that. To a baby, their world would be so very small. I did hear that special newborn cry from with in the pram.

Walking further along now. I watched 2 large dogs gallop across the sand and partly into the water on the "doggie" beach. So happy and free they looked. This beach also looked a bit different. But not so much as the other one I had walked on earlier.

Glad I got out today.

[Ggrand]

Hello Lovely Shelly,

I so much enjoy walking along side you on your walks, and just wanted to thank you so dearly for continuing to post them on here...and how grateful I am to you for doing that...

When I was visiting my younger son, after his work place accident, I also visited my eldest son....He took me on a nice small walk, about 15 minutes to our destination, with my twin grandchildren...As we were getting closer, we had to climb under the old council gates then, very carefully manoeuvre along some slippery rocks with mud al around them....The grandchildren enjoying the mud puddles, one slipped over and giggled so much that I started laughing..

The spot he took me to, is in a large national park, that unfortunately lost many thousands of hectares in the bush fires...The rejuvenation that’s taking place is awesome..anyway we reached our destination...so beautiful, a small stream/river that runs along the top of rocks and has several small waterfalls along it, the rocks on the bottom had some moss growing on them...(I love moss) the way it gently moves with the water...

NANNY..I heard so loud and with an exciting tone...we found some tadpoles....Daddy, can we take them home.. Then we all went looking for something to put them in....It’s amazing what you see when you’re looking for something else, a grey little rabbit, spotted us and took of, an echidna curled up next to a huge tree, lizards, little birds, having a feast on little flying insects....my skin itching from mosquitoes having a feast on me!....spider webs in amongst the trees, perfectly formed...really amazes me, how they do that...butterflies flittering around..those pretty blue ones, and some orange ones...

We never found a container for those tadpoles...but we did have some fun looking for it...the kids got soaking wet, trying to catch those poor little tadpole....I’m sure next time my son takes them their, he will also have to take some containers...I forgot how quickly and innocently, children find so much fun in the smallest of things...

Hugs everyone...

Grandy...