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......

[Eagle Ray]

Hi Dools and All

I enjoyed hearing about your walk yesterday. I like seeing galahs because they are so cute, especially the way they waddle when feeding on the ground. The babies can be extraordinarily noisy, making the most raucous, repetitive squawking noise.

Today I walked in an area where I discovered some old growth forest recently. I walked along the same ridge that I did before that looks down into a valley with the old, tall trees. At that level you are looking into the canopy. The level of peace here is so deep and it feels primordial, like the beginning of time.

On the track on the ridge I accidentally startled a kangaroo who bounded away. I saw a range of lizard tracks crossing the path. I met an interesting looking butterfly species I hadn’t seen before with a kind of very pale orange with some brown markings. Its wings seemed an unusual shape but I could see were also a bit worn and torn, like the butterfly had been through a lot. It flew about me before landing on a branch quite close.

I returned along the ridge then followed the dirt road downwards, discovering the valley I’d seen from above. Down here the trees towered above me. Some had a-framed hollows burnt out by past fires, and some had gnarly burls growing from their trunk. The air was cool and moist down here.

I wanted to keep going but I’d already walked quite far, could feel I was tired and the sun was getting low. On the way back I found another sidetrack off the dirt road. So much more to explore later. It’s a very interesting place.

[Doolhof]

Hi Eagle Ray and all,

The area you are walking in Eagle Ray sounds delightful. I like the way you describe it. We have some pine forests about an hour's drive from us I like to go walking in if I am heading in that direction for some reason. I wonder what happened to the butterfly? Kangaroos can blend in so well with their environment and can be so still, they can be hard to notice at times.

Somehow time disappeared yesterday and I hadn't left home early enough for a decent walk before meeting with Mum.

I pulled off onto a dirt road only to realise it was just one car width wide just around the corner. I managed to find a safe place to pull off the track and park the car. 

There were stumpy low height gum trees and a variety of bushes. On one side of the tack was a dried out harvested crop and about 5 kangaroos having a feed. They were bathed in a light golden glow from the dappled sun shining through the grey clouds.

The other side was stony ground with a reasonably thick amount of vegetation in places. I wandered along for a while and decided this is certainly a road I would like to walk along further. Like I mentioned, the main issue is parking safely on these tracks and finding somewhere to turn the car around again! Parking in the side of the road is not safe there as it is a major trucking route and not always possible to pull off the road.

Today it is raining, if I go for a walk it would be safer to do so in the town on the footpaths. The town is so noisy with trucks and other vehicles all day long! I will try to not concentrate on the noise and look in people's gardens that have been refreshed by the rains instead!

[Guest_1055]

Hi Mrs D, Eagle Ray, Green eggs

I have been reading about your recent walks and a walk you went on a bit ago Green eggs. Words are not sinking in much, tired head, quite foggy. I have been walking as usually do feel better when I do. Out on the breakwall, around where I live. Please forgive me Eagle Aray. I know I said I will get back to you about a connection question I asked you.  And you answered.But I just cannot  comprehend it all. Think properly. 

[Doolhof]

Hi Shell,

Sorry to read you're are not feeling so flash right now. Hope the walks continue to be beneficial for you. 

I have a friend whom is not always so well, so I try to take at least 3 photos each walk to send to her. If I am continually on the same road, it is a little hard to find something different to photograph.

This morning the sunrise produced a purple cloud laced with pink. To the west the sun was shining on the golden remnants of a crop with the sky behind being quite dark and stormy looking, an excellent contrast for a photo.

My friend likes sheep as well, some sheep were very obliging and were close to the farmer's fence line so they looked more like dots in my photo.

Hope to go walking with my sister tomorrow in a pine forest.

Wishing you all a comforting day.

[bit-lost]

In my experience, the best thing I have been able to do is just start!! Doing something in full and proper seems too overwhelming sometimes, so I skip it and don't do it at all. But if I tell myself, okay only 5 minutes, you can do this for just 5 minutes, that is not a long time... often it ends up being so much longer and I feel accomplished. But if 5 minutes is all I could do that day, I reward myself also because it is such a bit feat! If you can't manage a long walk, just start walking for a couple minutes. If it is only a couple minutes that day, that is okay. And if longer, that is even better!

[Eagle Ray]

Hello All

Dear Shell, please don’t worry about responding. Sometimes I find words don’t always cut it anyway, and just allowing things to process/percolate on their own subconsciously is actually more helpful. Other times we do find words and they help, but I know many times things are non-verbal with me and yet they’re kind of getting processed somehow anyway, sometimes in dreams or visually or through music or just on their own.

I loved the sound of the purple cloud laced with pink Dools. Enjoy your pine forest walk tomorrow with your sister if you go.

A bit-lost, I agree about the just starting thing. I need to remind myself of that sometimes. I’ll put off a task that seems too big, forgetting I don’t have to complete it all in one go and can do a bit at a time. I think it’s true of self-care activities too, to recognise it’s great even if we’ve managed 5 minutes.

At sunset today I walked at my favourite ocean spot. The sunset had some nice golden and orange colours. Initially the colours then disappeared, but then a few minutes later bright pink spread from the horizon across the clouds. It was intense colour and I took photos with my phone. I then just sat up on my favourite hill soaking it in.

 I was feeling sad for a variety of reasons, things that had come up. But I find this place holds me and takes care of me somehow. I sometimes feel like I could stay there all night.

[Doolhof]

Hi bit-lost and hello to everyone reading,

I totally agree with you, even a few minutes is better than no action at all. Some days it can feel very overwhelming to make a start on something.

Recently I had Covid and it exhausted me. A walk for a minute in the garden then a sit down for 10 minutes was all I could manage. Thankfully I have been able to build up again to my normal walks.

Like you mentioned, appreciating all you have been able to achieve is so beneficial. Self reward like that encourages us to try again. 

My Mum stated she feels uncomfortable walking outside so has created a walking route in her home and garden. One minute of walking has now increased to 20 minutes for Mum on a good day. 

What seems like a little can be looked at as being a wonderful example of what we can achieve.

[Doolhof]

Hi Eagle Ray and all reading,

It is wonderful to read how much solace, peace and comfort you seemed to gain from your favourite ocean views. Nature can be amazing. Even a stroll in a city park or sitting ona  bench being able to view the sky or a tree in a busy landscape can help to bring peace and calm to our minds.

I'm very thankful to live in the country with all the opportunities to glance at nature around me. Living near the ocean would just be amazing!

It is drizzling with rain here so I will grab my rain jacket and head off for a walk soon and hope to have another walk this afternoon with my sister...depending on the rain. Will ensure I pack dry clothes to change into after our afternoon walk.

[Doolhof]

Hello lovely people, 

Friday I had a lovely walk with my sister. We went to a conservation park. Wandering around in there we could not hear any human noise apart from each other. No cars, trucks or machinery. 

The trails took us up and down hills and through some amazing scrub. It was amazing to see how green the wild grasses were. In my region, it is all so dry, parched, faded yellows and browns. It felt so peacefula nd calming seeing so much green.

Some plants were in flower so we stopped to admire those. We saw some kangaroos and were thrilled to see a family of emus! Two parents and 3 juniors. They look so comical when they run with their rear end bouncing around.

We stopped at a pool of water and watched some tiny little birds come in for a wash and a drink. We could hear a variety of birds around us. It was a delightful place to go for a walk. 

I'm off for my usual walk at dawn in a moment. It is about 5 degrees here. I will wear my new high visibility hoody I bought on sale. It just about glows in the dark so the oncoming traffic will be able to see me and it will be warmer than the long sleeved high vis top I bought from the op shop for walking.

Hope you all have an opportunity for a little exercise today, even if it is a few stretches and a short walk around your home. Cheers all from Dools

[Eagle Ray]

Hi Dools and Everyone

Your walk with your sister sounds just lovely Dools. It is so peaceful when there's no machinery and vehicle noise, just nature. That's wonderful you saw the emus! The stripy chicks are so cute. The little birds having a wash and a drink sounds so lovely too. I love watching them fluff their feathers as they have a bath.

Today I went for the second time to a coastal area I visited several months ago. The road in was more corrugated than I remembered it being last time, but my little car got there. I met some nice people in the carpark and had a chat with them.

The carpark is quite high above some impressive rocks. There are cave-like structures that go into the base of a rocky cliff that the ocean washes into. The rocks have quite a variety of colours in them, including black, orange and white.

I walked along a track that's quite high up and goes through some melaleuca trees. I then came out to an area of dunes. There were lots of lizard and goanna tracks around. I'd love to know what type they were. Will have to sit here at a warmer time of day when they are most likely to be active to see if I can see them.

There were blown out areas in the dunes and various hollows in them with coastal vegetation. It was quite secluded and seemed like a peaceful spot for reading a book or just relaxing, with the sound of the waves rolling in. I realised at one point I was standing on dried moss, which seemed almost strange so close to the beach at this point. I expect the moss will green up again once the rain comes.

On the beach I found what looked like the remains of a stingray (Yikes! says Eagle Ray). I looked up stingray skeleton on the internet when I got home, and that does look exactly like what it was. I could see various lizard tracks going up to it. I suspect they have been feasting on it.

I communed with the sunset and felt at home at this spot. The colours were then dusky and then the horizon got really iridescent, as it has for some months now. Someone told me this is an effect still left over from the volcano in Tonga.

It was a most interesting late afternoon adventure.