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Walking Shoes - Walking and Other Exercise

Guest_1055
Community Member

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......

 

4,382 Replies 4,382

Hi Everyone,

 

Yesterday I had a quiet, restorative walk in a conservation walk. There were small billabongs of water left along the drying creek bed, the grasses alongside the creek were still green, and the reeds/plants in the water were lying flat across the surface due to the lower level of water.

 

I stopped in one place and was rewarded by seeing a blue wren and a couple of female wrens. Clouds were floating across the sky, a light breeze was blowing and I was refreshingly cool inthe more sheltered places, tall gumtrees blocking out the sunshine trying to peep out behind the clouds.

 

Further along, I cut through the pine forest. I found a little clearing where I sat on a fallen pine tree for a while. I listened to the birds and the breeze blowing gently in the trees. I wished I had a blanket so I could just lie there for a while and soak in the peace and tranquillity.

 

My soul felt calmer, it is a place I will return to one day soon.

 

 

Hi Everyone,

I've been out for an invigorating walk soon after sunrise. The wind is blowing quite strong, it was very overcast so I wore my high-vis top with hood so the traffic on the road would be able to see me clearly. The road I walk along offers the best view of the sunrise in this area.

 

The clouds were really interesting this morning, a low roll of cloud was lined with a brilliant yellow then silver colour as the sun came up behind them. To the west, the sky was almost black! A shower of light rain came over, the chill of it on my face helped to refresh me. 

 

Down the road further I saw a small flock of galahs in the canola crop, they took off into a huge gum tree then flew to other trees nearby. It was funny to watch their antics and to listen to their screeching.

 

It was good to get out for a walk and to experience nature all around me.

 

Thinking of you all and hope you have been able to enjoy nature and/or some activity. Cheers to you all from Dools.

 

Doolhof
Champion Alumni
Champion Alumni

Hi All,

Yesterday I had another invigorating walk, the weather was very cool again. We had a wind storm the night before so I was busy moving broken boughs and branches from the narrow road and motor bike track weaving in and out along the road. Bushes hinder visibility so I hated the thought of dirt bike riders coming along and encountering all of the fallen tree limbs unexpectedly.

 

I heard a kookaburra which was a bonus, saw a couple of kangaroos, some hares and even a fox running across the paddock. There were lots of crows as well and some parrots. The galahs were being their raucous selves and entertaining as I watched them in the trees for a while.

 

It was lovely to get out and go walking.

 

 

 

It's great you are getting out there and walking Mrs D. 

 

I haven't posted for a while on here. But have been reading some.

 

I have been out walking most days. At the rec near me, which has the hobby farm. There are a couple of lambs behind the fence there, which are super cute. As well as a bigger sheep. I peer through the large wired fence as I walk by, often stopping. There is also some white ducks and white chickens behind the fence too. And you do see rabbits hopping along in the grass too. Actually there a quite a few rabbits down at the rec. So cute. I watched some other ones hoping along in someone else's back yard. There are hiding places for them in that yard. Tall thick grasses in clumps and machinery perhaps ,it's challenging to see has the grass is growing up around the machinery.

 

I have been walking a loop in the neighbourhood most nights too. It starts by walking up the slight hill, walking past the primary school which has traffic lights near it. And on a quite night you can hear the peep peep of the pedestrian crossing.

We keep walking along a ways, cross over the road near the Catholic church. Then walk on the footpath under the trees down to the service station. We walk by the light of the torch on my phone. There are street lights but not all along. Most nights have been cooler to walk in. We turn around and walk back on another street. This street is very wide with houses on both sides. Once when it was a bit lighter we heard and saw so many pigeons on top of someone's house roof. We hear dogs barking. We are getting to know this street now. We pass the same parked cars, my favourite is a baby blue coloured tiny one parked in a driveway. Someone has a fountain and we hear the lapping and trickling water as we walk on by. This road leds up to the small town with some stores. Most are all closed at that time of night. I pretty much look at this beautiful garden as each time as I walk by it. 

 

We do hear bats too. Actually I don't like hearing the noise they make at all. But I am becoming less scared of them the more we walk by their 🌲 trees

 

I have walked out on the breakwater path too. And watched two seals in the port one day. They were surfacing as they made there way further into the port.

 

 

 

Richju
Community Member

Dear Guest _1055,

I love reading the descriptive accounts of your walks. It seems you are using all your senses to enjoy them and getting plenty of exercise too. Good on you for your positive attitude!

Love and hugs,

Richju xxxxxz

Lovely to read about your walks as well Guest_1055

 

Yesterday I parked my car on a dirt road and went for a walk for 1/2 hour before turning around and returning to the car. The road was boarded by mallee gum trees and bushes. I saw some beautiful bright coloured parrots and some galahs in the trees. The crops have turned golden, some paddocks have been cut for hay already.

 

In the background there are some barren hills, the grass on them has dried out as well and they are mottled brons and yellows. The sky was overcast and grey. Over the hills hung dark rain clouds. Now and then the sun would shine from behind the clouds, the crops would be lit up a glowing golden yellow, the hills were pale and then the striking storm clouds created an amazing picture.

 

I walked up one last low rise in the road to gain a better view of the hills. In some places there were taller gum trees that may have followed ancient water courses. One paddock had a few of these trees and some very dirty looking sheep. 

 

It was a very peaceful place to go for a walk. A couple of people went past in their cars and waved to me which was a friendly gesture.

 

Hi dear Mrs D, it is so very lovely that you got waved at in a friendly manner. Can make one feel not so alone in this world.

 

No pressure to you to answer or anything ,but are you able to explain a bit more about the gum trees and the ancient water courses. Is it where a river or stream once was and the trees liked growing there so they could have access to water.

Hello dear Richju,

How are you? Yes I do tend to use a lot of my senses when I am out walking, so you are right

 Mrs D and Eagle Ray do as well. When you walk ,are you like that also? I think it helps somehow. 

Thankyou for your encouraging post

Hugs back to you

Shell 

Hi Guest_1055 and all,

 

Yes, I do believe exactly as you wrote, the gum trees follow what looks like an old creek, this area was at the base of some hills. I assumed there must have been water runoffs from the hills. Some farmers have obviously left the trees there to grow. I often wonder what different landscapes looked like before European people arrived and started clearing the land on a massive scale.

 

Mallee trees are mostly a type of eucalypt, I googled a little to get some facts. They grow well in harsh conditions and seldom grow taller than 10 metres. They are different from the usual gum tree as they have multiple stems/trunks. At the base of the tree that have a bulbous woody structure called a lignotuber.

 

As kids we would go out with our parents in the ute or the truck and would gather up mallee roots farmers had dragged out of the land as they were trying to clear paddocks. They made great fire wood.

 

Some of them do have very different forms at the base of their trunks.  There is an area in South Australia called The Mallee as well. It was interesting doing a bit of a search to find out more about these trees!

Hi Everyone,

 

It was zero degrees here when I arose this morning. I waited until it was almost 10 degrees before I went out for a walk. The sun was trying to shine between the clouds and the wind was still quite chilly on my face. I had a few layers of clothes I.

 

This morning I didn't see as many kangaroos in the grapevines and didn't see any hares at all. The paddocks are really drying out and we are surrounded by the colours of summer once more. I do appreciate the green in the grapevines this time of year.

 

I have a friend whom I send 3 photos to every day as she is unwell and unable to get out some days. I took a photo of the top of a rusted fence post that has old rusted barbed wire threaded through it. Next was some lichen on a stone and then a stone, only about 5 by 10 cm in size, the way I took the photo with my phone, it looks like a huge rock you could climb.

 

I was pleased I had been out for a walk as some days I just don't seem to have the energy or the enthusiasm to go out walking.

 

Usually