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]

Thankyou for sharing your walk Mrs D. And yeah I see what you mean... Our minds can speak so very loud sometimes including unhelpful thoughts and the one I struggle with over bearing emotions. They and thoughts can like should at us, covering any beautiful, lovely things. It is a challenge to focus for sure. Just like the loud traffic noises I heard on my walk the other day. I covered my ears at times as I was walking just to shut some of it out. We don't not walk at that time, it was peak hour along that road. Anyway it was an experience.

Today I went walking on the breakwall. In the fresh ocean air.  

[Eagle Ray]

Hi Shell, Dools and All,

I’m sensitive to loud traffic noises too. I remember as a kid and teenager finding it difficult and blocking my ears when next to a busy road. I live in a quiet town now so I only really experience it if I go to a large town or the city. I seem to really need the sounds of nature.

Right now I’ve done a small walk and I’m sitting on my favourite rocky hill by the ocean. There is quite a roar from the waves crashing all around, but I find that sound quite soothing and therapeutic compared with traffic. There is an icy southerly wind.

When I first got here I stopped at the rock pool below. The water in it is so crystal clear. I saw a couples of crabs nestled in crevices. A pile of kelp and other seaweed has washed onto the rocks. The tide is high and the water moves through the rock pool like a running creek when it’s like that.

I lay on the rock for a while, enjoying the occasional bit of sun breaking through the clouds. It feels like the temperature has dropped a fair bit in the last 15 minutes or so, so I might head home for a cup of tea. But it has been invigorating to be out here. This place is a spiritual home for me and always helps me to feel better.

[Doolhof]

Hi Shell, Eagle Ray and All reading,

Traffic noise certainly can affect some people. I find it worse some days than others. Today it is very windy here, we have rain as well so that is helping to shut out the noise of the traffic  in the house. Some days it is horrible even with everything shut.

Escaping to nature is wonderful, even if it is on the internet or by listening to a CD with nature sounds and music. I enjoy reading about your trips to the breakwall and rock pools Shell and Eagle Ray.

Yesterday I had a lovely walk in a conservation park. I stopped often, found somewhere to sit and listened for the birds. I was rewarded by seeing a couple of robin red breasts, I took a photo of one on my phone, it is a little flash of red quite some distance away! Ha. Ha.

There were some interesting fungi as well, a few kangaroos, I heard a kookaburra and thoroughly enjoyed my walk there. I took my time and soaked it in. 

[Guest_1055]

What a beautiful experience you had Eagle Ray. Its making me what to go out near the ocean and rocks at the moment. Far to late though, it is almost 10pm.

Oh gosh little crabs can be so very cute, especially how they walk. Just very unique. 

Are you close enough to the water to keep your windows open? Just to let in that kind of fresh air? 

That invigorating feeling feels so good doesn't it . Love that. and I am glad you felt it today out there.

[Guest_1055]

Hello and oops ,my grammar and spelling seems to be way off. Hoping I can be understood still🤷 Sorry.

Today I went walking with my sister in that large park we often walk in. We walked 3 laps of it. I can try to describe it some. Walking 3 laps at a slow pace ( because we are chatting a lot) it took us about 2 hours. 

Once you park you are facing extremely large ovals with glossy green grass. There is some cricket nets there too. We walk around mostly on the path ,so like the perimeter of the whole park. We pass an outside gym station. Continue walking around seeing benches on the other side of the park. There are some shrubs, but I don't know what they are. Walking along is an open space where we have seen people playing hockey. We keep walking along ,cross over some pedestrian crossing. We are now facing these large tall spread out trees. I don't even know what they are called. But they have thick trunks and bats like to spend time high up in the branches. I am not fond of these bats. We didn't hear any though today.

We keep walking along, there is a tiny itty bitty children's section with a small give way and stop signs on tiny roads. Some times I wish I was a little girl so I could ride my bike on these little roads.

We pass a local swimming pool, you can't really see much of it. It is behind a brick wall. But I can smell the chlorine as we are walking along. There are more beautiful trees just near the pool. All growing in glossy green grass. We layed on it once, talking and looking upwards. Actually I think I sat there, my sister was the one laying down.

These trees were loosing there leaves. Think they were liquid amber's. They had large crunchy light brown leaves all under them. Scattered and in piles on the grass. We decided to walk through them. Nice. We walked past the many netball courts, the BBQs, the picnic tables, more trees, the childcare centre and some kind of small grandstand. 

On one of the laps, as we were facing to the west. We noticed the sun setting. A mixture of yellow, white, a purpley colour and orange like wide long stripes of these colours laying low in the sky. So very beautiful.

[Guest_1055]

Glad you enjoyed your walk Mrs D.

Yes I am not keen on a lot of traffic noises Mrs D and Eagle Ray. Especially if someone beeps there horn or drives real fast and making there car sound like they have no muffler on it. I can feel startled by those extra sudden noises. I just call them hoon heads in my thoughts. And if I am walking with my son I will shout that out. The people driving can't hear me anyway. 

Do you have another camera, I cannot remember. No pressure to answer, I was just wondering. You must have a fair few photos on your phone now

[Eagle Ray]

Thanks Shell, yes the crabs are cute. They have different patterns and colours and vary in size. Sometimes they run and hide when they first see you, but if you sit there a while they come out and go back to feeding like you’re not even there. They seem to be feeding on algae growing on the rocks.

 I can have my windows open here and sometimes I can smell the ocean through the open window. I can certainly hear it at times. I have some windows usually open nearly all the time except when it’s really cold. I can sleep with the window open if I know it’s not going to rain. On quiet, still nights I can hear frogs and owls through my bedroom window.

Yes, the invigorating feeling is wonderful. I love it too!

Dools, I saw a robin red-breast too, one week ago. I also tried photographing him. I had my telephoto lens but he was looking away in the two photos I got. The flash of red is so bright isn’t it.

I’ve been noticing fungi too, especially with the recent rain. I’ve even had some little toadstools come up in my backyard. I actually really only thought the other day about the word toadstool - that it means a place for a toad to sit. It’s such an obvious thing but I’d not really thought about it before. I sometimes miss really obvious things like that!

 I hope you both sleep well 😴 

[Guest_1055]

I haven't thought about a toadstool either before. But yes a seat for a toad to sit on. Very cool!

Sleep well too Eagle Ray

[Doolhof]

Hi Shell, Eagle Ray and to all reading,

I'm going to be looking for toads sitting on fungi now! Such a cute image. I like the idea of watching crabs in a rockpool as well. There are so many things to see if we take the time to look. 

This morning was cool, drizzling and windy here. I chose to take the more protected back streets of our tiny town, there aren't many to choose from! I saw a couple of rabbits in someone's front garden.

A little further down the street a cat was out in the drizzle near a house and came over for a pat, it seemed to enjoy having its chin scratched. I stood up after a short interaction just in case as I didn't want the cat to follow me.

Further on the properties are larger. A dog, maybe a golden Labrador came racing down a slight incline on it's fenced  property to bark at me. As it had been raining, the grass was obviously slippery. The dog skidded and splayed out all over the place. It stood up, gave one more defiant bark then started to prance back to the house. It looked over its shoulder as if to say "Don't tell anyone about my undignified attempt to protect my home!" 

Magpies were out and about and I saw some lovely parrots briefly in the gum trees that are flowering, some in a vibrant pink and another with a very pale pink hue.

Eagle Ray I don't often sleep with the window open here due to all the traffic noise, we have trucks going through 24 hours a day.

[Doolhof]

Hi Shell,

I think you asked about my photos, I am not sure where that post was. I sometimes get muddled going back looking for details. I used to have a camera I can't afford to have fixed or replaces so I happily used the phone on my camera. 

Now and then I go back and delete photos as I have so many! I look at them during my lunch break at work if I am sitting alone.