So it turns out that sitting around the house and eating chocolates and chips during a pandemic is not the way to better health. Who knew?
I used to be pretty good at exercise, especially walking, swimming and bike riding. Then our local pool closed for several months when COVID-19 first hit. It eventually re-opened, but then closed again for five months while renovations were underway. At least I could ride my bike, but I live in a place where we can have four seasons in a day. It’s easy not to ride if it’s rainy, windy, too hot, too cold, or cloudy with a chance of meatballs. (I may have gotten that last bit from somewhere else.)
Add to that the fact that I picked up a couple of nasty viruses through the year (fortunately not COVID-19), and it wasn’t long before I was totally out of the habit of exercise. I still walked my dogs, but not much else. I put on weight, my blood pressure went up, and my doctor looked at me and said, ‘You know you’re putting yourself at risk, don’t you?’ Yes, I did. In fact, God had been prompting me to do something about it for awhile, but I rationalised that he must mean after the pandemic when we didn’t need to comfort eat. Right? Apparently not.
So I’ve been trying to get into more healthy eating habits, but with the odd treat thrown in. Afterall, it’s not my fault if the Magnum people have made dairy-free sea salt caramel ice creams!
I’ve also set myself a walking challenge to help keep me motivated. For each week of the year, I will try to walk in at least one new location (in addition to my daily dog-walking). Sometimes, it might just be a new park or up and down some streets I haven’t walked before. Other times, it might be a trip to a National Park or somewhere further afield.
I’ve set up a web page where I’ll keep track of the walks I do. Not only will this help me to stay accountable, but it might encourage some of you to seek out some new spots in your own neck of the woods. It might not be possible for many of us to trip around the world at the moment, but we can still find the blessing and beauty of God’s creation in our own backyards if we look for it. Will you join me?
(Click here to see the walks I’ve done so far. I’ll keep adding walks as I do them.)
8 Responses
Good for you, Nola. I need to do more too. I blame my decreased exercise on my aging body but I do need to work at keeping as fit as I can for as long as I can. I won’t commit to doing anything new as we have plenty of pretty walks here, just waiting for me to go there.
I hope you get fit and well. I hope I get more energy.
Thanks for a motivating blog post.
Thanks for that, Jeanette. I was certainly starting to feel my age, but I’m already starting to feel better with the extra bit of walking I’ve been doing. The trick is to start small and build from there. You live in a lovely part of the world, so I’m sure you have no shortage of nice walks. I’ve got some favourite parks near me that I go to a lot, but just wanted to do something a bit different to keep me motivated. Good luck with your walking too, and thanks for the encouragement. I really appreciate it.
You are one amazing lady
Very impressed with your walking challenge
Love all the places you have been and the pictures
Hope to join you soon
Jo
Hi Jo – Thank you so much for commenting. I’m glad you’re enjoying the walks. Seeing encouraging comments by people like you help me to keep motivated. Hope you can join me on one soon. Take care.
Hi Nola
I feel so much better not working – or at least doing much less. My spine can’t take it
Every day I feel better
Walked for 30 minutes last week. 😀 Have to wear a splint though
Next week swimming
My goal is to join you. It’s gonna take a while. But really need to get fit and lose some weight. I totally agree with you – a treat once in a while is necessary for mental health. Essential- why else were cherry ripes and hot chips invented??
Your challenge to address is soo very important especially in this current climate.
The walks you show are amazing – never knew they existed.
Keep your chin up dear girl 👧
Thanks for that, Jo. You’re showing a lot of courage in trying to get fit after your injury. One step at a time. When we do go on that walk, we’ll have to celebrate with a Cherry Ripe and some chips! Take care xx
Love hearing about your walks on Facebook … didn’t realise you had a page dedicated to them too! Think it must be time you did some walks down in the Redlands, give us a shout if you want some company!
Janet, I would love to do some walks down there. I had been looking at Brisbane maps and working out where I wanted to go, but have postponed that at the moment until rear end is back in gear. But would love to do a walk with you. I saw your post about Coochiemudlo. Maybe we could do a lap there (or at least a sprint to the coffee shop). Thanks for commenting.