Mental health is paramount to a healthy lifestyle. The last 18 months have put an enormous strain on our coping mechanisms, we had to adapt to restrictions that affected huge swathes of our lives.
In the first lockdown we were told that we could only go out for one hour daily to exercise. For those who exercise regularly this was a hard pill to swallow and for those who didn’t exercise it was hard to find the motivation to go out.
It was refreshing to see so many people in my neighbourhood head out and find new streets in their local area to explore. For some it was a special time of the day for families to connect, away from the horrors of home schooling and endless zoom meetings. For others living alone, this was a time to say hello to people, albeit socially distanced.
What do we get from exercise?
Did you know that being active improves self-perception and self-esteem, mood and sleep quality and it reduces stress, anxiety and fatigue. Physically active people have up to a 30% reduced risk of becoming depressed and staying active helps those who are depressed to recover.
In older people, staying active can improve cognitive function, memory, attention and processing speed, and reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia.
I have always enjoyed exercise, it makes me feel good, clears my head and helps me focus on the things that matter. Before the pandemic I swam most days and walked at least 5k every day as well as regular runs with school mum chums.
One of these mum chums is one of my best friends and she and I often discuss our latest recipe ideas, lifestyle choices and goals. We’re enthusiastic, like to laugh and we like to set ourselves challenges. We like a general level of fitness but decided after hearing about ultra-walking that we would love to give it a go. It means you can walk in some of the most beautiful parts of the country and in our case, talk. What’s not to love?
Our goal was 58K of the Jurassic Coastline. You choose your journey length and the way in which you would like to partake – either walking or running. These are well organised events with hundreds of participants. You can self-fund or raise money for a particular charity.
The training is enormous fun. All you need is a decent pair of walking shoes and socks (you really do need good socks), some poles (despite the ribbing from some of our family members), water and a sandwich and you’re ready to go.
There was great excitement each time we were meeting for a training walk. It meant we put the time aside, as well as our children, husbands and small furry animals and just made time for ourselves. We talked…. A lot!… and aptly named ourselves ‘the walkie talkers’. We love a gas, but this was different, we found we conversed about so many different areas of our lives – everything from our general stresses, ailments, hormones and menu planning (food gives us both great joy). We also got lost along the way, ran out of phone battery and just made it back in time for school pick up.
None of this mattered, in fact we found that we laughed far more about the bits that went wrong. Neither of us laughed when I rolled on my ankle just 5 days before the walk. It was touch and go, but ice, rest and the physio got me through.
On the day of the challenge itself the weather was against us. Lashings of rain, wind and slippery mud and oh was it cold! We set off, and our training really kicked in and we felt confident and had a good pace. The weather brightened up just in time for the massive hills we had to climb. They were gruelling, but we dug in and kept going.
It made me wonder what it was that gave everyone on that walk the grit and determination to succeed.
I was curious to find out and thanks to the online forum group for walkers was deeply moved and touched to hear why some people put themselves through the most difficult challenges, over and over again in many cases.
Andy told me that he was walking in memory of his best friend, Kevin, who had died from suicide 5 days before Christmas.
Paul has been running and walking since 2016 in memory of his daughter Izzy, who died at the age of 16 from Meningitis.
Lorna raises money for dementia UK. The admiration she has for her mother who raised 6 children and is now ‘lost in her own little world’, gives her the drive to keep going.
Gillian walks to raise money for the British Heart Foundation after her father died from a heart attack at home in 2018.
Two of Clare’s friend’s sons have died from suicide, so she feels it is vital to raise awareness for mental health.
Jamie’s daughter passed away in 2018. She said, “the pain of these challenges is nothing compared to the pain of losing my daughter. I almost want to be in pain from the walking.”
Angela started walking with her mum, after her dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The walking helped them to get out of the house and connect with one another.
Jackie’s husband had a breakdown, so she raises money for Red Together, a charity which uses sport to empower and improve people’s lives.
Harriet’s personal message really hit a nerve. Her son died a few years ago at the age of 7. It was a harrowing experience, and one which I will not share. She walks regularly, with family and friends as well as solo challenges, and she has a walk of 100k only weeks away.
A friend asked her recently why she does it. She thought long and hard about this; her usual answer was ‘because it’s fun’ but on reflection she realised this was a way to challenge herself physically. Her philosophy, and that of her family, has been simple – although certainly not easy – every day, you wake up, take a deep breath and face the world. That’s it! This challenge of just putting one foot in front of the other reinforces that. “It’s good to remind yourself occasionally how far you can go, usually further than you think! And to remember how far you’ve come.”
However, you like to exercise just get out and do it. You’ll never regret it and you might just find a new hobby that you can’t give up. We achieved our goal and loved every minute (just about). It was the hardest thing I have ever put my body through physically, but we will definitely do it again. Now where are my walking shoes?
Celebrant and Regular Farewells Author
