Best foot forward for 2023: a thread for walkers

@Byfleet Never mind that. I would love to do Camino at some stage or even a pilgrimage in the UK. But that is about all I have to say on the matter. Oh and I walked a couple of miles yesterday, I was going to the shops. It’s a start.

Slowly working my way through the Wainwrights but only in the spring-summer-autumn. And I'm not sure I'll ever manage Sca Fell Pike on my own ...

Oo great thread!

I used to do a lot of walking when dh was alive, we'd think nothing of going for 10morm20 mile hikes and I lost so much weight.

Due to ill health and depression I've piled on the weight and I think I have arthritis in my feet so walking is often painful these days. Also have a young dog so I try and get out every day even if it's a walk round the block.

I've done 1000 miles challenge before, never quite made it though. One day!

Signed up to Race the Distance's 2023 miles in 2023. I did it in 2021 and it was great motivation to walk more each day than I was doing previously, I didn't do it last yet and walked significantly less so am hoping it gets me back on track again.
You log the miles online and it shows you where you are on the route, this year it's from London to Aberdeen, all along the south coast, then up the Welsh coastline, Scottish highlands etc.

I would like to join! I love walking but am hoping to get a bit more done next year.

We have a 16 mo th old little girl (adopted) and I'd like to be confident going hiking with her in a sling/carrier before I go back to work at the end of summer.

Also we live at the top of a fairly steep hill. It's not a massive hill but I find it hard to walk up it. I would like to get fit enough to walk up without stopping/getting out of breath. I'm going to change my regular walking route to include the hill I think. And I'm going to do it this afternoon!

Inspired by this thread, I did an hour this morning round a local woodland park. Lovely and peaceful when I started out, but queues to get in the carnpark by the time I finished! Everyone having the same idea...

Ooh, good thread! DH and I both like walking, have a dog, so have to get outside each day (although walking at Ddog's pace - stopping to sniff everything when he's on the lead - is not my idea of good walking) and our walking varies from block walks to country and coastal hikes of 8-10 miles when we can manage to get away. I know my life is better when I walk a lot, so encouragement via MN is really timely.

I have been thinking about finding a walking group/association to join in real life - any recommendations?

Walked to Lidl and bakery this morning, about to take DDog out.

@erinaceus sorry I don’t remember meeting you on MN before, but my memory is pretty bad. Walking is one of the few things I feel I can achieve and be in control of!

@Byfleet Watching with interest…your handle is familiar, have our paths crossed somewhere else on MN?

I am hoping to do the Camino in the autumn. Does anyone on here have any experience of this?

I don’t think any sort of walking challenge is a good fit for me, because I had issues around doing too much exercise in the past and can get obsessive.

My aim is to get outside more, move everyday, and connect with nature. I would love a dog when the time is right; I stayed with friends over Christmas. They have a cockapoo who is such an adorable temperament, I could see myself living with one of those.

I'm in.

My ds is a swimmer and I quite often walk at 5am and then again at 5pm!

Each walk is 5.5k so often manage about 40k a week just doing 6/7 walks. (He swims 9 times but I don't go alone this time of year!)

I'm really hoping to keep it up and do as much as possible this year and have just got some walking trainers from decathlon!

@HouseInTheMiddle your dog has a Twitter account?

Have a young dog that enjoys walks, I'm aiming to lose weight.

Between us, I'd like to record our walks via my fitbit and the dog's twitter account.

I've invested in a parking pass for our local park as an encouragement.

Due to health problems I haven’t been walking as much in the last few months as I used to but I’m hoping to start up again soon.
This thread has given me a push to put my boots on and go out again.

Had been walking really regularly since Nov 19, however lost my mojo a bit in July , had Covid , hot weather, snow, helping DS decorate his house and DH health issues. Managed 50K target on Strava in October and November, stuggling a bit this month.
So, I'm joining in, going to crack out my spreadsheet again - I gave up on this years in July!

@ProfYaffle you can easily upload your steps from a Fitbit or similar to the Walk 1000 challenge, but there used to be an option to add them manually too, it's worth checking.

@Plantmoretrees86 my DTs (now 7) would only nap in their buggy, I walked a lot up till they were about 3 but sometimes only to the local coffee shop

Loving this thread 😊 Thankyou for starting x just signed up to the Walk 1000 👍😇 😂

I've just been looking at the 1000 mile challenge, does the app step count or do you need some sort of Fit Bit type of tracker for it to work?

Now my son is a bit older, we'll be walking to school with the dog, so that's a 3 mile walk every day. I'm quite looking forward to it as I've recently gone full time at work and have lost the opportunities I had for exercise.

Spotted this on active threads and thought I'd come and say hi! My 6mo baby prefers to nap in the pram so I walk 2-3 hours a day, usually locally and imagine I will be continuing this in 2023. Hoping it will also help me shift the baby weight! Have recently been reading about a movement called 1000 hours outside which I've just downloaded the app tracker for - probably too ambitious but you never know! The idea is to log all hours outside, be that walking, sunbathing, swimming, etc. so will be trying to record my progress on that throughout the year

I’ve just signed up for the 1000 mile challenge too! I used to walk loads and I’ve got out of the habit of it since I have had my children.

I’m going to have another crack at the 1000mile challenge. It’s organised by country walking magazine. It works out at around 2.7 miles a day.

In the summer I find it so.much easier. I used to go for a walk before work, but it a no no in the dark winter months. I plan to walk twice a week.after work with mate,at least 1 walk on my day off and a more substantial walk at the weekend. Block walking for me for most of it. Oh to.be in.the Scottish highlands,what an awe inspiring place. Now to get some decent walking trainers. Size 9😫