To take my six year old on a nightly walk?

[AddisonM]

I need to lose some weight. I’ve been struggling with undiagnosed depression and I’m trying to dig my way out. I have been following a friend on Facebook who has dropped three stone since January just by walking. She walks every single night for miles. She looks fab.

I used to run and go to the gym but I can’t seem to muster the energy or confidence right now. So maybe a long evening walk is the way forward.

My six year old daughter is a bit prone to laziness and doesn’t really do much exercise. She’s not keen on it and I find this a bit difficult to accept, tbh (I mean I get that she doesn’t like it but it’s important to be healthy and she has couch potato tendencies). I’m thinking about taking her with me on these walks. I don’t know how up for it she will be but she’s quite clingy with me just now so she may come along just to be with me. I thought it would be nice. We could chat. We walk to school every day and I quite enjoy it.

Husband not keen on the idea (he would be at home with three year old, who wouldn’t walk far enough). Says it’s up to me, but thinks it’s a bit dark and cold and that she wouldn’t enjoy it.

Has anyone else done this?

Do it, sounds like it will be good for both of you and you could turn it into lovely 1:1 time for you and your DD. Take a torch, play I spy, look for Christmas lights, take turns telling stories, it could be great. Don’t force her to though.

You can try but I wouldn't force her. I think it'd be pretty miserable for her on freezing cold wet nights when she's starting to get tired, and it isn't much fun trying to keep up with an adult's pace. Also you won't be able to walk as fast as you would without her. I'd take her on your days off.

I’ve walked 12000 steps a day for the last eight weeks. It takes an hour, you need to walk very briskly. Even my dog dawdles too much to take. Its great to get outside and be active but a six year old will never manage an hour of brisk walking every day in winter. Oh and I’ve lost nothing!

I think it would be a nice thing to do and the cold and dark is refreshing. I think 30 minutes would be long enough for your daughter though, which limits the exercise factor for you. Maybe she could do a couple of nights per week and the you can go further and faster by yourself on the other nights.

We often go on an evening walk. My 6 year old loves it. He takes his torch and makes shadows etc. I think it’s a lovely ritual.

I think it’s a great idea! Start with half an hour, look at the Christmas lights and as the weather picks up and the evenings get lighter increase your time and distance.
If she really hates it, then you can leave her with DH. But a good coat, boots and hat will protect against most of the bad weather we get.

As you husband is at home and she could stay with him if she wants. Why not just ask her if she want's to come? I think expecting her to do it daily after a day of school in the cold and dark is a bit much. By all means encourage her to come with you at the weekend, or you could all go as a family then instead.

Being cold and dark aint gonna kill you nor the kid. Wrapup and go.

If I were ti wait fir the cold and dark to go away id never to out!

Stop wrapping those kids in bubble wrap and go outside for fuck sakes

Don’t do it. You won’t be able to walk fast enough with a 6 year to lose weight and if she’s not keen then you run the risk of making exercise a chore that she has to do which then means that if you’re not constantly hounding her to exercise she’s not going to do it. Fun family walks with all four of you, but you do your walks on your own. Offer for her to come, sure, but I wouldn’t make her do it.

We often go for a walk in the dark and end up walking further than intended , will tire your dd out and will do you good too.

Why not. Good excuse to look at festive lights too

Great idea. Incredible that there are people who think she'll be "too tired after school"! Unless she's running half marathons in the playground school shouldn't be leaving her exhausted!

Some of the best memories DS has are of the evening walks he and I have had over the years - many of them in the dark! It's exciting for them and you get to talk about all sorts of things (and you also get to hear about lots of stuff they'd never normally tell you )

It won't do the 6 year old any harm at all, and she'll most likely find it fun.

I think it’s a great idea to try, I really can’t understand what people’s problems are with this! Obviously if it’s chucking it down I’d think twice, but if it’s just cold then you both wrap up warm!
As others say there will be lovely Christmas lights to spot.
I saw a Mum out walking with a slightly younger child in the evening and the child had a little torch and was having a lovely time shining it on things

We’ve taken our two out in the evening to look at the stars in the night sky from our nearby park (which is v close to our house) and again on fireworks night. They had a nighttime play in the playground and thought it was a great adventure!

I do regular walks with my 7 year old. It started as 7km a day together in lockdown, early (6 am) when he was 6. I would do every evening now with him, it’s not currently possible due to work, but we do a couple of times a week. He is active anyway but found it hard to start with but now he regularly asks to go the long way when we are on short walks. We walked down residential streets, through wooded areas (not at night) and find lots to look at. The Christmas lights will be a great motivator. I would start with 30 mins and build up. On weekends maybe go early and watch the sun come up as you walk.

You could find an on line virtual walk if you think it will motivate her. You log your daily walks and get a medal at the end and track It via an app or a Fitbit etc. Some are really long (over 1000km). I started doing them over lockdown and find it motivational. Ds likes the medals but I also think my son likes it as we spend time chatting and it’s nice being outdoors.

Lovely idea, get all wrapped up and cosy, she’ll love the mum talk & walk time

I do this 3-4 times a week with my older daughter. Initially, she wanted to start coming running with me, but that really didn't work, so we do this instead: sometimes we do a bit of alternating sprinting/walking. She really enjoys it- it's our special mother-daughter time and it has been really good for us both. I wouldn't call it serious exercise, but it's certainly more active than sitting on the couch: we've also been star spotting with an app on my phone.

Wrap up and maybe just focus on it being something fun for you both- the longer distances may be easier to achieve when you go out on your own.

I think it's a great idea. Obviously depends on where you live, but evening is a wonderful time to walk - if you're lucky you can see owls, badgers, bats and toads. If the sky is clear you can look at constellations. The world looks totally different at night, and children rarely get to see that. A 30-60 min walk a day sounds fab - better than sitting indoors watching TV.

How about you plan a route which allows your DD to be out for less time and you can then carry on? So you go out together which gets you over the inertia barrier and you have a nice chat at a relaxed pace, look at lights etc but then you can do some extra distance at an adult exercise speed?

I used to take just one child with me once or twice a week each - and on a day they hadnt done PE. They resisted the first few times, but after that actually asked to come. It's a lovely chance to spend one on one time with them, and just chat with minimal distractions.
I'd actually take the 3 year old occasionally, I think - do a small walk with the 3 year old, then drop them back at home, and go a bit further on your own.

Since I took my son to look at the decorations at Halloween it has now become a every night walk. We wrap up warm and he wears a reflective jacket. As I have no street lights at all where we live. He absolutely loves it he gets a torch and loves to see his shadow and the stars watch his breath in the cold. Now there are Xmas lights to he loves it. My little one will be 4 in January I would definitely try it . It might give you both a bit of one on one time which she may love to.

Try it.

I have been walking more, at a brisk pace it is fine but it is cold for a stoll at a 6 year old pace. If u were you I would go myself and listen to a podcast. The benefits of fresh air, endorphins and a change of scene work wonders for me.

Take 6 year old at weekends for a morning walk and if she can keep up and enjoys it try an evening or two but likely better to wait until spring/summer the lighter nights and she can scoot or cycle will you walk.

Great idea even if it’s not every day. (You might want the opportunity to do some longer walks that she would find it too much)

As for not liking it because it’s dark etc..... not all children have an issue with that. My two have never been phased out. And actually the more ‘weird’ and strange the better it is. So..

I think it’s the making her come that’s the problem, and your comment about you finding it hard to accept 6 year olds don’t really understand the need to do things for health.

Why don’t you ask her, sell it to her as some ones said it’s a great time certainly around here there many many many houses with lights it’s brighter than Blackpool illuminations,
It’s a lovely time to go actually, and it’s 1-1 time with you.

But don’t expect or make her go every night, especially not in week days when your both tired after work and school, those days accept it’s fine for her to stay home and chill with your husband and start getting ready for bed.

Maybe even make it a family walk on a Saturday so everyone comes including your husband and the three year old.