Walking for exercise/ mental and physical health/ as a hobby

[UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme]

Is there a thread or sub section for walking does anyone know? I can't find one and would like to start one here if there isn't.

I've been consciously walking for health and weight loss (walking helps me mentally more than by burning calories, though of course that and slowly building muscle has been a fantastic side benefit) for a year or so.

I have been trying to do around 5km most but not every day and a longer walk (anything from 10km to - rarely - 24 km once per week, mostly a favourite route of 12km).

I work shifts including nights, evenings and weekends and have older school aged children so often have the privilege of free blocks of time during the school day for walking. During the holidays the long walks have taken a hit as I've been doing things with the children, but I'd love to step it up a notch once they're back and do at least two 16km walks per week - that's about ten miles. I have a route in mind to replace my old standby 12km round with, which I'll try on Wednesday.

Does anyone feel like joining me on a thread where we commit to walking for health, whatever that means to us (can be longer or shorter walks obviously)?

I'd love to talk about what we do, how we work it into our day, long term goals, equipment especially boots, and just general chat.

I'd love to start doing multi day walks and very long trails some day - maybe next summer, maybe further in the future! I'd love to talk about that too if anyone has done/ does / hopes to do that!

Good idea!
I'm on an ongoing thread tallying distance - that's by any means so walking, running, cycling, swimming - but one just for walking is a good idea.
I did well in the first half of the year with regular walking but for various reasons it's taken a dip over the summer... hoping to pick up again now it's cooling down..

I walk about five miles every day as I've a dog. It's great exercise.

I've recently started walking every day for physical health but can already appreciate the mental health benefits. It's great stress relief. Would love a thread to keep me accountable.

Its great that a few people are interested; hopefully a few more will join if/ when they see the thread.

Where do you all walk? By which I mean city streets or countryside? Straight from your door or do you drive/ take public transport to the area where you prefer to walk? Do you do the same thing every day or have lots of options?

We do a mix. There's a couple of options for 'from the door' walks - one is along a road (with a pavement) to the next village, which we did a lot during the various lockdowns. The other is about half a kilometre along the road to get to the canal - so that's a 'how long is a piece of string' walk. It's in the countryside with quite a lot of bird and plant life - sometimes a bit too much of the latter! It's very flat though.

But then we're fortunate to be able to get to a lot of countryside, hills and rivers of various sizes and also coast/estuaries. We can get for a day trip to two national parks but we've not been doing that recently, sticking to some of the quieter less well known places a bit nearer.

I would love to join please! Generally over 10K steps per day just from school walk twice a day + doing stuff at home, but can get to 15K+ if I try. It just gets harder as the nights draw in and walks get less attractive

During last year's lockdown we (myself, DP, two DC) did some longer walks at the weekends and it really helped with our fitness. I'm trying to persuade DP to start doing it again!

I try and have a lunchtime walk each day - there’s a walk from the house up to a disused railway line and to get to a bridge over the river and back is about 4km and takes me around 40 minutes. I also try and either run or walk before work and also do some longer walks if I have a split shift day or at weekends. DH and I like to travel to places and walk especially by the coast or in the countryside but finding time to do it at the weekend when neither of us are working can be tricky!

Had a before work walk, a lunchtime walk and an early evening walk today. I let DH come with me for the last one

I love a walk! Tend to walk with local friends, it was the highlight of the pandemic - finding loads of new routes, firstly walking as a family, and bumping into people and having a naughty catch up (occasionally getting told off by a passer by 🙄), then with 1 friend, then in a rule of 6. Time flies when walking with friends and chatting non-stop. I love my DH, but he doesn't have such good conversational skills as my walking buddies 😂.

We live rurally, so there are no end of variations on walks locally, almost all off road. Frisky cows can sometimes be a bit of a worry! Sometimes will do a short drive for a bit of a change, but we usually walk pretty close to home - within 5 miles. So,e of my friends are much more hardcore than me - we normally do 1-1.5hr walks, but some of them are quite happy to go all day and walk for miles and miles. I don't have the stamina or inclination TBH (nor usually the time!!).

Has anyone used the All Trails app? I've downloaded it (recommended on some Facebook groups I'm on) but it doesn't offer much in my immediate area, I usually have to drive to get to somewhere reasonably interesting to walk!

@EmmaStone I like to walk with friends too, makes me feel less guilty for having coffee and cake as well during our meet ups

I really got into walking on my own about three years ago. I was out for a three hour ramble this morning and feeling a bit achy now!

I live in a city and don't drive so have been experimenting with where I can get to on public transport.

I would love to join. I’m pregnant and I’m starting to notice I’m getting slower but I intend to walk to lose my baby weight and to walk for as long as I can manage. I’ve been doing about 10,000 steps a day.

Some days I’m feeling too tired to go but I know exercise will help me stay healthy as I was an avid gym goer. I just can’t manage that right now.. but I actually enjoy walking more than the gym.

Would love to join - having a partner that works shifts and two smallies means it can be hard to get out for a walk but I always feel better when I do , especially mentally. Love a good walk especially in cooler weather!

Yay more people!

ErrolTheDragon I definitely prefer quieter, less well known walks, but the coast sounds very appealing for autum outside school holidays, when hopefully most people aren't heading there.

ClaraTheImpossibleGirl I also first started walking regularly in the first lockdown in early 2020, but just as a way to get the children outside. Our walks were so short back then! Really enjoyable though. I ramped it up later in the summer term last year when my youngest actually attended school a bit and I finished some exams I was doing, and actually had time to start walking by myself. DH and / or one or other of the kids comes with me sometimes now, but in all honesty I love walking alone for the headspace and freedom.

I use an app on which I can plan my own routes - OsmAnd. Not sure whether its international (I'm non UK) but probably. Its good because it has most forest trails on it and you can select to avoid roads or avoid whatever surface you want to or avoid specific bits of a road. Its for cycling too. It shows heit climbed and descended etc too. You can also access routes others in your area have made public.

MirandaWest 3 walks yesterday - that's good going! Do you often manage that?

EmmaStone I'm very rural too and pretty much always walk straight from my door - Ive lived here over a decade and only truly appreciated what an incredible walking area I live in for the last year/ 18 months. So many options, mostly forested, but its not a tourist area as its outside nearby national parks, so never busy.

RhinestoneCowgirl well done for getting out for theee hours yesterday, that's a good walk! Its a great way to explore too isnt it?

MarshmallowSwede congratulations on your pregnancy! Walking with the pram/ sling will hopefully also be very doable soon. I prefer walking to gym too.

halfpasteleven Its hard with little ones isn't it, but any time to yourself is invaluable. Are they too big/ restless (or too many) for a buggy?

We did a new walk today - we can't work out why we'd not explored that particular area before, it had absolutely stunning views and an easy drive mostly on a motorway which wasn't too busy for once.

Walking is good exercise through pregnancy - I remember being limited towards the end by needing the loo though! (my DD is 22)

I’d like to do this but my bladder controls the distance I can walk - any tips?

3 walks is quite unusual but I fairly regularly do two. My walks are usually 3-4km but I do go further as well when I’ve got more time.

How far do you reckon you can do, hope? Maybe you could work out some 'figure of 8' walks starting from a loo at the midpoint.

@RhinestoneCowgirl three hours is impressive! Mind you when my DC were toddlers I could walk for that long but not actually go very far at all how old are your DC @halfpasteleven? I do find it easier now my DC are old enough to walk/ scoot/ cycle for a while rather than have enormous toddler tantrums whenever they got bored...

I enjoy walking on my own too @UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme. Mind you it might just be the peace and quiet with no one shouting "MUMMEEEEEEEE" every thirty seconds

HopeClearwater if you live in a town could you plan urban walks with the location of public toilets in mind? Walks don't have to be out in the country. If you live very rurally indeed you can also do this with locations you can wee in bushes in mind and take zipped bags / dog poo bags for your toilet paper and hand sanitizer, but I understand the inclination not to do that! Its hardest if you're suburban/ semi rural with lots of people around but no / few public toilets obviously. In that case loops/ laps are your best option as Eroll says.

Can you last half an hour? A half hour fast walk is already very effective. You could go for three short walks per day, inspired by Miranda above - three 30 minute brisk walks a day would really make a massive difference, if that could fit into your day! But really even one would do most people the world of good.

I only do multiple walks if I feel compelled to get multiple people out of the house - my middle teen was homeschooling after his younger and older siblings went back as they were higher priority school years, and at that time DH was exclusively home office working and barely left the house for weeks on end. I was doing separate walks with each of them to fit their schedules and when possible one for me too occasionally, at one point. I do prefer just one long walk though.

My longest walk is effectively a walk to our second nearest public toilet - but our second nearest public toilet is 12km from our house in our nearest proper town. I do need the toilet in the middle of a walk that length, though I'd tell other people the town is the destination, not the toilet

I didn't manage to walk yesterday despite having the day off, due to a day full of commitments at annoying close intervals through the day, but I'm heading out to try a new longish walk in a minute. Ive walked 2/3 of it before but want to "join the dots" between two destinations. I'm not a fast walker and its somewhat hilly (also I might have to do a bit if navigation with my app), so I think I'll be out between 4 and 5 hours... I'll let you all know how it goes!

What's everyone else up to today?

ClaraTheImpossibleGirl even though mine are teens there's still an element of that! My work is like that too, so I need the headspace provided by walking alone sometimes!

Can I join? I had started running but pulled my calf muscle. .so thinking walking is the better option.

@ErrolTheDragon. I love canals I use to live very close to the grand union. .have to drive to it now..45 mins. ....

going to persuade DH to go at lunchtime!

I'm too tied down with getting ready to go on holiday and work this week, not sure I'll be able to get out again at all. But the holiday should have lots of walking (exmoor and the Quantocks). I've got Pilates (via zoom) this morning at least. That complements walking rather well I find.

Had a walk before work and another one at lunchtime.

Morning walk was up to old railway track and lunchtime walk down by the river

Managed to get out for a walk along the canal after all - glorious sunshine.