Ambulo Ergo Sum ( I walk, therefore I am)
 

Hi, I started logging my steps on the Walking Challenge last year, and khrussva suggested I keep a log of how I get my daily 10000+ steps so here goes:

First a little about me. I live in the North of England and am a retired female in my early sixties. I lost about 30 lbs a couple of years ago by Intermittent Fasting, and during this process I became a diet nerd and decided that low carb was the way to go, so that is how I eat during my eating window these days - mostly no sugars, no starches. I am around 4 lbs heavier than the lowest weight I got to but as I don't seem to measure more I attribute most of this to leg muscle ;) . I did not take up walking to lose weight, I have always loved it, and I am glad I am lighter as it is kinder on ageing knees.

So, today being Monday, I drove with DH to Carlisle and left him to his tutoring job while I went off for a quick shop and then approximately 6 miles from Aldi to a park called Hammond Pond, then through housing to a footpath which led down a lane, under the railway by a small tunnel and across meadows to the river Caldew. A pleasant riverside walk through fields back to the housing area, then over the railway again by footbridge, weaved through streets to follow another railway line, crossed that by footbridge and back up to Aldi. A pleasant spring day, although the urban stretches are litter-strewn and you have to kind of edit it out. I have had so much fun in the last 18 months with my £2.50 Carlisle street map.

Plan A today was a 10k walk/jog but it was overcast and I thought I would take another day to let the little aches from last time (Sunday) subside, although they were only a tad above the level I get from just walking. Any old excuse ...

So I had business in town and by the time I got there I had already clocked up over 1000 from daily living, replenishing bird food, putting out rubbish etc. I parked at one supermarket, walked across town to another, bought a few things and got my free take-out coffee, left the back of the car park, crossed the railway by a footbridge, through terraced streets into an industrial estate and on into a tiny Nature reserve. If I was Nature I would avoid it, wedged between the railway and the industrial units and with the perpetual noise of the motorway. I suppose waterfowl appreciate it as a kind of motorway services for birds. Also popular with dog walkers and mums/grannies with pushchairs. I went round the pond and back down to town and picked up a few more things. By the time I got back home I was on about 8000. After some more nothing in particular it was 9100.

As fillers, locally I have a choice of a) complete circuit of the village for about 3000, b) smaller circuit across fields for about 2000, c) to end of pavement and back also about 2000, d) to postbox and back for 500. I chose (b) and by 4 pm had reached my quota with 11200.

Hopefully something more interesting tomorrow.

So jealous! I would love to walk around Carlisle with you :). You make it sound wonderful.

I agree. Today I'm going to jog around a gravel practice track at our local middle school. No comparison.

FYI: My daughter studied for a semester at the University of Nottingham a couple of years back. Now that I can fit on an airplane seat again I just might schedule a trip back there with my daughter to visit. I know she wants to go back. I wouldn't mind a few walks through the English countryside.

I'm glad you started an exercise journal, Ambulo. So far so good. I will visit it often.

I would love to take a huge ramble sometime across England. It's on my bucket list!

Sounds so lovely. Walking is wonderful, anywhere. But glorious when you have beautiful things to see when you are doing it.

Today I did my 10k route (from my gate, how convenient is that!) Run 400 steps/walk 200 steps, which gave me approx 12000. Passed fields of tiny lambs.

jschwab if you want a good walk across England I strongly recommend Wainwright's Coast to Coast Walk across the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. And the problem with bucket lists is that as you tick something off you are adding 2 or 3 more items to the bottom.

khrussva I grew up in Lincolnshire, lived about 25 miles from Nottingham until I was 18. Not an especially pretty part of the country. But nor is Carlisle for that matter, mickiesue. I make it into a game; the 10000 steps is a game in itself; then I come across something attractive that I never suspected was there. And exploring the alleys, parks, shortcuts and footpaths of a town is like being a kid again, roaming about with your little gang.

Just up my alley!

Ambulo, I absolutely agree: Beauty is something you look for, it doesn't always present itself to you.

But where I live, for months on end it's not safe to walk outside, d/t snow/ice on the roads, and we have no little walking paths, not even sidewalks in much of my area, so one is forced to walk in the street, or walk indoors.

Cute dresses in a store window in the mall are nice.

An unexpected family of ducks on the little lake at my closest park is another thing, entirely. And, when the lake is frozen, that duck family is not to be seen.

Cool and overcast again with a cool breeze.

Started off with the Village circuit at 0745, it is about 1.33 miles or 3000 steps and takes me 20 - 25 minutes. Oddly enough, none of the regular dogwalkers were about. Did the circuit anti-clockwise, then at 0945 did it again clockwise and it was almost as quiet.

I had a lunch date with former colleagues in town. By not parking in the nearest supermarket to the cafe, and without doing an exaggerated route between them, I had met my target by the time I got back to the car at 1330.

The shortest distance between two points was my MO for decades. I enjoy the scenic route now. Looks like you do, too.

Today looks like the only day with decent weather over the Easter weekend. I was torn between my next 10k jog or a ramble, but decided on the ramble so as to spend longer out in the sunshine. Called "Winton and a wander by the River Belah" I had 3 lazy hours in the meadows for 7 miles or 16500 steps. Perhaps there will be enough gaps between the raindrops to go jogging tomorrow.

English Bank Holiday weekend so grey, cold and windy :lol: . I wanted to get the shopping done early so skipped doing the Village circuit first thing and drove straight to town. I combined purposeful shopping with a lot of weaving about down alleyways and round the churchyard. Came over tired, so cut down the full walk from the centre of town to look at a bridge that was closed during the floods by parking on the edge of town. Still over a mile. I am now on 9910, so a few more trips to the bathroom :lol: should see it.

Weather regressed to Christmas. Grey dismal and wet with a cold wind. Puddles back across the roads and the fields, nicely dry on my Friday ramble, are getting saturated again. Not worth getting in the car. I resolved on a 5 mile loop past the tea rooms in the next village, but about half way round I remembered how damp I would feel if I sat in the tea rooms long enough to drink coffee, so did a diversion to the Stone Circle and back and then the direct route home. Still about 5 miles and 12000 steps.

10k jog as run 400 steps/ walk 200 steps, except for one mile which I ran entire. The run/walk section was faster than my previous run on Wednesday averaging 12:07 per mile rather than 12:37. I clocked 9:37 for the full mile (it is downhill, but I should do it faster when not running into the wind).

Look at you go. Awesome job!

I had a gray, dismal, and soggy walk yesterday. It wasn't raining when I left, but a nice little soaking shower hit not long after I started. I wasn't dressed for it. Luckily it was not too cold and the workout kept me warm. My coat was soaked when I got back.

Today was brighter but I felt very tired after a poor night so did the bare minimum - 2 separate walks round the Village, one in each direction, and a mid-afternoon walk to the end of the pavement and back.

Took my husband to see an exhibition about the Isle of Harris and Harris Tweed. On the way back he put me down in a village about 5 miles away and I walked home. Great views of the snow-covered hills. Damp but not actually raining.

Perfect weather for my 10k jog. I was planning to run mile 2 as well as mile 4 this time and do 400 run steps/200 walk steps for the remainder. Not long after starting mile 2 I realised that the force was not with me, so I went back to alternating after half of it. Mile 2 is undulating, with a height gain of 70'; mile 4 which I did run all of again is a descent of 102'. I was 6 minutes faster today than a week ago, 6 minutes slower than my best ever last August.

Real bits and pieces today. First I drove into town with my husband to his dental appointment on the outskirts and took a circuitous route to the town centre, then we called in at another town where we carried some donations over to Oxfam, and finally we went to Carlisle where I walked from the outskirts to Lidl while my husband took stuff to the tip. Totally unglamorous but I got 12,000.

Damp and dismal. Straight into town for some shopping. I did a bit of needless meandering but could not get inspired. Meaning I would have to walk round the Village and then some. When I set out to do so in the afternoon it was raining steadily, so I added an extension so I could stay put when I got home.

Damp and dismal again, but little wind so I went for my 10k jog. Today the plan was to run as much as possible but to have at least 400 run steps after a walk break, and to not exceed 200 steps on a walk break, and to run the entire 4th mile again. This discipline lasted until I got near my killer hill well into mile 3, and did not get 're-established until I had gone up the final 2 slopes and was nearly at the end of mile 5. I did run mile 4, but I so wanted to stop after the first half. I was 3 minutes faster than last time and did mile 4 in 9:30, but I think I am pretty much at my limit.

Later in the morning it brightened up and I went for an amble with my friend. Over 3 miles mostly by the River Eden.

Tired after yesterday. Grey and damp again. In Carlisle as my husband was doing his tutoring, so I just left the car at a retail park, walked into the centre, looked round a few stores and had coffee, walked back. Once home I did the minimum to get to 10,000 - took a letter up to the post box, walked down to the old Methodist chapel and back, paced about in the yard.

Grey and dismal. Minimalist again; a 4 mile road walk from home.

Close to home again. A village circuit in the rain; later on a village circuit in bright Sun and strong westerly wind; lastly a visit to both ends of the pavement in rain and strong wind.

My husband fancied a day out so we drove over to York, and while he drifted around the city centre I put in about 9 miles on the cycle paths. Good training for next week.

Today an electrician came to work on our TV ariel and cables so I left him and my husband to do some male bonding and went to town on a few small errands. The plan was to accumulate whatever steps on this and drive on to the lake for a scenic stroll, but it got cloudier and I had had enough driving yesterday so I spun things out in town until I had had enough - and 13,000 steps, fortunately.

Today was still and sunny. Went over to visit my jogging partner. We have not jogged together since September when her husband's health took a sharp downturn. He passed away this week. We walked round one of our favourite jogging routes from her house, about 5.5 miles. Lots to talk about.

Started the day with a jog. Shorter route, 3.57 miles, run 200/walk 200, no watch, no stress. For one thing, I did not want to fill my lungs with fog. Then I took a letter up to the post box (500 steps). Later I met up with a friend and drove down Ullswater. We parked at the Aira Force car park and did an unchallenging circuit to the top of the waterfalls. Some time after I returned home I took another letter to the post box. It turned into a lovely calm, sunny (but not hot) day.

Unnecessarily circuitous routes to shop in Carlisle.