Walking for Happiness

On Friday morning I crept out of the house at 06h20, so as not to wake the sleeping bodies who are on holiday. Apart from getting an early start to the day (in case it was the end of the world) I was off to the last session of Run/Walk for Life. At least I would be doing something that was making me feel good, if it all did come crashing around us!

I think that I may have become just the tiniest bit addicted to the walking. Recently, on the R/WFL program, I have been doing it more regularly and in a more structured way. Over the last three months or so it's become a firm habit and I find myself looking forward to it. I feel good, have more energy and am sleeping and eater better. 

It has been proven that exercise makes you feel good because it decreases the levels of stress hormones and increases the endorphins. Endorphins can be described as the body's feel-good chemicals, or I like to call it "happy juice". They block transmission of pain, and produce a feeling of euphoria, in the same way that a drug like morphine would.  Exercise and the effect of endorphins leaves you with a joyful feeling, elated and content. In other words, when you commit to exercise you are committing to feeling good. 

I can think of worse things that you could become addicted to.

Click here for the Top 10 Health Benefits of Walking. 

Running shoes, Mattresses and Husbands

So I am into my third month of Run/Walk for Life and have been clocking up the kilometres. I am feeling quite proud of myself - I am going faster and further and am now well into a routine. As I told my husband, this is not for sissies. Being part of a structured program has definite rewards, not least of which is the encouragement to turn up regularly. 

We were having a chat about sports shoes the other day. It is so difficult to get the right pair especially when you are a certain age and aches and pains start to make themselves felt. You really only find out if they are right for you after you have walked a distance in them and then it's too late to return them. 

The variety of shoes available can be quite confusing and you need to accommodate for personal quirks like pronation and supination, heel strike and width of foot. If you are not careful the ill-fitting shoe may have caused a chain reaction all the way up to your back...the ankle bone is connected to the knee bone, the knee bone is connected to the thigh bone and so on! As a fellow-walker observed, there are many expensive things that you actually need to try out  before you buy...like running shoes, mattresses and husbands!

I came across an article on choosing the right sports shoe on the Health24 website which may be helpful.

Exploring the Suburbs

So it's been three weeks since I started "walking for life" and I am certainly getting to know my suburb while getting fit and healthy. We are so fortunate to live in a city where nature abounds. So always the mountain is right there to keep me going...                   

 

There have been lots of people out for a walk now that the weather is warming up. I spotted this family out for a stroll...

 

...and the Vodacom man with a direct link...

 ...and walked up tree-lined hills...(see the mountain right there...). 

Yesterday a homeless couple were having a very loud fight, standing on opposite sides of the road, unperturbed by passing cars or people...the issues? He was demanding to know where his money was, and she was urging him to go to "the other woman". Seems the more you explore, the more things are just the same...

I cannot believe how much you miss out on when you drive rather than walk. 

Run/Walk for Life

If this little flower can hold on for the spring , so can I!

Ah! Dare I say it? Spring is here at last! It is no longer pitch dark when I get up in the morning and today the temperature hovered around 20 degrees for most of the day. The bright sunshine made me feel like a dance around a Maypole or some such northern hemisphere practice.

A combination of winter, travelling, being sick, no yoga, and no walking, has left me feeling sluggish, fed up and unhealthy. So I have cut my hair (a woman always means business when she cuts her hair) and I have just been checking out Run/Walk for Life. I really need to up my cardio-vascular exercise, for my health and weight. I hate the gym, I have tried boot camp and walking by myself is not getting the desired result. So drastic situations call for drastic measures…

Actually, it looks more than manageable and not quite so drastic…the program is well-monitored and formulated to progress gradually.  So far, the people I have met seem pleasant and supportive. After two sessions I have learned to walk using my arms (felt those muscles the next day!) and have managed to get the pulse racing. I enjoy walking and being outside; I feel like I am in training for long forest walks...

Run/Walk for Life is Proudly South African and is endorsed by the Heart Foundation of South Africa. What’s more, the program is run right here in the neighbourhood. So come on summer! I am ready to go!

You may also like: Spring has Sprung and To Carbo-load or Not  and Couch Potatoes and Olympic Glory