Walks In Pictures

I don’t have any pictures for you for this month as the weather has been really bad and I haven’t wanted to take my camera out with me – that and it has still been dark when I’m heading out with Roxy in the evenings so finding things to take photos of has been a bit difficult.  The good news though is that it is getting lighter and lighter of an evening and soon, by the time I am home from work and heading out for my evening walks it will be lighter and more suitable to take photos!

This month I am going to share with you some of my favorite images that I took from last years walks just as a look back and remember what I have seen….

Week In Review – Week 2 -8/1/17-14/1/17

This week I have taken a grand total of 33249 steps, less than last weeks step total.  I am still struggling with the darkness of the evenings and getting out and about while being safe.  I also managed to hurt my shoulder which hasn’t helped much – especially with walking Roxy, as I have been worried about doing it any more damage, so have been taking it easy.  I have also been struggling with my energy levels and tiredness, I had blood tests just before Christmas and am awaiting a meeting with my Doctor to discuss my thyroid function.  I have been medicated in the past as I have an under-active thyroid and think I may need to take medication again.  I can’t wait for the meeting with my doctor to find out as at the moment the lack of energy and tiredness that I’m experiencing is getting really frustrating.  Fingers crossed that it will all be solved soon and I will be back to my active self!

We have had some cold weather here and on Friday we finally got the snow that had been threatened!  It started snowing on Thursday after a lot of sleety rain so I wasn’t entirely convinced that anything would stick at all.  What we did have was a fairly light covering which had, mostly, disappeared by the afternoon.  It was worse in work than at home as it was icy under foot and the gritters had not been out there.  I’m quite glad that it didn’t come to much as it can stop you doing so much.

I am not making too many plans regarding my activity levels this week apart from try to do more steps than last week as I think this is a better, and more achievable goal than aiming for 10000 steps each day and failing.  Lets see what happens!

What are your plans this week?

Personal Safety When Walking

Personal safety when you are out and about is crucial.  You never know what might happen and putting some rules in place, as well as considering a “Plan B” is really worth thinking about.  I have several things in place to help me stay safe when out and I’m going to share them with you.

1. Always tell someone where you are going, where you plan on walking and how long you think you will be out for -send someone a text or speak to someone and let them know.  If you don’t return home in time, run into trouble, get lost or anything happens to you, someone will know and can raise the alarm, come looking for you or send help.  Likewise, always let that person know when you arrive back and that you are ok, you don’t want someone worrying unnecessarily.
2. Make sure your phone has enough charge, you may need it to call someone for help or use it to get out of difficulty.
3. Have a sat-nav system downloaded to your phone (I use navmii for the iphone), if you get lost you can program in your postcode or find somewhere close by to where you are which you can reach easily.
4. Don’t wear headphones.  You need to be aware of your surroundings and be able to hear what is going on around you, whether its an approaching bicycle or someone calling out.  Its also nice, on a walk to be able to hear the sounds of nature – birdsong, water running in a nearby stream, the wind in the trees, thats a much more relaxing sound to hear.
5. Carry a torch.  I have a tiny but effective LED torch (by a company called Jolt) that fits on my house keys which has proved invaluable when walking through woodland.  You can never be sure that leaving the house in daylight will mean that you will be returning home in daylight too.
6. Know what the weather is doing and dress accordingly – layer up, pack a waterproof jacket, getting cold and wet is really not nice, especially if you are a way away from home.
7. Additionally, carry sunscreen and apply it often if the weatehr is going to be hot, wear a hat and take a thin top to protect yourself from the sun.
8. Pack water on longer walks or walks that are more strenuous, where you may exert more energy (like walking up hills).  Keeping your fluid intake up means you won’t become de-hydrated and ill.
9. Plan your walk and give yourself enough time, don’t rush yourself, rushing can lead to mistakes and can put yourself in danger, whether it would be falling, slipping or tripping or any number of other possible outcomes.  Also, you want to enjoy your walk which you can’t do if time is against you.
10. Know your route and the obsticles you may face along the way, whether it be loose ground, mud, cliff edges, uneven pathways – knowing, and palnning for this means you are prepared and beung prepared means you will be a lot safer.

Now for Thursdays stats.  Did I hit 10,000 steps?

I am aiming to walk 10,000 steps a day for the whole of september in order to raise money for Cancer Research, if you would like to sponsor me or donate, you can visit my Just Giving page where a few clicks will see your donation added to the cause.