Walk This Way (or that way!) – by Sheila

Our recent week’s walking has made me realise I really need to start a proper training regime, if I am going to make it up Kili.  I did manage to keep up with the rest of the group – some of whom are probably half my age – but only just!  It was lovely that everyone managed to do all of the walks, but I did realise that those of us who are not as lean as we might be, found it harder than the others.  I have already lost over half a stone, but have to keep going to build up muscle and lose more fat.  I managed to resist the attractions of some fabulous Italian ice cream: it looked really yummy.  I felt quite virtuous!

Jae scoffing delicious Italian ice cream (while Sheila abstains!)
Jae scoffing delicious Italian ice cream (while Sheila abstains!)

I am not good at doing indoor exercise: the gym does not attract me.  I am an outdoor person – I love being in the fresh air with a blue sky above, birds in the sky, and trees and plants around me.  I can cope with a Pilates class once or twice a week, but other than that, it has to be walking, cycling or sea swimming.  I will have to make a point of doing one of these every day now, to keep up the level of fitness I reached after what was, for me, a strenuous week of walking.

In addition, I have another couple of weeks of walking lined up during the next few months.  In May I will be going to Charmouth in a group of twenty friends for a one week walking holiday.  We have rented various houses – mostly in the West Country – for a week every year for about twenty years now.  It is amazing what wonderful houses can be rented if there are enough of you to share the cost: we normally self-cater and have a whale of a time and walk every day.

And in June there is the prospect of participating in a replay of the Canterbury Tales!  I am really looking forward to that. There is going to be a nine day walk from Dover to Crawley along the Pilgrims’ Way.  Every evening after that day’s walk, a tale will be told by a famous poet or author in a nearby village hall.  The theme of the walks will be refugees and detainees, so there will be a lorry driver’s tale, a detainee’s tale, an interpreter’s tale, a solicitor’s tale etc.  I should be able to do the first four or five days of the walk and get to and from home by public transport every day.  You can read about it here. Come and join in, if you can – it might be fun!

The Wednesday team cooking in the Catching Lives kitchen
The Wednesday team cooking in the Catching Lives kitchen

I have a U3A walk from Seasalter to Faversham lined up for this week, as well as a three hour walk with Nordic Walking East Kent.  On Wednesday, as usual, I will be cooking at Catching Lives, which involves five hours on my feet – much of it walking, although a fair bit of chopping and dish washing too.  We work hard, and make some fab food – I’m sure that counts as exercise!

Add in a couple of Pilates classes: if I cycle there and back, I might be doing just about enough.  Fingers crossed!  But can I keep it up for another five months?  Who knows?

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