Christine Connor, 41 from Liverpool completed her 1000 miles with a novel combination of walking and tarn-swimming that sent the black dog running...
I’ve been fitting in daily walks while on my journey to work. I’ve been getting off 3-4 bus stops earlier – it’s an extra 30 minutes walking to my day. I would never have imagined I would do that this time last year! After a while city walking is rather uninspiring though, so I have increased walks with the family border collie Riley, taking him to the park and local beaches which he loves too. I’ve had many short breaks to the Lake District and days out to Snowdonia too this year.
I love walking mountain paths to lakes/tarns/llyns and doing a bit of wild swimming on my walks. My fiancé David comes to but stays dry while I take a dip. I have noticed my general health is better as well as my mood after these swim/walks. I love nature and wildlife and on our many walks we have seen some lovely wildlife, like tree creepers at Ennerdale Water and looking for ospreys at Bassenthwaite Lake.
I feel energised from doing the challenge! I feel more active and when I have a free day off, I’m always looking for ways to go out for a walk. Recently we have been to an apple festival at a local nature reserve and have visited a RSPB site near Morecambe. I’m visiting places I have never been to before and it is widening my experiences and knowledge.
I used to suffer badly with depression. Even though I occasionally have down days now I’m finding they’re much more infrequent and I’m able to overcome the feelings associated with them easier. My mental strength has increased while doing this challenge, and the wild swimming helps too.
I recently attended a NHS 40+health check and my risk of having heart disease in the next 10 years is minimal. My cholesterol and glucose levels were all in range too, which made me very happy.
I don't post much on the Facebook page, but it is lovely to follow peoples' journey's and to celebrate in their successes. Everyone's #walk1000miles is different but we all have a common goal. It is wonderful to see how people have grown in confidence and fitness during this challenge.
If I had to offer any advice it would be these two things: 1) If you feel you are short on time, have jobs/families don't think you can't fit in a quick 10 minute walk here and there because you can. 2) If you suffer from depression and low self-esteem walking is a free and easy exercise to do. Sometimes it's hard to motivate yourself, but just by getting out to a local park or the countryside is a mood booster in itself. I feel nature is such a big healer and I have found too that wild swimming, even dipping into a lake for a couple of minutes helps boost feel good endorphins and you get a different viewpoint on the world by being immersed. I researched wild swimming before dipping in a toe but know your limits and stay safe. I often blog about my swim/walks and if you're interested you can read more about them there.
