The morning walk routine

Yesterday was school start. A new start for my daily walk routine. I kind of lost it during vacation. Before the summer I aimed at 8000-10'000 steps/day and it might sound easy but the fact is I don't move around that much if I don't make an effort to do so. Have you ever checked how many steps you take on an average day? I should add, I don't have a dog. I think life looks different for most dog walkers. I might be wrong, but when you have a dog you have to walk the dog at least a couple of times a day. I would love to have a dog one day.

When I worked in customer service and had old ladies and gentlemen on the line chatting along (I enjoyed those conversations so much) each and everyone said the key to a long life is walking at least an hour a day. There was Bertil who was 92 and Alma 86, Ingmar 81, Gertrud 87... all of them said that they walk daily to stay healthy and fit. Those conversations has stayed in the back of my head and I'm trying really hard to set a walking routine for myself. A routine I hope will stay with me for as long as I live and a routine that helps me live a long and healthy life.

While my children set themselves ready for school yesterday morning, I set myself ready for a morning walk. Nelly Bo was the first child out the door at 7am to meet her new adventure: Gymnasium (equivalent to high school). Next child to leave the house half an hour later was Luca Bo (who has grown not less than 3 centimeters and 2 shoe sizes over the summer!!!) and then there were me and Emmy Bo hand in hand marching off to the local school in the village. It is her last year here. 8th grade. Maybe it will also be the last year of holding hands... Time will tell. Next year all my children will commute to schools further away.

Life goes on. Children grow up. Seasons change. Hand holding stops... Maybe... My morning walks helps me deal with all random challenges life is full of. They help me appreciate nature and all the things I have been given. To see the beauty right here and now. Not take things for granted. Reflect. Make decisions. Calm myself. Find balance in it all.

My first long morning walk of this "new start of the year" was absolutely lovely, and the funny thing was that when I walked there through the woods and along the fields I wondered to myself: "Why did it take me so long to get out here again?".

I love my walks. They allow me to take deep breaths of crisp air, they help me clear my head from clutter, they make me move my stiff joints and muscles. Oil the machinery. And when I return back home I'm full of ideas, energy and motivation to take on the day, new projects and everything else.

I'm gonna try really, really hard to stick to this routine this time. It is all about getting out the door... Trainers on. "Just get out the door every day Annette, and you will live happily ever after!" I tell myself. And with that I sign off for today. It is time to leave the house hand in hand with Emmy Bo. It is time for my morning walk. Day 2 of many morning walks to come. Do you want to Come Walk With Me?

Come Walk With Me!
Once I had a walking club here on the blog. It helped me in a time when I was burnt out and stuck in a constant blues. It picked me up, kept me fit and made me come back to see the light and find balance in the chaos I found myself in. Click on the Come Walk With Me icon to get walk inspired. Set a routine that fits you and the life you live. It is never to late.
Walking is something you can do anytime, anywhere and however long or short you want.
Every step counts. Even small ones. Regularity is the key. 

Kärlek
Annette

FOLLOW  My Rose Valley HERE:

Walking the mountain

I had forgotten how peaceful and recharging it is with a walk. For over a year I have more or less given up on my walks because of a stubborn "runners heel" (plantar fasciitis). The other day, a beautiful autumn sunny day, I went for my old loop up the mountain. So relaxing. So refreshing. So quiet. It gives space for my thoughts. It is slow. I'm very much for slow lately.

I love when season changes and autumn is a big time favorite of mine when it comes to the magnificent colors. Autumn calls for new crochet projects (Yaaay!), lighting candles at night and curling up under blankets for movie nights. It also calls for spending time outside and filling your lungs with that fresh crisp air. Collecting pine cones and nuts, smelling pine trees and wet leaves under your feet on small paths in the woods. Seeing birds getting ready to move south for the winter, making incredible dance shows on that blue bird sky. I can watch them forever...

I hope to make more walks like this. That my foot will allow me to. It is so good for me. For my heart and soul. I really, really miss it.

Walking has come and gone in my life during the last decade. Somehow it is an exercise that remains with me and hopefully will stay with me for the rest of my life. I see my landlord (and neighbor), Mme Debonneville (89), taking her daily walks around the village. How full of life she is still, only needing a walking stick for balance. I hope I will do that too at age 89. That would be fantastic.

PS All photos taken with my iPhone 5.
PS 2 Once I had a Come Walk With Me club going on here on the blog. Please visit again to get walk inspired. Click on icon below. :)

Kärlek
Annette

FOLLOW  My Rose Valley HERE:

Walking in the woods

The wind and the rain forces me to bend over as I walk the path though the woods. Why did I go out, I wonder... It is cold and you would think it is October and not February if you look at the surroundings. I would rather be inside in the warmth of my home, I'm thinking.

The path turns muddy as the public trail turns into an authentic one, and I concentrate hard to navigate between the puddles and slippery slip mud mountains, doing my best to avoid loosing balance. My path turns and now when it is more protected by trees, I raise my head to look forward. And there stands a deer. Just a few meters away from me. She is beautiful. She is big. She is brown and her bottom is chalk white. She looks at me and then she takes off into the woods on my left. And then another deer jumps over the path, following the first one. And another. I'm lost for words and hold my breath while looking after the disappearing deer running into the thick forest land. I want to freeze time.

I'm always amazed when these things happens. I instantly turn into a child in the moment of truth to nature. So exotic. Maybe not that very rare, but pure and beautiful. For the rest of my walk I'm not even bothered by the rain and the wind anymore. I actually think the woods is an excellent place to be. I rest in that moment with a silly grin on my face while finishing my walk with a bubbly happy feeling in my heart. This is going to be a good day.

Kärlek
Annette

FOLLOW  My Rose Valley HERE:

A walk makes wonders for a stressed soul

I let my thoughts go when walking. I think about life, projects, work, relationships, holidays, dreams, problems and just anything bothering me. Sometimes I feel heavy in my mind when leaving my house, but I always feel light and energized when returning.

I think we all need a moment of alone time like this, preferably every day, where we can release all the stress we carry and lighten up the pressure we put on ourselves. Because when I walk there, on this narrow curvy road, things suddenly don't seem that problematic anymore. Being one with nature does that to you.

You become present and you see the beauty of real life. Outside the doctor appointment that needs to be made. Outside the laundry room that really should be organized and de-cluttered. Outside the pain of misunderstandings and frustration in your relationship with your spouse, children, parents or friends. Outside the fact that you are getting older and turning a bit worn and rough on the edges,  and it feels like you don't get ANYTHING done and is this really where you want to be in life or how on earth shall you deal with your teenage daughter in the best possible way... Or that upcoming visit from your Mother in Law, how are you gonna cope?

We put so much pressure on ourselves and we live in such a high speed environment with Internet and everything instant - may it be instant coffee or Insta gramming or instant food making... We receive so much information daily and it is hard to sort what is important and what can be ignored. But walking on that hill with the blue bird sky above, the sun warming my face and a little baby cow distracting me from all these thoughts, I feel alive. And my problems and my stress diminishes. Life ain't that bad. Life is pretty good, I am thinking. And I come back home with a light heart and a smile on my face. Ready to tackle it all.

Kärlek
Annette

Walking for peace of mind

Living in Switzerland is good. This country is so pretty and overwhelmingly well taken care of. Clean. Colorful. Historic with fantastic nature and dramatic landscapes. But I have to say, living close to Lac Leman, also known as Lake Geneva, is essential to me. The lake makes me feel close to the coast even though I am stuck in the middle of Europe. It opens up with the big Alps on the other side, which comfortable makes you feel safe. It makes me feel free, like I can take off on an adventure any day I want.

It takes me about 10 minutes to drive down from the Jura mountains where I live, to a pretty village called Rolle, and this is a wonderful place for a stroll on a sunny Friday afternoon. Yesterday was such a beautiful autumn day with sun and clear blue skies. A little bit frisky and very refreshing. The mountains could be viewed behind the haze and the beach walk was quiet and calm. Not many people was out, which is very rare here.

I truly enjoy these moments that I capture and just enjoy my surroundings to see the beauty in life. Often I am so caught up in every day chores and often stressed to the bones that I seem to hold my breath for days in a row. How can someone survive that, I wonder, when I slowly walk, breathe and snap off iPhone pics along my walk. How can someone not suffocate when put all that pressure on themselves.

I should really do this more often. Maybe it is time to catch up with my Come Walk With Me (Check the cathegory Come Walk With Me for more information) mission I once started a few years back. Because taking a walk is an investment in life, health and peace of mind. So why don't we do it more often? Take a break, a walk for peace of mind.

Kärlek
Annette

Can you do a Cross Training Walk?...

The answer is: YES! I've been doing a different walk lately. This 30 minutes path is lined up with 10 different work out stations along the road. It is a Cross Training Walk path.

I sometimes even jog instead of walk as it is just about 1-2 minutes of jogging in between work out stations.

I jump over tree trunks, run around trees, do knee bends, jumping jacks, the plank, step up on stumps, push ups.

The day after my first round I was incredibly sore. I guess I over did it a bit, thinking 10 reps was easy peasy and showing off by adding another 10 reps to it... The soreness just shows what bad shape I am in. I might be good at walking nowadays but my muscles still needs a bit of a tune up. Especially my bum... Anyone feel the same? :) So I decided to collect some great simple exercises, easy to squeeze in a few times a week in the morning or the evening.

My favorite bum exercises are these:
1. Hip Lift
2. Lunges
3. Squats

And I try to combine these exercises with these abs exercises:
1. Plank
2. Bicycle exercise

I am curious to try something like this too, for variation:
1. Pass the block
2. Balancing act

I've done this beautiful Cross Training Walk twice now and am actually looking forward to the next one. Because I am choosing to jog in between sometimes, it feels like I am releasing more endorphins, which is a great energy boost!

My new Come Walk With Me challenge is to do this Cross Training Walk twice a week.

I have heard from some of you that you are doing great with your walking missions. I am so happy to hear that. :D Keep it up girls!

Today is yet another beautiful day. I walked uphill to the tunes of  Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya and Pink's fabulous version of cool Moulin Rouge. It was great. :D

Now I am off to some fabric cutting and maybe some play with yarn. I am not sure which one to choose. Something crafty will come up soon. Until then take care, pick wild flowers, hook a granny and take a walk. :D

Kärlek
Annette

Come Walk With Me Report - Week 9

Jay and Emmy Bo finds a field in the middle of the woods. We will come back for pic-nic next time. :D

I am proud and happy for my great efforts of walking this week. I have been walking my butt off. This is my report from Come Walk With Me - Week 9:

Monday : 45 minutes
Tuesday: 45 minutes
Wednesday: 40 minutes up hill
Thursday: 30 minutes
Friday: 45 minutes up hill
Saturday: 45 minutes
Sunday: No walking so far...
TOTAL: 250 minutes (4 hours 10 minutes) :D

My goal was 30 minutes a day. I have done even more than that...  It comes down to 41 minutes a day, excluding Sunday... Well done me!!! :D

And this is a report that just came from Simone at Kolora. It made me very happy!
"Well done :)))
I ran for 4 km this week (3 km is normally the limit) and sadly had bad headache the rest of the day...but the rest of my body was happy! And I still walk a lot upstairs and downstairs as we live in the first and second floor of a really old house with lots of stairs. I walked the kids to school and had to pick them up due to the broken foot...I cycled to the physiotherapist twice with my son! Hmmm, it was a good week I think! Enjoy the rest of the Sunday! Simone"

My favorite walk this week was when we went for a walk in the woods, me and Jay and Emmy Bo with a friend. The woods are so lush and green right now. It is just amazing. Wild flowers popping up everywhere. All muddy after all the rain, but with boots on - who cares?

Lets make a list of our Top 10 Walking Songs, shall we?
I have to admit that I am starting to get tired of my Walking Music selection on my iPod at this point. I have actually started to walk without the iPod just having nature as company for my ears. It is very calming and nice. But at work for example, I really miss the beat to get a really brisk walk done. Any suggestion on good songs to add? What do you listen to when walking? Let me know and I'll publish our Top 10 Walking Songs list later this week. :D

Bottle belt or not?
As weather is getting warmer I am also starting to get more hot and thirsty when walking. I think I am going to purchase one of these for my longer walks. A bottle belt. Is there anyone of you girls who has one of these and can tell me if they are good or bad? I guess I could just bring a bottle and hold it in my hand but having a belt seems more comfortable somehow... And it makes me look more sporty, which is a plus. :D







So, how did you do this week. Are you still enjoying your walks? Are you still getting out there?

Come Walk With Me - Week 10
I will keep on walking, hopefully just as well as I did this week, a minimum of 30 minutes a day. Little Emmy Bo's birthday is coming up which needs quite a lot of attention but I'll do my best. And just like last week I am gonna do the up hill challenge. Up up up. Maybe I will be able to sqeeze in 3 days of walking up hill this week. That will be my goal. Yes. What is your goal?

Happy walking ladies and see you soon.

Kärlek
Annette