‘The juggle is hard, but walking has saved me from a really dark place’
“I walk straight from the school run wherever possible on my working days. The two days I have off work I go for a little walk with my four-year-old. At weekends it's a family walk, or I go while my husband puts the kids to bed in the evening. The juggle is hard, but lots of things motivate me.
My mental health is a big one – the difference when I don't walk is huge and that impacts me and my family. Weight loss is another – I lost a lot of weight in 2021, then I suddenly lost my mum in May last year and have put some weight back on. But walking after losing my mum, along with having to get up with the kids, saved me from a really dark place.
Setting an example to the kids is another motivation, as is instilling in them a love of walking and the outdoors.” – Emma Smith
‘I decided being healthy is more important than housework’
“When I took a job working 45-50 hours per week, I was worried I’d get no exercise at all. But I started getting up a little earlier to walk first thing, then take 20 minutes to do an extra mile at lunchtime.
I also thought about where walking fits in my priority list, and decided being healthy is more important to me than finishing the housework! In my lunchtime walks I often reflect on something going on in work, maybe a decision that needs making. Thinking through options away from my desk usually brings clarity on the best answer. When I get out for a longer walk I love the sense of calm that arrives when my various trains of thought reach their destinations. Appreciating being in the wild, and the fitness and map reading that got me there, never fails to put a smile on my face!” – Kate Elizabeth
‘My ‘me time’ is so precious’
“I’m a carer for my adult son, whom I love dearly, but I cherish my opportunity to get out every day for some fresh air and ‘me time’. This is important firstly for my physical health – having lost a lot of weight, I need to maintain it so I'm here a bit longer for my son. The second, and most important, is my mental health – I appreciate time with no distraction to gather my thoughts and keep on top of life in general. I was a mental health practitioner in my former life and I'm now trying to practise what I preached.” – Elaine Ong
‘My weekend walks are MY time’
“I can only get walks in at weekends and it's my time. It's time for me to think and to de-stress. I’m probably not going to complete 1000 miles, but the challenge is making me go out for a walk, rather than sit on the sofa doing nothing.” – Emma Harding
‘What really motivates me’
“I work 9½ hours a day five days a week, I'm on call for work one weekend in every four, and, most importantly, I have my boys every other weekend and at least once during the week, so my spare time is limited. But I try and get in a walk after work every day, and every now and then I get a good walk in at the weekend. What’s really motivating me is I record little videos on my walks to share in the Facebook group, to let people know not every walk has to be an awe inspiring scenic view.” – Wayne Turner
