January

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

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Reese Witherspoon will play Cheryl Strayed in the upcoming movie for Wild

Reese Witherspoon will play Cheryl Strayed in the upcoming movie for Wild

If you don’t know me so well, you may not know I’m an avid walker. I’ve done a lot of day walks in Switzerland plus I’ve walked Der Weg der Schweiz (2014), Hadrians Wall in England (2014), from Bingen to Koblenz on the Rhine in Germany (2013), the middle section of the Swiss Camino (2012) and it all started back in 2011 when I walked 900km on The Camino Frances in Spain. I met my partner on that walk too!

So when I heard a new movie was being made about a woman who went on a three-month walk in America, it was time to find the non-fiction book.

It’s my first book for 2015, and it made me want to sling on my backpack and go walking again.

Cheryl does it pretty hard though – she’s packed the kitchen sink, has massive problems with her feet (oh I can relate!) and sleeps in a tent most nights (whereas I had the luxury of sleeping in a bed every night – not always a great one, but at least a bed). She meets some fun people, soaks up the views, and generally has a great time despite her minimal budget and some hairy situations.

Highly recommended for an easy, inspirational read.

It will be interesting to see Reese Witherspoon play Cheryl in the upcoming movie.

January 7: Exercise video in the lounge room

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Today was tough. I didn’t want to get out of bed, and had no inspiration at all … ridiculously lazy … waa waa waa. The sun was shining in a cloudless sky! What more do you want, slacker?!

Maybe my threshold for something new is one week? I’ve read it takes 21 days to form a habit. It’s day seven and I could feel myself returning to my old ways of thinking – What’s the point? Enjoy life as you are! Who wants to be an exercise junkie? I’m happy with the way I am. You need extra fat in winter and so on and so on … Some days really are a mental challenge.

So what if I have absolutely no upper body strength and everything creaks and cracks when I exercise? Who cares about the clothes that don’t fit, the spare tyre and those wobbly bits? Well, actually I’m not so worried about the wobbly bits. I’m worried a sedentary lifestyle is going to be hard to change the older I get, and that my body will set into a premature rigor mortis. I don’t want simple things like tying up my shoelaces to become a massive issue. I don’t want to be old before my time. I used to pride myself on how flexible I was, doing the splits etc, and kinda thought it would always be that way.

Ahh, wrong. Now I strain to touch my toes with straight legs and have issues with my left wrist (weird bone in the joint, no strength for years), left shoulder (skiing fall in 2012, crunches when raised), left knee (snapped cruciate ligament skiing in 1996, which still aches in cold weather) and right foot (yay, finally something on the right! A fractured bone in 1999). All these things still cause problems, and I feel them when I exercise like I did today.

I did a Jillian Michaels workout for just under 30 minutes. It’s the Level 1 class of her 30-Day Shred series. Click here if you want to see the video. I’d never done this ‘class’ before (I did some of her yoga videos on YouTube last year) and there were push ups *gasp* and squats with weighted arm raises *groan*. Everything that makes my left side go ouch. To top it off, I twinged something in my left ankle doing the skipping on the concrete terrace a few days ago. What a sorry sack I am – can you grasp my mood today?!

Ok, time to lift it a bit. The video was fun, I raised a sweat just doing the beginner-level exercises, and I feel great. I laughed about hitting my hands on the ceiling when doing the star jumps, and before I knew it, we were doing the warm down. How did that time just go so fast?

If you don’t feel like exercising, think about the habit you’re trying to form. Every day for a minimum of 15 minutes. The class really did fly by – I was done before I could stop whining and I’m happy I didn’t give in. Keep at it! Every little bit counts. Why not look up some other exercise videos on YouTube to have ready for a rainy day?

As a giggle, I’d like to show you our lounge room, so you can see how low the ceiling is. I have to do star jumps with my hands either side of the centre beam and there’s no chance of ever doing a clap at the top!

Wishing you a great day.

This is my hand stretched out in front. If I hold it straight up, I can lay it flat on the white ceiling while flat footed.

This is my hand stretched out in front. If I hold it straight up, I can lay it flat on the white ceiling while flat footed.

Wide lounge room

I push the coffee table into the dining area (where I’m standing), lay out my yoga mat (or a towel) and use tins of chick peas as my weights.

January 6: Walking to the Wohlensee

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A 30 min walk to the Wohlensee for a picnic lunch, followed by a one hour walk home

A 30 minute walk to the Wohlensee for a picnic lunch, followed by a one hour walk home

It’s amazing how sunshine can lift my mood and affect my plans. Best intentions went out the window today!

I thought I would walk to Koniz (about 3 hours) to check out a second-hand bicycle store, because I’d like to buy a bike. After seeing how much of the walk would be in shade (where’s it about -2 degrees), I decided to make the most of the sunshine and stop after 30 minutes at the Wohlensee for a lunch break on the pontoon.

With my gloves under my bum for added warmth (TRUST me, not enough coverage), I munched on my cheese, tomato and salami sandwiches, some grapes and a triangle of Toblerone (hey, I’m in Switzerland – it’s not a lunch without cheese and/or chocolate!) and a handful of my last Chicos (an Australian lolly) while listening to the ducks and reading my book.

I love ducks. I think of ducks on a daily basis – how they waddle, how they’re always in pairs, how they’re so inquisitive but also nervous. There was an almost perfect line of them sleeping on the bank. One duck on the lake cracked me up with it’s hacking quack, which reminded me of how loud I laughed at my niece’s wedding when the best man started his speech with, “Melissa chose well for her first husband.” I don’t understand why no one else found that as funny as I did. 🙂

How's the serenity ...

How’s the serenity …

But I digress. After 30 minutes on the pontoon, I realised sitting on top of water for much longer probably wasn’t a great idea, even if it wasn’t frozen, so I resumed walking … on the sunny side of the lake for home. I couldn’t waste that sunshine and freeze in the shade! The bike will have to wait for another day.

The homeward track went through a small village, up a hill into the forest, and took an hour. I know that path well, and was pleased the firing range was quiet (the random shots put me on edge – not for fear of being hit, just for the noise!). It was good to come home and play around on the blog … and drink a warm tea and put my feet on the heater.

Because our house is in such a quiet and beautiful setting, I forget the lake is just a short walk away and tend to stay home when I want to relax. With my new mantra of fitfor15in15, I’m looking forward to making more visits there to read and watch the birdlife. It’s worth the effort.

Do you have a place you often forget is wonderful?

January 5: 15 minutes of skipping

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The skipping rope, and the view

The skipping rope, and the view

Well this one was harder than I expected, and I knew it would be tough. Constant skipping for 15 minutes is strenuous when you’re unfit. I mixed it up between forwards skipping, backwards skipping, the one foot hop and change, two feet together etc etc. Maybe when I’m fitter, I’ll try the double spin jump now and then!

I just wanted to move around. My heart rate went up, and I sweated a bit, which is good considering it’s 4 degrees (Celsius) outside. But the sun was shining and I feel great.

I used a normal skipping rope, which has weighted handles, donned my best sports bra and sneakers, and enjoyed feeling my tummy bounce up and down. Never thought I’d ever say that! But at least it means I have stuff to lose and the only way is up! (In fitness levels, down in weight hopefully!)

You don’t need to go out and buy equipment, it’s all around you, but I had this skipping rope from previous attempts to get fit, and have now hung it near the front door, so it’s easy to see and grab when I need it.

January 4: Walking in Sigriswil

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The Lake of Thun and Alps from Sigriswil

The Lake of Thun and Alps from Sigriswil

My partner and I went on a little adventure to enjoy the sunshine and clear blue skies. It must have been amazing on the ski slopes today!

We walked around Sigriswil, near the Lake of Thun. It was my first time here.

The view from the viewing platform was glorious and the weather was perfect. Who wouldn’t want to be outside on a day like today!

We walked for about 30 minutes, a slow and steady pace. Heart rate was raised on a steep climb back into the village.

January 3: Walking in Bern

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Walking around Bern

Walking around Bern

Today we drove into the city to collect my contact lenses, parked just outside the main centre and walked into and around town. Can’t say it was an excessive day of exercise. The idea for fitfor15in15 was just brewing in my head, so I wasn’t actively looking to exercise.

It was cold, it was nice. This running track in the photo hadn’t been used for exercise – you can see the actual track is still covered in snow. Those footprints in the middle are probably from people walking their dogs or taking a short cut to the river!

January 1: Happy New Year walk around Wohlen

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Claudia, Leo, myself and Dani on our walk around Wohlen

Claudia, Leo, myself and Dani on our walk around Wohlen

Happy New Year! Today is the first day of my attempt to get fitfor15in15.

Leo and I and our friends Claudia and Dani walked off the minimal excesses of the previous night with a walk around our neighbourhood. It was cold but sunny and a great way to spend an hour.

Claudia and I walked and talked together, probably slower than what could be classed as exercise, but we had a great time. The previous evening I had tossed up the idea of fitfor15in15 to her while taking another walk, and it’s slowly taking shape in my head.

Who knows what the year will bring? Hopefully a fitter and healthier me!

Hello and welcome to a crazy idea that could possibly work

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fitfor15in15 … Get fit for 15 in 15 … Get fit for 2015 in 15 … Get fit for 2015 in 15 minutes … Get fit for 2015 in a minimum of 15 minutes per day …

Ok everybody, now that the concept behind this blog is out there, are you interested in this challenge? Create a healthier 2015 (if you’re not already feeling healthy, that is) by doing a minimum of 15 minutes exercise a day.

It’s a catchy idea, and hopefully one that sticks in your head in an effort to boost your fitness and health in 2015.

I think about doing exercise all the time! How good it would be, how great I would feel, and eventually how I’d be pleased with the results.

But then something called procrastination, laziness, indifference, care factor zero, or whatever you want to call it, kicks in and takes over and I don’t do anything.

So this year, I’m taking a catchy phrase and making it my mantra. Fit for 15 in 15.

I’m not a health care expert, I have no qualifications in fitness or exercise, I am just an ordinary person who wants to be motivated this year to do something a bit more challenging and hopefully boost my fitness levels so I can run for the bus without running out of breath.

If you have any ideas, would like to contribute or just want to join in and make your own plans for a fit 2015, then please say hello.

All it takes is a minimum of 15 minutes per day. It could be 15 minutes of lifting soup tins, doing squats, knee raises, an exercise class on YouTube, star jumps or sit ups, going for a walk or a jog, or a combination of any of these ideas – set yourself a goal to do at least 15 minutes a day. It doesn’t matter what time of the day – before work, during your lunch break, after work, before you go to bed – whenever!

The first step is always the hardest. Forming a habit will make this easier. By doing at least 15 minutes a day, every day, you form a habit. Hopefully one you will enjoy! And by making it a requirement, a must, a desire, a wish, a joy each and every day, you can’t be tempted to say “Oh, it’s raining, I’ll go for that jog tomorrow” or “I’m feeling tired today, I’ll start next week”.

Something small or large, every day, for a minimum of 15 minutes …

Are you interested in making it your mantra too?