Walk1200km participants share their tips, reasons and motivations for doing the challenge.
‘I’m now walking for myself’
“I love to walk my dogs but it was suggested that I should also walk purely for myself, and this challenge has given me the motivation to do just that. Week one proved I can move some distance when not chaperoning my furry friends and catering to their never-ending urges to stop for a tinkle and a sniff. They still get their walks but I now also walk on my own for an hour or so, and what a difference when you can move your arms and legs free as a breeze, only thinking of yourself and the world around you.
“I’m looking forward to getting fitter and tackling some of the awesome trails and hikes others are sharing.”
– Monique Darge (featured)
Caution while walking with Covid
“New research is showing that the majority of (those with) Long Covid cases are people who went back to exercise too quickly. The advice is to take five weeks of slow increases each week until by week five you can be back doing what you were before. Only proceed with each increase if you have no fatigue. Patience is the saviour apparently.
It worked well for me.”
– Anna Bassett
‘I’m working on walking further’
“It’s a mix of motivations for me, with cancer treatments changing my body and mind. Small daily bites are marvellous, and I’m working towards doing more long and overnight hikes.”
– Rachel Wybourne Curtin
‘I have my sister and dad involved’
“I signed up to get motivated again as I had got into the bad habit of finding any excuse not to go walking. Filling in the progress tracker is very motivating. I’m so impressed by Walk1200km that I have my sister and 76-year-old father participating as well!”
– Amanda Loots
‘I’ve discovered why my shoes quickly wear out’
“I changed to working from home last year, which meant I lost my routine and my 5km walking commute at the same time. Walk1200km has been a great incentive to build more active breaks into my day, whether that’s a brisk ‘commute’ around the block before I start work or a lunchtime walk to give my eyes a break fromthe screen.
“I honestly hadn’t realised how much I walk by default (I have no car so walking is my main mode of transport). Now I’m tracking it, I’ve realised why my shoes wear out so fast. I average 50km to 70km a week!
“Walk1200km has made me more mindful of replacing shoes before they need it, just like you’d replace tyres on a car before they wear through. My feet are much happier.”
– Rachel Wilson
‘I’m doing it to keep moving’
“I have found myself on the wrong side of 60 and not wanting to grind to a halt. It’s so easy to make excuses not to move and I reckon keeping moving is the key to health as we age. Two weeks into the challenge, I hurt. I’m confused as I have always walked and been sort of active, but not every day. I’m sure it will get easier as I get fitter.”
– Melanie Norton
Join the Walk1200km challenge
If you haven’t signed up to the Walk1200km challenge already, you might be wondering what it’s all about. The goal is to walk 1200km over 12 months (it takes just 45-minutes a day). You can start anytime and there’s a Facebook group full of other supportive participants. Sign up at www.wildernessmag.co.nz/walk1200km.
