Ines Bruins was stuck in managed isolation quarantine when she discovered the Walk1200km challenge. It helped keep her sane, she says. 

After spending six months in Holland looking after her mother, Ines Bruins found herself in managed isolation quarantine wondering how to fill the time. 

She says starting the Walk1200km challenge helped keep her sane and make sense of her days in MIQ.

“I booked a walk every day at 12 o’clock so it became like a thing; I had to get 5k, if not more in 45-minutes,” the 56-year-old mental health professional says. “It was everything. In MIQ, a structured day is crucial to make sense of the day, to make sense of it all.”

Unlike most others starting out on the challenge, Innes was restricted to a concrete car park which she did hundreds of laps around. The experience didn’t put her off; quite the contrary. Ines hopes the challenge will help her form the habit of walking every day. 

“We all walk, but this is a year-long challenge,” she says. “To do this every day, it becomes part of life like brushing your teeth – it becomes a habit.”

She finds the Walk1200km Facebook group inspiring. “I love the fact that people share photos with you and you become connected to a wider community.”

As a manager for a mental health NGO, Innes knows full well the benefits of a daily walk. “We tell people, when you’re feeling really crappy, go out for a walk. It was the same for me when I was in MIQ. I felt really good after walks, like really good. Walking benefits everybody.”

Have you signed up to do the Walk1200km challenge? Register here.