Early morning light

My Walk this Week 262 – Striking a Balance, Health and Wellbeing

My walk this week is one I am currently taking on a daily basis and striking a balance for my health and wellbeing is an essential part of it. You will understand what I am saying and why if you read this post.

Balance in everything is a motto I fully agree with, but when it comes to my personal health and well-being, I cannot say I always follow that philosophy. I have been described (accused?) as being a workaholic and while not admitting to that, it may be that I am somewhat over-ambitious when it comes to what I can achieve. There is so much I want to do, but it seems that balance will insist itself upon me regardless of my strategies and time management. 

So now I must admit to suffering from physical and mental exhaustion. While I hope that the past weekend laid up in bed, not attending to anything other than friendly blog conversations, I have realised that I must let something drop from my life, at least temporarily. 

Yes, you’ve guessed it – no more blogging for a couple of months. It’s frustrating because I really enjoy doing the StillWalks® posts and reading/viewing/commenting on others’ blogs. 

The video and images in this post are from an important element of my current working days. I am back working in a warehouse for the time being. It is not work that I enjoy (though the people there are good), but needs must as they say. One good aspect of the location of the work is that it is in walking distance of my home and the last part of the walk in and the first part of the walk after work is this woodland environment next to the small Camffrwd river. 

Through StillWalks® I have always promoted the value of the environment (particularly the natural) as the best resource for mental health and well-being. However, I did not realise just how valuable it is in this sense until benefitting from it when I come out of the warehouse at the end of the day. 

The sights and sounds of the trees, the water, the fields with horses, the birdsong, and a convenient bench to sit on to soak it all in – it is invaluable to me. And yet I find that while it can calm my mind and lift my spirits, it does not give me actual physical energy. So having used both my physical and mental resources, I need to lighten the load, take a break and only do what is essential for a month or two. 

I hope you miss the StillWalks® posts 😉

Woodland Wandering

woodland

Woodland wandering on my walk this week at The Waterside-Felindre was like doing some “forest bathing”. This is something I have been aware of for some time now but the term is not one that I like very much – to me it sounds a little bit corny (no offence intended to forest bathers, or tree huggers for that matter). Whatever the name given, there is no doubt in my mind about the benefits of walking in woodland but I can imagine it would not suit everybody.Continue reading

My Walk this Week – Aberystwyth Seafront

Aberystwyth seafront

My walk this week is on Aberystwyth seafront and from the overcast weather depicted you would not believe that half an hour earlier the sun had been shining and the sky blue.  Neither was it raining at the time these photos were taken – but I still got soaked as I walked along the beach!

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Promenade Reflection

The sea fret or mist stuck around for a while on my walk this week on Aberavon seafront in south Wales and contributed to this first image which I think is my favourite in this selection for today. I was there to visit the Health and Wellbeing fair in the Aberavon Beach Hotel and in the interest of that subject matter thought that I would go early and take a walk. The weather may have been dark and damp in the early morning but this is a fantastic place and lost nothing for all that.

promenade reflection

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My Walk this Week – Swansea Wellbeing Walk

My walk this week is from a couple of weeks ago when I went to join in the Swansea Health and Wellbeing Walk on the seafront. Starting at the Junction Cafe at Blackpill, it was originally planned to walk to mumbles and back but for whatever reason the route was changed and we walked in the opposite direction dn headed for the 360 Beach and Watersports Centre instead.

It was a short walk, less than four miles there and back but plenty of people came along, some from the Taste of Gower walks but many more besides.

Junction Cafe and walkers

walking feet

 

Swansea Bay

Swansea Bay

Fun and Games and a Cup of Tea

Lliw Reservoir is a popular place with people of all ages these days. There is evidence below of the fact that it is as popular with children as it is with adults. And the fact that there is a nice cafe there is no doubt an added attraction but many go there for walks and never get a cuppa.

Whether people are there for a walk or a cup of tea is not really important – I simply like the fact that people get out there and enjoy the sights and sounds of the place.  It is certainly a change of environment from the city or even to village.

mini snowmen

walker

children playing in snow

Walking Resolutions

I have only ever made one New Years Resolution and I have always kept to it – never to make a New Years Resolution.  However, I have recently been thinking that despite much of my work being focused on walking, too much of my time is spent sitting at a computer. Production and post production, image and sound processing, writing and administering projects and seemingly interminable fund raising.

I have decided (resolved!) to make my health and fitness a higher priority and have been taking a decent walk every morning. I have taken the same walk with minor variations almost every morning for the last ten days or so, and only once have I taken my camera. The purpose is to walk, not to stop and take photos every other step. That said, I cannot go about the place without looking and listening to the things around me and so my iPhone comes in very handy both for images and sound.

Most of the photos I will be posting this week were taken on my iPhone and some of the sounds clips were also recorded using the RODE app on the phone. My Edirol sound recorder also fits easily into my pocket and so I have used this too.

These photos were taken at the highest point of my walk where I can catch the sun rise behind the trees.

And you can listen to some of the forest birds below as well.

Morning Sky

Morning Sky

Fforest Birds 1

 

Exercising the Body and Mind

Which do you prefer – cycling, walking, jogging, running? Walking would be my preference  if I want to focus on my surroundings and observe the sights and sounds around me. However, for this very reason, I may not get as much exercise as I tend to start and stop a lot in order to look and listen, photograph or record. Then again, I am sure the benefit I gain from enjoying the observation makes up for it, mentally at least!

Cycle Path

Cycle Path