Day 3 - Write 31 - A Plant Powered Life - A Walking Holiday

"Now shall I walk or shall I ride?'Ride' Pleasure said, 'Walk', Joy replied."

This is probably one of my favorite quotes. Over the last few years that we've been actively walking together I've come to realize that it's only on foot that you can find the little nooks and crannies of an area. If you want to cover a lot of ground going by auto, plane, or train is the way to go. But to see what's around you up close and personal nothing beats a good walk.

Riding might be easier but the miles and the scenery will fly by and you very seldom get off the main road. By walking through an area you'll go places and see things that you'd never see in a car.  You might even get to talk to the locals and meet people along the way finding joy in the journey. We spend way to much time closed up in our cars and home. Get out and take a walk!

When we travel we like to avoid the big cities and typical tourist traps. Recently we took a vacation to England and decided to act like the locals and go on ramble through the country-side. Over a ten day period during our walking holiday we covered a little over one hundred miles on foot. We got off the beaten path and away from the tourist areas and saw places that most visitors miss.

And it was all powered by our plant-based diet!

We started our walk for the day in Oxford. Walking along the Oxford Towpath and Canal we walked 15.5 miles to Woodstock. 

Our walk took us past a lot of colorful canal boats. 

Beautiful horses along the trail. 

Walking past the ruins of the Godstow Abbey a medieval nunnery. The mistress of Henry II is buried here. You won't see this from a car!

We packed our lunch and had a picnic along the canal. Lettuce, tomatoes, and cukes along with a few banana peppers and hummus. Fuel for the walk.

You need energy to get up and get moving. A plant-based diet can do that for you!

Write 31 Days 

A writing challenge every October every day

Life Powered by Plants 

Day 3 - Walking Tips - My Favorite App

Map My Walk

My favorite walking app is Map My Walk. The app keeps track of distance, duration, pace and elevation. It also calculates calories burned on the walk. Which is good and bad. It's nice to know that I'm burning calories but I also know 622 calories is just about equal to a hot fudge sundae. That's probably why I can't seem to lose any weight! It all balances out.

My favorite thing about this app is that it's free. (also my favorite word) It works well for me and I get an email showing my weekly progress. I even get notifications when my friends complete walks and there's challenges I can join.The app uses the GPS on my phone and shows a detailed map of my walking route. I can use it offline so it saves on data.

I find tracking my progress is a great motivation to keep walking and this app does the trick without being too complicated.

"Everywhere is in walking distance if you have the time."

Steven Wright

For the month of October I'm going to be writing everyday mostly about walking. I hope I might encourage someone to get outside and take a walk!

 

Why Lace Up and Walk?

"A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action"

We can talk about getting more exercise. We can read about the importance of adding movement to our day. We can dream and talk about going places and enjoying new foods. We can even pray about meeting new people and having new cultural experiences.

But as they say talk is cheap, dreams are just dreams and sometimes God expects us to step out of our comfort zone!

"The distance between your dreams and reality is called action." 

So that's my attitude. Just put on my shoes, lace them up and go. It doesn't matter if it's out my front door for a 20 minute walk around my neighborhood or to grab a bag and take a trip  to walk somewhere I've never been.

Our talk and dreams only become reality when we get up and go.

So take the first step today. Lace up your sneakers and take a walk. You won't know what your missing until you take that first step!

Where will your feet take you today?

Walking in Our Neighborhood

"Manners is the key thing. Say for instance when you're growing up, you're walking down the street, you've got to tell everybody good morning. Everybody. You can't pass one person."

Usain Bolt

When we first started walking in our new neighborhood we were surprised by how many cars passed by and no one acknowledged us.

 No lifting of the hand for a friendly wave, no nod of the head and certainly no eye contact. 

I was discouraged by the thought that we'd moved to the wrong place. A place so unfriendly that our  own neighbors could so easily ignore us we walked down the street. John on the other hand accepted the situation as a challenge. He was determined to break the barrier and get people to wave. 

So from that moment on we waved at every single car that past by. At every single person we saw standing in their yard or on the front porch. And by wave I mean a hand up in the air so you can't miss it kind of wave! 

Guess what? In just a few short days we had pretty much everyone greeting us on the road. Even a few arm out the window kind of waves and a horn honk here and there:-)

 It's amazing how a simple wave can change your whole attitude and make the day seem sunnier. It's also just plain good manners!

I do love my neighborhood and I walk almost everyday. I'm sharing just a few photos from  my last morning  walk. 

There's usually a few people out walking and biking.

Many houses in our neighborhood are located on 2-3 acre lots with a few mini farms thrown in. 

Parts of the sidewalk (where there is a sidewalk) look like a trail in the forest. 

Beautiful 'weeds' grow in all the ditches...

That's just a glimpse of my neighborhood. 

Lace up and get to know your neighbors!