Hiking back to Health

Using Instagram as a Habit Tracker

September 3, 2023 by Kadanza

Well, I’ve tried. I thought posting pictures of my daily walks on Instagram would keep me more motivated. I even managed to create 83 of my planned #365hikeschallenge posts.

This is post 83/365 – a picture of a beautiful tree in Athens, Greece, taken on my way to the produce market on Saturday.

This picture was taken on the 27th of May. Today is the 3rd of September. What happened?

I was already waiting several months for surgery, trying very hard to stay as fit as possible while waiting.

End of May I got a phone call telling me that there was a 5-week delay. My motivation tanked below zero. I was sick 5 out of 7 days for weeks in a row already, and tired of waiting.

Whenever I did have the energy I walked around the block, but my daily walks weren’t about exploring nature or a new city anymore, just exercise.

Day 83 of using Instagram as habit tracker for my daily walk. Beautiful tree in Athens, Greece.

A Daily Picture of my Street on Instagram didn’t Work.

I kept on scoring my walks on my paper habit tracker and did remarkably well. Seeing all the days that I managed to walk, even though I was feeling tired or sick made me proud.

Habit tracking always works for me, to keep me motivated and improve myself. But the picture on Instagram felt as a burden, a nasty task, during the times that I only walked around the block.

While I was in Athens, I liked taking pictures of my surroundings. But it still didn’t work as a habit tracker.

Instagram is a Photo-Journal for Me, not a Habit Tracker

I am 7 weeks post-surgery now, and once again hiking back to health. My paper journal is full of marked-off daily walks. But my Instagram is still quiet. Partly because I didn’t make the decision to quit using Instagram as a habit tracker.

Now that I decided that it doesn’t work that way for me, I might start to share pictures of my daily walks again. Whenever I feel like it, or if I see a beautiful sky or tree.

Do you use Instagram as a Habit Tracker?

I am curious about your experience, please tell me what works for you!

Conditie Opbouwen na Ziekte

April 4, 2023April 4, 2023 by Kadanza

‘Hiking back to Health’ ontstond tijdens de zoektocht hoe ik mijn conditie kon opbouwen na long-Covid, zo’n anderhalf jaar geleden. Ik was uitgeput en buiten adem van 2 minuten lopen, en wist toen nog niet dat conditie opbouwen geen rechte lijn omhoog was, maar keer op keer opnieuw beginnen. Dat is maar goed ook, want anders was ik misschien moedeloos geworden en niet eens gestart.

Hoewel ik in de afgelopen tijd wegens ziekte wel 5x opnieuw moest beginnen met conditie opbouwen, kwam ik dankzij een aangepast opbouw schema en mijn Habit Trackers iedere keer verder dan de keer daarvoor.

Ik heb onderweg het één en ander geleerd over wat wel of niet werkt, en de lessen verzameld in deze blog. Voor mijzelf, als naslag op momenten dat ik het weer even vergeten ben, en voor anderen met hetzelfde doel: weer fit worden.

Protein Shake After a Workout?

March 28, 2023March 25, 2023 by Kadanza

A protein shake after a workout is increasingly popular among fitness enthusiasts and bodybuilders, as a recovery drink.

But I have to admit, I felt silly and pretentious when I started using a shake after my endurance training and hiking exercises, on my fitness instructor’s and doctor’s recommendation.

A little research made me change my mind. Here are my reasons to use protein powder after walking or exercising;

Wandelen rond Breda met overnachting

February 25, 2023February 23, 2023 by Kadanza

Na bijna een maand rondjes rondom mijn eigen huis gelopen te hebben, met een paar uitstapjes naar het strand van Cadzand, snak ik naar verandering van loopomgeving.

Een groot deel van mijn familie woont in Breda, en de omgeving daar is écht anders dan in Den Haag, dus besloot ik voor volgende maand een familiebezoek te combineren met een wandeling door het historische centrum en eentje in het Mastbos. Ik ga zo ongeveer 25 jaar terug in de tijd…

Vervolgens meldde een goede vriendin zich, dat ze graag mee zou gaan. Leuk, maar dan ga ik niet bij mijn moeder in het logeerbed crashen 😉 – op zoek naar een hotel dus.

Hoe blijf je lekker warm tijdens een wandeling in de winter?

February 21, 2023February 21, 2023 by Kadanza

Ook in de winter kan wandelen heerlijk zijn, als je weet hoe je jezelf warm en droog houdt in koud of regenachtig weer. Een goede voorbereiding maakt een groot verschil.

Droog blijven is belangrijk om geen warmte te verliezen

Zorg er voor dat je niet nat wordt! Niet alleen van buitenaf, door mist, regen of sneeuw, maar ook van binnenuit (door transpireren) kunnen je kleren goed vochtig worden. Of gewoon kletsnat, zoals op de foto hier, genomen tijdens een citytrip door Riga met mijn moeder – ik was enorm blij met mijn ademende wind- en waterdichte jas.

Als je net als ik veel en gemakkelijk zweet, is droog blijven tijdens het lopen een uitdaging, ook in droog weer.

Afhankelijk van het weer en de omstandigheden draag ik ademende sportshirts van hightech materiaal, die mijn zweet onmiddellijk van mijn huid af naar de volgende laag kleding transporteren, of een shirt van goede kwaliteit merino wol.

How to Stay Warm Outside in Winter

February 27, 2023February 17, 2023 by Kadanza

Hiking in winter can be splendid, but how to stay warm outside, walking in cold or rainy weather?

I live near the North Sea coast in Holland, so the winters are moderately cold, no extreme temperatures here. Rain, fog and strong winds are more regular companions during the winter months. Even in these weather conditions, a good preparation before a long hike is necessary.

Staying Dry is Vital to Stay Warm

*Getting soaked by rain during a citytrip with my mom, I was glad to wear a waterproof jacket!*

You want to make sure that you don’t get wet, not only from the outside, but especially from the inside. So a good raincoat is essential. But if you sweat easily and plentiful, like me, staying dry from the inside out can also be a challenge, even in dry weather!

According to the weather and the circumstances, I either use breathable sport shirts from high tech materials, that transport any produced sweat swiftly away from the skin to the next layer of clothing, or a first layer clothing of good quality merino wool .

Whatever you choose, make sure to keep away from cotton!

My Daily Walk – My Fitness Challenge Week 1&2

February 17, 2023February 7, 2023 by Kadanza

First things first: I didn’t break the chain, but made my daily walk every single day for the last 16 days. I am so proud of myself! I know it is very early in this challenge, but without committing myself to it, I probably would have walked just 9 days out of 16. There was a lot going on in my life.

Goal Setting and Actual Planning Are Key

Fitness Challenge : 365 hikes in 2023

January 21, 2023January 21, 2023 by Kadanza

shadow figure standing on the beach New year, same me…

Unfortunately, the start of a fresh new year doesn’t automatically bring me better motivation, discipline and mindset.

So I came up with a hiking challenge for myself:

365 days of hiking in 2023, to hit my fitness goal by

Hiking in Thailand? Not possible for me!

January 21, 2023October 16, 2022 by Kadanza

Thai foot massage on the food market My fitness level improved a lot this summer, and I expected to keep this upward trend going. Then I decided to visit a friend in Thailand with my travel points…

The weather in Thailand is hot and humid

These are far from ideal walking circumstances for me. I have quite severe lymphatic edema and

Strolling through the streets of Athens

January 21, 2023May 10, 2022 by Kadanza

Akropolis - view from Balcony Quick post, to share some pics of my visit to Athens.

I have been to Athens several times before, so I didn’t feel the urge to visit all the historical sites in the 5 days I spent with my dad at the beginning of April 2022.

We revisited quite a few of them anyway, focusing on 1 museum/ historical highlight a day. For the rest of the time, we just followed our feet, randomly strolling