Na een week poezenoppas zijn in het Hoge Noorden van Nederland , zonder directe buren en zonder vervoer, is me één en ander over mezelf duidelijk geworden.
Heerlijk rustig, en zolang ik internet, een mobiele telefoon en boeken heb, kan ik mijzelf prima alleen vermaken. Parttime kluizenaarschap bevalt me wel. (Ik heb overigens ook heel wat rondjes in en om de grote tuin gelopen hier)
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.
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;
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.
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
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…
These are far from ideal walking circumstances for me. I have quite severe lymphatic edema and
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 through the city.
*This is the view from the balcony, I literally saw the Parthenon / Acropolis on waking up and before going to bed, how cool is that?
Yes, it does. The good news: you don’t have to go for a run. Walking improves your mood.
To make the best of your walks while battling depression, I share some tips and ideas about your surroundings, your company, your goal setting and overall self care. This way you can optimize the positive effects of your walks.
Moving your body supports your brain in many ways.
But there is a big difference in effect between walking indoors, walking in urban surroundings and walking in nature.
This question popped up in my head a few months ago, while feeling desperate with my own exhaustion and my painful legs. The gym was closed due to a Covid-19 lockdown, and I was literally out of breath in 2 minutes. I didn’t even make it to the grocery store, let alone the beach – which is located a 20-minute walk from my house. Hiking beautiful and long nature paths felt way out of reach.
But what if I would use walking as my exercise to become fit again?
