Invicta Vlogs
The wanders and wonders of walking
I am an early riser; I am up at 5.30am or even earlier every weekday and sometimes even at the weekend! I know I have long and often demanding days ahead of me and I know that I will not have much chance of exercising during the day. I love to exercise and I find myself feeling quite frustrated if I cannot do that. To address this, I have started to park my car about an hour walking distance from the school and I started to enjoy the walk to and from my car even when the mornings and evenings are dark and cold.
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I discovered that I love walking. Even more, I discovered that I love walking through Mote Park when it is dark, cold and even when it is raining. Many people think I am mad, and they ask if I am not worried about something happening to me as I stroll alone in a semi-deserted, hardly lit environment. |
I don’t feel in any danger in the park. If anything, I feel at peace. There is something magical about walking in the twilight. In the morning, I can see the faint light of the sunrise just about glimmering at the horizon. I watch the weak reflection of the trees in the dark water and ponder about what is going on in the houses near the park as the lights shine from their windows: have the inhabitants just woken up? Are they putting the kettle on? What does their day look like?
| In the evening, I watch the light fading and listen to the whisper of the trees, the murmur of the water and the fluttering of the wings of the birds on the lake. It is peaceful and beautiful. The night sky is stupendous, with Venus and Jupiter shining brightly against the backdrop of the winter constellations dominated by Orion. |  |
It is funny how every day I encounter the same people. I can barely see them, but I recognise their walking, their dog’s collars flashing with different LED lights. We greet each other quietly as if afraid to disturb the peace of the park or to interfere with the trees and their consorting.
Walking helps me, it helps my physical well-being, and it definitely helps my mental health. Especially after a long day, I look forward to my walk. I don’t want to drive away and be stuck in traffic; I want to be in my headspace, disconnected to reality, even if it is just for one hour. After my walk, when I get to school or back to the car at the end of the day, I feel up-beat, thinking that, all in all, every day is well worth getting up for.
I would encourage more people to walk. Don’t drive straight to work, walk part of it, if you can. It may help starting your day on a positive note, a rush of adrenaline and endorphins and it will definitely help you unwind after a long day in the classroom.
If you would like to find out more about the benefits of walking, check out these web sites:
https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-walking#energy-boost
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/walking-for-health/
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/5-surprising-benefits-of-walking
Dr M Marchesini
Assistant Headteacher
