Weighting Time

The last time I walked home from the centre of town to my parents’ house was when I was 17. It was 3am, pitch black and I was carrying my stilettos. The reason? I had run out of money for a taxi home, which seemed to happen frequently on nights out as a 17 year old. I was drunk and foolish. The me of today would scorn anyone who put themselves in such a position of danger. Particularly because it’s a 3 mile walk, some of which includes a dodgy underpass.

Yet yesterday I took this walk for the first time since that night. Not at a ridiculous hour in the morning, but just because I could.

The bus I was taking home got stuck in a major traffic jam and wasn’t moving anywhere. Who knew how long it would’ve taken me to get home. So I decided to get off and walk. And you know why? Because that’s what I would’ve done if I was travelling. If I didn’t have enough money to get somewhere, or simply because I wanted to soak in the scenery, I would’ve walked. So why should it be any different because I’m at home?

Beach trekking by NeilsPhotography

I’ve talked before about how I think we’re more adventurous abroad, but what if that is also true of being more active? When you’re abroad you have less disposable income, more time on your hands and less inclination to be lazy. You walk; not only to enjoy the view but also because you want to save your money for things other than transport. You may even go for a run on the beach, simply because you don’t want to miss that beautiful sunrise. And even though your alcohol intake may increase, your meals are often smaller and at more regular intervals as you don’t want to splash the cash on large, expensive dinners. So why don’t we apply this rationale to our everyday home lives?

Moving back in with my parents has not only helped me save money, but also my waistline. I thought that now that I didn’t have dogs to walk regularly that I would surely start getting less fit. However, in an attempt to get out of the house – and out from under my parents’ feet – I started going to the gym more frequently. I also had to look at my food shopping bills and how I could cut back to save money and in turn I seemed to be buying healthier choices through necessity, simply because raw ingredients are cheaper than ready meals. I also found that when you live with other people, particularly those who never really eat takeaways, you stop eating them yourself. Whether this is through shame or simply to save money, I’m not sure.

Now I have sold my car, I have to walk to the bus stop every morning. And this is what leads me to think about my more active lifestyle when I’m abroad. How many of us have clocked up miles in a day trawling a city, only to fully realise it when our feet are throbbing back at the hostel later in the day? We exercise not because we feel we must, but because we are so busy enjoying ourselves that it doesn’t seem like a chore.

So in order to continue saving money and also to get me into the pattern of willingly exercising just for the fun of it, I am going to keep making spontaneous decisions like walking instead of taking the bus, just not with a kebab or pair of stilettos in my hands.