Experiment 4: Mindful Movement

For my fourth mindfulness experiment, I dusted off my trainers and vowed to get moving! I aimed to add an extra 30 minutes to the walking I usually do each day and add in any other exercise I could.
How did it go?
I can be a bit “all or nothing” about things (really need to work on moderation!) so I started the week with a trip by foot to Cannizaro Park. This was ambitious since it’s at least a brisk 45 minute walk each way and laden with toddler, buggy, baby bump and an impressive selection of snacks (my son seems to be going through a growth spurt at the moment), it seemed like much longer!
It also involved a fairly decent workout pushing the buggy up Wimbledon Hill. This coincided with the weather instantly changing from being positively autumnal to glorious sunshine and 24 degree heat. Good news apart from the fact I’d dressed for autumn in jeans and three layers so when I finally arrived at the top of the hill, I was nicely out of breath and an attractive shade of beetroot.
I like to think I styled it out by ignoring the lure of a bench pit-stop in Wimbledon Village and powering on towards the Common (whilst perilously trying to fan myself and maintain control of the buggy at the same time). And when we finally made it to Cannizaro Park, boy was it worth it!
For some unknown reason, the park was super quiet and we almost had the place to ourselves. My son had an amazing time racing around and exploring, and we got to hang out with the cute ducklings cruising around on the pond and a pair of chatty parakeets in the aviary. So not only did we get our walk on but we had a pretty amazing afternoon too.
Inspired (if quite shattered!) the following day, I took a more round-about route into town and included a couple of circuits round the local park. I continued this for the rest of the week and also managed to fit in two prenatal pilates reformer sessions which were ace.
So in conclusion…
I can confirm that being more active led to some expected (it put me in a good mood and improved my energy levels) and some unexpected rewards (I enjoyed some quality time with my son and we explored some new corners of Wimbledon together). So it was a win-win all round last week!
Are you trying to get mindful about moving at the moment? If so, how has it been making you feel? Please drop me a line on one of the platforms below!
#wimbledonwellbeing
