It is blowing a hooley out there today which could explain why instead of going for a walk I am enjoying a duvet day, well more of a snuggling-under-a-blanket-on-the-sofa day but you get the idea. However there have been plenty of times when I’ve still gone walking in spite of the wind, the rain or even the snow. And I know that if I did go for a walk today, I’d still enjoy it so why not go? Well sometimes you just need to hibernate, to say no to going out and yes to staying cosy.

There are certain buzzwords and phrases that do the rounds that usually just make me cringe – FOMO, staycation and twixtmas are all good examples of this however one I do like is JOMO. JOMO is essentially the opposite of FOMO, instead of the fear of missing out, it celebrates the joy of missing out. Rather than worrying about the fun you could be having or the adventure you could be on, embrace the moment & find the joy in the everyday. To this I would add the joy of saying no, no to doing what you should be doing or what others think you should be doing, even what you think you should be doing. If you don’t want to go out (and you don’t need to) then rather than looking for an excuse – such as the weather – just say no.

If you push yourself to go when you don’t really want to then you risk turning walking into another chore, another thing you have to do when it should actually be a way to escape these pressures. Equally if you use the weather as an excuse for not going for a walk, even if it’s just to yourself, then soon it will become a self-fulfilling prophacy and you’ll believe that you really don’t like walking in ‘bad’ weather. This is why I don’t like seeing articles pushing people to walk every day, or advising you to walk for at least 30 minutes in order to feel the benefit. Whether you walk everyday, once a week or only sporadically and whether that’s for 30 minutes, 10 minutes or 5 hours you’ll still feel a benefit as long as you don’t turn walking into another item on the ‘to-do’ list.

Walking is a great tool for improving your health, both physically and mentally but another important tool is knowing when to say yes and when to say no. I love walking in all sorts of weathers but some days I also love leaving the boots on the rack and listening to the wind whistling outside while I’m warm and cosy under my blanket.

That’s how I stroll.

• The year of the stroll…
• Yew Year Stroll
• The best laid plans…
• Hiding in plain sight
• Holiday Strolls