Friday 1 January 2021

New Year, new start. Check in for the Walking Group.

 Good morning. Did I manage to stay awake to see the new year in? Yes, I was watching a documentary on yooootoooob which held my attention. Finally crawled into bed at 00.45. This morning I was surprised to find that Mayze had got up before me. She usually joins me under the covers about an hour or so before it's time to get up. This morning she was not there, possibly because she was fed up of me keep turning over. 

It's wet outside, still some ice about though not as cold as yesterday. It's melting. So today we start the 1000 mile walking challenge all over again. Can you hear me mother? Are you joining in? 

But first we want the final numbers from 2020. How did you all do? Did you start with us at the beginning of the year? Did you get lost along the way? Or did you battle on and reach the end of the road? 

As 2020 was a bit of a struggle to get motivated, what about a new start this year? Are you up for it? I am ready for my sixth year. Can't give up now, it is important to me to look after my health. 

Pictures from the archives. Healthy eating. Fill a jug and make a smoothie.

Smiley salady meals.
Scoff lots of veg. 
Steam your veg.
Grow your own. 
 
A quick note before I go. I notice that several readers have the user name Unknown. Why is this? Why are people reluctant to put their name, even though it may be a made up user name, to their words? I am thinking that this is no different from those who sent comments under Anonymous, which are no longer accepted. If you are Unknown, please add your name to the main text. Don't be shy. Thank you. 
Time for breakfast. Eggs today. Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

65 comments:

  1. Happy New Year to you, Ilona, and all fellow walkers!
    2020 for me has been very good for walking and walking has been so very good for me.
    More than happy I can tell you I managed to walk 1514 kilometers, so quite some more than the 1000 km goal I started the year off with :>)
    I can't do without it anymore and have started early this morning for the fifth year in your walking group, making the first 6 kilometers of aimed for (at least) 1000.
    Thank you for being so inspiring and supportive through the years. And that not only on walking!
    Cheers!

    Jeanneke.

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    1. Good morning. First one to report in. Well done on your fantastic numbers. Never ever give up. Looking after yourself is the future. Best wishes.

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  2. Hello Ilona and fellow walkers - Happy New Year to all! All records broken this year although I found it difficult to walk in December due to the weather, mud and short daylight hours, managing a measly 54 miles but making an overall total for the year of 1166 miles. Went out first thing this morning as it wasn't raining and so have clocked up just under 4 miles for this year already!! Wishing everyone a healthy 2021 with success in meeting your walking targets, whatever goals you choose. Vicki in the East Riding

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    1. A gold star for you Vicki. Well done, a brilliant finish.

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  3. Happy new year Ilona and fellow walkers. Managed 1182 miles this year. Quite pleased with the figure although I did get a bit slack in December. Going for my first walk of the year in a moment - hoping to do 1500 miles this year. Cheers Viv

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    1. Fantastic Viv. It's ok to get a bit slack. We are not machines, it should be enjoyable.

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  4. Happy new year and I am soooo happy with the funny meals on the picture...
    love it... have a nice day

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    1. Mealtimes should be fun. Thank you for your comment.

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  5. Happy New Year Ilona.

    Yes I too have noticed a lot of Unknowns suddenly appearing on my blogs and on other peoples. I have also asked that they provide a name if they want to comment on mine and a couple have, but some persist in staying Unknown. I may have to reconsider just letting comments publish if it goes on, as there is no way of tracing who they are and it's starting to look suspicious.

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    1. I am checking each comment, and will delete anything with inappropriate language.

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  6. I'm not sure how many miles I walk during a year but I take Rick the dog out every day around the village so that must clock up a fair few. When we start cycling in the spring we often set ourselves a challenge. So important to keep fit as we get older. Happy walking for 2021.

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    1. As long as you keep walking Sue. If you do the same walk every day like I do it should be easy to add up the miles. You only need to check them once. Try bikehike.co.uk.

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  7. I am determind this year to write down how many miles Ive done every time I go for a walk.My Mam bought me a lovely calendar with beach pictures on it.It is right near the door so I dont forget to write my mileage every time I come in.That way I think it will give me more encouragement as I see the numbers mount up.xx

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    1. A tip. Write on it every day, put a X on the days when you don't walk, that way it will become a habit. Good luck.

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  8. Happy New year Ilona. I am on board once again with the walking group. As soon as the ice is gone I will be out there doing my daily walk.

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    1. Glad to hear it Cherie. Pesky ice is scary.

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  9. Happy New Year everyone. When I left comments in the beginning it showed up as unknown and I don't know why then later on it started putting my google account name. Weird huh. Don't think it's the people doing it I think it's Google. Raining here all day so staying in.

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  10. I'm all for the challenge again this year Ilona. I think I got lost along the way last year, at a rough guesstimate I walked around 650 miles. Lots of room for improvement!

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    1. Come on in. A notebook and pen is what you need. Write in it daily even on the days you have missed. That way it will become a habit.

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  11. Happy New Year back. I love the smiling salad.

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  12. I'm up for a sixth year with you Ilona.
    Last year was a real struggle for various reasons and I only managed 740 miles.
    This is the start of a new challenge and I'm determined to improve on that.
    My word for 2021 is” positivity” as I feel that was an attitude I lacked last year.
    We started off well today with a walk of 4 miles .Lots of enthusiasts were doing a New Year's Day dip to raise money to help lonely people and it was a wonderful atmosphere and a glorious day.
    ( I must explain that where we live we are lucky enough to have a very, very low incidence of COVID cases and therefore no regulations to avoid spreading the disease.)
    Good luck to everyone embarking on Ilona's 2021 challenge.
    Sue

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    1. I like your 'can do' attitude. If people are in a restricted movement area, I believe you can still go out to exercise.

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  13. Happy New Year. I am in again for 2021. For 2020 I walked 545 miles, again not as many as I had hoped to do, but some is better than none.
    Patricia

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    1. Great news, Patricia. You just have to keep walking, it's that easy.

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  14. Hi Ilona and fellow walkers and happy new year to all.I lost my walking notes at some point but I have done more than a thousand miles in 2020.Please count me in again Ilona and thank you for your blog.

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    1. Well done. Get a new notebook and start recording those miles for 2021. It's addictive to see them mount up.

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  15. Happy New Year! Today looks to be a pretty good walking day with sun and temperatures above freezing for the time in a while. My total for the year is 1,582 miles. January was my month with the fewest miles so I do hope this January is a little less icy. Snow, although I'm not a fan, is okay to walk on, but I avoid going out on icy days. Here's to more walking in 2021!

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  16. Happy New Year Have been away for a while but missed all my blogging friends. Have new lap top getting used to it then will be up and running again. icy in Cornwall so staying home plenty of eating and drinking still xxx

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  17. Happy New Year!! I walked 106 miles in December and a grand total of 1,145 for 2020. I didn't hit my target of 1200 miles for the year but at least I beat last year's total of 1,097 so am hopeful that 2021 is the year I hit my target. Got off to a good start with 4 miles today. Happy walking everyone xx

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    1. Hello Nick. You should be very proud of yourself. Well done.

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  18. Hi Ilona, would love to join this year. My target is 1610 kms (1000 miles). Happy New Year. Lisa

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    1. Welcome to the group. Check in on the first of every month with your miles/kms. Good luck.

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  19. Hi Ilona and happy new year !
    May I ask how do you steam the veg on the hob? What’s that pot you bought called and where I can get one ?
    Lana

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    1. I can't remember the name of it, but it's like an umbrella with holes. It's stainless steel and fits any pan. Need your own pan. Same as this one. Copy and paste into your address bar.
      https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/1004313649?iid=124480845426

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  20. Hi Ilona. Happy new year. Would love to join your walking group this year. I've walked 920 miles since April 2020 but hope to walk 1000 miles this year. Irene

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    1. You are in, Irene. Going by your past mileage, it will be a walk in the park.

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  21. I am up for giving the walking challenge for 2021 a good try. Just came back from the first walk of the year.

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    1. You are welcome to join us. off to a good start.

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  22. Happy New Year to everyone. Thanks as always Ilona for your great blog which, for me, is the first cab off the rank in blog reading :) It has definitely been a year of up and downs for everyone but I am starting off this year with a positive mindset. I know how much better I feel after getting into the swing of walking, both physically and mentally, so this year am aiming for 1200 (or more) miles but will be keeping count in kilometers instead. (1931 klms). I did 130 miles in December and ended up on 1236 miles so if I aim for 1200 or more miles this year, you never know I may just surpass it again. Cheers everyone, Joy Central Vic Australia

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  23. Happy New Year everyone! Here's to a much better 2021 for all. As I mentioned in the last check in, I ended up having surgery on Dec 11 and have about a 6 week recovery (half way there!). Still moving slowly and not very far. As a result I only managed 58 miles in December so I have missed my 1500 mile goal. :-( Total was 1483. Though it will be a slow start and my January numbers will be lower than usual, I will try again to hit the 1500 in 2021 - third time lucky I hope!

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    1. Fantastic miles. Take your time and heal first before you start again.

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    2. Thank you Ilona! I'm going to try. I miss my walks so much! I suppose it's better that it's been tipping down with rain much of the time, as if it had been bright and sunny I would miss them even more. ;-)

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  24. Your food photos look great, so appetizing and healthy!

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  25. My smoothies are usually yoghurt with fruit and a teaspoon of honey, I read somewhere that a teaspoon of honey each day helps your body hold its calcium. Your salad looks lovely and colourful. I began walking today, but only a half an hour, will gradually build up from that and eventually walk an hour twice a day then increase if I can. I'm not aiming for any specific mile number, just need to lose 40 pounds and feel better.

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    1. You might find that setting a target will give you added motivation to make time for a walk.

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  26. *Copied from an email*
    Good afternoon Ilona,
    Happy New year from the desert Southwest of the US. Thank you for your blog, your effort and organizing this walking group for another year ;)

    My final 2020 walking number is 448 miles. This was a low value due to tearing my meniscus in May, but I am happily up to 2 miles a day now, going to 3!
    Hilogene in Az

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    1. Thanks Hilogene. It's a shame how your injury set you back, but you were brave enough to carry on. Three miles a day is perfect, you can drop to two miles sometimes, to achieve the 84 miles a month. Best foot forward.

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  27. Good morning Ilona,
    It's so fun to see how everyone did with their walking in 2020. December was a very cold month so I didn't log as many miles as I'd hoped. I logged 1104 miles for 2020. It's funny how when I started walking it felt like I was doing well to go 2 miles; now if I don't get at least 5 miles I feel like I didn't get a good walk.
    I hope 2021 is filled with many joys for you.
    Kay

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    1. Thank you Kay. It gets easier to stick with it the longer you do it. I started with 2 miles a day, but extended the route because it wasn't enough.

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  28. Happy new year Ilona.

    I decided at the start of the last lockdown to walk more and eat a bit healthier. I actually thought of you as I walked, remembering you writing, just put one foot in front of the other and off you go.
    I'm certainly feeling better for it.

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    1. Well done. Now is the time to keep it up and build up your fitness levels. Best foot forward.

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  29. Hi Ilona,
    I am joining you with the walking group this year. Last year I started walking in may and in 8 months I walked 750 miles.

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    1. You will sail through it. Look forward to see your check in's at the beginning of each month.

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  30. Hi Ilona,
    I would like to join the Walking Group; my goal is the full 1,000 miles.
    Thank you! Happy New Year!

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    1. Good decision. Get started right now. No time to waste. good luck.

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  31. I wish I could join the walking challenge but a chronic rib inflammation keeps flaring up after the gentlest of strolls along the beach at the bottom of the garden. Regarding the 'unknown' comments I found Google reverting to another account that I set up to get on to Skype (didn't work) and when I posted comments they came up as 'unknown'. I think I've sorted that out but it might be the why there are 'unknown' commenters.

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  32. I'm starting again this year, I did give up last year, we had so many visitors down here it was impossible to find anywhere to go that wasn't crowded out and without a car I had no options to go further afield. I got depressed and gave up! Anyway have made a new start this month so will see how I get on. I did buy an exercise bike which I like so will also be using that on days when the weather is really wet etc.

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