If you don't feel like running

I like getting fit and being active because it gives me a good amount of energy. As a mum it can be non stop, because if your child is like mine, has tones of energy. So it is important to me to be active and look after myself, but you don't need to run, there are many different forms of fitness workouts out there. 

For me I find walking is better for me than running because I can do it wearing a dress, jeans and different comfortable shoes; I may eventually get back to running but not gonna rush it now and focus on strengthening my legs. I have put Parkrun a side for a bit, because I like watching my son do his football training and was feeling very self conscious and like walking through commons and parks, but in my own pace and not feeling pressurised. 

Many gyms offer classes but you can also search on YouTube and then there are workout DVD's one of the methods I used to get me started, aswell as going to the gym. 

I began to get serious about it and even kept up being active when pregnant but had to stop running because it caused me to be sick, so I did workouts suitable for pregnancy. Check out this video I have done for my Life Coaching programme, Summer Project 2025: Summer Project 2025: First video Habits I have applied in 2025

It is good to be active and I build up my steps doing weekly errands, like if I need to pick up something from a shop, such as food or toiletries and walking from the train stations to my home, picking my son up from school, when he does his afterschool club or taking my son out on his bike or scooter. 

I work it around my lifestyle and walking up and down stairs. Walking along the river to the shops and trying difference routes to where I live and just letting my legs stride and enjoy what is around me. 

You'd be surprised how many people train outside. Doing a class or with a personal trainer.

I'd like to workout in my garden so will consider this once the shed is sorted out as then I want to do this up to be my shed for crafting and clean table as I can write out there too. Where I live with my mum and step dad we use the playground and we play football and rugby.

Or indoors cricket and tennis. I do plan to book a tennis court in one of the parks local to play tennis and great way to be active and building your fitness. 

So if you don't want to run, then don't, so what suits you.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X 

Staying Act All Year Round

I love being active. My love is walking and try to do a bit each day. Yes there are challenges and obstacles but I now always find a way to move my body and I have development some new training. It is mixed with Pilates and Yoga and doing dumbells and not rush but listening and getting Intune with my body.

Wimbledon Common on the places I do Parkrun

I don't do it everyday because I know it will become a chore, but twice a week and stretching is a must for after walking a lot and stops my legs and arms getting stiff. I do Parkrun and it is good but I have had an issue with getting a very dry mouth and throat, so doing all I can to prevent that and perhaps an orange for breakfast to help with hydration. 

It can also be how you feel seasonally. I find that I have more energy come Spring and Summer time, but many like the Autumn and Winter and like the crispy coldness and are able to, adjust well with the time changes and the darker mornings and evenings. I find I do get a bit of SAD. I do still stay active by going out during the warmer time of the day and indoors. 

I like walking through the local common during winter all wrapped up and having a nice large coffee and change my meals because in Autumn and Winter, affects my appetite. I find I eat more during the Autumn and Winter. This is not just because of Christmas but because I just tend to be a lot more hungrier, but still try to eat healthily like making Casseroles, soups and stews. 

In the Spring and Summer I try not to stay in the heat for too long and I do suffer also with Hayfever. So far it hasn't been too bad but this year I have been sick. I had a nasty cough and was bunged up and so illnesses can stop me in my tracks and affect me in being active. 

If you are ill then and you exercise it can be counterproductive and so it is good to rest the body until it is back to normal or it the illness is fading away. 

My son has a lot energy all year round and so no matter what the season likes playing some sort of sport, mainly football and rugby. In the summer we often go swimming in one of the local leisure centers near us and indoors too. 

At the end of the day. you've got to suit it to you and what will benefit for your body, along with your mind and on the season, if you find some of the year you just find it a fight rather than something that is natural to you. Some people can easily get active no matter what time of year it is and others you find example I take a break during winter until it becomes warmer.

Just to let you let you know I am going to be doing Race For Life near the Epsom Downs on the 22nd Of June. I am raising money for Cancer Research and so if you'd like to donate towards this cause then please check out my JustGiving page: https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/carries-sponsorship-for-race-for-life

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X 

  

When The Sunshine Makes a Difference

Have you had a good week? It is good that we have had sunshine, it can make you feel so good. I popped out and will be good when we don't have to wear a coat. Going to pick up my son from school on Thursday gone, I was boiling as in the shade in the morning I was cold. 

On the Train Travelling back from Guildford after seeing my niece in a show

Sometimes I think it is just luck that we have no rainy days and have sunshine and so it is get out and make the most of it. 

It is good to have the evenings lighter for longer. It helps with energy and that you have more time.

I did parkrun and then saw my niece in a show and ate out. We had pizza and it was nice but very filling and they didn't put out wine glasses which was strange. Its a bit like McDonalds putting chips in your hands rather then in a box, to put them in. 

I find as it gets warmer my habits change. When is the summer I love a pasta salad with some chicken, ham or a Pork Pie Salad. 

I am looking forward to wearing shorts or a dress without tights. It is good to not a drink tea a lot and have a cold coffee or a juice drink instead and I love a pub lunch. 

Playing out in the garden or working in the garden to read in the park and going for long walks gives me so much joy. I am lucky to have many parks I can go to and coffee shops. I like to check out the charity shops and yesterday, Sunday my husband took our son to get his haircut.

It is good to have a bit of a change and do different things going by the seasons and the joys that come with them. 

Spring is fresh food season, Autumn is comfort food like soups, sausage and mash and Winter, Stews and casseroles and summer, a lovely BBQ and eating out and visiting and going to many different places. 

I hope to travel by UberBoat again and visit North Greenwich. You can ride on these from Putney to North Greenwich and use your Oyster card. 

With done this two years on the trot and enjoyed it so much. My mum and Tot took my son on the Emirates Cable cars, there is a virtue rollercoaster ride, bars, shops and restaurants. 

It was so funny last year coming back by UberBoat to Putney, there were football supporters who thought there was a bar on the boat. Some of the UberBoat's do but this one didn't and was taking the mickey out of one of them and then we had a meal in Putney coming back and it was so much fun.

I will try to post through the week on my daily blog: My Daily Thoughts and feelings. On Tuesdays now, I like to go out and my son is at his holiday club, i will taking a trip. Not so sure where but just explore. 

Please follow if you like these blogs and you will be notified when I post. I write about various topics.

You can find more content on my Pinterest and you can follow me on there too. My Youtube videos will be on their too.

Many thanks for reading, 

Carrie X 

What I love About Going Out

It all depends on the weather, if I need to get anything, what route to take. I love to walk and felt good in completing the Parkrun, walking 5KM, last week for the second one, as I have been continuing but walking the first lap and then finishing. It was a hard but its not going to be unless I challenge myself. 

Rosebery Park Epsom. One of the places I like to walk 

I remember doing my first run outdoors along the south coast and felt like my heart was going to full out of my chest, 

What I love is the quietness. There are some wooded routes in Epsom and in Wimbledon. 

Getting away from the busyness of traffic and listening to the birds and love walking passed a pond.

When walking to my sons school there are stables and so see horses and there are some little shops on route too. 

You can see the trains going passed. 

Getting the train can be good too, but not all the time as you not able to use Oyster card if you travel outside London, depending how far you want to travel and so can be expensive so if it is once a week fine, but not everyday. 

The joy of walking is that it costs you nothing. 

Taking trips into London I do like the bus and listening to music. It can be a lot better than the train and can be cheaper. To walk I will get off before my actual stop and after doing the parkrun, to remember to cool down as doing long walks and then sitting down you can become stiff. When my mum worked in London would travel to Vauxhall and walk part of the way and love walking by the river and seeing the sights in London. 

I am Londoner. I lived in London as a child and I still get a buzz when I see big ben and Westminster Abbey, the London Eye and St Paul's Cathedral. 

Going out for the evening I would walk part of the way and see London buzzing with those who work in London, going for a drink and at one time I was one of them. It can be expensive doing this every week and I would take it for granted money and remember I still got to get home. 

I like going to sporting events. My son loves his sport and is such good fun. It can be such a great day after a working week to do things at the weekends, that you didn't do in the week and again not all of the time as I would each week go and watch the London Broncos. I would walk then when I lived in East Sheen to Twickenham, where they played at one time and moved. 

When we visited friends in the Southcoast, in Bognor Regis, staying in a caravan park or hotel and walk. 

I remember working in Butlins and lived in Bognor Regis for a while, would walk along by the sea and have a drink in one of the pubs along the coast. 

Last year we went to Eastbourne for the day and it was so nice. 

There are many places to go and see and have fun. When my in-laws were alive, my husband's mum and dad, would walk to the Quay in Southampton and see the cruise ships. 

We even went on a cruise from there. It was a Iberia Cruise and was around the time when Prince William and Princess Kate got married. 

It was nice to meet other passengers and would share a table but we preferred the buffet type of restaurant and the food was nice. It is good to let your hair down and be somewhere different. I like visiting new places and planning to visit the English Coast this year again and have a caravan holiday.

So what do you love about Going out? Please share by using the comment box below. 

Have a good Easter Holiday and more blogs coming soon and you can subscribe. There is no cost and so, if you'd like to be notified of when I post on this site then if you subscribe you will. 

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X 

 

Let Your Legs do the talking

Normally on a Wednesday I usually walk to my sons school but his dad finished early so he drove and to pick him up instead. So to walk I used the treadmill and just let me feet walk. When walking I don't think about it and don't wear ear phones because of crossing roads but I do when I am on the treadmill. I will often listen to a podcast, a video on Youtube or listen to music and just adjust the speed as I walk and hide the time and say I only do 10 minutes but ended up doing 20. 

Steps count from last Saturday doing Parkrun. 

https://www.parkrun.org.uk/

When it comes to working out with my dumbells I slowly lift and again vision what I am going to do but pick my weights and start and not rush and but take each movement in, listening to my body. I like being active and walk everyday. So going to do another walk on the treadmill to prepare for when I do Parkrun Thursday and Friday.

I do this now on Saturday mornings. It is challenging but I really enjoy it. 

I look forward to it when weather gets warmer. It is good because last week I chatted to one of the Volunteer workers who helps guide us as we do the parkrun and you can run, but to build up the strength in my legs to eventually run I am going to walk it and enjoy it. 

I like to have a coffee as a walk and just enjoy what is around me. I try to walk 6,000 steps a day when I walk outside and there are some really good apps you can use for counting your steps. I use the APP that was already on my phone called Fitness and it measures it by rings and you can set targets. I set it to work off 110 calories a day and the other is StepsApp and that is the one I use to set 6,000 steps for the day and then gives you an overall count at the end of each week. 

There are walking workouts you can do. I have a few workout DVD's that I bought a long time ago that are really good. I just need to buy a new DVD player to use them, but there are some on Youtube too. 

So just allow your feet to do the work and go at your own pace. Make each step count and remember to do some stretching and cool down.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Working out in the Autumn and Winter

Yes it has turned cold now since for a while it has been mild and its like someone has pressed a switch. 

If it is possible workout later than usual or if you go out early morning when it is dark and icy or late at night you are wear visual clothing and wrap up still. 

Ashtead one place I love walking and route I take each week

Invest in good footwear if it is icy and you can get blades for trainers if you do running and I have hiking boots and a good pair of everyday training and have a different pair for walking on the treadmill. 

Use Youtube as there are a lot of workouts on there and it is free. 

I invest in good woolly clothes like jumpers, fleeced leggins and tights and thick socks. Check out hiking shops and charity shops as they have pairs and a good investment and I have invested in a pair of wellington boots. 

Investing good comfortable clothing doesn't mean blowing your budget, but on what will suit you and if they suit your needs and how much you want to get out of them. Check out my blog site: https://www.carriesversatilefashion.com  I go to Charity shops, hiking shops and Amazon. There was a time where I would use Sports Direct but they seemed to quite expensive and not much choice. 

Make sure you eat and drink, as when I went out in the morning would struggle to run and need food so would eat, like toast, porridge or cereal bar. Check sugar content. I found it hard to do any workout on an empty stomach and feeling thirsty, so would have a small cup of tea or some water, but not too much to avoid a stitch. 

I would try not to drink too much because being cold it always makes me needing the toilet more which would affect me running or walking so make sure I went to the toilet and can encourage you so if you are doing long distant, find out if there toilets anywhere and pre-planning can help and make you take your belongings like keys, phone and a bit of money. 

Yesterday when I did my walk to pick up my son from school as he has a after school club was cold but helped boost me on and it had warmed up, but by the time we were picked up to go back was cold again and that first strides battling with my walk and sit down, but carried on and the cold often be a good boost to warm your body up and so that inner critic still voices but have learned from continuing to walk or run, to ignore and push on. 

Keep yourself safe and lets encourage each other and still workout when it is cold and make sure you stay, if you can in a lit up area.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X  

Walking With my son even when its not always blissful

I love my son to bits and today we went for a walk because he wouldn't leave his dad alone, who was doing his training with his weights and I was a bit doubtful in case getting him home is tough like on Friday when my son kicked off because we didn't go the way he wanted. 

In playground near home we use and from when I walk around it whilst my son rode on his bike

We often go on walks and it not always bad and going to be doing a new Walking event called the Winter Walk, in London in January and so glad to be back doing fundraising events. It has been a long time.

It is so good to get out in the fresh air and if its just spitting or grizzly we still go out and walk. We live where there are a lot of places to walk and often Henry has gone on his Scooter whilst I walk and built up my speed to keep up. 

My dad was always walking as he would work up into the center of London and so I feel it is in my blood and I just find it so good to do. I plan my walks and I do some on a treadmill to help strengthen my legs and once I get to a good pace where I still feel comfortable and can still walk, it helps me to walk longer distances and would like me and my son to do a charity walk together but work on short walks to do before doing longer ones. 

He, my son has wanted to walk from London Waterloo to Epsom, because he loves trains and wants to pass the stations, but I am not sure if he knows how far it is but don't want say no because I want him to be active and continue to do walks together and so we have been building up to do that. He has said anything since last week, but if he wants to give it a try then we will. I just hope it won't take a year. He likes to pretend he is a train whilst walking and we have got lost or not sure of the way to be able to do that, so will take some planning but as said, if he wants to do long distant walks like that then I not going to destroy his enthusiasm. 

The weekends is usually when we walk and it is good to break up the day. Sundays' are off because my son goes to rugby and a football club, along with me who does a radio show on Epsom Hospital Radio 4 to 6pm and so we walk on Saturdays and when we were using the playground near where I live in Wimbledon I walk around, whilst my son rode his bike. 

So if you want to spend time outdoors and your kids are driving you mad indoors, walking can be just what you need.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X