If I showed you my list of goals for this year and my to-do for the year, you would not find anything about starting to walk or exercise on any of my lists. I love to walk in cities for miles and look up at the buildings, notice details, watch people, and have somewhere to go, but I have never enjoyed walking in my neighborhood. It is so boring to me. I live in a good neighborhood to walk in because the streets are relatively flat, there isn't a lot of traffic, and with no sidewalks, walking in the street is expected. (During the pandemic I've even seen people park on our street, get out of their cars, and go for a walk here. That's funny to me!)
I don't know what's come over me but, all of a sudden, I'm looking forward to walking every day! I've walked 3-4 miles for the last four days for the first time in my life, except when I'm traveling somewhere. Four days isn't that much but it's the start of something new for me!
I'm not sure what it was - maybe the prospect of being home every single day for the next few months or the fact that the sky is gray here day after day, and I can either let it make me miserable or get out and get some fresh air.
I think the number one thing that has made a difference for me is that it occurred to me that I could listen to podcasts while I'm walking with my earbuds and my phone and that might help pass the time. My husband and I have discovered that podcasts have made a huge difference in helping the time pass more quickly on our road trips to visit family. (I know I'm late to the podcast thing!) Since it passes the time on a trip, maybe it would help my walks pass more quickly and give me something to look forward to. A lot of podcasts are about an hour long, which is a good amount of time for a walk.
Yesterday, we went to a park in Buffalo to walk, but I told my husband I needed to listen to my podcast in order to be able to do it that's how much I really don't like to walk. I like somewhere quickly, as those who have traveled with me can attest, and walking just seems so slow. It's another reason I love riding a bike!
My husband agreed that I could listen and this time he even put one of my earbuds in his ear so he could listen to the podcast, too.
So what were we listening to? I'm listening to Your Own Backyard, the story of missing student Kristin Smart, who disappeared in 1995 from her college campus in California. The case has never been solved. I've learned from our road trips that I enjoy a podcast with a story and lots of details and some mystery.
On our road trips, we've listened to Serial, seasons 1 and 2; we've tried Crime Junkie but the girl's voice is too irritating to us; we listened to most of the Slowburn episodes about Watergate and Nixon; and have tried a couple others that we just couldn't get into.
I made a list of podcasts to try, so I've got them in my podcast library, ready to try when I need something new. I'm going to try Living Proof with Beth Moore, That Sounds Fun, The Bible Recap, The Bible Binge, Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast, Cold, Culpable, and The Catch and Kill. This is quite a diverse list, LOL, and I'm quickly able to tell if I want to continue to listen to something - so I'm not recommending any of these yet since I haven't listened myself, but these were the ones that sound interesting enough to try. You'll notice that there aren't any pop culture or scrapbooking podcasts listed. I really don't enjoy listening to people just talk about their thoughts - I like a story, I think. We'll see as time goes by and I'll let you know!
Do you have any podcasts to recommend? I appreciate any suggestions! Love, Debby xoxo
I also have discovered podcasts during this time and listen while I walk as well.
I have quite a list but if you like true crime I would recommend "Death of a Starlet", "Someone Knows Something" or "Doctor Death". Other great listens include "Dolly Parton's America" and "99% Invisible".
Enjoy!
Posted by: Jane Flynn | January 11, 2021 at 04:55 PM
I haven’t gotten on the podcast kick because I don’t like being read to. Some of your sound interesting. I need to find some good stuff and start walking or something. Great idea.
Posted by: Deb J | January 11, 2021 at 06:00 PM
Your neighborhood is always adorable (I’m just up the road in CC). My fav podcast right now is Happier by Gretchen Rubin. It’s a bit of a departure from what you’re listening to but I always find something worthwhile in every episode.
Posted by: Andie | January 14, 2021 at 04:57 PM