If you follow me on Instagram, you will know that I took my first morning walk back in Manchester since returning from sunny rainy California.
I didn’t really get much time to keep up with the blog while I was away. To be honest, I fancied a bit of a break anyway, so all was good. I hope you didn’t miss me too much!
Arriving back in Manchester
We arrived back in Manchester on Monday afternoon, took the train to the Wirral. This was because a) we were too cheap to take a taxi and b) because the cats and car were down there. Having left the rain clouds in San Francisco (actually, they were clearing to beautiful blue skies as we flew out) it was no surprise to arrive to rain in Manchester.
Anyone who has ever flown from Manchester knows that feeling of coming back to dark damp days! It is all par for the course living up North and it’s not that bad really coming home to some fresh weather.
The train ride
Completely oblivious to the terrible floods that were causing the delays, we waited for the 20 minutes until our train arrived to whisk us over to Liverpool. For some reason the city in the dark, damp weather still looked really welcoming and I couldn’t help but grab a quick snap despite my fingers freezing around my coffee cup.
I think there is something lovely about coming home after being away, don’t you?
Back in Manchester
After a swift visit to the Wirral to stay the night with my parents and prepare the cats for coming back to Manchester we were back home. I’m always surprised how quickly we all fit back into place when we get to our home (including the cats!) and it really does feel like the best way to start getting back into the swing of things.
Getting back into the swing of things
Never one to let things slide, we were straight back into having a fresh home cooked tea and this morning we were out like clockwork for our morning walk to town.
While I was away, I had time to read quite a few blog posts from my fellow bloggers and many of them have been commenting about how they are finding it hard to get outside now that it is cold and dark. It certainly made me wonder whether it would be harder than I thought to get back into things. Things like my early morning and evening walks mainly!
To be honest (not to brag or anything) I found it to be really easy this morning! I was excited to see how things had changed while we were away. To get back out there exploring and to say hello to the people who I regularly meet on their morning commute. The early morning was fine too as we had been in training by getting up bright and early while we were away.
Most people go away and have lie ins, we go to get up at 5:30 am, get exploring and make the most of the day! Seriously, far too many of my friends think that we’re both mad!
Usual wander
This morning we did our usual wander which meant that I got to say hello to all our walking ‘friends’ as well as pop by the Library to return my travel books.
Not so much change
I had expected there to be lots of change to the city while we had been away and very little had changed at all. The trees were a little more bare, the buildings were pretty much the same as when we left and there was a few more clouds in the sky. Other than that, the streets were friendly, the walk was fresh and enjoyable and it really did get me kick started for the day.
I didn’t take many photographs this morning because I was just enjoying being back and outside (the travel can be a long slog without real fresh air!) I grabbed some shots while waiting for the library to open. I would have loved to have stayed out longer, but I am back in Manchester now, which means back to work too. Boo! At least it includes writing about the great outdoors – can’t be all that bad! Plus, I get to write about my hikes and relive them through the pictures and memories.
Back in Manchester
Being back in Manchester means getting back into the swing of things – meaning all things work and life! I find that the best way to do it is to get a good routine in place so that you can slip right in and feel at home with it. I miss getting my morning and evening miles in, so keeping that up is essential to my well-being.
Sometimes getting outside in the winter is like getting back into the swing of things after a holiday. It kind of feels like a culture shock, like everything has changed and you need a right booting up the bum to get going. But it doesn’t have to be that way!
I find that getting that enthusiasm going is the key to getting out there. Looking for something new, remembering the feeling you get when you have been out and about (think windswept but refreshed) and giving yourself that initial nudge to do it. If you’re great at getting outside in the summer, but struggle in the winter, remember how hard it is to get back to that level again when you’ve had a lazy winter (that is one of my personal motivations! I used to hate hills with a passion if I spent the winter walking on the flat!)
Me getting back into the hills (pictured with a cow pat! lol) after winter in 2012
Some tips!
To get you going, I thought I would share with you a few tips to get you outside and keeping your routine going!
- Remember how hard it was getting into getting outside/exercising/going to the gym etc? Make sure you keep up the momentum that you have built so that you don’t have to go through the hard stuff again!
- Start small. If you’re finding it a bit hard to get out for the 5k run that you want to do, start a bit smaller. It can take a while to get used to the cold and darker nights, so give yourself a bit of warming up time – go for a fast walk instead or run for a shorter time. You’ll soon adjust and be ready to do more and more again.
- Get your gear sorted. One of the things that I think stops a lot of people from getting out and about is not having suitable clothing on for the weather. You don’t need to have specialist outdoor gear either, my tip is to layer up and make sure you have a windproof and waterproof outer layer. There’s nothing as horrible (or off-putting) than getting soaked through to your knickers. (I’ll share my kit with you soon or you can check out my tongue in cheek OOTD post here)
- Build up a routine. Choose when and where you will get your outside time and set yourself a reminder. It will help to build up a pattern and get you motivated to get outside more often and clocking up those morning and evening miles.
I have to say that although I had an amazing time in Mountain View and San Francisco, I am still glad to be back in Manchester. It is my home and a lovely place to be too. Familiar, yet full of surprises.
Now to go through my millions of photos!
Have a great humpday!
Are you finding it hard to get outside now that it’s cold and dark?
What could you do to give yourself a nudge to get outside more often?
Let me know in the comments below 🙂