How the Day Starts

We walk at a fairly brisk pace for about 30 to 40 minutes. We chat, we plan, we laugh, occasionally we vent, we let our minds clear. And somewhere in that half hour, quite naturally, a few good things happen at once: the day’s exercise is already done, our steps are climbing before the workday has even begun, and (this took us a while to notice) we’re simply happier for it. Every time. When we compare that to mornings that start in front of the TV, or straight into chores, or straight to a desk, the difference is easy to feel. (We do track this properly, watch and ring both, but that’s a story for another post.)

I’ve found that having a conversation alongside the walk adds something extra. Doing this with someone else, chatting as we go, seems to give your mind a workout too, not just your legs. If you’ve got a partner, a friend, or a small group who can join you, it’s well worth building the walk around that. And if it’s just you, a phone call with someone you love, a podcast, or simply the quiet can be just as valuable in its own way. Every so often, we’ll also change our route or wander somewhere new altogether. It keeps things feeling fresh, gives us new things to notice, and honestly makes the whole habit easier to stick with.

We don’t get this right every single morning. Sometimes it’s raining too hard, sometimes other plans get in the way, and sometimes we simply don’t feel like it. But we’ve found that showing up most days is more valuable than trying to be perfect.

Having the right gear has made a real difference here too: it’s hard to talk yourself into a walk if you know you’ll be cold or soaked through within ten minutes. Our waxed Barbour jackets have been completely dependable, whatever the weather throws at us. On the ground, Hoka Speedgoat trail shoes have been brilliant, and Bridgedale socks have never let us down. And more recently, for the properly cold mornings, we’ve discovered Montane, whose gloves and thermal leggings have been a genuine game-changer. None of this is essential to get started, but the right kit does take away one more excuse.

It wasn’t always this easy, though. When we first started, it took real discipline: it wasn’t yet a routine, and some mornings it was genuinely hard to get out the door. It was only once we began to feel the benefits, the better mood, the sense of having already achieved something, that it started to feel less like effort and more like something we simply did. These days we manage it around 350 days a year, and the habit has flipped entirely: rather than needing to talk ourselves into it, we notice it when we miss it.

More recently, I’ve added two practices to our walk. I take a photograph, partly as proof to myself that I’ve shown up, and partly to help me really notice the beauty around us rather than walk straight past it. And I switch on Merlin, the birdsong app, not for anyone else, but so I know I’m truly listening, present in the moment rather than just moving through it.

This year it rewarded us with hearing a goshawk and spotting birds we’d never seen before, opening my eyes to just how beautiful they are and how lucky we are. I share the photos on Instagram too, in the hope that seeing us keep showing up, day after day, might gently encourage someone else to do the same.

The black coffee is intentional too, not just habit. It’s a nice boost to start the day, and black coffee carries a small amount of soluble fibre of its own, which our gut microbes seem to quite enjoy. Just as important is what comes after it: a glass or two of water, to properly rehydrate after a night’s sleep, before we head out.

So by the time the “real” day begins, we’ve already walked the dogs, moved our bodies, done our chores, had our black coffee, and rehydrated properly. It’s a simple start. But it’s also, quite honestly, the most effective one we’ve found.