I am , again, participating in the Indie Challenge hosted by Bootsnall. Just like last year, I’d be posting an article a day, based on the question / challenge of that day.

>>you can join the challenge by clicking here

Nov 27
Mental & Spiritual Growth as much as Physical Adventure

QUESTION:
How does getting out and exploring a new place better you physically, mentally, and spiritually?
CHALLENGE: Go do something outdoors that you haven’t done before. Whether it’s hiking a new trail, riding a bike for the first time, or reaching the top of a hill – get into nature and experience something new.
Where did you go and what did you do? Do you feel like you’ve grown mentally, spiritually, or physically? Do you feel like you accomplished something? How can having a physical adventure on your RTW trip help you grow as a person?

I love to keep challenging myself to reach new steps “bests”. I’ve been keeping track of kilometers before (my old pedometer was unreliable, at best) but ever since I got my first FitBit (June 2014) I’ve been pushing for more and more steps.

My first great achievement came back in my Uni years. I used to go hiking almost every weekend. So one Saturday I did the “wine trail”, together with a group of colleagues. About 22 km in one day.

Since I got my FitBit, I’ve pushed beyond the 35,000 steps a day mark (achieved that at home, hiking in the woods in July 2015). That’s close to 27 km.

First major hike while traveling with my FitBit was in September 2014, in Italy. I was crazy enough to do Herculaneum and Pompeii on a single day. 33,170 steps on that day.

I am not a “spiritual” (or religious) person so I stick to the physical part of these hikes. Plus, we all know that long hikes have a tendency to allow us to clear our minds, see things in a different perspective and relieve stress.

By the time this article will be published, it would be a Friday, aka work day, in November (almost winter). So even if I wanted to, a hike / long walk would need to wait until Sunday (as I’m on duty on Saturday as well). By the way , for the past two Saturdays (Nov 7 and 14) I’ve been trying to go on a hike in the woods. On Nov 7 we woke up to a thick fog and on Nov 14 to a moody , windy day. There went my plans! I typically hike in the woods during spring or summer.