Róisín Ingle: I walk most days without leaving the house. Who cares if I look stupid?

Years ago, when I was in training to walk the Dublin Marathon, I fell in with an older crowd of women who regularly went on long walks around Clontarf. Even on my most lethargic days, knowing I had an appointment with them on the prom got me out of my house and on to the seafront, where we walked for miles, talking about films we’d seen and books we’d read and sometimes, the best days, life problems we were having. The experience taught me that I do better with exercise when I have someone older and wiser egging me on.

I would never have turned up to walk the marathon, setting off with the women several hours before the marathon officially started, if Breda and her friends hadn’t been waiting for me at the starting line. There was also the carrot my sister had dangled of a trip to New York if I managed to train for months to prepare and complete the course. I focused hard on my favourite building in Manhattan, the Flatiron, when I thought I was definitely going to expire outside the Merrion shopping centre not far from the finish.

I think runner's high is a swizz because I have no personal experience of such a thing

I know it’s very uncool to admit this, but I hate exercise and moving my body. I don’t believe in the power of endorphins. I think runner’s high is a swizz because I have no personal experience of such a thing. I never “feel better” afterwards. Because of this I need a lot of incentive. I need to have an arrangement with a group of older women I don’t want to let down, or the reward of a big trip to a place I love. The promise of fresh air and me-time is not the kind of motivation that gets me off the couch and into my runners.

A good idea

Lately, I’ve been walking with a jaunty American woman in her early sixties. Leslie is sprightly, with dark hair and an encouraging tone. She is an older, wiser woman egging me on. I’ll go walking with her most mornings, usually completing a mile in 15 minutes. Leslie is mad about walking. Like, obsessed. While we walk, sometimes at a fast trot, other times at a leisurely pace, she tells me about how great it is and how it’s the magical elixir that can improve mental, physical and emotional health. I’m still not convinced about that but turning 50 last October did get me thinking about how I might like to enjoy continued good health for the next part of my life. And even this exercise-sceptic had to admit moving my body more regularly would be a good idea.

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At first, I'd go outside to "get my steps in". But then I noticed I was feeling an aversion to outside

Walking with Leslie has also become my favourite form of exercise because it means I don’t have to leave my house, or even my bedroom, to take part. Leslie, though it’s slightly embarrassing to admit, is not a real-life acquaintance. She’s actually a very nice woman I discovered on YouTube who provides short walking videos on the internet. I discovered her when I began trying to increase the number of steps I took during the day.

At first, I’d go outside to “get my steps in”. But then I noticed I was feeling an aversion to outside. Even with a gripping podcast in my ear, I didn’t like walking somewhere with no purpose, getting farther away from my house only to then turn around and have to come back. Being lazy, I also didn’t like the effort associated with getting ready to go outside. The palaver of wondering how many layers I’d need to wear and thinking about my route was not good for me, motivationally speaking. Before discovering Leslie, I had started walking up and down my kitchen while waiting for the kettle to boil and realised I could get a lot of “steps in” without actually leaving my home. If I looked stupid doing it, who cared? Nobody could see me anyway, and my fellow housemates were sweetly encouraging of my endeavours, sometimes joining me in my little walks around the house.

Cast of walkers

I was googling “do people go for walks at home?”, to find out if I was the only one, when I came across Leslie, and now I walk with her most days. She does her walking session in a large, bright room somewhere in the US with people she calls her “cast of walkers”. They are men and women of all ages, shapes and sizes. I put my laptop on a tall cabinet in my bedroom or wherever I fancy walking that day. Leslie, aware of her global reach, wishes us – her fellow walkers – a “good morning or afternoon or evening” and says “whatever time you are walking is the right time”.

I love working from home. And now I am mad about walking from home

Leslie cleverly adds in kicks and sidesteps and knee lifts so the walking on the spot doesn’t get boring. There is a clock on the screen counting down the time of each session, which is also handy. I am aware, writing it down, that this sounds like an activity that might happen in a retirement home, but I don’t care. I love that all around the world, Leslie has got people into walking who, like me, for whatever reason, don’t want to only exercise outside. Her fans include older people, people recovering from surgery, pregnant women and, I’m fairly sure, lazy types like me who want the convenience of walking at home while not being observed by the outside world.

As I’ve written several times during the last nearly two years, I love working from home. And now I am mad about walking from home. I was internet stalking Leslie recently and discovered her birthday fell on Valentine’s Day. Happy belated birthday, Leslie. Thank you for walking with us.

[ roisin@irishtimes.com ]