Christine Palmer - Walking Back to Happiness

Walking Back to Happiness

Published in Great Britain in 2012, by:

Eye Books

29 Barrow Street

Much Wenlock

Shropshire

TF13 6EN

www. eye-books.com

Copyright Christine Palmer 2012

Cover design by Lisa Lloyd

Text design by Helen Steer

The moral right of the Author to be identified as the author of the work has been asserted.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-903070-69-7

To my daughter

Health Warning: This is not the ideal book for experienced walkers who might have already reached Everests base camp, nor is it for the experienced slimmers who know their way around a good detox. Its not a creepy guide to wellbeing. Dont you just hate that word?

What it is, I hope, is a kind of modern Canterbury Tales. Am I the Wife of Bath? Im afraid not. I can only boast of having had two husbands, not five, but I can empathise with the Wife of Baths philosophy. When the going gets tough (or in my case, tough and I start to lose sight of my toes) taking to the road is no bad solution. I put on my boots (my Nike trainers finally fell to bits) and away I go. Often its just a short stretch wandering through towns and suburbs, or London, my favourite venue, where I can punctuate my walking day by diving into the distinguished Food Halls of Harvey Nichols or Selfridges and eat unlikely but delicious items, such as steaming hot mushy peas.

I fell into my modern day pilgrimage by accident, taking one of the old medieval routes from St Jean Pied de Port in France to Santiago de Compostela in Northern Spain in search of a slimmer, fitter body, a bit of mind therapy and a great tan. Surprisingly enough, despite being knackered a lot of the 790 kms, I did emerge five weeks later, two stone lighter, bright eyed and bushy tailed, more content and with a great tan. I must confess, however, that the contentment was partly due to the fact I could fit into my bikini and a silk Bellino top, both of which had been hiding for ten years in the bottom of my knicker drawer in anticipation of a second coming.

My approach to most things is somewhat eclectic, so I decided to divide the book into four parts, with only Le Chemin having the discipline of a narrative.

The other parts are served up throughout for the reader to dip into at leisure.

I chose French titles for each section for two reasons. Firstly, I now live in France and struggle daily with the language. Im not really complaining about this, as whilst 1 find it hard, its also pleasurable. Secondly, and this possibly tied up with the hard and the pleasurable, its a delightfully sexy language. Think Rive Gauche, pain au chocolat, Grard Depardieu. Well, perhaps thats taking it too far, but Im confident you know what 1 mean.

Le Rgime ~ The Diet

I do think the French expression for a diet, Le Rgime, is great. It conjures up that feeling of discipline and commitment, and I have to admit that losing weight and regaining affection for my body was initially one of my biggest incentives to walk. However, I accepted that like most rgimes, when the reality kicked in there would be danger it would disintegrate.

I eat very little whilst I am walking, which always causes comment if I join up with hikers, but Im out there to seriously lose weight so my pit stops involve small amounts of food, not pints of beer and a ploughmans lunch. I find my meal breaks are often best taken on their own. What I do enjoy is a bucket full of sensible goodies at the end of the day, which will put me out for a good nights sleep. I often carry a treat, but only ever one. If I carry two, Ill eat two. If you are a little short on the self-control front as I am at times, tailor your diet around it.

I decided for my regime to eat just the following:

Fish, fruit - fresh and dried (including avocado pears), nuts, vegetables and salads, rice (including rice cakes), yoghurt, tea.

Forbidden:

Coffee, wine, eggs, cheese, meat, bread, biscuits, pasta, desserts and chocolate.

Le Plaisir ~ Hedonistic Pleasures

I am a great believer in treats. Its the unashamedly hedonistic side of my character, constantly leaching through my working class origins. Thirty odd years since I left home, with plenty of luxury experiences tucked under my belt, I still, thank God, take delight when I go out for a special meal or spend a carefree afternoon choosing a totally unnecessary bottle of perfume or visiting a city Ive never previously visited. I dont sign up to the because Im worth it philosophy as Im not actually sure I am worth it, just very lucky that I was born in a time and place that was on the way up rather than down.

In the mid eighties, my first husband and I owned a very flash Lotus Elite sports car. It was the only one in our town and the envy of anyone who was interested in cars. The downside to it was that we couldnt afford it. I mean really couldnt afford it. The trick was to go and fill up my drop dead expensive Lotus at a garage and at the same time casually select small food items which would help me see the week out. I would pay by cheque, and then hold my nerve whilst the cheque ricocheted around until it was finally honoured by the long-suffering bank.

When I eventually escaped and bought myself a bright yellow 2CV, which I could afford, I was in heaven. Sadly, I cant really enjoy a treat unless I know I can afford it and have earned it. Other people proffering treats is, of course, an entirely different matter. Bring it on! Vous tes trs gentil is my immediate response. Le Plaisir is based on how, whilst walking, I spent time thinking and reflecting on some of the pleasures of life.

La Vie ~ Personal Tales

Walking can be boring. One foot in front of the other for endless miles can verge on the mind-numbingly boring. However, after walking for a few days, I discovered how to combat these unhelpful thoughts. My solution was to encourage my mind to run wild. It sounds simple, but it does need a bit of practice. First you have to grasp the fact that you have all the time in the world to cogitate. I was a bit unsure about the word cogitate but it is perfect; it means to think deeply, to ponder. Suddenly the world became rich in things I hadnt had time to cogitate on for a while.