I had to think of something reasonable that I could do to stay healthy. I currently don't have any dumbbell equipment. So I thought about starting consistent walking while I save money to buy dumbbells for weight lifting again.
I'm not used to walking long distances but that doesn't mean I can't. It's all about habits, right? The first thing I had to believe was that I was strong enough to walk more.
I felt that my body was not fit if I didn't move because I usually did weight lifting routinely at my old house. I strengthened my determination and it felt like I was forcing myself to routinely walk further and further.
Setting Targets
I didn't set a heavy target, so that I wouldn't stop at the beginning when I was tired. So, I only set a target of 3 km.
I was also used to 3 km because it was a routine distance to go home and the market.
Then I increased the target again to 5 km. So today I am very excited. As for the back plan, I will take online transportation if I can't walk home. Especially if the day is getting hotter.
I started around 7 am from the front of my house. There are my water spinach plants, also a pandan plant that I just planted a few days ago using used drinking water gallons.
New Routes Give Surprises
I like sudden and unexpected things and to me it feels like a surprise from the universe. So I am really excited about the new routes that I will take today. Come on, see what I found.
The houses here are very neat even though they are not luxurious. The streets are also clean with no trash at all. Cleanliness is indeed the most important thing to make an area feel comfortable and I am very grateful that I can now live in the area around here even though I only rent a house.
I saw a house that had many plants just like what I did. The homeowner used used water gallons as plant pots.
There was something else that caught my attention. There were beautiful orchids! There is a fact, that actually my name in Indonesian means orchid flower. That is my pen name. I want my works to be beautiful and can grow easily even without soil. I love seeing orchids bloom!
Continuing to another area. The rice field area. It turned out to be quite a sunny day. I could see two mountains even though it was a little cloudy there. Sometimes I'm lucky to see the mountains, sometimes I don't at all. It does depend on the weather and that's life. It doesn't always go as we expect, right?
The rice plants looked like they were starting to turn yellow but they weren't yet in the harvest season. Rice fields with a beautiful mountain view!
I continued in another direction. Then I found a house with an interesting collection of bonsai! Some bonsai were neatly arranged on the fence of the house.
Look, there's also a cat relaxing sleeping near the beautiful bonsai. Could this cat be the guard of this house?
Then, I found another rice field near the house that had the bonsai collection. In the rice field area, I found a small animal. A snail that I usually find in the sea. I wonder how this little guy got here? Is he lost? Well, who knows?
After I found the snail, I also found a farm pen. The farm manager was feeding the livestock there when I passed by. So, I stopped by for a while to see the big cows!
Entering the small alleys, I found many people who like to keep poultry. I saw a pair of pigeons in the pen. I hope they are well taken care of by their owner. Stay healthy!
The road got steeper and I didn't even expect there to be a slope. Maybe because there was a small connecting bridge up ahead.
I took the pedestrian path so I did pass through small paths like this bridge that couldn't be passed by cars, only motorbikes could pass.
A small river that looked clean, flowing nicely which I think helped the local farmers to maintain the amount of water in the rice fields which was good for rice growth.
I Successfully Achieved My First 5km
Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! This is the first time I have successfully achieved my first 5km. It turned out to be not as difficult as I imagined! Although when I stopped, I felt my leg muscles shaking but it wasn't a big problem at all because my heart rate quickly stabilized again.
I also stopped at a small restaurant owned by a villager near the rice fields. I hadn't had breakfast and I usually have breakfast after exercising. So, this is the right time to have breakfast after exercise!
I walked for about an hour and a half for more than 5 km, and it turned out to be almost 6 km! I was proud that I could do it for the first time and of course I want to increase my target again tomorrow!
--
This small eatery also has orchids in bloom! It feels like a reward for me!
I drank ginger tea, with rice soup served with minced meat, sprouts, and salted egg. I hope it can restore my energy. In fact, I only paid $1 for my breakfast.
A great day for my first 5km. I can't wait to explore other walking trails, and of course beautiful surprises! See you around!
Best Regards,
Anggrek Lestari
Anggrek Lestari is an Indonesian fiction writer who has published two major books. Now She is a full-time content creator. She has a goal to share life, poem, and food content that makes others happy and can get inspiration.
Contact Person: authoranggreklestari@gmail.com
Discord: anggreklestari#3009