Around 1.5 million people in the UK suffer from asthma and need to be a bit more careful in this the cold weather – I definitely feel it as soon as I go outside. It’s my first winter with asthma so I have been looking for tips about how to be more careful while out walking in the frost and the snow and these seem to be working for me:

• Cold air can exacerbate your asthma, so cover your face with a good scarf as this will help to warm up the air before you breathe it in
• In really cold conditions, prescribed inhalers may not work properly. They should be warmed (eg, in the hands) before use.
• If you know that cold air triggers your asthma, take a couple of puffs of your reliever inhaler before going outside and keep it with you at all times
• Keep taking your regular preventer medicines as prescribed by your doctor
• Take extra special care when exercising in cold weather. Warm up for 10–15 minutes first.
• If you are going out and about with others, make sure they know you have asthma should  you become short of breath.

So much for walking in the fantastically beautiful snow we’ve had around here – both me and my husband have come down with Swine flu so it’s been soup, lemsip and bed for us for the last week. Hope I’m better soon as I’m itching to get out on the hills even though there won’t be a scrap of snow left by the time I do

I apologise for the negative tone of the post (it’ll get balanced out by the next one I promise) but no matter how hard I try, there are some things I will ALWAYS hate about walking…..

The very early morning walk

I love my sleep, I really do and as a natural night owl I’ll often work through to 2 or 3 in the morning. Unfortunately, if I’m busy the next day that means an early morning walk and I will never, ever get used to these as long as  live. Don’t get me wrong, once I’m out the door I’m fine but the 15 mins before doing that are absolute torture. I now make sure that I have all my walking ‘kit’ ready in the bedroom so I don’t have to find time scrabbling around for my trainers or iPod at 6am which does make thing a little easier. The main thing is I just make myself do it – no excuses anymore. It works but I don’t like it.

The evening walk

If I miss my morning walk then I need to fit it in during the day and as I prefer walking in the dark (in the winter at least) then the ideal time is roughly at 6pm. Again, I have no problem once I’m out the door but 6pm usually comes right about the time I either pick up my husband from the station/start making supper/am in the middle of a complicated project/am just home from a long day at work myself. It’s usually freezing outside, the house is cozy, the cat is on my lap and and I just want to flop down on the settee in front of a rubbish programme.  Again, I give myself absolutely no choice but boy do I bitch for the first 20 minutes.

Rain - Don’t like it

Cyclists on the path – especially when they are behind me and I have my headphones in

The way my lower back aches if I walk over an hour and a half

Trying to balance drinking enough without wanting to pee every 10 minutes

Wanting to pee every 10 minutes

Dogs – I love ‘em but for God’s sake owners, don’t let them out and about on their own especially when they bark their bloody heads off at every little thing and look like they are about to eat your leg off.

Buses that don’t turn up

I like having somewhere to work to, it gives the walk a point and gives me a sense of purpose. I try and time my walks so that I’m at the bus stop after about 7.5 miles. If however, the bus fails to turn up, I have to walk 3 miles to the next town to get a different bus or walk 3.5 miles back to my town to get the local bus home. OK, so it’s extra mileage which is a good thing but it does my temper no good at all.

Just how long it takes to walk 7.5 miles

Oh, how I love the winter! I really love everything about it from the dark mornings and early nights to filling up on wonderful stews and bangers and mash. Walking in the spring and summer is OK I guess but nothing, NOTHING fills me with such joy as getting out on the hills on a freezing cold and misty day knowing I have a big flask of cocoa and a weighty flapjack to keep me going until the light starts to fade. I’ll be posting a lot more now my favourite seasons are here just so I get to use the words ‘snow’, ‘frost’ and ‘bitterly cold’ as often as I can