The days may be growing shorter and darker, but it’s still warm enough to walk outside without layers of thick wool and gloves. We’ll be enjoying as many daylight hours as we can, but as the outside does begin to cool we’ll be looking forward to cosy evenings curled up with hot drinks, a good book and maybe a project or two.Â
1 Million StepsÂ
Over the summer of UK’s first Lockdown, Kitty and Lyndsey decided to take on a walking challenge like no other.Â
What is the 1 million step challenge?
Kitty: The 1 million step challenge was something that I saw on Instagram, which was to complete 1 million steps in 3 months. The advert recommended walking 10,000 steps per day to fulfil this challenge but when we broke it down; it wasn’t the case. I asked Lyndsey two days before the official challenge start date; I wasn’t sure what I was expecting as an answer so when she said yes - I was shitting myself slightly because it had just dawned on me that we would be taking this huge challenge.Â
Lyndsey: I’d barely left the house during lockdown so Kitty’s proposal was a welcome but terrifying prospect! When lockdown hit I was in the last few months of my degree and felt guilty if I went for long walks when the time could be devoted to assignments and my dissertation. I used to regularly hit 12,000 steps a day, but after months of barely any activity the 1,000,000 goal seemed more than a little daunting!
Why did we do it?
L: I think we were both feeling the lethargy of being at home all the time for work and not having our usual motivations for going outside each day. Having a goal gave each outing a purpose.
How did you find it?
L: Mixed. Some days were harder than others, especially if it was raining or really cloudy. But I always felt better the days I went out for a walk, my mental health improved significantly and I felt the most comfortable in my body.
K: Agreed! There were days that were more difficult to get back into the swing of things like when you had taken a day or two off because of life or that your legs hadn’t recovered. But there were others where my route took me to places I had never been before or hadn’t been to in such a long time.
Did you meet the challenge?
L: Amazingly! There were times I thought there was no way to achieve it, especially as I had a tattoo session scheduled in the final month. But even with the reduced activity for those two weeks of healing each little excursion soon mounted up.
K: Crushed it! But I had a really rocky start to the challenge, and I was really surprised to have finished it at all. After almost a week of intensive walking, I gained perhaps the biggest blister I had had in a very long time and it was on the fleshy part of my big toe. Walking was such a pain and just waiting for it to heal was very frustrating.
How many steps did you do?
L: 1,052,144 stepsÂ
K: 1,116,961 steps
Any advice to give to others who might want to try this out?
L: Having an aim for each walking session really helped to keep me motivated, things like ‘today I’ll walk to London Bridge and see the river’ or ‘I want to get to some greenery!’. Also take plenty of water and spare plasters, even shoes you’ve worn regularly can bite in new ways once you start walking longer distances. Â
K: Having a plan or a route was most important to me. At the beginning I was wandering aimlessly, and this made it really hard to make those daily steps. This challenge is a bit like running, you wouldn’t start with a 10k run, you would do a bit of walking first to get your bearings and to build up your stamina. Take your time to enjoy your walk and you never know what you may end up seeing on your journey. Â
We undertook the challenge for the benefit of our own mental health and wellbeing. We’d recommend checking out the work of Mind, OCDUK and Rethink Mental Illness as some examples of how improved mental health can be supported in the community.
What’s Cooking
Whether it’s to warm up your cockles with a punchy whisky or heat up your belly with a fiery drink, we have you covered this month.Â
Lyndsey: The crisper evenings and leaf mulch scattered across the pavements has turned my thoughts to Winter comforts. Usually at this time of year I’d be thinking about Christmas markets or pre-Christmas drinks with friends. With uncertainty over what may or may not come to pass in the coming weeks, I wondered how some of those moments could be recreated at home.
One of the staples of these events has always been a mulled beverage. Cups of glühwein cradled in gloved hands by the wooden shacks along the Southbank, or glasses of mulled wine or cider ladled from a repurposed soup urn. One thing I hadn’t tried before though was mulled ginger beer.
During the first lockdown my husband decided to have a go at brewing his own ginger beer. After some experimentation with the ratios of ginger to sugar and water, as well as the yeast, we now have a fairly regular supply of ginger beer in the fridge. Being home brewed there is a low level of alcohol in the drink, but I think this mulling recipe would work well with non-alcoholic options as well.Â
We opted for using spices instead of a mulling syrup using:
½ litre of ginger beer
thick slice of lemon
2 small sticks of cinnamon
1 star anise
2 cloves
2 spoons of dark brown sugar
This was enough for two large mugs. We added all the ingredients to a saucepan and heated through on the hob until the mixture was bubbling but not boiling. The spiciness of the ginger was quite potent while it was warming up, so I’d advise against breathing too deeply directly over the saucepan! For an extra treat we added a shot of rum to each cup, before ladling the mulled ginger beer on top. The result was a very warming drink with a hint of sweet spice.
The ingredients can all be varied according to taste, though I would always be cautious about the amount of star anise and cloves as they can be very potent even in small quantities! I think this a perfect winter warmer, one that I can see becoming a welcome staple in the run up to Christmas.
Get Crafty
A sneaky peek of the draft pieces that we’ve been working on this month, something a little different from our usual attire!
Off the Shelf
Lola Olufemi’s Feminism, Interrupted is a reclamation of feminism and its role in fighting injustice in society. Each chapter is a separate analysis of the different intersections of feminism. Dissecting current structures that harm our communities and exposing liberal feminism’s conceptions and prejudices, Olufemi shows us feminism that is representative of all and how that feminism can change lives for the better.
Cool ThingsÂ
The Map - A short documentary about the redesign of New York City’s iconic subway map.
Big Up - An AI platform designed to help you find the words to self-promote with impact during these challenging times.
Teuthology - Episode on the podcast Ologies about squid! 🦑
Support Independent & local
Hoxton Mini Press are offering 20% until the end of lockdown with code: Piss off Corona
Outro
Next month we’ll be reflecting back on 2020 and what our hopes are for the year to come.
And find out how we got on with our latest sewing project!