以前から受診する市の特定検診で、運動不足をいつも指摘されて体のあちこちに黄色信号がともり始めた事もあり、一念発起して雨の日も風の日も日曜以外に筆山ドライブウエーを歩き始めて、今年の秋で５年半になる。そのためか今はすこぶる体調は良くなり体重も少し落ちて、ウエストもベルトの穴二つ細くなった。
筆山ドライブウエーは下の入り口から最上の駐車場までの片道が、徒歩だと二十分3600歩くらいであるが、最初の頃はその坂道がきつくて半分も歩けなかった。しかし続けていると数か月くらい経った頃には、何とか往復を歩き続けられるようになったのはまさに継続は力である。
春の桜に夏のせみ時雨、秋のユリやすすきに冬の朝は、雪も降る。白い息を吐きながら四季折々の風情を肌で感じ、木々からのオゾンたっぷりのこの道をいろいろ物思いにふけりながら、毎日歩いている。往復わずか約４０分であるが継続は力なりで、無理しないからこそ続けられて体の健康だけでなく、心の健康も得られているような気がしているのだ。
季節によっていろいろな表情を持つこの小山は、今日も私の健康づくりを静かに支え続けてくれていて、毎年の特定検診の結果を見るのが待ち遠しい私である。
※このブログは2024/10/8 高知新聞読者欄 声ひろばに掲載されました。
Walking Small Mountains in the Four Seasons
At the city health checkups I had been receiving for some time, I had always been told that I was not getting enough exercise, and I began to see yellow lights all over my body. So I made up my mind to start walking in the driveway of a small mountain in the suburbs on rainy days and windy days except Sundays, and it will be five and a half years this fall. Perhaps because of this, I am in much better physical condition, have lost a little weight, and my waist has become two belt holes thinner.
The one-way walk from the entrance at the bottom to the parking lot at the top of the driveway takes about 20 minutes and 3,600 steps, but at first the slope was so steep that I could not walk halfway. However, after a few months of continuous effort, I was able to walk the entire way there and back.
Cherry blossoms in spring, summer showers, lilies and pampas grass in fall, and snow on winter mornings. I walk this path every day, exhaling white breath, feeling the seasonal changes in my skin, and pondering the many things to do along the path, which is filled with ozone from the trees. It only takes me about 40 minutes to walk there and back, but I feel that I can continue to do so not only for my physical health, but also for my mental health because I do not push myself too hard.
This small mountain, which has various expressions depending on the season, continues to quietly support my efforts to improve my health today, and I cannot wait to see the results of my annual specific health checkup.
This blog appeared in Kochi Shimbun's readers' column, Kochi Shimbun on October 8, 2024.
