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DAWN Kingsford

Donate to DAWN and help create better mental health for all. 

Please help me reach my goal

Raised

$2,480

My Goal

$3,000

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$105
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Total Raised

$2,480

Total Distance

63km

Distance Goal

80km

Support My Walk for Mental Health Research

Did you know that 1 in 5 Australians experience a mental illness each year?

This October, I’m taking part in One Foot Forward to help Australians impacted by mental illness and suicide.

I'm walking to raise funds for Black Dog Institute to put ground-breaking new mental health treatment, education, and digital services into the hands of the people who need them most.

It would mean so much to me if you donated to support my walk.

Together, we can create better mental health for all Australians.

My Updates

Day 17

Treadmill 1.2kms Steps 5007 Total 3.10kms Today was really good with treadmill and training. The little physical goals of injury recovery have been exciting and the new simple things that I have achieved or noticed improvement in has given me lots of pride and happiness. I hate routine, regimented exercise, I much prefer to get stuck in and achieve some labour intensive job around the house. you don’t notice the steps or kms and before you know it your steps are done. Anyway this is what I’ve realised is my problem with exercise UGHH! I just have to find what’s going to work for me 🤔The rest of the day was quiet and peaceful apart from some cooking. More training tomorrow morning and then garden afterwards. Off to sleep now and thank you again for reading my blog. It’s my personal accountability 😊 Love Dawn x

Day 16

Treadmill 0 kms Steps 7701 Total 4.7 kms Today I kept physically busy doing more gardening, mowing etc to get my steps and kms up. There is more than one way to skin a cat! Tomorrow and Sunday I’ve got training with my PT so this will be my allocated exercise routine. It was interesting not being as active as I was, my mood dropped a little. Nothing out of this world but just noticeable enough for me to mention when I went to art therapy. It’s so important NOT to be silent, not to withdraw and isolate from your family and friends. We need a village, this is vital for mental health recovery. There is no shame, it’s real, no one makes this crap up! Recovering from whatever has caused your mental health to be disregulated takes time. You need guidance by good professionals like a GP, psychiatrist and psychologist. Then you start building a support network of family, friends, therapists for your healing and nourishment. I’m so glad that I’ve been able to turn my life around. It’s been the hardest and the best thing I’ve ever done in my life. If you’re struggling, reach out to someone for help. You got this… Love Dawn x

Day 15

Treadmill 0 kms Steps 3614 Total 2.16kms Still resting my left foot, not sleeping well with the pain. I did go to my art class today and catch up with a lovely friend. I needed to fill my cup today. Love Dawn x

Day 14

Treadmill 0 kms Steps 3614 Total 2.19kms I did it again, doing too much in a session then causing grief with my feet 👣and not sleeping well. Saw the acupuncture and massage therapist today, that was a bit painful but worth the results. otherwise it was a quiet day just to reset again. I’m doing my best I can promise you as I’ve not felt this mentally well in many, many years… Love Dawn x

Day 13

Treadmill 0 kms Steps 6395 Total 3.84kms Hmmmm not the best start this morning. Exercising or walking did not sound appealing at all. I was supposed to go swimming today and I was doing everything to avoid going 🫣 I love swimming, walking and working out in the pool, it’s just that first day of making the move. Finally I did it and had a good hour workout with about 10 laps to finish. I battled hard today with my mind and it was difficult. The ridiculous thing was there is no point doing it with someone because you’re too busy counting LOL So big ✔️for me 🥰 Tomorrow will be a treadmill walk unless the weather clears. Unfortunately some of the foot and leg neuropathy is still hanging around but I think it’s abating. No more going gung-ho for me, hopefully lesson learnt. I’m happy and proud of my progress, my mood, clarity of thought and physical energy which has been extraordinary. I don’t have to do an hour all the time, sometimes 20-30mins is enough. Going to try for a better nights sleep tonight 🙏🙏🙏 Love Dawn x

Day 12

Treadmill o kms Steps 8887 Total 5.23kms Another pretty good day for me with exercise. I spent the morning in the garden cleaning up and reorganising things. My little pug got washed today and as expected, she wasn’t very happy LOL It was the last day at the Australian Catholic Uni with a 3rd year Exercise physiologist. A very good result considering only 8 x 1hr sessions with improvement in my balance, as well as a few other things. love Dawn x

Day 11

Treadmill 1.2 kms Steps 11,871 Total 6.86kms I worked very hard today and achieved heaps. Mental health is in a fantastic condition Sorry I can’t stay awake, sweet Dreams to you all 😴 Love Dawn x

Day 10

Treadmill 1.1 kms Steps 5517 Total 3.24kms Started my day with my walk then a training session with my PT. I’m feeling a little more focussed and motivated today with less pain. I still have the foot neuropathy but it’s ok. Went out for lunch today with some lovely ladies and had lots of laughs. Lunch was beautiful at 317 in Parramatta. Love Dawn x

Day 9

I feel very embarrassed about today as I didn’t do any intentional exercise. It was a hectic day and out of my normal routine but that’s no excuse. I could’ve pre planned my day better but I didn’t 🫤I had a very UNmindful day 😔 Right foot is back to normal but the left one is still giving some grief. Today was all over the shop with the lack of food and exercise! A new day starts tomorrow 👣 Thank you for the people that donated today that was awesome, you’re all stars 🤩 🆗 I’m going to sleep now, I’ve got training at 6:30am. Love Dawn x

Day 8

This is my foot 🫤

Day 8

Treadmill 0 kms Steps 6254 Total 3.59 kms I am still recovering from this feet neuropathy and bruising from a large block of sandstone falling over onto my left ankle and foot🥴 I did walk slowly this evening around a quite challenging block. I made it but there was a fair bit of pain 🫣 A new day tomorrow and hopefully it will be better. I practiced a lot of mindfulness today doing my painting and physically rested my feet. Dawn x

Day 7

Treadmill 0 kms Steps 3483 Total 1.85kms Its been a tough week on my feet LOL I'm still doing exercise but not designated walking today. I have neuropathy in my feet 👣 and have been advised to do less kms on the treadmill at the moment. What’s also aggravated my feet is I’ve been doing a lot of gardening too! I'm still exercising 💪everyday which is still part of the goal. I took this on the give myself momentum for an everyday commitment. I had treatment done on my feet today and they feel about 80% better. I took a muscle relaxant/ pain reliever today and that has helped too. I'll either walk daily but it will be less kms and/or do my exercise routine, so I'm still committed 🙏 Dawn x

Day 6

Day 6

Day 6

Treadmill 2.5 km Total steps 11,132Daily Total 6.56 kmsIt’s been another tough day with neuropathy in both feet. Seeing acupuncturist and remedial masseuse tomorrow.Real struggle to walk today and I split my treadmill walks up. I did 1.5km walk prior to my PT arrived then 45min session with her, then later this afternoon I did a very fast walk of 1km.I’m not walking tomorrow as I’m going to give my feet a rest. I also have a PT session at the ACU with the student exercise physiologist. That will be enough for one day. I will walk again on Thursday morning.Another busy day for me today doing so many different things. Now it’s time to sleep.Love Dawn x

Day 5

Day 5

Treadmill 0 km  Total steps 8268 Daily Total 4.61 kms The No treadmill today… I was feeling very weary and my body was saying have a rest day, so I sort of did.As I said before I’m only tracking the treadmill for the scheduled walk. I was a little  disappointed in myself that I didn’t push through and just do it, but the pain beat me today.I didn’t sleep well however I looked after my mental health by distracting myself with my garden. It was an extremely productive day and it filled my cup because my garden is looking beautiful.Tomorrow morning I will be up at sparrow fart, back on the treadmill for 2.5kms then a PT session at 7am.We need to prioritise self care and generally I always go too far and cause problems for myself. Lately I’m being more mindful and not trying to push more than I should. It’s a work in progress…Gratitude alwaysLove Dawn x

Day 4

Treadmill 2.5km Total steps 9133 Daily Total 6.62kms Early start today with my PT coming at 7am so I needed to get my walk done before she arrived. My Arthur Rightus in my footsies is a little sore but my determination to achieve this goal is still there. It’s very true what they say about exercise helping your mental health. For myself, it’s the rising sense of self confidence with my physical ability and the improvements that I’m noticing. I’ve never really set goals because of fearing failure, but I’m not feeling that fear ☺️ This is teaching me a lot about myself. I need to shout out to my amazing friends who are supporting me in so many ways. To the wonderful souls who have donated money for mental health, I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I feel privileged to call you my friends 🙏❤️ Love Dawn x

Day 3

Treadmill 2.5km Total steps 7076 Daily Total 4.62kms It was a slightly difficult day with a body that wasn’t feeling happy. I delayed getting on the treadmill until around 2ish and I got through it 👍 because a lovely friend messaged me “how I was doing?” That was perfect timing and it inspired me. When I finished I managed 30min stretching then I was done. 😮‍💨🫣 Love Dawn x

Day 2

Treadmill 2.5kms Total steps 7167 Daily Total 4.09kms Today was an interesting start because I was trying to find a reason not to walk. Too much pain, do it later, not enough time before I go out or miss the day… NOT!!! I kicked myself and just got on with it. Once on the treadmill, I started to go slow, then I picked it up and I felt better than I thought. My walk was faster than yesterday and invigorating. I’m also doing an exercise program with 3rd year exercise physiologist students and I did that program as well. Feeling very happy and proud of myself today. Love Dawn x

Day 1

Treadmill 2.5kms Total steps 9638 Daily Total 5.59kms I was anxious this morning re my physical capacity to do 2kms in one walk. I surprised myself today but I’m not getting to ahead of myself. Never the less I’m proud that I did 2.5kms, it’s a win. I want to make this goal worth it for myself but also for all that are supporting me everyday. Love Dawn x

One day till i start…

It’s a little scary doing this as I don’t normally do anything on social media apart from my Wordle everyday! I’ve been trying to familiarise myself with the app and discovering what to do. I tried to SMS a few more people for support and I got my SMS function blocked so I’ve fixed that now 🥴 Today my anxiety is heightened but I’m feeling excited as this year has been good for me with goals. Not sure if my arthritis got the memo but I figure it will know soon enough. This will definitely be stretching my physical walking abilities but it should improve my mental health 10 fold 🤗 Thank you everyone that has supported me so far, it’s very motivating. 🙏♥️🤩

My Achievements

Thank you to my Sponsors

$216.50

Gail S.

Go GIRL!!!

$216.50

Denise Button

$163.43

Sean French Harley

Well done Dawn, here’s a little more to help you to make your target xx

$112.09

David White

Great organisation to support Dawn. Best of luck meeting your target!

$112.09

Kim.w

Proud ❤️ of YOU Dawn. Enjoy every step in reaching your goal!

$106.75

Martin Venier

$66.73

Demi Whybro

Love that you are doing this!

$66.73

Gyliane Ware

Go you, we are with you each step of the way lovely lady.

$66.73

Carol Rowell

$60

Nicholas Pride

$60

Anna Reygan

Go girl 😊

$55.95

Graeme & Anne

Well done and Good luck on achieving your goals

$55.95

Virginia Smith

Go well and enjoy yourself!

$55.95

Maria Cremona

$55.95

Michael And Caroline

Go Dawn! For a worthy cause, mental health is important to us all.

$55.95

Kenneth & Caroline

Go girl! You got this 👍💖

$54.75

Peter May

So in awe of you young Dawny very proud of your efforts such a great cause GO DAWNY ! ❤️

$50

Verne

$45.30

Erica Harrison

Go girl 🥰 You can do it 💕👍

$45.30

Stephanie Vercoe

All the best, Dawn!

$45.30

Liz Pride

$45.30

Nicole And Anthony Ng

Great cause. Proud of you.

$45.30

Safety Mate Matched Contribution

$45.30

Glenn Harrison

Good luck, and well done.

$45.30

Marissa Churches

$45.30

Anonymous

$45.30

Katrina Murray

You got this Sis 🥰

$45.30

Leanne And Ian

Go get em Dawny 🥰

$40

Christina Comelli

I walk beside you xx

$39.93

Sue Nielsen

All the best

$34.40

Mary-anne Stewart

$34.40

Alexandra Siemsen

With you Dawn😊

$34.40

Shane Layburn

Good luck on your endeavours Dawn for a very good cause.

$25

Anonymous

$23.81

Karen Scott

Good on ya Dawn 👏👏👏

$23.81

Dave Berger

Go Dawny!

$23.81

Tonia Oke

Go Dawn You can do this. 1 step at a time, focus on the now. 💕

$23.81

Anne Larbalestier

$23.81

Alanna Rados

Well done!

$23.81

Dawn Kingsford

$23.81

Jody Reilly

Sometimes... you just need to 'Walk about it'. These boots are made for walking...

$20

Cherie Pollard

We are behind you all the way Dawn….x

Thank you to my supporters

$112.09

David White

Great organisation to support Dawn. Best of luck meeting your target!

$112.09

Kim.w

Proud ❤️ of YOU Dawn. Enjoy every step in reaching your goal!

$106.75

Martin Venier

$66.73

Demi Whybro

Love that you are doing this!

$66.73

Gyliane Ware

Go you, we are with you each step of the way lovely lady.

$66.73

Carol Rowell

$60

Nicholas Pride

$60

Anna Reygan

Go girl 😊

$55.95

Graeme & Anne

Well done and Good luck on achieving your goals

$55.95

Virginia Smith

Go well and enjoy yourself!

$55.95

Maria Cremona

$55.95

Michael And Caroline

Go Dawn! For a worthy cause, mental health is important to us all.

$55.95

Kenneth & Caroline

Go girl! You got this 👍💖

$54.75

Peter May

So in awe of you young Dawny very proud of your efforts such a great cause GO DAWNY ! ❤️

$50

Verne

$45.30

Erica Harrison

Go girl 🥰 You can do it 💕👍

$45.30

Stephanie Vercoe

All the best, Dawn!

$45.30

Liz Pride

$45.30

Nicole And Anthony Ng

Great cause. Proud of you.

$45.30

Safety Mate Matched Contribution

$45.30

Glenn Harrison

Good luck, and well done.

$45.30

Marissa Churches

$45.30

Anonymous

$45.30

Katrina Murray

You got this Sis 🥰

$45.30

Leanne And Ian

Go get em Dawny 🥰

$40

Christina Comelli

I walk beside you xx

$39.93

Sue Nielsen

All the best

$34.40

Mary-anne Stewart

$34.40

Alexandra Siemsen

With you Dawn😊

$34.40

Shane Layburn

Good luck on your endeavours Dawn for a very good cause.

$25

Anonymous

$23.81

Karen Scott

Good on ya Dawn 👏👏👏

$23.81

Dave Berger

Go Dawny!

$23.81

Tonia Oke

Go Dawn You can do this. 1 step at a time, focus on the now. 💕

$23.81

Anne Larbalestier

$23.81

Alanna Rados

Well done!

$23.81

Dawn Kingsford

$23.81

Jody Reilly

Sometimes... you just need to 'Walk about it'. These boots are made for walking...

$20

Cherie Pollard

We are behind you all the way Dawn….x