Margie Marsden

One foot forward: day 10 — world mental health day

Oops! Forgot to wear my Fitbit today, so I’m guessing I managed about 1km of walking after a six-hour drive home from our holiday. Today was World Mental Health Day, and looking after our mental health matters just as much as looking after our physical health. As reality bites, I want to hold on to some of that holiday simplicity, keep moving and remember to make time for myself amongst the busyness. Small steps count — whether they’re kilometres walked or positive steps taken for our mental wellbeing. Keep talking, keep checking in, and keep putting one foot forward. Day 10 done Share

One foot forward: day 9 — bringing a little holiday calm home

Our last full day of holidays! We fancied a BBQ, so we drove around to a bluff and walked out to the point. No public BBQs, unfortunately, but plenty of rock wallabies! Watching them all gathered together reminded me of that Simpsons episode where the dolphins take over the world. I could almost imagine the rock wallabies plotting their own takeover! We ended up settling on having our bbq at the pool area which ended up being perfect. Not as windswept as previous evenings, and tonight it was our bbq making others envious rather than it being us envious of the bbq smells emanting from the pool area. Tomorrow we head home and back to the real world. I’m both happy and sad — I’ll miss the holiday, but I’m looking forward to my own bed and familiar surroundings. The stretch between now and Christmas is going to be exhaustingly busy for all of us, so it’s got me thinking about what I want to bring home from this holiday. We’ve slowed down, explored, enjoyed simple pleasures and let go of our usual routines. Life has felt a little less complicated. I think looking after our mental health isn’t just about taking a break when we’re exhausted, but finding ways to make everyday life less exhausting in the first place. I know I can’t recreate island time at home, but maybe I could bring a little of that simplicity back with me — making time to walk, enjoy the little things and stop rushing through every moment. The real challenge is finding ways to look after ourselves when life gets busy again. One foot forward, and a little more breathing room along the way. Day 9 done. Share

One foot forward: day 8 — moving the goalposts

Well, look at me go :) I originally set myself a goal of walking 10km during October. When I reached that, I decided to add another 10km. Today, I’ve hit that second goal too, so it’s time to add another 10km to the target. What I love most is that I’ve achieved this while away on holiday, simply tracking my everyday walking and exploring, rather than pushing myself to exercise harder or faster. Sometimes we underestimate what we can achieve when we just keep putting one foot forward. Small steps really do add up, and progress doesn’t always have to look like a structured workout or a huge effort. For me, this challenge is about more than kilometres. It’s about making positive changes, being kinder to myself and recognising that looking after my mental health can start with small, achievable steps. 20km down, another 10km added to the goal, and plenty of October still to go! Share

One foot forward: day 7 — it’s okay to do nothing

Today, I did absolutely nothing. And honestly? It was glorious. The only real walking I did was getting to the tour meeting point for our sunset cruise. Otherwise, it was a day of relaxing, enjoying the holiday and letting myself completely switch off. Normally, I’d probably feel like I should be doing something — getting steps in, being productive, ticking something off the list. But maybe this is another important part of looking after our mental health: giving ourselves permission to do nothing at all. Rest isn’t wasted time. Sometimes our minds and bodies need a break just as much as they need movement. So today, there was plenty of rest. And that counts too. One foot forward… or sometimes, just feet up. Day 7 done. Share

One foot forward: day 6 — celebrating

Today was a bit of a non-descript day in terms of walking, but it was a pretty special day for another reason — celebrating my husband’s 50th birthday. ❤️ Not every day has to be about achieving something, ticking boxes or pushing ourselves further. Sometimes it’s about slowing down, being present and celebrating the people we love. And perhaps that’s an important part of looking after our mental health too — giving ourselves permission to simply enjoy the day without feeling like we need to accomplish anything. So today, my One Foot Forward was not about the steps; it was about being grateful for another year around the sun with my husband and our son, and celebrating many years of life, love, and adventures together. Some days you walk. Some days you celebrate. Both count. 👣💙 Day 6 done. Share

One foot forward: day 5 — do something about it

Today’s walk wasn’t a long one, but it was definitely a harder one. Walking on the beach is lovely but squelching through sand makes every step that little bit more difficult! But today’s One Foot Forward blog is less about the distance I walked and more about something else: fixing something that I just couldn’t live with. For me, today, it was the dishwasher in our holiday apartment. It clearly hasn’t had much love for quite some time. We were missing a lot of cutlery, and the apartment manager suggested it might be sitting in a tray in the dishwasher. I’d had a quick look initially, but it’s a different type of dishwasher to what I’m used to and it appeared to be empty. When we looked properly, we discovered the missing cutlery was indeed in there — but it hadn’t been loaded correctly. There was dirty, stagnant water sitting in some of the spoons, and the smell in the dishwasher was enough to have all of us retching. Nope. No way. I knew it was something I just couldn’t ignore. So when we did our holiday grocery shop, I bought the cheapest dishwasher cleaner, rinse aid, powder, and one of those little hanging things that makes everything smell nice. All for about $15; money well spent because we can take them home with us! My husband wasn’t convinced at first, but I have to say, I was so satisfied with the result. There is something ridiculously pleasing about having a pristine dishwasher turning out clean dishes that smell nice, and it makes me feel good. It’s such a small thing, but it has removed an annoying little mental load from my holiday. Because the alternative was hand-washing dishes for the rest of the holiday, and that’s exactly the sort of little mental load we’ve come on holiday to get away from. Today’s photo is of a sparkling clean wine glass that was originally dull, slightly cloudy and smelt funky. And perhaps that’s another lesson for me from this challenge. Looking after our mental health isn’t always about doing something huge. Sometimes it’s recognising something that is weighing us down, acknowledging that it’s adding to our load, and doing something practical to make it better. For me today, that step was a clean dishwasher — and the satisfying, good feeling that came with it! Sometimes taking a positive step for our mental health isn’t some huge, life-changing decision. Not every problem can be fixed for $15 and a trip to the supermarket, unfortunately. But sometimes taking that first small step can make one feel surprisingly lighter. And that’s what these One Foot Forward steps are becoming about for me — not just moving my body, but recognising that my mental health deserves some positive steps too. One step at a time. Day 5 done. Share

One foot forward: day 4 — sunday funday

Today was a relax day. No big plans, no rushing around and, quite unexpectedly, I even had a nap — something I very rarely do! The crashing waves over the rocks really lulled me into a deep relaxed state resulting in zzzz. I wish I could say I learned the lesson of island time. Patience is definitely required where we are holidaying. Waiting for the markets’ overly long poffertjes process this morning, then waiting 15 minutes beyond the promised pick-up time for our wood-fired pizza this evening gave me an itch I just wanted to scratch. I’d like to say I just shrugged and went with it but my brain went into fix-it overdrive for how service and processes could have been better. My reflection was in catching myself doing it and recognising the habit/routine. Note to self for next time. Always room for improvement when you recognise the behaviour. And perhaps that change of pace is exactly what I needed. It has also made me think about how important routine busters can be. When I think about what we would normally be doing on a Sunday night compared with our holiday Sunday night, there’s a world of difference. The TV hasn’t even been turned on once since we arrived. Tonight will be the exception — the NRL Grand Final deserves its moment! But otherwise, we’ve slowed down, wandered, explored, eaten, rested and simply enjoyed being somewhere different. Maybe we could do with a little more island time in our busy everyday lives. Not necessarily an island, but occasionally stepping outside our normal routines, slowing down and letting the day unfold without everything having to happen on schedule. And perhaps that’s another kind of One Foot Forward — not always moving faster, but sometimes knowing when to slow down. Day 4 done. Share

One foot forward: day 3 — holiday steps

Day 3, and the first day of holidays! 🎉 Today was all about driving and exploring, which conveniently meant plenty of walking. It’s amazing how much easier it is to get those steps in when you’re wandering around somewhere new and actually enjoying yourself rather than watching the minutes tick by on a treadmill! I’m loving seeing the steps add up on my commandeered Fitbit, and I’m already curious to see what the rest of the holiday brings. There’s plenty more exploring to do tomorrow, so I’m looking forward to another day of discovering new places, getting some more steps in and, hopefully, building up that stamina one foot at a time. Day 3 done. Onwards and upwards! Share

One foot forward: day 2 — showing up

Well, I’m feeling yesterday’s efforts today! Nothing too dramatic, just enough to remind me that I haven’t exactly been training for this challenge for the past few years. 😂 I’ve also commandeered my son’s redundant Fitbit and fitted it to myself. I haven’t worn a watch since I took mine off to go on a Hawaiian cruise 16 years ago, so having something permanently attached to my wrist feels a little strange! But I really want to know how many steps I’m doing and, more importantly, how far I’m actually walking. Today I was a little slower on the treadmill than yesterday, but I’m reminding myself that this is about getting moving and walking for a cause, not breaking records. Slow and steady is perfectly fine. Hopefully, as the days go by, my stamina will start to build and those legs will become a little less surprised by what I’m asking them to do. And now comes the fun part. Over the next week, my steps will be holiday steps rather than treadmill steps, which I’m actually really excited about. I’m curious to see just how many steps I naturally rack up when I’m out and about rather than deliberately walking on a treadmill. I have a feeling I might end up increasing my original goal… but let’s not get too carried away on Day 2! 😉 For now, I’m happy with another day of putting one foot forward. Share

It’s been a while 1/10/26

Exercise hasn’t been the top of my priority list for years and I’ve done nothing but procrastinate and find other excuses not to do it. My work signed us up to participate in this fundraiser so I thought I’d use this opportunity to motivate and encourage myself to start walking again. I’m starting slow because it’s been awhile. I know people who have/had mental health challenges so I’m walking to raise money for them. I had to buy a pair of shoes to commence walking today. I wanted slip on ones (thanks sketchers runners) so I could slip on and jump straight onto the treadmill when I got home from walk. Thank you to those who have donated already 🙏🏻. Cheers Margie. Share