Karen McConkey 🇬🇧- Rambler Profile

Karen McConkey, from Leigh-on-Sea, United Kingdom, is a married empty-nester with a passion for travel and a newfound love of exercise. Whether exploring new destinations or embracing an active lifestyle, she's enjoying this exciting new chapter to the fullest.

Is there something that you would like your Sole Sisters to know about aging from where you are right now?

Like many of us, reaching midlife made me evaluate my future and think about what I want my next chapter to look like. We cannot predict what will happen, but I want to try to make my next couple of decades as active and healthy as I can without regrets.

I finished work a couple of years ago, my kids had moved out, and I didn't really know what I wanted to do with myself. I was obese and unfit, so my husband and I started a weekly long walk. This led me to look for a number of new, more active hobbies and groups, including Sole Sister Ramblers and the Essex Sole Circle.

What is the best thing that happened to you recently?

To motivate the change I wanted to make, I signed up for the first Sole Sisters' trip on the Spanish Camino. I am currently in Santiago de Compostela, having just completed my adventure.

I was starting from a very low point of fitness; how could I keep up, not embarrass myself, and not hold up the group? I thought I could probably manage one day of walking for six hours,  but I was really sceptical about making it to the end of 115km over 6 consecutive walking days. Having made the commitment, I spent 4 months preparing, losing some weight, and prioritising exercise to improve my fitness, and I found that I loved it.

During the Camino, I expected to have moments of fatigue and weariness, times when I struggled and had to just push through—I had those moments, alongside hours of fabulous conversation and laughter along the way.

So yes, the best thing that has happened to me recently was the decision to prioritise my health and make a commitment to myself. In doing so, I have proved to myself that I can be physically and mentally strong, walking the furthest I've ever walked—and doing it again the next day, and the next, and the next. And I enjoyed it!

Now it's over, I need another challenge!

What do I most like to do in my spare time?

For many years, my real passion has been spending time with my family, and it still is, but I am also enjoying working out what else I like to do, just for me.

I love to travel and especially enjoy being out in the natural world.

I now hike, Nordic walk, crochet, and enjoy yoga and Pilates, but maybe this time next year, I can also add some other new passions to that list!

What is on your nightstand?

All the usuals ... charger, earplugs, ibuprofen & my Kindle—but most important of all, a drinks coaster for my morning cup of tea. Now that I've finished work, there's nothing more indulgent than sitting in bed of a morning, drinking my tea and reading or scrolling whilst the working world is up and getting ready to start their day.

What makes you a grown-ass woman?

I've not always been great at saying no, but I'm learning! My friends now understand that if you want me to come along to an evening event, then you need to know that I will simply leave and go home when my social battery has depleted or I'm tired—and this will definitely be before midnight!

What are the top 5 things on my bucket list?

• Kayaking in a vast lake surrounded by mountains (I've only kayaked twice so far, but loved it).
• Zip lining! I took my kids to various zip lines over the years and wouldn't do it myself, now's the time to go for it.
• Cage diving with sharks. I don't know why I want to do this, other than it's about as far out of my comfort zone as it gets. 
• Travelling around New Zealand, Iceland, Scotland, and everywhere else in an RV.
• Seeing big cats in the wild again (I went on a safari over 20 years ago). 

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