I wake up around 7 with the sun burning on my tent. I feel lucky that commodore Alastair had given me a key fob to the Herne bay sailing club, I really need to pee. I slip on my shoes and scramble out of the tent, only to find out that the key fob doesn’t work! One of the things I really like about Britain is that there are public…Keep Reading

The boat was packed early, but camping by a pub, I couldn’t resist the chance of celebrating Sunday with a full English breakfast. The kitchen didn’t open until 9, but I was allowed to wait in the pub. Enjoying their wifi I used my time well by writing and posting my stories of the past day for you. The downside of lazing about in the morning and eating huge brekkies,…Keep Reading

Waiting for my brekkie to cook I have a few moments to write about yesterday. I left Gravesend just after 8 in the morning to catch the best of the tide. The water was flat and silver, shimmering like a mirror. Michal Madera, who did a full circumnavigation of the UK with his wife Natalie in 2013, had warned me about the shallows on this stretch. It was high tide…Keep Reading

When I announced my plans for the summer, I wrote that it was about time to exchange my conversations with the squirrels for conversations with the seals. For the life of me, I didn’t expect that to happen within the first hours of the trip, but that is exactly what happened. I woke up excited and a bit nervous. The past couple of days Steve had been a great help…Keep Reading

How to make the impossible possible? How to go on an expedition when you have very limited cash? How can I make sure I still have work in September and make sure you can still walk this summer? Going away for 2 and a half months means not earning any money during that time, so I have to take some drastic measures. I have decided to give up my appartment…Keep Reading

What a fabulous weekend this turned out to be! On Friday afternoon I flew to the Netherlands to pick up my new kayak, and I hoped to be able to see some friends before I set off on my expedition. I know the Netherlands is a very small country, but not in a million years did I expect to see so many of them! On Friday afternoon my friend Linda…Keep Reading

Fit and Happy Outdoors founder Ailien is mega busy preparing for her 10 year anniversary of living in the UK: “I decided it is about time I got back in a kayak and exchange my conversations with the squirrels for conversations with the seals. It is also time to see all those bits of the UK coastline I never had time or money for to see. So I am going…Keep Reading

Missed Clare Balding’s ramblings broadcast about her Nordic Walking experience with a group in Nottingham? Read on and listen to it here! Clare takes a lesson in Nordic Walking as she joins coach Catherine Hughes in one of her classes in Bramcote Park in Nottingham. Some of those who regularly attend, are a group of mothers with their daughters, all of whom have learning difficulties. Nordic walking has proved to…Keep Reading

Exercise: A drug-free approach to lowering high blood pressure. Having high blood pressure and not getting enough exercise are closely related. Discover how small changes in your daily routine can make a big difference. Your risk of high blood pressure (hypertension) increases with age, but exercise can make a big difference. And if your blood pressure is already high, exercise can help you control it. Don’t think you’ve got to…Keep Reading

              More and more evidence is showing that sitting for long stretches at a time is not very healthy, to say the least. Sitting for long periods increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease and death, researchers suggest. And scientists from Leicester and Loughborough Universities say harm is done even if people exercise the recommended 30 minutes a day. One journalist from the Independent…Keep Reading

              How often do you tell yourself you should do more exercise? And how often have you decided to lose weight, only to crumble at 4 in the afternoon with a big bag of crisps or a donut? We often feel so bad about ourselves. We beat ourselves up because we didn’t call our parents, or because we didn’t do our work right, or…Keep Reading

                                  Here are some of our top tips to help you get the most from your walks, and to walk your way to weighloss… Move more, eat wisely Taking part in a weekly Walking class or Workout Walk is a great way to remind you of your fitness goals too, and how much fun…Keep Reading

Fit and Happy Outdoors member John told me today that he has lost 15 kilo’s since he started Nordic Walking in February. That is almost 3 kilo’s per month! John is sure he could not have done it without his regular Nordic walks. His journey hasn’t always been easy. Before John started Nordic Walking, first his own and later his partner’s health problems had forced him to be quite inactive…Keep Reading

As a child, we learn to let our eyes, ears, muscles, brain, and nerves work together to keep us upright and steady on our feet. But with age, these balancing skills can become less dependable, especially if you don’t use them regularly. According to Age UK, About one-third of people over 65 will fall in a year. And balance is not only important as you get older: falls represent over…Keep Reading

Have a sore knee, ankle or hip? Worried if you can do Nordic Walking? You might find Nordic Walking will help alleviate your symptoms! Knee pain has a number of different causes. There are many things you can do to help knee pain, whether it’s due to a recent injury or arthritis you’ve had for years. According to Arthritis UK, low impact exercise and keeping to a healthy weight can…Keep Reading

You know lack of sleep can make you grumpy and foggy. Research shows that sleep deprivation can also have some unexpected effect on your health. Did you know that sleep disorders and chronic sleep loss increases risk for: Heart disease Heart attack Heart failure Irregular heartbeat High blood pressure Stroke Diabetes More recent research has now also shown that not sleeping enough has a big influence in the hormones that…Keep Reading

I am staying at a friend’s house at the moment. This friend is not only a very inspirational outdoors person who divides her time between sea kayaking, surfing, skiing, snowboarding and her allotment; she is also a book and art collector. Any normal person would not have any time left with all these hobbies, but she is also a hard working medical doctor. Staying at her house means that I…Keep Reading

              There is plenty of research supporting the thought that gratitude can really help you to achieve more happiness. In one particular study, a group of participants was asked to write down five things that generated gratefulness once a week for ten weeks. In the other control groups, participants were asked to list five hassles or major events that occurred that past week. The…Keep Reading

              Have you made a New Year’s resolution this year? Every year millions of people make resolutions yet almost 80% of us fail to achieve them. Most of us strive for unrealistic goals and ultimately set ourselves up for a failure. Here are 5 easy ways that can help you make those changes last: Find other people who are making the same changes in…Keep Reading

Did your year start off with a bang? Mine certainly did! “Happy New Year!” we shouted while we shot a champagne cork at the fireworks above our heads. The water below us coloured bright red and yellow, reflecting the spectacle above our heads. We could feel the sound of the big bangs vibrating in the water while we paddled up to each other for a New Year’s hug. What a…Keep Reading