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For a self-confessed fidget, rest days can prove to be somewhat of a struggle. In my dream world I'm blissfully stretching it out on a yoga mat and 'letting it all go', but the reality is that I spend most of the time during class trying to quieten my overactive mind (shoutouts to my anxiety and OCD thought loops). As a result, I've found other ways to rest my body and mind.One of my favourite things to do is go for a walk along the beach or around my local park. Leaving the headphones at home and having a restful...

Friend of VALA @ellygrams completed the epic challenge of hiking to Everest Base Camp in 2017 and since then I have been obsessed with finding out more about her trip. She has very kindly written us a guest post to share any tips and useful insights for anyone else that has their sights set on reaching EBC in the future. Peep Elly’s advice below, which is continued in the comments - because there was far too much goodness to edit out.REPETITIVE MEALSTea Houses are the bread and butter of the EBC trek and unless you decide to camp, they’ll be where you...

Although it can be tempting to spend everyday going hard on the exercise during lockdown, it's important to remember the benefits of taking regular rest days. Although I exercised several times per week pre-isolation, it's since become an everyday activity that on reflection has become a coping mechanism for feeling a sense of productivity with my day. I’m a total fidget, love being busy and enjoy the feeling of accomplishment after finishing a tough session. Several weeks into my home workouts, the body aches started to creep it and I realised it was time for the dreaded REST DAY.⁣⁣Rest days are essential...

These five short words have the ability to completely alter our mindset. I remember hearing (borderline superhuman) @charlie 🚀mention this little nugget during an interview with @edmylett and it has stuck with me ever since.⠀⠀Sometimes it’s easy to get overwhelmed before a long training session, when we’re feeling tired and looking for any excuse to flake out. Some days are harder than others - we‘re all human and have off days, after all - but it only takes a few seconds to check in and remind yourself “Hey, this session today is going to be easy and you’ll thank yourself later”.⠀⠀As much as I...

During my recent trip to Cali, I became borderline obsessed with @sunlifeorganics açai bowls and shakes (swipe across to see the bowl of my dreams). Curious about the history of the brand, I picked up ‘Don’t Forget to Die’, a memoir written by founder @khalilrafati.This gripping read documents Khalil’s life, from working for rockstars in Hollywood to hitting rock bottom and becoming a drug addict on Skid Row, then turning his life around aged 33 to create a wildly successful juice bar in Malibu. He’s an advocate for healing and fuelling the body through exercise and eating whole foods, which strongly aligns with...

On a recent trip to LA, I got talking to a lovely man that owned a stall at Melrose flea market (all because he couldn’t figure out where my Welsh accent was from). I mentioned that I was looking forward to some Cali hikes and was he very kindly suggested a few of his favourites.He asked if I had used the All Trails app before and recommended that I check it out for more routes. What can I say? GAME CHANGER! Not only does this free app provide a map, distance and difficulty rating for each trail, it also provides the elevation...