James Michael Forrest, aka ‘Mountain Man’
21 podcast guests = 21 tips to get outdoors more!
21 podcast guests = 21 tips to get outdoors more!
It’s been nearly a year since I launched The Outdoors Fix podcast with the aim of inspiring us all to get outside and have more adventures outdoors.
It’s been such a fantastic experience interviewing my 21 guests and they have provided SO many useful tips for making the outdoors a bigger part of your life.
So I thought I’d share one takeaway from each episode (and some future episodes!) Thanks to each of my guests for these!
Hope this gives you motivation to keep getting outside – we all know how great it makes us feel and how important it can be for mental health too. Liv x
1. You don’t have to quit your job to make your life more adventurous – James Forrest
James climbed all 446 mountains in England and Wales in six months just using his days off from work!
2. Tell people about your outdoors goals – Annie Ross
Annie Ross suggests making your outdoors goals public so you’ll feel more motivation to actually complete them. Annie completed 52 challenges in 52 weeks in 2015!
3. Embrace ‘Type 2’ fun – Ross Bowyer
Ross suggests getting outdoors in all weather. He thinks ‘Type 2’ fun (when it’s hard at the time, but afterwards you think it was amazing) is great for also learning a lot about yourself.
4. Reach out and chat with adventurous people on social media – Nic Hardy
Nic Hardy’s hiking hobby went to the next level in 2017 when she posted on Instagram about whether anyone wanted to climb Mount Kilimanjaro with her. They did, and she went with seven of them to Tanzania!
5. Make the most of your 5pm-9pm for adventures – Rory Southworth
Rory is a big proponent of seeing the time after work as a good chance to get outdoors and go for a long walk, run, rock climb or scramble. Don’t just save adventures for the weekend.
6. Improve your navigation skills – Clare Dyson
@the_horseback_adventurer Clare Dyson made an obvious but interesting point in her episode – learn to read a map properly and then you can design and discover new routes for exploring outdoors!
7. Get out there and start snapping photos – Jessie Leong
If you’re interested in photography, Jessie Leong suggested just getting outside and practicing. What can be better than practicing your passion in the outdoors?
8. Why not have a go at cooking delicious meals in the outdoors? Harrison Ward
@fellfoodie Harrison Ward had some great tips for cooking on the fells in the Lake District.
9. Use the walkhighlands.co.uk website to find good, detailed hikes in Scotland – Zahrah Mahmood
@the_hillwalking_hijabi Zahrah recommended using this site to plan your hikes, particularly to see the difficulty rating of the route.
10. Think about joining a walking group in your local area – Jess Mather
Speaking from her own experience, Jess pointed out that joining a group can help you get back outside to do what you love, especially if your friends and family aren’t keen to get outdoors as much as you would like.
11. If you have a young family, outdoor adventures can be as small as jumping in puddles or sliding down a snow patch – The Wilcox family
@anoutdoorsfamily’s Stacey and Keith Wilcox had some fantastic suggestions of adventures with their son Finn and toddler Cullen.
12. If you put your mind to something you CAN achieve it – Stu Watts
Stu and his team broke the record for the fastest row across the Atlantic. But he believes that these big outdoor challenges can be accessible to most people.
13. Why not try wild swimming? Suzanna Cruickshank
Suzanna beautifully described how wonderful she finds the experience of wild swimming and how much it helps her with balancing day-to-day life. Why not give it a go yourself?
14. Set up a walking group yourself! Iona Rendall
Iona started a walking group in 2018 and it’s now got over 2,500 members, with hikes being organised every week. Why not start one yourself and see how much more it helps you get out hiking.
15. The hardest part about going on a big outdoors adventure is actually starting it. So go for it! Josh Day
Josh Day had some great tips for actually making the dream of a big adventure into a reality. He cycled from the UK to China!
16. Do you prefer mountains to parks? Think about what part of the outdoors you love and focus on exploring that! Vici Fairhurst
@misscurlytravels’s Vici said she realised she loved walks on mountains and hills much more than in parks or reservoirs, so she prioritised her trips.
17. Don’t compare yourself and your adventures to others. Enjoy the moment outdoors rather than doing it to get recognition on social media – Alex Staniforth
While this isn’t strictly a tip for getting outdoors more, it’s an important reminder!
18. If you’d like to take a sabbatical from work to pursue a big outdoors adventure, just ask! Emily Scott
Emily (@adventure.scottie) didn’t think her work would let her take a sabbatical and do a ski season, but she plucked up the courage to ask and they said yes!
19. Make the most of the ‘golden hour’ of light – often one hour after sunrise and one hour before sunset – Kenny Block
Kenny makes the most of the ‘golden hour’ of light for his photography but even if you’re not a photographer, it’s a great time to be outside!
20. Think about doing a daily outdoors challenge like the #2minutebeachclean – Jo Moseley
Jo Moseley (@healthyhappy50) says that doing a 2 minute daily litter pick helps her get outdoors everyday. Why not find something you could do every day to motivate you to get outside?
21. Encourage each other to get outdoors – pick a friend or family member and motivate each other – Sofia Lundemo
Sofia (@theswedishkiwis) suggests picking a friend to help motivate you to get outdoors. If you encourage each other, it will be harder to drop out and just curl up on the sofa!
(Sofia’s interview took place at a live podcast event for Spotify – the episode will be coming soon!)
What would your tips be for getting outdoors more?
You can find moreadvice and hear more of my guests’ stories by listening to The Outdoors Fix podcast. Search for it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify etc or by clicking on the podcasts page of this website!
