Weekend Hiker

My physical and mental health have dramatically improved over the last 4 years. In 2018 I was in my late 30s, had lived in London most of my life and was working long hours in a stressful desk job. I was inactive and exercise for me would be running after the 22 bus to get to the office on time. I had been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease almost a decade earlier and continued to suffer from discomfort and pain as it progressed. I accepted that repeat surgery was likely and that it was just how things were. I was not happy. Then something happened…

 

I changed my mindset and focussed on the positives. I first worked on my diet and found that by sticking to a Paleo AIP diet, I reacted to food less. Having had many false starts with the gym, I joined a new one and started with 2 cardio classes per week, gradually progressing to 8. I felt proud of my fitness achievements and was much happier. More importantly, my Crohn’s symptoms had been reduced significantly. I had finally turned a corner. The next challenge was how to make this new regime stick.

 

The answer was hiking. I started getting up earlier on the weekends and headed to the hills. I researched kit, sticking with what worked for me. My hikes gradually built up from 2 to 12+ hours. I kept going to the gym but switched over to strength training, making the hiking my cardio.

 

In that time, I have hiked 4 national trails, National 3 Peaks, 214 Wainwrights, Yorkshire 3 Peaks, Welsh 3000s and some of the Munros. The upshot of a positive mindset and addiction to hiking is that the last 3 years of MRI scans have shown that the progression of Crohn’s has halted altogether

I joined Instagram as @weekend_hiker at the same time and started sharing my hikes to inspire others to get out and hike. @hike_britain launched the following year and it’s where the team and I love sharing your hikes. Through social media, I’ve made great outdoor friends, connected with brilliant outdoor organisations and have fallen deeper in love with the UK outdoors.