Luxury safari holidays can be tailored by a safari holiday specialist like Aardvark Safaris to provide an African safari package that suits your needs. You could explore the Zambezi River by canoe steering clear of pods of hippos, or fly low over the Rift Valley lakes in Kenya with flocks of flamingos beneath you.

Alternatively you might find yourselves helping baby turtles to the sea, avoiding marauding crabs, or fishing for your lunch just off the coast from Cape Town.

During a stay in Livingstone in Zambia you could meet elephants in the morning, raft in the afternoon and go on the river for a sunset cruise in the evening. The next morning you could head out to the Devil’s Pool on the edge of the Victoria Falls, before bungee jumping in the afternoon followed by a microlight flight to get some aerial shots of where you were in the morning.

Where you stay on a safari holiday

Image courtesy of Aardvark Safaris

Safari holiday accommodation varies widely and can accomodate most preferences.  You could sleep under a cube of mosquito net set up on a beach so you can safely sleep under the stars..  For the ultimate luxury safari holiday, you can stay in a room in a lodge bigger than your house, with a beautiful ensuite marble bathroom and your very own plunge pool.

Traditionally tents have been used on safari holidays, but these aren’t tents as you might have seen them in the scouts or guides. With proper beds, connected loo and shower and wardrobes and chairs, they’re effectively canvas hotel rooms in the bush.

What is a normal safari holiday package?

There is no normal safari holiday package. When you arrange what you want to do with a safari specialist they can alter the holiday to fit your needs.  This includes things such as:

• Your budget
• Your desire to walk, horse ride, canoe etc
• What time of year you are travelling
• What type of accommodation you want to stay in

A combination of safari and beach is quite common.  People use the section of the holiday by the sea to relax after the early starts of the safari days. If you are not a beach lover then you might choose a few days away from wildlife.  You can stay somewhere like Cape Town, in South Africa or Livingstone, close to the Victoria Falls on the Zambian side.

Where should I go on safari at different times of year?

Broadly speaking there are two different climatic zones for the safari areas of Africa.

Image courtesy of Aardvark Safaris

East Africa – Kenya & Tanzania (and to a certain extent Rwanda and Uganda)
Their best weather periods, when they have little or no rain, are June to October and then December to March. So good places to visit for the summer holidays, October half term and Christmas, but not for Easter.

Southern Africa – Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, Namibia and Malawi
They tend to have sunshine from April to November so work for holidays in the summer, at Easter and for the October half term, but not for Christmas (although Cape Town is an exception and is nice at Christmas and not in our summer)

How much does an African safari holiday cost?

It is almost easier to ask what you want to spend as there are safaris to suit all budgets.

Specialist luxury safari holiday operators tend to work with smaller camps and lodges.  Here the guiding and hosting is better and there are fewer people on each game viewing vehicle. These camps are generally in quieter areas ensuring a more exclusive safari.  Clients would typically fly by light aircraft between camps to minimise travel time and increase comfort.

With economy class flights from the UK a two week holiday planned by a safari holiday specialist, with a week on safari and a week on the beach, would generally cost £4,000 per person. This would include all international and internal flights and taxes, accommodation, meals, some drinks and safari activities – very little is excluded.

How do I arrange a safari holiday?

Image courtesy of Aardvark Safaris

There are many companies offering safari holidays; some are purely African specialists, others offer safari holidays throughout the world. You will be able to find many of these by typing African safaris or family safaris into a search engine.

The big question to ask the person who answers the phone is whether they have been to the places they are selling. Discount those who haven’t and work with those who have; they will make sure you are matched to the best safari holiday for you.

Aardvark Safaris

This safari holiday summary was written by African safari specialists Aardvark Safaris who have many years of experience of arranging tailor made holidays for couples, families, honeymooners and singles. Their consultants have incredible knowledge from years of travelling to Africa. They will use their knowledge combined with your thoughts to plan the perfect safari holiday for you

More adventure and activity holidays

The post Safari Holidays appeared first on Active Outdoors.

What is a Game of Conkers?

The game of conkers is ages old. Using the dark brown horse chestnuts, not to be confused with the smaller chestnut, you can have hours of fun trying to smash apart your opponent’s conker.

The game of conkers, also called conker fighting, involves trying to smash your opponent’s conker which is suspended at the end of a piece of string.  The winner is usually the person whose conker is stronger and harder.

How to remove spiky conkers shells

The first thing you will need to play conkers is a conker! Conkers are encased in a hard green shell that has spikes on the outside. When the horse chestnut ripens and falls from the horse chestnut tree, the outer casing often breaks open when it hits the ground. You can then prise the conker shell off with your fingers.

If the conker shell hasn’t come off and you are finding it hard to open, then there is a trick to opening them without hurting your fingers on the spikes. All you have to do is put the conker on the ground and gently roll it with your foot. By applying the right amount of pressure, the shell breaks open as you roll it.

Getting your conkers ready for conker fights

To play conkers, you will need to attach your conker to a piece of string or shoe lace. Make a small hole all the way through your conker with a meat skewer, bradawl or drill. The smaller the hole is, the stronger your conker will be as a bigger hole weakens conkers too much and makes them prone to being broken when hit. The hole does need to be big enough to fit your piece of string through though. If you choose a thin round shoe lace or piece of string, this will be best for your conkers. The string should be between 30cm and 50cm long.

How to play conkers

Conker fighting is great fun between two players. As long as you play fair, you will have a great time. Hopefully your opponent won’t hit your knuckles with their conker either!

The aim of conker fights

The general idea is that one of the conker players holds his conker still in the air by dangling it on the string. The other conker player then has to swing his conker overarm whilst still holding the end of the string so that the conker hits the opponent’s conker. The aim is to smash your opponent’s conker off the string.

Who goes first in conkers?

You usually toss a coin to see who decides to go first. The winner of the toss can choose to hit or receive first.

Conkers Game play

Conkers players take it in turn to try to hit the other conker. There are several outcomes of a swing. You can hit the conker and smash it off the string. You can miss the conker. You can miss the conker and get the strings tangled. You can hit the conker with no damage. You can hit the conker and break your own conker. Both conkers could get damaged.

Winning conkers

To win a game of conkers, you have to smash your opponent’s conker completely off the string whilst keeping your conker on the string. A partial break does not count. Also, if you knock your opponent’s conker off the string without breaking it, then they are allowed to put it back on the string.

Scoring and rating a conker

Scoring is done by counting how many conkers your conker has broken. The winning conker also gains the rating of the losing conker. So if you both have “none-ers” because they have won none, then the winning conker becomes a “one-er.” If you have a conker that has beaten four others, and then beats a two-er, then it also takes on the score of the losing conker and becomes a six-er.

How to Make Conkers Stronger and Harder

Everyone who has played conkers will know that you will most likely win if your conker is stronger than the other conker. Technically, if you make the conker harder, it also makes it more brittle. What you have to do is to make your conker strong. You also have to try to make your method undetectable, so this rules out coating it in an epoxy resin!

Pickling conkers in vinegar

Pickling conkers in vinegar is said to make them rock hard. This can however cause the inside to slowly rot.

Baking conkers

Baking conkers in the oven at a very low heat is one of the best ways to make conkers stronger. You need to leave it in the oven long enough to make it strong without making the outside wrinkly.

Using old conkers

The best way to get a winning conker that is unbeatable is to use conkers saved from last year. So, start collecting next years winning conkers now!

Varnishing conkers

Applying clear varnish to conkers can give them a strong hard shell, but this can be detectable.

Hand cream on outside of conkers

One method that does seem to make conkers stronger is to coat the outside of your conker with hand cream. This makes the outside more resistance to impact. I would bake the conker in the oven first to make the inside tougher, and then coat the outside of the conker with hand cream to make the conker shell more flexible to the impacts.

Conkers banned in schools

Apparently, conker fights are dangerous. The powers that be have decided for you that you should not play conkers in case you get hurt. OK, so there are risks of hitting your opponent in the face, or smashing your conker into their hand, but they will need to have quick reactions to avoid your bad aim. If you can’t play at school, you can always play at home.

Conker’s Bad Fur Day

There is also a popular computer game called conkers. The game stars Conker the Squirrel and involves a number of levels to complete. I would rather be outside trying to smash my friend’s horse chestnut to bits than be indoors playing on my own on a computer.

More information about Conkers

• How to play Conkers
• Fun Things to do in Autumn

The post How to Make Conkers Stronger appeared first on Active Outdoors.

If you fancy scaring the pants off yourself and your mates, book your advance ticket for a fright night at a theme park. It is such a fantastic thrill going on the rollercoasters during the day, and even more of an adrenalin rush in the dark at night.

October brings you theme park fright nights and scarefests. Most require advance bookings, even if you are a season ticket holder. Towards the end of the month and into November, you will also get fireworks displays as well.

UK Theme Park Halloween Fright Nights

• Alton Towers Scarefest – 19th October to 3rd November.  Book online now for 40% discount tickets – For real terror this Halloween, look no further than the Alton Towers Resort Scarefest! Be confronted by live terror as a chilling combination of indoor and outdoor scare attractions ensure those willing to be frightened this Halloween don’t leave feeling scared – they’ll leave terrified! Book online now and get 40% off.
• Thorpe Park Fright Night – 11th October – 3rd November.  40% discount off tickets. Fright Nights is back and even more terrifying than ever, transforming THORPE PARK into a world of twisted insanity!Only the brave will escape THORPE PARK Penitentiary as
  Fright Nights transform the nation’s Thrill Capital into a dark and twisted prison facility, where society’s most disturbed and dangerous prisoners have broken out and taken control.Take on THE SWARM for the first time in the dark, as you take a death-defying flight for your life on the UK’s first winged rollercoaster and brave all five terrifying live action horror mazes.Dare to Face Your Fears on the ultimate test as SAW – The Ride comes alive! And for the ultimate horror experience brave the terrifying live action horror mazes The Curse, Se7en, The Asylum, and Hellgate.

  If that’s not enough for you, experience exhilarating rides in the dark and take on the ‘Unholy Trinity’ of Stealth, Colossus and Nemesis Inferno in the pitch black of night until 10pm.

  Due to the extreme popularity of this event, Fright Nights is STRICTLY ADVANCE BOOK ONLY.
  LIMITED TIME ONLY: Grab your tickets now for just £24* – that’s over 40% saving!!

• Chessington Halloween Hocus Pocus – 25th October – 3rd November, 10am – 8pmThe whole family can enjoy spooky entertainment this Halloween as wicked witches and naughty Goblins take over the Park! Plus a mythical Fiery Faun will be weaving enchanting tales of his homeland using magic and fire to delight the younger members of your family. With rides in the dark and the chance to get up close and personal with the Zoo’s spiders, snakes and glow-in-the-dark scorpions there’s so much fun to be had it’s scary!

U.S. Theme Park Halloween Fright Nights

• Disneyland (Anaheim): Halloween Time with Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy and Halloween Screams fireworks show. 14th October – 31st October
• Magic Kingdom (Orlando, Fla.): Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party with Boo-to-You parade and Happy HalloWishes fireworks show. September through to November
• Universal Studios Hollywood: Halloween Horror Nights with scare zones, live shows and haunted mazes, including the “Saw” maze. Oct. 2 to Oct 31.
• Universal Studios Florida (Orlando): Halloween Horror Nights with scare zones, live shows and haunted mazes, including the “Wolfman” maze. Oct. 1 to Oct 31.
• Six Flags: Fright Fest with mazes, scare zones, nighttime rides and shows at the chain’s amusement parks across the United States including Six Flags Magic Mountain (Valencia) and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (Vallejo, Calif.). Weekends through Nov. 1.
• SeaWorld San Diego and SeaWorld Orlando: Halloween Spooktacular with animal shows and trick-or-treating for children. Weekends through Nov. 1.
• Legoland (Carlsbad, Calif.): Brick-or-Treat with live shows and trick-or-treating for children. Saturdays in October.
• Knott’s Berry Farm (Buena Park): Halloween Haunt with 13 haunted mazes, four scare zones and seven shows. Wednesdays through Sundays through Oct. 31.
• Cedar Point (Sandusky, Ohio): HalloWeekends with haunted houses, five scare zones and eight shows. Weekends through Nov. 1.
• Kings Dominion (Doswell, Va.): Halloween Haunt with nine haunted mazes, five scare zones and four shows. Weekends through Oct. 31.
• Kings Island (Cincinnati, Ohio): Halloween Haunt with 13 haunted attractions. Thursdays through Sundays through Oct. 31.
• Carowinds (Charlotte, N.C.): Scarowinds with haunted rides, mazes and scare zones. Weekends through Oct. 31.
• Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (Florida): Howl-O-Scream with seven haunted houses, four scare zones and two shows. Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights through Oct. 31.
• Busch Gardens Williamsburg (Virginia): Howl-O-Scream with six haunted mazes, seven scare zones and six shows. Weekends through Nov. 1.
• SeaWorld San Antonio: Howl-O-Scream with haunted attractions, shows and scare zones. Weekends through Oct. 31 (and Oct. 12).
• Hersheypark (Hershey, Pa.): Hersheypark in the Dark with rethemed rides and live shows. Weekends through Oct. 31.
• Dollywood (Pigeon Forge, Tenn.): National Gospel and Harvest Celebration with gospel music and harvest foods and crafts. Oct. 2 to Oct 31.
• Kennywood (West Mifflin, Pa.): Phantom Fright Nights with six haunted attractions and four scare zones. Friday and Saturday nights in October.
• Darien Lake (Darien Center, N.Y.): FrightFest with a haunted house and tram tour. Weekends through Oct. 18.
• Queen Mary Dark Harbor, Long Beach, California Queen Mary Dark Harbor celebrates Halloween all month long at the Queen Mary in Long Beach as the annual scare-fest takes on a horrifying new dimension. Join us for 15 fright-filled nights of mazes and madness, food and cocktails, and live bands.

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Paintball is a sport that combines strategy, teamwork and skill into an exciting action packed day. It is usually played outside in woodland areas or fields.

Players are supplied with a special marking paintball gun that fires biodegradable paintballs. The paintballs are propelled by compressed air making them very accurate up to a range of 60 metres. And yes, you get to shoot them at the other team!

You do not have to be super fit to play paintball; all you need is the ability to have fun and a sense of humour. Paintball is an exciting outdoor leisure activity, suitable for both sexes from the age of 12 upwards. It is ideal for birthday parties and groups from youth clubs or a bunch of school or college friends.

Paintballing Tips

On arrival at a paintball site you will be given full instructions and tuition, including a full safety briefing. At all times you will be totally supervised by experienced marshals who will accompany you throughout the day explaining everything you need to know about the paintball games and keeping you safe.

You will need to be quick thinking and resourceful as you attempt, with the rest of your team, to outwit the opposing team. During the day you will be set an exciting variety of objectives and missions, all designed to test your abilities in a friendly atmosphere.

Playing in a range of purpose built game zones, with names like The Alamo or Chemical Alley, combining man made structures with natural cover. You might be tasked with attacking then defending a fort or bridge, protecting a convoy of vehicles, ambushing your opponents or capturing and recovering a flag.

If you manage to hit a member of the opposition with a paintball they are eliminated from that round of the game, and the same goes for you. So you need to have your wits about you and work out the best time to make a move, or dive for cover and keep your head down!

After each game you hand in your paintball guns for checking and cleaning and return to your base for the day in the ‘Safe Zone’ where you can wipe of the paint (unless you’ve cunningly avoided being hit), re-load, grab some refreshment or stay for lunch and discuss your team tactics for the afternoon missions – having learnt from your mistakes in the morning!

Paintball is one of the fastest growing sports in Europe with over a million players last year. It can be an addictive adrenalin rush, so you might find yourself becoming a regular player and joining in competitive tournaments around the country.

Does Paintball Hurt?

Yes it does. A lot! It usually hurts as much as if someone flicks you hard on bare skin with their fingers. The rules are that you should not shoot close up, but in the heat of the battle you will usually get some vicious opponent who will get you. One game I went to, quite a few people left with large blood blisters and welts where the paintballs had damaged the skin.

However, if you find play strategically and work well with your team, you can usually come out with just a few slight bruises or none at all.

If you want to get some some protection from bruises, then there is a great selection of padded compression tops and trousers available in black or camo.

You can buy 500 rounds of paintball rounds for under $20 on Amazon.

What to Wear for Paintballing?

Wear old clothes. You should be given full overalls to wear when going paintballing, with a neck protector, head cover and full face mask. If you don’t like the idea of getting hit by a high velocity ball of paint, you might want to wear some thick clothing underneath for padding, but be aware that once you move about, you get quite hot. You are usually not allowed to run about (trip hazards), but the adrenalin usually makes you feel hotter.

Places to go Paintballing

There are paintball venues all over the country. Whichever one you choose, check whether they provide all the safety gear, such as full face masks, neck protectors, and overalls. Paintball is a real adrenalin sport that gets the blood and paint pumping.

Paintball Gear

One of the easiest places to buy paintball gear is from Amazon.com. Here are the recommended paintball essentials on Amazon.

The post Winning Paintball Tips appeared first on Active Outdoors.

“I have been asked to write a small piece on outdoor bootcamps and being active outdoors and how this differs from training within a Gym environment.

I am a Personal Trainer, Master Kettlebell Instructor, an Advanced Bootcamp Instructor and Nutrition and Weight Loss Advisor.

I haven’t always done this. I was extremely sporty throughout my childhood and at 17 years of age joined the Women’s Royal Naval Service. This is where I discovered the joys and the side effects of alcohol and I also discovered that disgusting nicotine addiction which stayed with me until I was in my 40s. I did however represent the WRNS in athletics and RMSM Deal in cross country and my quirky style of dancing at the local bops was rather energetic to say the least so my fitness levels remained quite high.

I then left the Navy and became a civilian for a few years before joining Kent Police at the grand old age of 26. Was I fit? Nope!! Did I need to get fit? Oh yes!! I headed off to the local gym, had a look around and promptly walked out. I then joined a group circuit class and before I knew it, I was being handed my truncheon that was just the right size to fit into my Police Issue handbag, a set of handcuffs and an ill-fitting uniform.

I was sent off to training school where fitness wasn’t a choice. We were heading into a job where chasing baddies on foot was going to happen whether we liked it or not and there is nothing worse than seeing a copper catch someone and proceed to puke over the ne’er do well or even worse, being out run by a shoplifter laden down with a whole weeks worth of goodies. Oh and not to mention the shift work diet of curry at 3am, or grabbing a chocolate bar when nothing else was available, the stress levels through the roof, the night shifts, the out of sync body clock, the unsociable hours to name but a few. The only thing that did keep me going was my fitness and love of training.

Becoming a Personal Trainer

In 2007 I hired a Personal trainer for the first time ever and that’s when I decided I wanted the knowledge and the skills to help others get fit and healthy too.

So here I am now, 9 years on. I have taken early retirement from the Police and I run my own business doing outdoor Bootcamps and Personal Training.

When I first entered the Personal training arena, the emphasis was on getting fit in a gym environment using machines and weights to build and tone muscle and cardio machines to improve cardiovascular and aerobic stamina.

Using the Outdoor Environment for Fitness

To me, the body is already a machine and therefore does not necessarily need more machines to make it work better or more efficiently. Did our cave man ancestors have machines to help them chase after their food? So, I removed myself from the gym environment and started experimenting with training outdoors using anything I could find to help me in my quest to get fit and lean.

If I saw a bench (preferably with no one sitting on it), I would do some step ups or tricep dips or elevated push ups. If I saw a set of steps, I would hop, jump or sprint up them. If I saw railings, I would throw out sets of inverted rows or close hand pullups. If I saw lamp posts, that would be my fartlek training done for the day. The great outdoors literally became my gym without having to listen to the grunts and screams of guys and girls doing their free-weight thing. I also didn’t have to wipe off someone else’s sweat from any apparatus I wanted to use and I certainly didn’t have to wait to use a bench or a weight whilst someone finished texting. – yes!! Mobile phones had been invented by then.

I became in tune with my body and its ability to balance itself, my motor skills were being utilised at all times, I wasn’t relying on a machine to fix my body into the correct position. It was my core, my posterior chain, the way I held myself.

My love of functional fitness was born.

In time, not only did I acquire an awesome tan, freckles and a truck load of natural Vitamin D, I acquired a lean and toned physique with a fitness and stamina level to die for. The greatest thing about it as well? It’s absolutely FREE!!

What do Outdoor Boot Camps Entail?

My bootcamps do exactly the same thing. I use bodyweight exercises ensuring a whole body approach is achieved. I concentrate on quality as opposed to quantity. Good form is vital as well as control, balance and co-ordination. The outdoor bootcamps consist of functional fitness training based on military style workouts using functional movements performed at high intensity. For example: Press-ups, burpees, squats, lunges, jumping, skipping, planks. The list is endless. I use tyres, boxing, kettlebells, sandbags, bands, medicine balls, slam balls, battle ropes, steps, running tracks and of course, everything nature has to offer fields, hills, the beach, muddy banks.

What can you expect to get out of one of my bootcamps? Well it does all depend on how hard you work and the effort you are willing to put in. At Functional Fitness Bootcamps, be prepared to experience fat loss, muscular growth and endurance, definition, stamina and speed.

Yes it is hard work but outdoor bootcamps are a lot of fun. You become part of a team, a group with the same goals, a great group who always encourage each other and motivate each other.

Gyms on the other hand can be solitary training environments where your motivation depends on your mindset or whether you have an awesome training partner to spot you and encourage you.

Don’t get me wrong, I love gyms but I know what I am doing and I know the importance of goal setting and a training plan. I see people enter gyms and not know where to start or they get so disheartened so quickly, or they are intimidated by the guys with the muscles in the free-weight section or they get given a programme by the in house PT and are expected to get on with it. I’ve returned to gyms after a year of only doing outdoor training to see the same people doing the same workout and their fitness or body shape hasn’t changed one iota.. How de-motivating is that!!

Luckily I found an awesome gym. A big shout out to www.doverweightsroom.co.uk . A gym where people are friendly, focused and always willing to help out if they see someone struggling. I’ve trained in there on my own, with a PT, with pals and even with total strangers.

Outdoor exercise will always be my preferred choice of training. It is so versatile. It is free. It is convenient. It changes every time. I always carry around a kettlebell in my car just in case I feel the need for a 20 minute training session. Everywhere I go, I eye up my surroundings and see the opportunity for a work out. Hey, even childrens playgrounds hold a multitude of training opportunities.. Remember monkey bars? (great for upper body) Remember see saws? (great for squatting). Just don’t start shoving children out of their playground because you get the urge to do leg raises and hang off the steps to the slide.

Get a timer app on your phone. I have a boxing app which allows me to do times rounds with rest periods in between. Plus I love the ding ding sound it makes when the round has been completed. I set myself up a little circuit of lunges, squats, press ups etc and set my timer to 30 seconds on each station with 10 seconds rest in between and do that about 4 times or however many times I feel like.

The world and your surroundings are literally your own gym.

Since my clients have started to train outdoors with me and have experienced outdoor bootcamps, none of them want to train indoors again.

So my outdoor activity readers. Put on your Under Armour sportswear, grab your personalised water bottle and join an outdoor boot camp. The choice is yours as to whether you choose a gym or an outdoor activity but always remember one thing:

***DO NOT FORGET TO GO OUTDOORS AND PLAY***

Find Out More About Personal Trainers and Functional Fitness

• Obstacle Course Races
• How social running groups improve fitness quicker than the gym
• Functional Fitness Personal Training

The post Outdoor Bootcamps and Training vs Gym Experience appeared first on Active Outdoors.

You may be thinking “Wouldn’t it be good if I could run a reasonable distance without being completely out of breath.” Well, thinking about it is the first stage. To actually get outdoors and go running needs a bit more effort.

Walking or running is a great benefit for your health. It helps your heart, lungs, muscles, and also ensures that your bones grow strong and healthy. The impact on your bones whilst running when you are a teenager has a lifelong benefit (so long as you don’t over do it). Just going for a walk for half an hour each day will keep your body ticking over to some extent.

Enough of the boring stuff, how should you get outdoors and improve your running skills? Before you go out and buy the best running shoes, you should begin by building up a bit of fitness first.

Courtesy of the British Orienteering Association

Running Outdoors

For those of you who go running on a treadmill in a gym, running outdoors is quite different. For one thing, it is much more stimulating in that the scenery changes. You also get outdoors into the fresh air. If you are fortunate enough to live in the countryside, you should appreciate the nature around you. Many people find that running outdoors is tougher than running on a running machine. Just stick with it and take it slowly. You will find that over time your stamina and pace will improve. Your body will get used to running up and down hills. Another advantage of running outdoors is that you can run away from the crowds. You don’t have to worry about how others think you look at the gym. If you are out running, you will soon pass by anyone who you think may be looking at you. At least you are doing something about caring for yourself.

Planning Your Running Route

To start running, you will probably want to work out a route. This should be fairly short to begin with, but have plenty of scope for getting longer. Your running route may start from your home or work. You may prefer to start your route from your local leisure centre where you can use the changing rooms and showers.

You can work out your route either on a map by distance, or by walking the route you want to take and see how long it takes you. I would start off with a route that will take you about 20 minutes. A very useful online running tool is the Online Pedometer. This allows you to draw a route on a map and it tells you the distance. You can work out different routes until you find one that is of a suitable distance.

Start Slowly

For those who are enthusiastic about getting your running shoes on and going running outdoors, start off slowly and build up. Too many people start running at a good pace and soon find their bodies rebelling against the sudden exercise. Cool Running have a running guide to going from doing nothing to running 5k in a gentle manner. It starts off with walking your route, and building up through jogging to running in about two months.

Keep Track of Your Running Progress

Be patient and don’t rush. You will soon find a nice gentle pace. Once you have begun, you will need to monitor your progress to see how you are improving. Work out the distance your route is, and time how long it takes you to complete your route each time. Keep a record of your running times. You can then start aiming to beat your times bit by bit. I find that it helps if you know how long it takes you to get to certain points on your running route. You can then increase your pace evenly over the whole route instead of getting in a panic to make up time towards the end because you have been going slowly at the start.

After your initial 20 minute running session, you can build up to three running sessions a week. Space these out evenly so that your body has time to recover. From there, you can work on improving your running times.

There are now lots of running apps for your phone such as Map My Run or the Under Armour app called Record has a fantastic app providing a 24/7 connected health and fitness system.

Avoiding Getting Stitches

One of the memorable things about school cross country events was getting a really painful stitch. These are usually caused by eating too close to going running, or by gulping down too much water at once. Try to leave about an hour between eating and going for a run.

Breathe Through Your Nose

Our bodies are designed for us to breathe through our noses. The nose keeps out all of the nasty stuff that floats around in the air such as germs, pollen and pollution. By breathing in and out through your nose when you go running will not only stop that nasty stuff getting in, but the effort of doing so will improve your lung strength. Some people buy a device to stick in their mouths whilst running that restricts the amount of air they can breathe in so that their lungs get stronger. Breathe through your nose and you will soon feel the benefits.

You may find that your nose runs more than you do! This is good for clearing out any lingering colds that you may have. Take water to drink when running to keep your fluids topped up, as your nose will need this to keep the lining of your nose moist.

If you suffer from hayfever, try going running in the morning or just after it has rained. There is much less pollen around

Further Information on Running

Running Magazines

• Runners World
• Running Fitness

Running tips

• Runners World training tips for beginners and racing
• 50 Best Beginner tips for running
• 100 beginner Running Tips
• Couch to 5k Running Plan

Choosing a Running Shoe

To dramatically improve your fitness and help with weight loss, try combining running with cycling. This exercises your muscles in different ways and will improve your all round fitness.

If you find that going running is having a positive effect on you, then you may decide you want to buy yourself some running shoes or trail running shoes. Don’t rush out and buy any old pair of running shoes or ones that look nice. Do some research and find a pair of running shoes that look cool and are also comfortable. There are different types of running shoes for different types of terrain, so read about How to choose the best trail running shoes

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What are the Northern Lights?

The Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis, is nature’s display of coloured lights that fill the nights sky in the most northern parts of the world. It is a shapeshifting swirling cloud of coloured lights caused by the interaction between gas particles in the atmosphere and electrically charged particles from the sun. The Northern Lights occur when a continuous stream of charged particles called the Solar Wind that comes from the Sun hits the Earth’s upper atmosphere. The light is created when this solar wind causes ionisation of oxygen and nitrogen atoms. Oxygen gives off a greenish glow, and nitrogen gives off a red or blue glow. So, where are the Northern Lights?

The Northern Lights are seen above the magnetic North Pole and are called the Aurora borealis. There is a similar light phenomena over the magnetic South Pole which is called the Aurora australis. It is easier to travel to see the Northern Lights than the Southern Lights because Antarctica is a bit of an inhospitable place.

Where can you see the Northern Lights?

View of the Northern Lights from Alaska

The best places to see the Northern Lights are in Alaska, Canada, Iceland and Norway. The amazing light shows given off by the Northern Lights are never guaranteed, but if you get yourself to locations close to the northern latitudes at the top of the world such as in Iceland or Canada, you will maximise the chances of an unforgetable experience.

The level of solar activity is a big factor in the intensity and appearance of the Northern Lights. The solar activity changes in intensity over 11 years, and was expected to be at a maximum in 2012-2013.

You can also see the Northern Lights from places like Sweden and Scotland.

Northern Lights Holidays

Iceland offers some of the cheapest options for Northern Lights Holidays. You can book short breaks to Reykjavik with Thomson on a three-night trip. The Thomson Northern Lights Tour and a Golden Circle excursion takes in some of Iceland’s most spectacular sights, from geysers to waterfalls, for approximately £400pp B&B, including flights. Departures tend to be in January and February.
Inghams Northern Lights Holidays to northern Norway include the Narvik Polar Express Adventure. You get to ride on the Polar Express train, go husky sledding and on a trip to the Polar Wildlife Park. A three night Northern Lights Holiday from Inghams will cost about £800pp, including flights and excursions.

Northern Lights Cruise

Most of the Northern Lights cruises sail to Norway or Iceland where the aurora appears regularly and the climate is relatively calm.
P&O Cruises has a 12-night round trip from Southampton on Oriana. It calls at Stavanger in Tromso overnight, Alta for a two night stay and Flam. It costs about £850pp.

Northern Lights Flight

If you don’t like the cold and just want to have a look at the Northern Lights, you can get a plane from UK airports that flies up over Iceland and back in a few hours. The Aurora Tours mean that you can see the Northern Lights in a few hours without a long trip or having to stay out in the cold. However, nothing beats the awe and wonder of spending time with your camera in Alaska or Canada on a Northern Lights Holiday.

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The mornings start to become that little bit colder and a little bit darker.  Autumn is drawing near and as the seasons change, so does the availability of pleasant weather for your favourite outdoor activities.  Students across the world are thinking about the new academic year ahead. For some, it is the first time away from home as you head for Freshers’ week at University.

For business professionals, their return to work after the summer break is often difficult.  With the holidays over and the nights drawing in, what on earth can you do to stay active outdoors?

Running is Always an Option

Running outdoors in September after work will mean having to use a torch and some high visibility clothing.  Proviz provide a range of very highly reflective running jackets in a range of styles.  You will need to supplement  this with a good running torch.  I prefer the body worn running torch that straps over your shoulder and around your chest.  The white light on the front is bright enough to show all of the roots and uneven trails as you run, with the red light on the back making you visible from behind.

Student Fun

What fun have you been up to lately? Last weekend most students will have started at college or university. Oh the memories of Fresher’s week. Meeting new people, joining the most obscure clubs and societies (which mostly involved participating in a drink or two), and generally having a laugh.

Higher education has a great selection of clubs partaking in a spot of outdoor recreation. Depending on where you are, the traditional track and field sports are supplemented by more adventurous activities such as canoeing, sailing, snow sports, mountain biking and even a few aerial activities like flying or kite surfing.

What activity clubs do you have at your college or university? Which ones have you joined? Did you join for the appeal of the activity or because of some hunk who was already a member? Thought so :o)

Fall Outdoor Activities

October brings the change of seasons, and with it the weather changes. October and November are great months for wind powered activities. Kite flying, kite surfing, sailing and windsurfing are all ideal. It is also a most entertaining time for any drone enthusiasts. Those spinny rotor gadgets just don’t cope well in wind, so be prepared for youtube vids of some epic drone fails and crashes.

The end of October also sees the start of the marketing season for snow sports. Ski shows and exhibitions pop up at the end of October, offering fantastic bargain ski holidays and discount gear. It is the best opportunity to find out what it is all about and grab yourself a bargain. This winter, the ski industry is making a concerted effort to entice more under 35 year olds to go on a ski holiday or snowboarding holiday. Across the UK, the Go Ski Go Board campaign is offering taster sessions for only £1 at ski slopes across the country. You should get together with some of your friends and make a group outing of it. If you like it, there are lots of ski chalets you can rent as a group, some even have catering included. All you have to worry about is having fun in the snow. If you want to know more, read my guide to choosing a ski holiday that’s right for you and helps you with all the things you should consider.

My ski fund is currently generated by me providing you and your friends with great ideas on outdoor activities which leads to you clicking on useful Amazon affiliate links and other ads. Thank you so much if you do. I really appreciate it, as do my teenage daughters.

The end of October means Halloween, and if you are a thrill seeker you are definitely going to want to go to one of the theme park fright nights. Theme parks all over the world put on special events during the end of October for Halloween where you can scare yourself silly by going on the rides at night in the dark! Awesome. They also put on scare mazes and other attractions that will mess with your head. I went to one last year with some friends and had a brilliant time. It is totally different on the rides at night, and such an adrenalin rush. If you are not of a nervous disposition, I highly recommend it.

I wish you well in your work and education. May you make lots of great new friends, be invited to many memorable parties, and generally have so much fun that you walk around with a huge grin.

More outdoor activities to try

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I have been blessed with a generally good level of fitness, probably due to walking my dog several times a day, but have always wanted to up my game. The thing is, it takes motivation to actually do it. I found that when I try running by myself I soon falter at the first signs of fatigue, usually within the first 30 metres or so. I get out of breath or my legs ache and before you know it I have slowed to a walk with the intention of running again in just a moment. Honest. Oh well, maybe in a minute or so. Oh who cares about this running lark? It requires effort that I can’t be bothered with. I’ll just have a little rest here. Maybe tomorrow.

If only I knew someone who could keep me company to go running and give me a reason for going for a run.

So it was by good fortune that one of my dog walks took me by chance past a poster in my village for a local running group. Apparently, every week a group of like minded individuals of varying abilities gather by a gate and go running together. Sounded like it warranted some further investigation, so I sent an email to the address on the poster to see if I could join in one week.

The next week I put on my old pair of trainers and was warmly welcomed by a group of about ten at the starting point. The beginners running group was led by two Athletics England qualified running group leaders. The group consisted of men and women aged between 25 and 80. I was to be starting out in the beginner’s group, running 4.2k. Sounded like quite a long way to me for my first continuous run, but the group leader reassured me that the running pace was matched to the slowest person. Looking around the group I was fairly confident that wouldn’t be me, but the next forty minutes would let me know for sure.

We headed off along the roads around two of the Kent villages, running at a nice and easy pace. Everyone was very sociable and friendly, which was perfect for taking your mind off the fact that you were actually out running. At the first gentle hill the group began to spread out, but no one was left on their own. Everyone in the group watched out for each other and even slowed to walk with those who were struggling. For those who had the stamina to keep going, the group leader would keep running for 100 metres and then they would turn back to join up with those at the back. This was a really good way of keeping the group together whilst allowing people of different abilities to keep to a pace that suited them.

I successfully completed the run with only a couple of points where I slowed down to a walk. I blame those darned hills, and being noble by keeping company with some of the slower runners who I felt needed the support. At least that’s what I told them.

The group leader congratulated me on doing so well on my first session and encouraged me to come again. I walked home feeling quite chuffed with myself. That wasn’t so bad, and the company was good. These social workouts were a real mood booster. Would definitely be back.

Slowly Building up Running Fitness Before Going Too Far

I stuck with the beginners group for about 5 weeks so as not to overdo things. This allowed my body to get used to running that distance at a steady pace. Then I moved on to joining the intermediates running group. Some of those who ran with the beginners also ran in this group, effectively using it as a warm up and giving a total distance that evening of about 15km.

You guessed it; I was now up for running 7-10k. The first coup!e of months was tiring but achievable. The pace was nice and easy with everyone keeping together, and more importantly ensuring I didn’t get left behind. From the start of each run, everyone was very friendly and conversation flowed on a wide variety of topics. The beauty of social running groups is that you can move around the group and join different conversations depending on your mood. And if you don’t feel like talking much, that is fine too.

After a few months, the intermediates group regularly completed 10k running every week. The group run was one of the best ways for 10k run training.  Each week the 10k running plan incorporated a different element that built strength and stamina.  What’s more, it was done without you really realising how much benefit you were gaining.  Before I knew it this 10k run every week was becoming fairly straightforward.  Some weeks you did struggle if you were suffering from a cold or busy week, but the running group always catered to the ability of the entire group on that evening.  The perfect tailored 10k running plan for all abilities.

During the warmer months, we ran alot more off road across the gorgeous Kent countryside. Due to the enthusiasm of the group, they also began organising informal Sunday morning runs. Using WhatsApp, the group cold also spontaneously go for small group runs by putting out a call to see if someone wanted to go for a quick 5k that evening, or perhaps a nice little 10 miler a bit further afield. I was quite content with my weekly session.

Now after regularly running for about a year now, I feel up for seeing how I fare in running a bit faster over 10k. There is a local annual event that was just begging to be entered (along with much encouragement from my fellow runners). So, we shall see how I get on in the Darent Valley 10K in May.

How Group Running Helps Fitness and Wellbeing

The biggest motivating factor in group running is the supportive social aspect. If I hadn’t found out about the local running group I doubt that I would be as fit as I am today. We humans need that reward feedback in order to do things; those biological and chemical signals telling us that what we have just done was good and we should do more of it. If you are starting out in running, you need to get that positive feeback in anyway you can to motivate you to do it again. If the physical effort is a huge barrier for you, then the social aspect, friendship and having a good laugh together really does help to make you want to go out again. After a while, you become used to the physical effort and seek to achieve more. More distance and more speed.

The variety of running routes also helped keep things interesting.

Although the beginners group used the same route so you could sense how you were improving week on week, the intermediates group always ran a different route each week. Occasionally there would be a track session to run at different paces on the flat, or hill sessions to help improve stamina (or completely exhaust you).

How to Find a Running Group Near Me

You can search for local running clubs near you on the Run Together website. It lists all of the running groups and clubs across the UK, when they go running and what routes they take. Most of the sessions are free, but some running courses that offer a 10 week couch to 5k training routine may cost.

Another great way to go running regularly with lots of like minded people of varying abilities is to go to a parkrun. Parkruns are held at locations all over the world. It is a free 5k running session at local parks at 9am on Saturdays. You get timed, and you can compare your results with people worldwide. A great way to start your Saturday outdoors with family or friends.

I can’t recommend group running enough. It made a huge difference to my sense of wellbeing and fitness, and I look forward to my weekly running sessions; followed by the post run session in the local pub.

More about getting into running:

• Getting into running
• Orienteering
• Trail running
• Adventure races and ultra Marathons
• Obstacle course Races and Tough Mudder

The post How a Social Running Group Motivated me to go from Couch to 10K appeared first on Active Outdoors.

Skills – Strength: 5, Balance: 7, Flexibility: 5, Agility:6, Coordination: 6
Time needed: 30mins +, Cost to try: £free if you borrow a mates bmx bike, else £70+

What is BMX all about?

Are all BMX bikes the same?

There are different types of BMX bike. There are dirt BMX bikes which don”t have a front brake. These are used for racing over dirt ramps, often performing cool tricks in the air. Flatland BMX bikes have front and back brakes, and are lightweight. These types of BMX bikes are used for tricks on flat open space.

Race BMX bikes are where BMX bikes originally came from. These are used for racing. Street BMX bikes have pegs on the hubs of the wheels. These have a number of uses. One is to give your mates a lift. The main use though is to perform tricks by grinding along rails and the edges of ramps, balancing on just the pegs. Street BMX bikes are also used for riding in half pipes, and over ramps whcih are frankly near vertical.

What are the basic tricks on a BMX?

The Wheelie

The wheelie is just lifting the front wheel off the ground and riding along. See how far you can go on just your back wheel.

Endo

An endo is the opposite of a wheelie. You do the same, but lifting the back wheel off the ground. Not as easy as it sounds.

Bunny Hops

A bunny hop is where you do a jump off the deck, lifting both wheels off the ground at the same time

Find Out More About BMX Biking Near You

There are now plenty of places to go BMX biking near where you live. Some will be concrete skate parks, some pupose built dirt ramps and courses, or big ramps at skate parks in your local park.

You can get discount BMX gear from online bike shops such as Evans, Wiggle or Chain Reaction Cycles

Books on How to Do BMX Tricks

There are quite a few books out there that give you step by step instructions on how to learn BMX stunts and tricks.
BMX Riding Skills: The Guide to Flatland Tricks is packed with hundreds of illustrations and action photos and written in a laid-back style. The BMX book features:

• 35 of the most popular BMX tricks
• The origins and culture of BMX
• Types of BMX riding
• Competition and events
• Types of BMX bikes, materials and components
• Choosing the right wheels and tires
• The best in protective equipment and clothing
• How to avoid injury when falling

All of the tricks are described in step-by-step photographs and graded by difficulty, progressing from basic to intermediate to advanced.
You can buy BMX Riding Skills: The Guide to Flatland Tricks from Amazon and soon be showing off your skills to your friends.

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