How To Add More Adventure To Your Every Day Life

This Post Is Sponsored By Say Aloe

When I first moved to London I was completely alone. I was the first of my friends to make the big jump to the big city, and I spent the first 2 months living in central London, working in a restaurant and quite frankly, not having many friends outside of the workplace. So I spent my spare time exploring: doing new things, going on new adventures. After I moved a little further out of the centre, all of that stopped. Before moving to London – like all people do before they have a big lifestyle change – I had these big visions that I’d go to all of the coolest places, see all the tourist attractions too. Big museums and their new exhibitions, a new restaurant ticked off the list every single week. Oh! And a new bar too. But nope. No matter where you are, your life seems to slip into a certain level of unadventurous mundanity at some point!

It’s funny how when we move somewhere new we have this idea of how we’ll live our life, and the reality is that we avoid anywhere a tourist might go, order from the same favourite 2 takeaways, eat at the same restaurants and order the same meals. Is it because it’s not worth taking the risk? “Damn, the disappointment of the avocado chicken tinga burrito when I should have just stuck with my trusty fish tacos!” I regularly get irrationally sad walking by all of these amazing restaurants and cool pop-ups in London when I think about how I’m never going to get to eat at all of them…

 So we sit here in our complacency wanting to do new things, and try new things, without ever really doing it. And then, as much as I love and want to try new things, I’m often afraid of being bad at them. It’s one of those many many issues that stems right on back to my perfectionism problem!

In this world where it seems everyone is #livingtheirbestlives on private jets exploring the world and in staying 5* resorts, it makes you think you need to go big or go home when it comes to adventure. But I really believe that’s not the case. It’s about adding a splash of colour to the beigeness which naturally comes with our lives by making a few fun swaps and changes.

For example, it can be as small as swapping out your everyday soft drink or water for a bottle of Say Aloe – an aloe-vera based drink made with real pieces from the plant. Honestly, my perceptions of an aloe drink beforehand lay somewhere along the clinical lines. Didn’t my granny used to cut off some of her aloe vera plant for my cuts and grazes when I was a child? Didn’t I have an soothing aloe vera massage in Thailand when I got burnt in the sun to a little red lobster? Do I really want to drink that?! So yeah, I decided to be adventurous and give it ago and it’s legit amazing – and I’m fussy when it comes to drinking things that aren’t coffee and water. If you haven’t already tried it, it’s a delicious fruity drink that comes in grape, mango and strawberry flavours (grape and mango are divine by the way!) and has real aloe vera pieces in. One 500ml bottle gives you 100% of your vitamin C allowance. I tried the reduced sugar one, but it comes with a zero sugar version too! Keep it in the fridge and pull it out ice cold and it’s the perfect cool-down for a hot day because it’s super hydrating. I’m always running in and out of the flat, so it’s nice to grab one and throw it in my bag and it makes a way nicer treat than refilling a bottle of tap water. Grab a bottle yourself in your local Tesco, Sainsbury’s or Morrison’s.

So for a week, in an attempt to put for adventure into my everyday life, I’m teaming up with Say Aloe to follow their 8 tips to add even more adventure into the mixer. (You can follow along with #SayAloeToNewAdventures and by downloading from their website)

1. Redefine adventure: this is so so important! You don’t have to jump out of plane to call yourself adventurous. Simple things like trying a new food or ordering from a different takeaway like I said before is a little adventure it itself.

2. Escape routine: instead of using your lunch break nibbling your meal-prep at your desk, go for a walk and see something different. Reclaim your lunch hour and take a walk solo or with friends to break your routine so you head back to your office feeling more refreshed.

3. Rise and Shine: I used to get up at 5:30am everyday and I actually loved it (in the summer, at least) – I got so much more done and felt like I’d accomplished 1 million tasks before 9am came round. Setting your alarm an extra 30 minutes or an hour early can help you have a less hectic wake up. Maybe do a bit of yoga or try squish in a quick cardio session to get your body moving!

4. Seek Knowledge: this is perhaps my favourite. I’m a secret little nerd and we spend our lives still learning – so why not push it a little further? Check out your local galleries and museums, or your local Time Out website to see if any cool fairs are on or events. My favourite museums in London are the V&A and Imperial War Museum

5. Refresh Your Perspective: take a break from what you normally read, watch, or listen to. Try different genres and ideas that don’t always appeal to you. We tend to go on autopilot, so if we change up our routes we can end up with an entirely new perspective. It’s all about broadening horizons and mindsets!

6. Unearth Your Talents: so many of us are guilty of not knowing what we’re capable of until we actually try. So why not hit up a new gym class? Barre of boxing? Just take a friend with you and give it a go! Or what about a dance class? Even if you’re not amazing at it, it’ll help break you into trying new things and being more adventurous when it comes to trying other new activities!

7. Put Yourself Forward: say yes to things you would usually say no to. This is all about challenging yourself. So say if for a work project they want a team leader, and usually you’d avoid eye contact with everyone, put your hand up and say “I’ll do it!” – a change in attitude helps you embrace challenges more willingly.

8. Create something: exploring creating will open up your mind. So try out making a new signature dish (then invite your pals over to show it off!) or pick up a pencil and get sketching something. Or get crafty with some textiles and make something for the home! Having a finished piece in your hand will make you feel instantly fulfilled.

 

Ready, set, and go! I’ll be sharing with you what I get up to and how I spice things up in my own life a little bit more by following these tips in just a few weeks!

 

This post is sponsored by Say Aloe