And so it begins!
- Laura Guest
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 10 hours ago
Welcome to the Sofa to Summit adventure with me, actress Laura Guest!
Week 1 of 40 - you joining in?!
Why am I writing this blog, I hear you ask? I live in a beautiful part of the UK that is often referred to as the flattest county, Norfolk, mainly because we have the gorgeous Norfolk Broads to the south and the vast open fens as we border Lincolnshire to the North. Maybe it's because of being surrounded by this ‘flatness’, or my Scottish roots, or my love of walking but I simply felt divinely led to take on Ben Nevis.
Or it's being in my early 40s. When you reach 41 and beyond, I think every person goes down one of two paths…first, the path of acceptance, accepting all of your choices up to that point, and therefore marching forward with the attitude to make the best of every moment that you can. Or secondly, you self-reflect on your life thus far and make changes to improve, enhance or even, like me, have a complete overhaul. Neither path is right or wrong, it's completely personal to you, but I hope that both types of people may be inspired to follow along with this blog and even join me on the actual climb in 2026?!
The idea to blog about the adventure stems from a desire to inspire others, corny, I know. It's also my main goal with acting and storytelling, to inspire and evoke people. We need to spread as much healing light and energy in this world as possible, all of us. You being here and reading this is contributing to that goal, so thank you.
What has inspired you to be here today? Comment below x
So far you will have gathered that I am an actress called Laura, I am over 40, I have had some weird divine light bulb moment to climb the highest peak in the UK, and I want to heal the world. Yep, that’s pretty much it, lol. I am a Pisces sun, Leo moon and Cancer rising…IYKYK.
I have a few other motivating factors which will no doubt unfold as we continue this adventure together. Of course, health is the main motivating factor, but my acting career, my aesthetic, finding a man and my self-confidence all play significant roles too...more discussions on those topics in coming weeks!
For now, let's get stuck in with the first week of adventure prep.
Disclaimer. I am not a medical professional, nutritionist, personal trainer or any kind of an expert. I am simply sharing what works and doesn’t work for me, and I encourage you to be accountable for your own health and fitness, make decisions that are right for you, and seek medical guidance when necessary.
Cooking and preparing food, pah, I am a busy person and I simply do not have time to do all that...I do have time, of course I do, and even when busy we all should make the choice to prioritise our health and nutrition. There is, however, the slight issue that I do not have the inclination or ability. I spend hours watching YouTube cooking videos and I am a little addicted to Barbecue showdown on Netflix but I wasn’t blessed with the cooking gene, my mum is exactly the same. I am yet to find Mr Right but when I do, can we all take a moment and pray, that he brings a chef passion to the partnership!
As part of my 40-plus overhaul, I am determined to make my mind and body strong, both now and for the future and how I fuel my body is crucial to that goal. But this blog is not about diet or weight loss or any of those related things on my to-do list! If you are joining in this adventure with me then I encourage you to eat a balanced diet with whole foods rich in nutrients, protein and fibre.
The focus of this blog is to prepare my fitness for undertaking Ben Nevis. My current fitness isn't horrific, but it's not great either. I walk my dog every day for over an hour, plus some Pilates and kettlebell exercises.
However, in terms of From Sofa to Summit training, I have implemented one main goal for week 1...consistent steps. I have a Fitbit Inspire that I use to count my steps. The increase in steps is at the heart of the training over the next 40 weeks. There will be further additions along the way, like adding a backpack, stairs, etc, but the focus is on step count. We will aim to hit 75,000 steps in one day prior to climbing old Benny!
What's your method for counting steps? Comment below x
Week One fitness implementation:
Goal of 8000 steps minimum per day - with Tuesday and Thursday increasing to 10,000 steps, minimum.
Walk around your kitchen, park further away from Morrisons entrance, walk the dog an extra 10mins. It all adds up. Anyone else got any tips? Comment below x
The Sofa to Summit blog is an excuse-free zone. Any comments with a negative mindset or excuses will be deleted. We are all about pushing forward and inspiring each other here, this isn’t therapy, this is action! We are not victims, we are warriors!
Let's do this and see you all at the summit, well…see you next week for week 2!
Love Laura xxx
If you have found yourself here and are actually looking for the more advanced and informative Mountaineering Scotland - Sofa 2 Summit course, then here is the link for you (but you are welcome to stay and join our community too!).
Well, I've just walked 3 miles and picked a kilo of Blackberries, which must be a healthy thing to do. Unfortunately I'll be using the berries to make my last (there have been others) batch of ice-cream. Using cream & Condensed Milk. It's like life...