imageIt's hard to match the high you get from travelling solo, that constant buzz of excitement and wonder at the world around you, and your own capabilities. Being back in the UK, it can leave some feeling a bit low without that constant adrenaline rush of living an untamed life. But if you ask me, one thing solo travelers learn is to be responsible for finding their own happiness, and just because you're home it doesn't mean you shouldn't still be looking for new ways to get that high you once had from travelling. I've been pretty happy to be home so far, but a lot of that is down to finding lots of amazing things to do with people I haven't seen for a long time, and taking up some awesome opportunities I missed out on through this blog while I was travelling. At the weekend, I was invited to try out Up At The O2 and to combine it with my love of all things fitness by trying out a Fitbit as I walked over the O2 Arena. You can't get much higher than that without stepping on a plane - so it was perfect for someone who usually gets their kicks several thousand feet above sea level. A perfect excuse to spend a weekend in London - my sister and I enjoyed two days of food, fitness and Fitbits.image

Fitbit

Anyone who has read for a while will know I'm big on keeping fit and enjoying a healthy lifestyle, while I'm travelling my favourite ways to keep fit are walking, running, swimming and working out outside. Forget paying for gyms and classes when the sun is always shining and the beach beckons. But, it can be difficult to keep track of how much exercise you have done and quite how much distance you're covering when you're spending whole days walking around new cities or trekking through jungle. I tried out the Fitbit when I went running on the beach - something I've really missed since being away - and as somewhere I usually don't have phone signal to track my runs, it was a fantastic way to log my time and my distance, along with keeping track of my progress and goals.imageNow the idea of wearing a tracking device on my wrist does put me off slightly, it feels a little bit Big Brother to me. But wearing the wristband around the clock also means I've been able to use the app to track my sleeping patterns - something really useful when you're suffering jet lag! And I can keep track of whether I'm eating enough of the right foods, and how much water I've been drinking. I've got the Fitbit Flex, but there are lots of different styles and colours available depending on what suits your lifestyle. It really is a great addition for anyone who is interested in living a healthy lifestyle and keeping fit, or who wants to increase their fitness. I just wish I had it when I was travelling so I could keep track of the distance I covered by walking and cycling my way around Asia and Australia - particularly in Melbourne when I was working a job that had me walking a minimum of 25,000 steps a day! I'm already looking forward to taking it travelling with me again as a great way of keeping track of the distance I cover and quite how fit the lifestyle keeps me.image

Up At The O2

I may not be much of a city girl, but I love a good trip to London. It's always a busy weekend packed full of catching up with friends and family, and lots of awesome events. Last weekend was no different, my sister and I crammed a ridiculous amount of food, fun and lots and lots of cocktails into two days, but it was all rounded off with a chance to see London from a different perspective. Travelling can be so much fun, whether you go to the other side of the globe, or you just take a chance to rediscover somewhere you know and see it in a whole new light. I've spent a lot of time in London over the years, and my sister lives there, so it was fantastic to try something a bit touristy and totally different. Up At The O2 takes you on  walk like no other, straight over the top of London's O2 Arena, a venue that has housed performances by some of the world's greatest musical acts and has welcomed over 30 million people through its doors. The 365m walk stretches over the dome, reaching 52m in height at an angle of up to 30 degrees. Despite that, it's not a very steep walk and you don't need to be in peak physical fitness to complete it - that's the beauty of it -  it really is an experience that anyone can enjoy!imageIt's an amazing way to spend an afternoon, even if it's cloudy, gazing across the London skyline and getting some amazing photos from the 360 degree viewing platform at the top. The whole experience takes around two hours and is a perfect way to take in some of the sights of London from a different angle, we spotted lots of the city's most famous buildings while we were up there thanks to the labels around the platform to guide visitors. Walking over the dome is so much fun, you feel like you're moon-walking as you bounce over the tent-like surface up towards the platform and there's so much to look at along the way. I was so distracted by the view that I almost forgot I was wearing my Fitbit until after when I checked it and saw that I had completed a total of 1,260 steps going over the O2 - already over a tenth of my 10,000 steps a day target! I'm getting slightly obsessed with how many steps I complete each day, so I was shocked to see that my sister had taken 400 less steps than me during that time - just shows you how much longer her legs are than mine. We had a great afternoon at the O2 and all rounded off with a few cocktails at a bar inside, how better to round the day off?image

Have you done Up At The O2? How was your experience? Can you recommend any other activities in London for a different experience of the city?

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