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Alex Staniforth

Alex Staniforth

Adversity Adventurer, Inspirational Resilience Speaker, Author of Icefall and Mental Health Activist

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Inspiration

February 15, 2021

This Too Shall Pass – How to keep going when you can’t see the top

It feels like lockdown has gone on forever. One false summit another. Are we there yet? Even with the vaccine rapidly underway, there’s only so many

Category icon3 Peaks Run,  Inspiration,  Mental Health Tag iconanxiety,  injured runner,  injury,  lockdown,  mental health,  mental resilience,  motivation,  overcoming challenges,  permanence,  recovery,  this too shall pass,  uncertainty

December 31, 2020

What advice would you give yourself in 2020?

Well… where do we start? Any of us could be forgiven for wanting to toss 2020 into a heap; banished like those hideous school photos we’d rather never

Category icon3 Peaks Run,  Inspiration Tag icon2020,  2021 goals,  2021 resolutions,  new year resolutions,  reflections,  resolutions

March 20, 2020

How do we keep going when we can’t see the top?

How do we keep going when we can’t see the top of the mountain? I wish I had the answer. Perhaps the scariest thing is that nobody really does.

Category iconInspiration,  UK Outdoors Tag iconadversity,  coronavirus,  covid19,  inspiration,  mind over mountains,  motivation,  pandemic,  self-care,  solidarity

December 28, 2019

Finding Your Reason to Change in 2020

Most of us are trying to change something. Get better at that. Move there. Earn more. Drive less. Give up that habit (…again). And so on. Then, at

Category iconInspiration,  Mental Health,  Running Tag icon2020,  athlete eating disorders,  dream big,  eating disorder,  eating disorder recovery,  goal setting,  marathons,  mental health,  new year resolutions,  new years resolutions,  running

August 19, 2019

The endless pursuit of more – why are millennials burning out?

Being busy seems to be a badge of honour nowadays. It’s the automatic excuse for our daily routine of spinning so many plates, rushing around and

Category iconInspiration,  Inspiring,  Mental Health Tag iconachieving goals,  alex staniforth,  burnout,  everest,  goal setting,  mental health,  mental health speaker,  mental wellbeing,  millennial burnout,  millennials,  mind over mountains,  stress,  workplace

January 4, 2018

Why Your New Year Resolutions Should Scare You

It's that time of year when Facebook is plastered with New Year resolutions, motivational quotes and renewed promises of change ahead. The gym will

Category iconAdventure,  Inspiration,  Mental Health Tag icon2017,  2018,  achieving goals,  alex staniforth,  ambitions,  climb the uk,  fitness,  goal setting,  goals,  gym,  mental health,  new year,  new years resolutions,  resolutions,  tips

August 18, 2017

Expedition tips: the kit list for a 5,000 mile adventure challenge

Whether it's climbing Everest, rowing the Atlantic, or cycling around the world, we seem to have a fascination about the equipment chosen to get the

Category iconChallenges,  Climb The UK,  Endurance,  Inspiration,  Inspiring,  Viewranger,  Westgrove Group,  YHA Tag iconadventurer,  adversity,  alex staniforth,  charity,  cheshire,  climb the uk,  ClimbTheUK,  Counties,  everest,  highest points,  icefall,  mental health,  motivational speaker,  record,  wellbeing,  young minds,  young people

CLIMB THE UK

April 21, 2017

Climb The UK – A route to all 100 UK counties!

My latest challenge nears closer - reaching the highest point of all 100 UK counties on bike, foot and kayak in just over two months. I will now be

Category iconClimb The UK,  Inspiration Tag iconadventure,  alex staniforth,  challenge,  cheshire,  climb the uk,  Counties,  cycling,  fitness,  mental health,  mental health week,  outdoors,  prince harry,  running,  walking,  yha,  young minds

Climb The UK #CTUK

February 22, 2017

Climb The UK 2017

I’ve dedicated the last few years trying to climb the highest there is. A journey that gave me so much more than expected – the amazing opportunity to

Category iconClimb The UK,  Inspiration Tag iconalex staniforth,  challenge,  ClimbTheUK,  icefall,  mental health week,  young minds

Inspirational Talks with Alex Staniforth

December 24, 2016

I have my challenges, but they don’t have me.

2016 draws to a close and “New Year, New Me” pledges clog my Facebook timeline as we reflect and set new goals: be it to lose weight, start a new job

Category iconChallenges,  Icefall,  Inspiration Tag iconadversity,  alex staniforth,  bear grylls,  cho oyu,  everest,  fundraising,  icefall,  inspiration,  mental health,  speaking,  speech problems,  stammer,  stammering,  stuttering,  walk4nepal,  young minds

May 12, 2016

What were you doing this last time year?

I was returning from my second attempt to climb Everest. The Nepal earthquake put a stop to that. Three guys on my team didn't come home after an

Category iconInspiration Tag iconalex staniforth,  Avalanche,  cheshire,  climbing,  earthquake,  everest,  fundraising,  hull,  icefall,  keswick,  mountaineering,  nepal,  westgrove

April 27, 2016

Walk4Nepal – 12 Months On

Last Summer I organised a fundraising 'Walk for Nepal' in my local area. We had six people and raised £70. Every little helps, especially

Category iconAdventure,  Inspiration Tag icon12monthson,  alex staniforth,  anniversary,  Avalanche,  charity,  earthquake,  everest,  nepal,  phase,  phase worldwide,  snowdon,  snowdonia,  walk4nepal

December 31, 2015

Dealing with the festive blues

So it's the time of year when I'm as cheerful as a Turkey at Christmas, we're swamped with cheesy inspirational quotes for the year ahead, when health

Category iconInspiration Tag icon2016,  alex staniforth,  Avalanche,  blog,  book,  cheshire,  coventry house,  depression,  earthquake,  everest,  icefall,  mental health,  new year,  resolutions,  SAD,  seasonal affectivity disorder

November 28, 2015

The University of Life

Climbing Mount Everest is widely known as a pinnacle of achievement and mental tenacity in itself, but the 'Everest' ideology applies everywhere in

Category iconInspiration Tag iconalex staniforth,  cheshire,  depression,  epic7,  everest,  leadership,  mental health,  resilience,  speaking,  university

September 15, 2015

Singing for Nepal

Rest assured, I'm not singing... but I am delighted to be speaking at this great event for Nepal on the 16th October at Theatr Clwyd in Mold. This

Category iconAdventure,  General,  Inspiration

August 3, 2015

Adapt and Overcome

I couldn't climb Mount Everest, this year, or last year, so I will cycle up it. Sort of... Right now, the Nepal earthquake victims have had to adapt

Category iconInspiration,  Uncategorized Tag iconalex staniforth,  attempt,  challenge,  cycling,  everest 2015,  everest24,  everesting,  great dun fell,  himalayan trust uk,  nepal,  pennines

July 27, 2015

Getting Back on the Wagon…

Life is about learning and growing... yet I may well have spread myself too thinly - once again! This seems to be a habit when returning from my major

Category iconInspiration,  Uncategorized

May 31, 2015

Come Back Around

First blog in a while, mostly because I've been too busy working on my book ''Icefall'' which thankfully is still going ahead and set to be published

Category iconInspiration,  Uncategorized

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New Book – Another Peak

Published in July 2019, ‘Another Peak’ explores mental health challenges through outdoor adventure. It shares an insight into depression and eating disorders whilst rediscovering purpose following two Everest attempts and an expedition to climb Cho Oyu, before embarking on Climb The UK in 2017. Another Peak goes deeper into the peaks and troughs of mental health than ever before, giving hope and inspiration to help others find their own Everest.

       
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Alex’s Charity

Mind Over Mountains is a charity delivering life-changing outdoor experiences to restore mental health and generate the resilience to stay mentally well.

Read more and join us at:

www.mindovermountains.org.uk

Contact Alex

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07891 841376

alex@alexstaniforth.com

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alexstaniforth_

25. Ultra Runner, Adventurer, Motivational Speaker, Author & co-founder @mind_o_mountains mental health charity. Lake District, UK

Alex Staniforth
Lighter doesn't mean faster for long. This week is Lighter doesn't mean faster for long. This week is Eating Disorder Awareness Week and as always I'll say it as it is. Anyone who's heard me speak/read my books will know that eating disorders have been my biggest challenge yet. They have no image, can affect anyone, and our modern culture of body image and 'earning calories' through exercise mean there's sadly many others still suffering in silence like I did.
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I thought I could outrun bulimia. It took over until I was very underweight, so overwhelmed by planning the next meal that I could barely work and my mum had to hide certain foods at home for the risk of binge eating. Never understood why I was running so badly yet training so hard. After running my PB at Chester Marathon in 2018 I finally broke and spent 4 months injured.
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Things are better now, but it's an ongoing challenge. Even on the 3 Peaks Run last year I was stressed by eating so much, despite burning 5,000kcal+ a day. Except now I know that to run far, push my limits and achieve my goals then I need to fuel properly - I can't have both. 
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If any of this resonates, especially for the men - please seek help and don't wait to hit the wall like I did. My inbox is always open. 
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#mentalhealth #eatingdisorderawarenessweek #eatingdisorders #EDAW2021 #mentalwellbeing #runner #runninggoals #running #marathons #athlete #marathontraining #nutrition #runninginspiration
Celebrating 2 years in Kendal today. One of my bet Celebrating 2 years in Kendal today. One of my better life decisions. A few things I’ve learnt since:
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1) I’m still hopelessly clumsy at fell running (or anywhere for that matter)
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2) The beauty of the Lake District continues to astound and inspire me. We're technically not in the Lakes, but we get away with it. 
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3) There IS such thing as bad weather: even with the right clothing.
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4) Change is uncomfortable: growth is inevitable.
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5) Your environment dictates your mindset. I moved here in the wake of a bad episode of depression and finding the space to run in the hills was key to my recovery. Last year it was a blessing in disguise.
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6) I’m still not sure on Kendal Mint Cake… 
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Off to celebrate with a local hill run, before it rains! Here's to many more adventures to come.
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#kendal #hills #lakedistrict #cumbria #kendalmintcake #sunset #getoutside #running #fellrunning #runninglife #runner #hillrunning #explore #hilltraining #mentalhealth
Hello March! We made it... In January I posed the Hello March! We made it... 
In January I posed the #LockdownLap challenge: could we virtually run, walk or cycle 11,000 miles around the UK coast before March 1st? Turns out we could. More than 4 times. 249 of you covered over 45,000 miles. It's been great to see so many photos and I couldn't even fit them all into the collage...
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Inspiring to see how creating a community kept people connected through such a isolating time. Thanks to everyone who got stuck in, shared their photos and donated @mind_o_mountains so we can help others get outside for their mental health too. I've never done anything like this before and learnt a lot - thanks for bearing with me.
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A big shout to @ellis_brigham for donating prizes each week to keep us motivated with the best outdoor kit.
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So... what's next? Did you pick up any new habits? New routes? New challenges? How about a real lap of the UK coastline?! 
Let's hear them... 
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Final shout-out to my mum who managed 51 days of walking in a row, maybe that's where the competition comes from ;-) 
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#lockdownlap #virtualchallenges #virtual #getoutside #lockdown #walking #running #cycling #motivation #mindovermountains #ellisbrigham #spring #traiming #lockdownlap
Bring on the races in amazing places. . Finally bi Bring on the races in amazing places.
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Finally bit the bullet and entered my first proper ultra - the 44-mile Grand Tour Skiddaw in August, which includes the summit of Skiddaw just for good measure. I'm an ultra-running amateur but after racing loads from 5km to marathon, I'm curious to see what I can do with some competition and focus. Just need to work all this into the training plan alongside various other daft challenge ideas. Anyone else got any races in the calendar yet?
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📸 Buttermere 10 mile race, 2017. 4th/188
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#running #trailrunning #buttermere #lakedistrict #lakes #ultra #ultrarunning #grandtourskiddaw #racing #running2021 #lockdownrunners #training #endurancelife #enduranceathlete #ultratraining #getoutside #mountainfuel #runningpics #runninginspiration
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