Growing up next to a woods, I spent most of my feral childhood
playing outdoors, climbing trees, building shelters, starting campfires with my Dad’s Zippo lighter, and experimenting with which plants I
could eat, and couldn’t!

I used to run around barefoot thinking I was Tarzan moving
through the jungle with ease.
I even kept my feet out of the bath so my skin would be harder,
much to my Mum’s disgust!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I think back to how high some of those trees were, climbing to
the very top until the end would bend and fold over, I’m surprised I
lived to tell the tale.
Little did I know then that this was my introduction to natural fitness
and movement.
My only knowledge around nutrition in these early years, came from

a Mr Strong book, apparently eating lots of eggs makes you strong….so I did.

At about 12 years old, I had my first introduction to ‘traditional’

fitness training when I discovered my Dad’s original Charles Atlas manuals from the 1930’s.
12 manuals teaching you how to develop muscles through certain
exercises and something he called dynamic tension.
It was mainly calisthenics plus the use of props like two chairs for
deep press ups.
It also included nutrition tips (lots of milk drinking), and articles on
how to be more ‘manly’!

This was also the era of the Rocky films and after seeing Sylvester
Stallone drinking milk and raw eggs together, I thought if it’s good
enough for Rocky then I obviously need to do it too!
Martial arts also fascinated me and I would love watching the Bruce
Lee films, so found a Taekwondo club nearby and signed up.  I used
to punch buckets of wet sand in order to try and toughen up my
knuckles and skin, I’d seen Mr Lee do it!

If I wasn’t ‘playing’ in the woods, my friends and I, who all lived in
the neighbourhood, would have boxing bouts in the road, using two
pairs of old leather gloves. There was also a lot of skateboarding,
making jumps for our BMX bikes and go karting down very steep roads on

homemade karts, not much traffic in those days.

Our family holidays were spent in Wales, Somerset, France and
Menorca. Being an only child, I spent a lot of time on my own just
wandering and exploring.  I would be out for hours, climbing Welsh
mountains and swimming in any lakes or rivers I could find,
exploring caves, playing in the surf of the Brittany beaches, and
snorkelling for hours around the Menorca coastline, seeing how long
I could hold my breath for and how deep I could go.

At school it was athletics and a lot of rugby, plus through the winter
months, we had cross country running through the muddiest terrain
our PE teachers could find!
In addition we had an allotment where I learned about growing food
and looking after the school pig!  However, my favourite subject was
human biology.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In my early teens I remember loving military films like, Who
Dares Wins, Apocalypse Now, The Deer Hunter and TAPS, about a
military academy starring Tom Cruise.
These films and wanting to travel, got me interested in joining the military.
However, if I was going to do this I wanted to join the best. This is
when I discovered HM Royal Marine Commandos.

 

After passing the Potential Recruits Course I was sent a fitness training booklet which I
still have.  This consisted mainly of Press ups, Pull Up’s, Sit ups, and
lots of running.  I stuck to the plan religiously. 

The fitness sessions we received during the 30 weeks of basic
training were challenging, but progressive and achievable with the
right mind set.  I realised that all the training and running around in the woods I had done, had prepared me perfectly for Commando training.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During my time in the Royal Marines I spent a lot of time within
nature in various environments, UK Mountains, moors and forests,
the Norwegian Arctic, and the deserts of the middle east, skiing, climbing, crawling,
carrying, lifting, jumping, crouching and digging! 

​

I understood the reason behind our fitness levels and the type of practical and
functional fitness training we did, as it enabled us to carry out our
role efficiently and effectively.

These experiences, only increased my passion for being in nature
and staying fit, but in a way that would allow me to carry out my
role, and function as a human being in my day to day life. 
I also became more interested in nutrition during these years as I recognised how food would affect my performance, in particular, sports nutrition.  I read every book and magazine article I could get my hands on.

Since leaving the forces over 25 years ago, I have continued my
passion for fitness and nutrition.

​

I worked for British Military Fitness and set up a venue in the South
East of England for them, and after 6 years started my own outdoor
fitness business, Wildfit which I ran for 10 years.

Just before leaving BMF I had trained as a CrossFit coach and was helping out at a local CrossFit gym too.

In my classes I wanted to offer something with a little more connection to nature, but still utilise everything I had learned from my time as a Commando.  Some would say the classes had a bit of a reputation for being a little bit challenging occasionally!

My outdoor classes would incorporate everything I had learned
so far, and as the years went by I started to learn more about
natural movement, forest/nature therapy, yoga, and the benefits of
exercise and moving outdoors in nature for both your body and mind.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This became even more significant for me when my wife was diagnosed with cancer.  I found solace taking long walks through a local forest to try
and find some peace and comfort from the obvious stress I was
feeling. Thankfully since her treatment, Sam has made a full
recovery and in these last five years we have both researched and
read many books on healing and wellness, through nutrition,
mindfulness, trauma release, and exposure to nature.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are now lucky enough to live in Cornwall over the road from a
beach.  We spend our time sea swimming every day, even in the
winter, surfing, paddle boarding, trail running, and lots of walking. 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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