{"id":21729,"date":"2026-03-23T17:18:25","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T17:18:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/guides\/\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T15:23:33","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T15:23:33","slug":"paddleboarding-after-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/guides\/paddleboarding-after-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"How Paddleboarding Changed My Life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t<header id=\"block_e4d3d7c5eb10476d9b0fa4342c1fccf5\" class=\"SingleHero skip-lazy radial\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"container\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"SingleHero__categories\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/activities\/wellbeing\/\" class=\"category\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWellbeing\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/activities\/women-outdoors\/\" class=\"category\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWomen Outdoors\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/activities\/water-sports\/\" class=\"category\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWater sports\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/tag\/paddle-boarding\/\" class=\"category\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPaddle Boarding\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/tag\/anu-aladin\/\" class=\"category\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAnu Aladin\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"SingleHero__title\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\tHow Paddleboarding Changed My Life\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row justify-content-center align-items-center SingleHero__author\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-auto avatar\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/anu-aladin-sup-150x150.webp\" class=\"avatar wp-post-image\" alt=\"Anu Aladin with her sup in front of Grafiti\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-auto name\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBy Anu Aladin\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p class=\"SingleHero__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tPublished on \t\t\t\t\t\t<time datetime=\"2026-03-23T17:18:25+00:00\" itemprop=\"datePublished\">March 23, 2026<\/time>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dot\"><\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t7 min read\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"SingleHero__thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1376\" height=\"540\" src=\"https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/anu-aladin.jpg\" class=\"attachment-hd size-hd wp-post-image\" alt=\"Anu Aladin with friends and her paddleboard by a canal bridge covered in graffiti\" srcset=\"https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/anu-aladin.jpg 1376w, https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/anu-aladin-300x118.jpg 300w, https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/anu-aladin-1024x402.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/anu-aladin-768x301.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1376px) 100vw, 1376px\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/header>\n\n\t\n\n\n\t\t<article id=\"block_4856520c0e075c7c65dd2c830e9a9607\" class=\"Universal Universal--post c-small default pt-default pb-default mt-none mb-none    \" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"container\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"InnerBlocks\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"lead\"><\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A personal story about how SUP became part of my everyday life in London and how it helped me recover after an unexpected breast cancer diagnosis, which came just as I was commissioned to write <em>Paddle London<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>This article by Anu Aladin of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/mysupstories\/\">@mysupstories<\/a> focuses on the role of getting outside in London, being active on water and reconnecting with nature in supporting mental wellbeing and resilience during a difficult period.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-paddleboarding-helped-me-through-a-difficult-chapter\"><strong>How Paddleboarding Helped Me Through a Difficult Chapter<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-finding-calm-on-the-water\">Finding Calm on the Water<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Surprising as it may sound, hopping onto my paddleboard anywhere in London brings me an almost immediate sense of calm. I get up to standing, find my balance and feel the water moving under my board. Everything quietens down. The city is still there. Trains rumble over bridges, people move along towpaths and embankments, traffic hums somewhere in the background, but it all fades away. What I notice instead is the steady rhythm of paddling: the soft glide of the board through the water, the paddle dipping in and lifting out again. My breathing deepens. My shoulders drop. With each stroke, worries and doubts begin to melt away. Even time shifts slightly. I\u2019m no longer in a hurry. I\u2019m simply here, present in a way that rarely happens on land. Perhaps this is what meditation feels like to people who can sit still.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/getoutside39507958bf.blob.core.windows.net\/blobgetoutside39507958bf\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/anu-aladin-paddleboarding-story-research-gerrys-pompeii-on-grand-union.jpg\" alt=\"paddleboarding along the grand union canal\" class=\"wp-image-21731\" srcset=\"https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/anu-aladin-paddleboarding-story-research-gerrys-pompeii-on-grand-union.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/anu-aladin-paddleboarding-story-research-gerrys-pompeii-on-grand-union-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/anu-aladin-paddleboarding-story-research-gerrys-pompeii-on-grand-union-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More than anything, I feel free. Out on the water, I\u2019m no longer confined by pavements, crossings or crowds. London\u2019s waterways cut their own lines through the city: under bridges, past houseboats and through pockets of nature. Much of London hides behind tall gates and fences, but paddleboarding reveals places you\u2019d never see from the street. The adventures I\u2019ve had!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-sharing-the-joy-of-paddling\">Sharing the Joy of Paddling<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019m passionate about sharing the joy of paddling in London. For many years I introduced people to SUP on the Thames and the city\u2019s canals. I later started a blog, <a href=\"https:\/\/mysupstories.com\/\">My SUP Stories<\/a>. A few years ago, Bloomsbury Publishing commissioned me to write Paddle London, a guidebook to exploring the capital\u2019s waterways by paddle power. I was delighted. It felt like a chance to share the London I had come to know from the perspective of water. At the time, everything seemed to be moving in the right direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/anu-aladin-paddleboarding-story-waterways-grand-union-canal-at-hanwell-flight-of-locks-edited.jpg\" alt=\"carrying paddleboards along a grassy river bank\" class=\"wp-image-21735\" srcset=\"https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/anu-aladin-paddleboarding-story-waterways-grand-union-canal-at-hanwell-flight-of-locks-edited.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/anu-aladin-paddleboarding-story-waterways-grand-union-canal-at-hanwell-flight-of-locks-edited-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/anu-aladin-paddleboarding-story-waterways-grand-union-canal-at-hanwell-flight-of-locks-edited-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-an-unexpected-diagnosis\">An Unexpected Diagnosis<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But life has a way of changing direction. After a routine screening, a letter arrived asking me to attend a breast clinic. I wasn\u2019t worried. Perhaps just an imaging glitch. Even when a repeat mammogram and ultrasound showed an abnormal lump, I was convinced it would turn out to be a cyst.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The news caught me completely off guard. I had breast cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How could I get cancer? I\u2019d never been a worrier. It wasn\u2019t something that had ever even occurred to me. I had assumed that being fit and active would somehow protect me from serious illness. Paddle London went back on the shelf while I focused fully on treatment. I approached it like the most important project I had ever taken on: practical, organised, determined to recover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The NHS moved quickly and efficiently through the process. Eventually treatment ended, with only hormone therapy remaining. I was cancer-free and, in theory, ready to resume normal life. During the months after diagnosis, life had followed hospital schedules: appointments, scans, consultations, a steady stream of instructions about where to be and what would happen next. I simply followed along, grateful for the care but with very little control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/london-paddleboarding-somewhere-in-hackney-edited.jpg\" alt=\"carrying a paddleboard through london\" class=\"wp-image-21736\" srcset=\"https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/london-paddleboarding-somewhere-in-hackney-edited.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/london-paddleboarding-somewhere-in-hackney-edited-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/london-paddleboarding-somewhere-in-hackney-edited-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-trying-to-take-control-again\">Trying to Take Control Again<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once it was over, I tried to take some of that control back. Physically, recovery came quickly enough. I trained hard in the gym to rebuild strength and mobility. I paid close attention to what I ate, determined to give my body every possible chance to stay healthy. I did everything I was supposed to do, but it felt mechanical. The joy wasn\u2019t there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mentally, something had shifted. I knew I should feel relieved. People around me saw someone who had come through cancer and could move on. Yet I no longer trusted my body in the same way. It had harboured something dangerous without me knowing. I had always been confident and optimistic, the kind of person who believed things would work out. Now that positivity had gone. I didn\u2019t recognise this more fearful version of myself.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"osmroute\">\r\n\t<h2><span>PLAN ROUTES<br>FIND ADVENTURES<\/span><\/h2>\r\n\t<p class=\"desktoponly\">Discover ready-made routes nearby or create your own<\/p>\r\n\t<p><a class=\"osmroutebutton\" href=\"https:\/\/explore.osmaps.com\/find-routes\" target=\"_blank\">Open OS Maps<\/a><\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<style>\r\n\t.osmroute {\r\n\t\twidth: 100%;\r\n\t\tbackground-image: url(https:\/\/getoutside39507958bf.blob.core.windows.net\/blobgetoutside39507958bf\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/os-maps-banner-02.jpg);\r\n\t\tbackground-size: cover;\r\n\t\tbackground-repeat: no-repeat;\r\n\t\tbackground-position: center center;\r\n\t\tborder-radius: 25px;\r\n\t\tmargin-bottom: 20px;\r\n\t\tpadding: 20px 10%;\r\n\t\tdisplay: flex;\r\n\t\tflex-direction: column;\r\n\t\tjustify-content: center;\r\n\t\tcolor: black;\r\n\t\ttext-align: center;\r\n\t}  \r\n\t.osmroute h2 {\r\n\t\ttext-transform: uppercase;\r\n\t\tletter-spacing: 0.25em;\r\n\t}\r\n\t.desktoponly {\r\n    \tdisplay: none;\r\n\t}\r\n\t.osmroutebutton {\r\n\t\tbackground-color: #F60259;\r\n\t\tcolor: white!important;\r\n\t\ttext-decoration: none;\r\n\t\tborder: 2px solid #F60259;\r\n\t\tborder-radius: 25px;\r\n\t\tpadding: 8px 16px;\r\n\t\tmargin-top: 1em;\r\n\t}\r\n\r\n\t.osmroutebutton:hover {\r\n\t\tborder: 2px solid #670125;\r\n\t\tcolor: white;\r\n\t}\r\n\t@media screen and (min-width: 800px) {\r\n\t\t.desktoponly {\r\n    \t\tdisplay: block;\r\n\t\t}\r\n\t}\r\n\t  \r\n<\/style>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-returning-to-the-water\">Returning to the Water<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Luckily, I still had the book project waiting. There was a year left to research and write Paddle London: exploring routes, drawing maps and taking photos. After months off the water, I returned cautiously for a paddle with friends on the Grand Union Canal. Pumping up my board on the towpath in Brentford, I felt a familiar flicker of excitement. For a while, the cancer episode slipped into the background.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once on the water, I remembered why I had fallen in love with paddleboarding in the first place. So much of life revolves around goals and measurement: how fast, how far, how productive. I wake up, check my wearable for stats on sleep, recovery and activity. At the gym, I follow a 12-week block of progressive overload. I record my results after each session. For me, paddleboarding is the opposite. It\u2019s about getting outdoors, rain or shine. Floating on water. Moving through the landscape. Being present in the moment. There are no scores to chase, no distances to prove, no targets to reach. Just the joy and freedom of movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/getoutside39507958bf.blob.core.windows.net\/blobgetoutside39507958bf\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/london-paddleboarding-anu-aladin-sup.jpg\" alt=\"London paddleboarding\" class=\"wp-image-21734\" srcset=\"https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/london-paddleboarding-anu-aladin-sup.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/london-paddleboarding-anu-aladin-sup-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/london-paddleboarding-anu-aladin-sup-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Researching the book took me across London\u2019s blue spaces. The non-tidal Thames above Teddington Lock feels wide and green, with stretches that resemble quiet villages far removed from the capital. Downstream, the tidal river moves through historic scenery at Richmond, Hammersmith and central London before continuing towards the sea. I followed the old working routes of Regent\u2019s Canal, the Grand Union and the Lee Navigation, waterways dug during the Industrial Revolution that now form green corridors through the city. Along the way I also explored basins, docks, reservoirs and smaller rivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the same time, I reconnected with the paddling community. After months spent largely inside my own head, it felt good to be back on the water with people from all walks of life: chatting, laughing and discovering new waterside spots for paddle breaks. Many of the paddles were organised through social media, with fellow paddlers generously sharing local knowledge, launch spots and favourite routes. Strangers soon became friends and those shared adventures helped restore some much-needed perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-paddleboarding-gives-me-now\"><strong>What Paddleboarding Gives Me Now<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paddleboarding has become my way of resetting. It clears my head, brings me back outdoors and reminds me how much I value the people and community I\u2019ve found on the water. Even after a difficult chapter, I know there is still adventure, freedom and calm waiting out there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Follow Anu&#8217;s adventure on her Instagram Page<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/mysupstories\/\"> @mysupstories<\/a><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"687\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/getoutside39507958bf.blob.core.windows.net\/blobgetoutside39507958bf\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/paddle-london-anu-aladin-687x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Paddle London Book Cover\" class=\"wp-image-21457\" srcset=\"https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/paddle-london-anu-aladin-687x1024.jpg 687w, https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/paddle-london-anu-aladin-201x300.jpg 201w, https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/paddle-london-anu-aladin-768x1145.jpg 768w, https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/paddle-london-anu-aladin-725x1080.jpg 725w, https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/paddle-london-anu-aladin.jpg 852w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 687px) 100vw, 687px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-find-out-more-about-anu-aladin-s-new-book-paddle-london\">Find out more about Anu Aladin&#8217;s New Book &#8211; Paddle London<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paddle London invites you to see the capital from the water. A practical and inspiring guide to exploring in and around London, it features 40 urban and rural routes across the Thames, canals, rivers, docks and reservoirs, combining clear maps, photos and essential guidance with history, wildlife and public transport\u2013friendly access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\t<section id=\"block_86b753aa70065f116803e9a794cda809\" class=\"Inner InnerButtons\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"container\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row justify-content-center justify-content-md-center\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-auto\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"InnerButtons__button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/Paddle-London-Places-Paddleboard-Paddling\/dp\/1399416804\/\" class=\"Button Button--red \" target=\"_blank\" >\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"Button__text\">\n\t\t\t\t\tGET YOUR COPY!\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"Button__arrow\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" 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width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><g transform=\"translate(-89 238)\"><path d=\"M14.186,24V13.2h3.279L18,8.4H14.186V6.062c0-1.236.032-2.462,1.759-2.462h1.749V.168A19.34,19.34,0,0,0,14.671,0C11.5,0,9.508,1.989,9.508,5.64V8.4H6v4.8H9.508V24Z\" transform=\"translate(89 -238)\" fill=\"currentColor\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"\/><\/g><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div id=\"likeCount\" class=\"likeCount\">Liked by <span id=\"likeCountValue\">4<\/span> users<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<hr class=\"MetaShare__hr\" \/>\n\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"MetaShareAuthor\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"160\" height=\"120\" src=\"https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/anu-aladin-sup.webp\" class=\"MetaShareAuthor__avatar wp-post-image\" alt=\"Anu Aladin with her sup in front of Grafiti\" srcset=\"https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/anu-aladin-sup.webp 1024w, https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/anu-aladin-sup-300x225.webp 300w, https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/anu-aladin-sup-768x575.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 160px) 100vw, 160px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"MetaShareAuthor__name\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBy Anu Aladin\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"MetaShareAuthor__desc\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Anu Aladin is an experienced paddleboarder and writer based in South West London. A former co-owner of Paddleboarding London, she previously ran SUP lessons and guided tours. Anu has now drawn on that experience and local knowledge to write her first guidebook, Paddle London.<\/p>\n<p>With over a decade spent exploring the capital from the water, Anu paddles year-round. She writes about her adventures on her blog, <a href=\"https:\/\/mysupstories.com\/\">My SUP Stories<\/a>, bringing together routes, the people she meets and practical SUP tips.<\/p>\n<p>Anu is passionate about showing how accessible paddling can be in London, often travelling by public transport with her inflatable board. She believes in the restorative power of water, whether paddling or sitting in a sauna. On the board, she\u2019s always spotting street art, canal boat names, bridges, pylons and gasholders, and she\u2019s convinced cinnamon buns are an ideal SUP snack.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/article>\n\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Read this inspiring personal story of how paddleboarding helped Anu Aladin regain control after navigating a cancer diagnosis and treatment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":21730,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[396,100],"activities":[15,16,397],"locations":[17],"class_list":["post-21729","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-anu-aladin","tag-paddle-boarding","activities-water-sports","activities-wellbeing","activities-women-outdoors","locations-all-of-great-britain"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How Paddleboarding Changed My Life - OS Maps Discover<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Read this inspiring personal story of how paddleboarding helped Anu Aladin regain control after navigating a cancer diagnosis and treatment.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" 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