Health: No Filter

In this short discussion (part 1 of 3) I look at the 6 types of fat we require to survive and maintain good physiological health.

To be clear, we are made from cells, of which fat plays a major part in our body's ability to develop and sustain homeostasis. within constantly changing internal / external environments.

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In this episode I discuss the uncomfortable subject of why it's very important to stay fit and healthy when you have a wife, girlfriend, husband or boyfriend.

The current relationship climate in the western world is increasingly fragile to say the least, with a growing culture of conveyor belt dating and in many cases, a borderline hop on hop off marriage culture, culminating in millions of divorces .

With this in mind, we should make physical health even more of a priority, by way of exercise, nutrition, sleep and active rest.

Should you be unfortunate enough to experience a relationship break up or, worst case scenario, a divorce, you will undoubtedly face a range of mental, physical and emotional challenges, of which not only take their toll on your physical wellbeing, but also can have a detrimental effect on future relationships, from early stage dating, to exclusivity with your significant other.

Now, let's factor in poor physical health, from obesity to low standards of personal hygiene and you are far more likely to experience prolonged periods of mental and or physical illness.

Often men and women, will literally overnight attempt to 'reinvent' themselves, with quick fix weight loss fads, from pharmaceutical intervention to joining gyms, with a mindset of 'this is the new me' or a 'watch our dating world....here i come' mantra, as we visualize ourselves getting in shape for the next 'special one'.

This is often short lived, due to the person in question's history of unhealthy habits and poor self awareness, relating to bodyweight, body composition and indifference to staying fit and healthy, whilst in a relationship.

When you enter the gladiatorial arena of either online dating, or in person meetings, its advisable you have already taken stock and subsequent actions to improve your health and image, as the opposite sex, will of course use their primary sense, being the eye test, during initial stages of relationships....ie day one.

As a professional personal trainer to men and women for the past 18 years, I've lost count how many occasions I've heard or witnessed the sudden break up of once secure relationships, so with that statistic, it's no wonder we are scurrying out to look for the latest discounted gym membership or posting online pictures of our new found running hobby.

My advice, should you choose to accept it, is to get ahead of the curve and stay fit and healthy, whilst you're lucky enough to have a 'other half', first and foremost to maintain self respect and keep the attraction going and secondly to prepare yourself for an unwanted break up and the trials and tribulations to follow.

Good luck and make your body your passion, not the next unsuspecting 'lucky one'.

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In this episode my guest is Paul Lee of Inside Measurements.

Paul joins me to discuss all things VO2 Max and resting calorie measurement (RMR) testing.

We take a look at the science behind his education and subsequent professional services to both elite athletes and the general population, looking to understand what's going on inside our bodies.

Paul delves deep into when, why and how he transformed his health, physique and performance, culminating in competing in IRONMAN triathlons.

My thanks goes to Paul for joining me and I wish him all the best with his career and future endeavors.

VO2 max, or maximal oxygen consumption, is the maximum rate of oxygen your body can transport and utilize during intense, incremental exercise. It is the premier indicator of cardiovascular fitness and aerobic endurance, measuring how efficiently your heart, lungs, and muscles work together to produce energy.

RMR most commonly stands for Resting Metabolic Rate, which is the total number of calories your body burns at rest to maintain basic bodily functions like breathing and circulation. It is often used to personalize weight loss plans or assess metabolism. 

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In this short episode I discuss the current high rate of private health insurance policy cancellations and why it's advisable to save the monthly figure required in your own personal bank instead.

Add to this a lifelong exercise routine and good nutrition and you will effectively be engineering your own private health insurance policy.

Doing this leads to increasing your quality of life and decreasing the possibility of poor physical and mental health, which left unchecked will almost certainly speed up the dreaded call to your health insurance provider.

Often health insurance providers find loopholes or micro print T&Cs to reduce the expected pay out, or in some cases not pay out anything, with ambiguous emails explaining why you don't qualify for any form of renumeration.

The best you can hope for given the fact that these providers are in the business of collecting money from you and not giving it back, is paying an excess sum upfront, when making a claim, followed by a lower payout than expected.

So...what to do. Consider saving the monthly figure yourself in a separate easy access bank account, which could be used to pay for private medical attention, without the stress and uncertainty of applying for insurance policy pay outs.

Here's an equation based on current 2026 policy figures.

Aged 50, a monthly payment is approximately £92, or £1104 annually, or £11,040 over 10 years. Factor in increased amounts demanded by your health insurance provider every year or two and you are now looking at enough money to invest in a personal trainer, physical therapist and or a dietician.

This alternative way of insuring yourself can be far more beneficial, as you will be educated in personal self care, by way of weight management, musculoskeletal strength, cardiovascular fitness and mobility / flexibility. These are elements of physical health you can enjoy into your 80s or even 90s, given a regular exercise habit and adequate nutrition.

Something to think about folks?

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In this episode my guest Sarah Washbourn of Yellowbelly Photography joins me for an in depth discussion on her trials and tribulations in running.

Sarah shares how, why and when she started running, from personal family tragedy and alcohol issues, to physical and emotional challenges.

Her honest and open discussion is entertaining and at at times possibly even a cautionary account of how to balance exercise with work, rest and family priorities., all of which culminated in finally securing an entry to the 2026 London Marathon.

We also get to here about her passion for pictures, leading to an award winning profession in photography, covering real estate, pets, weddings and events.

Sarah has over fifteen years of photography experience, in the newspaper industry and now licensed to fly drones to capture incredible pictures of properties for sale or commercial buildings.

My thanks goes out to Sarah for joining me on the podcast and I wish her all the best with her Marathon event and photography services.

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In this short discussion I look at why its important to self assess, regarding your poor health habits.

During client personal training consultations and subsequent one to one exercise programming, we cover the clients habits from alcohol consumption and excess calories, to sedentary lifestyles and pharmaceutical dependency.

If you can identify which long term bad habits are halting your progression to a healthier body, its now easier to achieve both short and long term goals, as you have essentially decluttered your mind, body, workplace or home from the offending articles and influences.

Think of it like selling your home....we declutter, clean and finally present it to perspective buyers, in the hope of achieving the best sale price possible.

Now think of it in a body composition sense, we decide to get fit and healthy, then we empty our kitchen of processed foods and fat / sugar laden snacks, then we work on our physiological presentation.

Remember, a long term (chronic) habit has taken a long time to develop, of which its highly likely to take months, if not years to completely stop and never return to.

This is part 1 of 3 episodes I'll be delivering on the subject of habits, so stay tuned for 2 more to come soon.

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In this timely episode I look at the current state of poor physical and mental health, as a result of habitual watching of tv streaming channels....in this case NETFLIX.

Let's consider the following statistics, regarding Netflix subscribers.

The current average UK subscription costs £9.50 per month, equating to £114 per year. Given the average unbroken subscription time of 4 years, this stands at £455 minimum, rising higher as the costs will inevitably increase.

Now, the average watch time sits at 1.5 hours per day, equating to 546 hours per year.

This is separate from additional sedentary time spent watching other streaming channels, of which often households are locked in to at least one more (Amazon, Disney, Sky, HBO, Paramount, HULU) to name a few.

Consider the calories consumed whilst binge watching Netflix and you have a slow but guaranteed health decline, by way of excess weight gain, increased body fat levels, increased visceral fat, decreased muscle mass, decreased skeletal strength poor posture, poor eyesight and low levels of natural serotonin.

If we invested the lost time and money to Netflix and spent it exercising, sleeping well, learning new healthy cooking skills and enjoying the great outdoors, we would become healthier, fitter, stronger and possibly 'happier'.

What's not to like? Well Netflix is far easier to start and become addicted to, as the company spends millions on tracking our watching habits and therefore gives us more of what the algorithms suggest.

Starting to walk everyday, swim, lift weights, cook healthy meals and go to bed earlier is far more daunting than the 60 seconds it takes to download Netflix and subsequently there is the instant gratification of watching a 24 hour supply of tv, compared to the time served, long process of losing excess weight and improving our diets.

My advice as a professional personal trainer is to take some time out from watching tv subscriptions and do what it takes to get yourself fit and healthy.....THEN, when you have achieved your goals, perhaps go back and enjoy a Saturday night movie with your loved ones.

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In this discussion I look at why its important to monitor your alcohol consumption, for health reasons.

A unit of alcohol is classed under the following ratings, of which can vary in different parts of the world.

8mg / 10ml of ETHANOL (half a pint of beer or lager) or (25ml of vodka, whisky, gin) or (50ml of wine, port, sherry).

Consumption of alcohol is widely known to be detrimental to your physical, mental and emotional health. An alarmingly high percentage of the UK population drink alcohol, in not only social events, but also at home and or the workplace.

Both sedentary and active people alike drink alcohol as either a mild relaxant or even to give an ill advised anti depressant effect. However, it's actually a depressant, of which leads to acute, then eventually chronic dependency, as our mind and body crave the initial buzz, followed by the temporary high, then obligatory comedown the next morning.

Our vital organs are sent into a physiological panic, as the alcohol enters our bloodstream, with a varied time scale before the effects actually take place on our brain. It can take up to one hour for a single unit to have its full effect on our cognitive skills, heart rate and digestion, of which usually we have had more units within this time frame, compounding the long term effects to come.

In this episode, I list signs you may have alcohol dependency, so please take some time to consider if any of the warning signs resonate with you?

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In this short episode, I remind you to keep your new healthy nutrition plans simple.

We are only seven weeks into the new year and subsequently some are still contemplating making changes to their diets / eating habits.

Nutrition is a vast subject, of which would take a multitude of episodes to barely scratch the surface. With this in mind, as a personal trainer, I often suggest clients keep their weight loss or body fat reduction plans simple, when it comes to the early stages of nutrition changes.

It's tempting for new clients to over analyze their weekly food shop, with the influx of internet trends and social media marketing of the next 'superfood' or 'magic formula supplement'.

My advice is to avoid overthinking and make a relatively small list of foods to buy and consume on a consistent basis, at least until you have made inroads into weight management.

Factoring in your preferences for taste or any allergies, its way easier to maintain a healthy diet, given less options, rather than too many to chose from, which can lead to stagnation and even resorting back to poor choices.

As you become disciplined with your nutrition, its okay to add a cheat meal or dine out once a month to enjoy eating, as you now course correct instantly and continue with your basic calorie consumption.

Regarding supplementation, always ensure your actual food intake habits are dialed in before purchasing exotic sounding drinks, pills, tablets and potions, promising to make you look and perform better.

Money is often wasted on supplements, as its far more exciting or time saving, than food shopping and preparation, given our hectic lifestyles and schedules.

Take into account, you are still relatively new to a healthy diet and subsequently your body may be slow to change, as we all respond differently, given our starting points (weight, height, shape, sex, professions and sleep habits).

Supplements can be addressed at a later stage, as you'll now be more aware of your physiology, through basic, safe and consistency in the kitchen.

Should you give in to temptation and load up on supplements too early into your new healthy diet, it can create confusion as to what makes the most changes and perhaps lead you down the path of searching for your next fix of fat loss pills or slimming wonder drinks.

Make a list, add your tuna and bananas and get to it. Trust me you'll develop a healthy relationship with food, rather than becoming obsessed over too many choices.

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Remaining clam is both a natural physiological state and a chosen way of mind, so to speak.

Our temperament and or emotional states are subject to a barrage of factors, which in laymen's terms can be extrinsic or intrinsic, meaning external or internal.

From our relationships with people and where we live, to our personal self care, by way of sleep, nutrition and exercise, achieving levels of calm can for some come easy and others, not so much.

Upon visiting four countries in Asia, South Korea, Nepal, Japan and China I saw how the use of candles of all description, are implemented into daily rituals, for holistic purpose. I myself enjoy the calming effect and smell of candles, in the home, allowing for a sensation of nervous system balance.

With the advent of technology devices, increased working hours, ultra processed foods and physical inactivity, we are constantly putting our nervous system under pressure, which in turn can lead to a sense of anxiety or unease.

Regular strength training and cardiovascular exercise are some of the best antidotes to stress induced states, as increased blood flow and oxygen uptake help to trigger our parasympathetic nervous system, post workouts.

Coupled with quality nutrition, by way of whole foods, low sugar intake and hydration, our ability to control our nerves, emotions and even behavior is improved.

We can add extrinsic solutions to help us calm down, through relaxing music, plants, a decluttered home / work environment, regulated ambient temperatures and even color pallets.

Finally.....last but by all means not least, sexual intercourse or intimacy is a sure fire way to destress and calm ourselves down, so get to it folks and thank me later.

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