From a fitness point of view 2019 has been frustrating for me so far.

I picked up a nasty bout of sciatica right at the top of the year and at the time of publishing it's still there now.

This pushed me into a short term process on focusing on one thing: "I CAN'T RUN WITH SCIATICA!!!"

This lead me nowhere good. Here's how I got past it!

Mental Health... prevention is better than a cure right?

I certainly think so, so when I was approached by past podcast guest Sam Tyrer to speak at a school for some 13 year olds I jumped at the chance!

Actually... I was a touch reluctant at first... last time I was in a school I was being bullied daily!

Now I visit 5 schools each half term to deliver this message. Helping teenagers to understand better their mental health.

A nice short one for you after the colossal ALAD On Tour Episode on Wednesday.

In this one I talk about Harry Potter and Defence Against The Dark Arts... no seriously I do!

It's a worthwhile analogy though, rather than just push the bad things to one side and ignore them being there... why not learn how to defend yourself?

This episode is a live recording of my recent seminar at House Fitness Kendal.

As well as the 1 to 1 A Life A Day sessions I am doing 10 FREE Live dates at gyms and CrossFit boxes around the country in 2019.

This was the first of these events.

Know anyone who would be interested in hosting one of these? Then get in touch.

I've been chatting recently with clients about being 100% authentically you. Something I try to do as much as possible.

In this episode I dive deep into this concept. I look at the ideas of fitting in vs belonging and how we attract certain people, but repel others.

I also talk about how it's impossible to not have people that don't like you and how this is perfectly OK!

Dan is someone who I now work with, but in the past has been a coach and a mentor. He's also someone I want you to see another side of.

On Facebook he's up as "The Big Friendly Nutrition Guy" an image it has taken him a while to build as people see the BIG part and assume the opposite of friendly.

But Dan IS a super friendly dude, he's also a dude who suffers with mental health and is open to talk about it!

In this candid interview from November 2017 - now finally available on the podcast - he tells his story, full and apologetically.

In this episode I discuss the 4 different types of hunger:

Mouth hunger - I just want food in my mouth, I crave the taste but not actually hungry.

Head hunger - I'm not hungry but I can't stop thinking about food.

Stomach hunger - I'm genuinely hungry and need to eat.

Body hunger - I've just trained for ages and my body is in bits, but I have no appetite.

Recognising and responding to each one correctly will help keep you on track with your goals.

What the heck are "primary foods"?

Well my guest Jennifer Grogan (first American guest by the way) says that these are the things to sort out first to help you with your relationship with food.

In this fascinating conversation we delve into what each of the 4 primary foods are and a few ways you can help get them right.

Being selfish can be a way to be selfless.

Being selfless can be a way to be selfish!

Confused? In this episode I talk about the link between the two and how YOU can make selfishness and selflessness work for you! (And those around you!)

This is by far the most impactful story on the podcast to date.

Alex Harvey is a woman, a wife and a mother who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

But she refuses to say she is dying from it, she instead says she is LIVING with it. A powerful message that she is instilling in her 2 daughters.

The message I took most from this episode was to live for now, to love a little harder, hold my children a little tighter and say the things that I hold behind my lips.

Life really is too short and I hope that Alex's journey has an inspirational effect on you as it did with me.