Today Stephen is joined by Nicole Perry, a Scottish banker based in London, an amateur cyclist who aims to complete all 21 stages of the Tour de France, for charity, in 2022. 

The Tour is known to be one of, if not the, most difficult sporting events, which takes place over 23 days and more than 3,400km.

They chat about how Nicole took up cycling (which is much more recent than you would think) and the freedom it helps bring to her life, why she decided to do this challenge, and support a charity, Cure Leukaemia, in the process, plus how she has found training to aid in building her mental resilience and how exercising in nature has helped her mental wellbeing.

Stephen and Nicole also look at ultra-endurance events, such as cycling, and the fact that women are massively underrepresented in these events. They discuss why this may be and what this means to Nicole, including the representation of women in sport as a whole.

For those looking to take on their own challenge, or wondering how Nicole does it all, they also look at how she balances training around her everyday job and personal life, including some tips she’s learned during this process, plus the importance of implementing recovering time into her life and routine, and tips on how to move from treating your sport as a ‘hobby’ to an endurance level, if that is a challenge you are considering. 

Nicole sets off on her Tour de France journey on 21 June 2022. You can support Nicole and Cure Leukaemia via her Virgin Money Giving page here.

You can also follow Nicole’s journey via Instagram @_NicolePerry, Strava and keep up to date with everything she’s doing on her LinkedIn page.

If you would like to follow this year’s team on their journey, you can do so on Instagram at @TheTour21.

As always, we will be back with a new episode every Thursday at 9am and you can find us on Instagram at:

This week, Stephen is looking back on the discussions he has brought you so far, helping to collate a starting point which essentially The Foundations of Good Health.

 This episode covers:

• Motivation
• Limiting Beliefs
• Strength Guidance
• Sleep 
• Self Care & Nature. 

All of our guests so far make an appearance in this episode, including:

• Emma Canning
• Amy Connell
• Luke Worthington
• Kerri Major
• Dr Wendy Stewart
• Zoe Black and Hannah Ranaldi

You can find more information, see what Stephen is up to and let him know your thoughts via Instagram at both @thefittprinciple and @stephenjafraser.

Today Stephen delves into the topic of sleep with Dr. Wendy Stewart, a paediatric neurologist and associate professor and director of humanities at Dalhousie Medicine in New Brunswick, Canada.

They explore why we sleep and why it’s important for not only our body’s physical health but also our mental health, plus what the circadian rhythm is and how it fluctuates.

They have an interesting discussion on the different stages of sleep we go through in our sleep cycles and if one of these stages is most important to our body. We’ve all heard that we should get 8-hours sleep a night but is this still the gold standard or has this become more flexible and based on the individual?

You’ll also hear them talk about; the symptoms of sleep deprivation, the impacts of technology on our sleep, what the biggest implications of poor sleep are to your long-term health and some tips of how to improve your sleep. 

Sleep for adults isn't their only focus, with the importance of sleep for children and teenagers being discussed to, including the importance of establishing ‘good sleep hygiene’ in kids.

You can find more information on Dr Wendy, including her education, areas of research, some publications and awards and honours, plus more,  here.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget that you can catch new ones every Thursday at 9am wherever you get your podcasts.

You can follow us on social media via:

@stephenjafraser
@TheFITTPrinciple
@BHMedia

This week Stephen sits down withs Luke Worthington, a Sport Scientist, Coach and Nike Trainer to chat about how Luke started his coaching career over 20 years ago, became affiliated with Nike in the last five years and more.

They discuss why resistance-based training is important for creating a healthy body and Luke’s five pillars of health and wellness, the myths around strength training and muscle building and why clients start coming to the gym versus why they become committed to their training programmes, plus how Luke approaches formulating his clients' training schedules.

Luke explains his view that the fitness industry's barrier to entry for the public can be too high but the barrier to entry for coaches and trainers too low, and how  he, and the industry as a whole, can work on combatting this. They also look at the new online platforms and technologies which have gained a following during the pandemic, and what these mean for the fitness industry and personal training. 

Luke also shares what he is looking forward to and his future goals, both personally and within the fitness industry as a whole.  

If want to follow Luke and everything he is getting up to you can do so via his:
Website: LukeWorthington.com
Instagram: LukeWTraining
Twitter: LukeWTraining

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget that you can catch new ones every Thursday at 9am wherever you get your podcasts.

You can follow us on social media via:

@stephenjafraser
@TheFITTPrinciple
@BHMedia

Today Stephen chats with guest Amy Connell, a Team GB athlete in the discipline of Karate. Amy is a Senior European Bronze medallist and a Paris Open K1 Silver medallist. 

Amy talks to Stephen about how she got into the sport of karate and later overcame a potentially career ending injury. 

The two also discuss the importance of mindset, motivation and how to overcome limiting beliefs, plus any pre-event routines Amy has.

If you want to keep an eye on Amy’s journey, you can follow her on Instagram via @littleconnell

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget that you can catch new ones every Thursday at 09:00 wherever you get your podcasts.

You can follow us on social media via:

@stephenjafraser

@TheFITTPrinciple

This week Stephen talks to two psychologists, Zoe Black (Sports and Exercise) and Hannah Ranaldi (Applied Health). They discuss the differences in their field and the biggest impacts and effects the COVID-19 lockdown has had on them, those they are close with and their clients. 

The learning that has taken place as a result of COVID-19 is an key topic of this week’s episode, with Stephen, Zoe and Hannah looking at the importance of community and nature for our mental health and more, plus the increase in health anxieties alongside those who have become more aware of their own health and well-being. The three also have an interesting discussion when sharing their approaches and thoughts around self-care. 

They touch on the role of public health, the government and those in the sport and medical fields in helping people on their health journeys. 

You’ll also hear Hannah and Zoe discuss their hopes for future developments within their fields and what they want to focus on moving forward.

Sources mentioned: 

Social Identity and Group Network (SIGN)

A Social Cure for Better Health – Research Impact

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget that you can catch new ones every Thursday at 09:00 wherever you get your podcasts.

You can follow us on social media via:

@stephenjafraser

@TheFITTPrinciple

Today Stephen talks to Scottish heptathlete Emma Canning. They discuss what the heptathlon is and how Emma took up the sport before talking about changing coaches and Emma’s move to France.

They also look at how to mentally tackle challenges, in Emma’s case events that are her strongest within the heptathlon, the importance of a strong support network, holding yourself accountable, learning how to switch off, the impacts of social media and Emma’s future goals.

If you want to follow Emma’s journey you can find her on Instagram at @ec4nning.

 If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget that you can catch new ones every Thursday wherever you get your podcasts.

 You can follow us on social media via:

@stephenjafraser
@TheFITTPrinciple

In this first episode Stephen is joined by Kerri Major, a registered dietitian as well as a personal trainer and author of ‘The Dietitian’s Kitchen’.

In this episode they discuss the role of a dietitian, how Kerri got into the profession and the differences between a dietitian and a nutritionist. 

Stephen asks Kerri about some longstanding dietitians’ advice that she feels stands the test of time, nutritional basics and the fads that she finds frustrating as both a dietitian and personal trainer, plus the impacts of social media. 

They also look at the increased interest in meat and dairy alternatives, sustainable options for the planet and the benefits of good gut health plus more.

If you want to keep up with Kerri’s journey as a dietitian and PT you can follow her at @the_dietitian_kitchen and you can purchase her book ‘The Dietitian Kitchen’ at your preferred bookstore.

 Sources Mentioned:

HCPC List of Registered Dietitians

UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists

 If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget that you can catch new ones every Thursday wherever you get your podcasts.

 You can follow us on social media via:

@stephenjafraser

@TheFITTPrinciple

Join Stephen, a certified personal trainer and who runs his own fitness studio in Glasgow, The FITT Principle, an expert for the Be Well Collective and  psychology student as he provides you with the tools to help you better understand your body, health and the science behind it all. 

Stephen will also be joined by guests such as athletes, psychologists, innovative business owners and more to discuss and explore these topics.

You can find new episodes every Thursday wherever you get your podcasts.