It feels like winter 25/26 in the UK has been a big one for colds - a lot of people I know have had one or more.

This sounds smug, but I don't get that many colds. I believe that's in large part to my dad, Dr Mark and his steer on how to stave off a cold when you feel one 'coming on'.'

We also look at how you manage colds and coughs and recover asap afterwards.

In this conversation we cover

Vitamin C (supplements and foods)

Vitamin D (the supplements and foods/daylight we can get them from)

Exercise nuance and immunity (why long distance athletes, in particular may require supplementation to boost immune system)

Sleep

Stress

Please let me know if this is helpful and if there are any other health/vitamin/mineral topics you'd like my dad and I to talk about.

********

Chief Sponsor: Bang & Olufsen Cheltenham: https://stores.bang-olufsen.com/en/united-kingdom/cheltenham/unit-15-the-courtyard-montpellier-street

Info on Sponsor Offerings: For 15% off Herring Shoes enter the code SPORTANDLIFE at checkout at - https://www.herringshoes.co.uk

For 30% off Cytoplan supplements for your first purchase at https://www.cytoplan.co.uk and a 10% discount ongoing: Check out the intro to the podcast.

For a 10% discount with GHS Cheltenham Clinics’ Health Checks - https://ghsclinics.health, contact me: [email protected] 

I met Simon Mundie when we were both ambitious young men living in London in our 20s pursuing careers in sports broadcasting. I was presenting the sport news on the Breakfast Show at Absolute Radio and Simon was playing the same role on Drive Time.

Simon has gone onto work for BBC radio and TV, but his thoughtful and insightful approach to sport and life began to articulate with his very popular podcast Don’t Tell Me The Score.

He now works as a coach and explains his service in these terms: ‘I work from a place of deep presence and focus on helping you clear the blockages that stop you from experiencing the clarity, joy and love that is your essence.’

This may sound a bit woo to some. But I love the idea of sporting flow applied to everyday life, the quest to live in the moment as much as possible. As someone who often thinks about the past and the future, past frustrations set against thinking about upcoming diary commitments, I’ve struggled with this.

Sport for me has always been a way of returning to the moment, but this conversation prompted me to wonder could we view life as sport - centring on trying to execute as well as possible and be present.

This idea of absorption in the moment is included in the theory behind The Triple Tonic workouts I do with clients - yes, we do weights etc, but there’s a lot of balls and rackets involved to keep the people I work with in the moment.

Let me know your thoughts on the ideas we discussed here.

This week I caught up with Cheltenham only’s current professional boxer Louis Bacon to look ahead to a significant night in his fledgling career. 

On March 28th at GL1 Leisure Centre in Gloucester Louis, who’s 23, steps up to six rounds for the first time. He’d previously only boxed 4 round contests in the pro ranks. 

Louis is also moving up in weight to 168 pounds (12 stone) or super-middleweight in light of the contest having a same-day weigh-in. 

Louis tells us about the physical challenges of working as a landscape gardener alongside his fight camp training, the financial outlay he has had over medical checks and licensing and the brass tacks business aspect of the the fight game - including delivering tickets by hand.

I found this a fascinating insight into the life of someone making their way in the early stages of pro boxing and all the factors involved.

At the time of recording Louis had a cold and we talked about the discipline of sometimes stepping off the gas when the body needs to recover. 

I’m planning to follow Gloucester Rugby March 28th at Villa Park in the Slater Cup, but I intend to try and get back in time to watch Louis box. 

A compelling and very honest conversation with Gloucester (and England international) winger Ollie Thorley about how his life changed with his family's decision to leave London and move to Cheltenham as a small boy.

Without that sliding-doors decision, Ollie thinks he may never have even played regular rugby - let alone become a pro and a Gloucester legend.

We talk about Ollie's passion for swimming and how his innate physicality as a boy - size, speed and strength - meant some of his rugby skills were underdeveloped.

It was too easy for him to outmuscle and outpace boyhood opponents so his handling, positioning and skillset was counterintuitively stunted.

We also discuss Ollie's love of his school days at Cheltenham College but how the attention on him as rugby star and Deputy Head Boy was something he found difficult. He was also wrestling with a stammer at the time (which he's clearly overcome).

Very honest and two-way conversation with Ollie asking me about my background and what would be my dream sports broadcasting gig.

Cheltenham Town’s free-scoring midfielder Issac Hutchinson is actually a Bristol Rovers player. He’s on loan at Cheltenham and travels up the M5 for training. But at 25 this is the 7th club he’s played for as a professional footballer. In fact, Bristol took recalled him in January only to allow him to return to Cheltenham at the end of the month. 

Isaac’s others clubs thus far: Southend United, Derby County, Forest Green Rovers, Crawley Town and Walsall. 

Where he’s stayed for a while, Hutchinson has done well, but his story is typical of League and League 2 football - constant change and movement. 

In this conversation we talk about the challenge of a nomadic lifestyle, the lapsed friendships and the commitment required from Isaac’s partner who has followed him around the country. 

We also discuss the skill of gelling quickly with new teammates on and off the pitch.

Isaac was a big fan of Chelsea’s all-time leading scorer Frank Lampard growing up and we talk about the importance of repetitive practice to hone those runs and finishes from midfield. 

I enjoyed this. I hope you do too. Being a pro player sounds very glamorous. But I have huge admiration for these guys’ abilities to adapt to new environments amid such flux. 

Andy Brassington is in his 70s. But you’d never guess it. He came around to my house before Christmas for a coffee and a long chat. He left me feeling invigorated, hopeful and enthused. For what I’m trying to do with the podcast and with my Triple Tonic workouts, for sure. But, also just generally excited for life and reassured there are philanthropists like Andy who are out there trying to connect people. 

Andy’s a former cricketer. A wicketkeeper for a decade and a half at Gloucestershire. As it became clear a generational talent called Jack Russell had curtailed his playing opportunities, Brassy transitioned into a role as marketing manager at the club.

He went onto found his sports hospitality business Finders and Keepers in the late 90s and it’s still going strong: https://www.finderskeepersuk.com

Maybe from his sporting background, or his business experience or maybe just how he’s made, but Andy has a keen awareness of the importance of conversation and connection. And during the Covid pandemic he founded the charity Walkers and Talkers. These are FREE events - initially based at Gloucestershire County Cricket Club but now taking place across the country - which hosts talks from (unpaid) celebrities while encouraging people to talk and walk alongside each other. 

Again, I don’t know many people who could pull this all off at 21. Let alone 71. But Andy is an inspiring ball of energy. And his mission to connect people, reflected in his opinion that an email is only of value after a face-to-face conversation, or worst case a phone call, is powerful. At a time of increasing loneliness and technology-induced disconnection, this is an important public health message too. 

I hope you enjoy this. And maybe you’ll be moved to make a call off the back of it? 

To contact Andy, you can email: [email protected] 

Hi, Teddy here. I count myself as pretty fit and healthy - I think that's important to walk the walk as I work as a fitness professional. But for the first time recently I had a full blood panel done and felt a huge amount of relief to find that things are good under the bonnet: hormones, minerals, metabolism and more.

I visited GHS Clinics in Cheltenham and can offer you a 10% discount if you contact me - [email protected]

. I felt anxiety before but a surge of confidence afterwards. I would definitely recommend it for anyone in mid life like - whatever your fitness or lifestyle - just to get some clarity .

**********

Chief Sponsor: Bang & Olufsen Cheltenham: https://stores.bang-olufsen.com/en/united-kingdom/cheltenham/unit-15-the-courtyard-montpellier-street

Info on Sponsor Offerings: For 15% off Herring Shoes enter the code SPORTANDLIFE at checkout at - https://www.herringshoes.co.uk

For 30% off Cytoplan supplements for your first purchase at https://www.cytoplan.co.uk and a 10% discount ongoing: Check out the intro to the podcast.

James Golden is a fitness professional based in the Cotswolds. He's trained athletes and non athletes for decades.

But in this conversation he tells me that if someone is starting from scratch trying to get healthier adding movement into daily life could be the key - rather than say three trips to the gym per week.

In this conversation James gives concrete examples of how we can add steps and bodyweight resistance work into everyday activities.

We also discuss James' Elite Soccer Coaching company with kids camps lead by pro footballer Jordan Thomas coming up at half-term and Easter. https://www.elitesoccerstars.com

*********

Chief Sponsor: Bang & Olufsen Cheltenham: https://stores.bang-olufsen.com/en/united-kingdom/cheltenham/unit-15-the-courtyard-montpellier-street

Info on Sponsor Offerings: For 15% off Herring Shoes enter the code SPORTANDLIFE at checkout at - https://www.herringshoes.co.uk

For 30% off Cytoplan supplements for your first purchase at https://www.cytoplan.co.uk and a 10% discount ongoing: Check out the intro to the podcast.

For a 10% discount with GHS Cheltenham Clinics’ Health Checks - https://ghsclinics.health, contact me: [email protected] 

I’m half-Welsh. My dad hails from cwmbran. And so presenting on Sky Sports News as Wales wound their way in magical fashion to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 is a treasured memory. A special summer - counterbalanced by the fact that I’m half-English and Wayne’s Rooney’s Three Lions were dumped out by Iceland in ignominious fashion. Ouch. That still hurts. 

But it was also a special time for the country Wales knocked out in the last-16 stage: Northern Ireland. It was their first and only, to date, time at The European Championship. 

Paul Gilmour was a firsthand bystander to the squad’s exploits in qualifying and then in the tournament itself in France. He was the dedicated team reporter for Sky Sports News. 

It would have been a memorable assignment for any football person. But particularly poignant for Paul who hails from Northern Ireland. He wasn’t born when his country qualified for the 1958 and 1982 World Cups. He was barely born when they made the World Cup in Mexico in 86. 

But in 2016 he was front and centre to cover a joyous time for his country. The team won only one of four games played in the tournament but made indelible memories, particularly the cacophonous singing of ‘Will Grigg is on fire!” Even though Grigg didn't get on the pitch during Euro 2016! 

It’s a classic old school soccer story. But a very human one too. Hope you enjoy!

Go well and keep moving, 

Teddy

********

Partner Details 

Chief Sponsor: Bang & Olufsen Cheltenham: https://stores.bang-olufsen.com/en/united-kingdom/cheltenham/unit-15-the-courtyard-montpellier-street

Info on Sponsor Offerings: For 15% off Herring Shoes enter the code SPORTANDLIFE at checkout at - 

https://www.herringshoes.co.uk

For 30% off Cytoplan supplements for your first purchase at https://www.cytoplan.co.uk and a 10% discount ongoing: Check out the intro to the podcast.

For a 10% discount with GHS Cheltenham Clinics’ Health Checks - https://ghsclinics.health, contact me: [email protected] 

Dr Mark Draper ( my dad) is a GP in Gloucestershire and a micro-nutritionist who has run courses for other doctors and medical professionals focussed on the vitamins and minerals we need to be healthy.

Here he explains how his interest and passion for vitamins and minerals was sparked when working as a doctor in the Turks and Caicos islands - he and his colleagues found huge improvements in the island children's health after iron tablets were handed out at schools.

Dad has helped design ingredient for show partner Cytoplan's early range of multivitamins and is the reason I've been taking their supplements since boyhood.

In this conversation we discuss:

*)Why we need to supplement

*) Iron

* Vitamin D

* Selenium and Zinc

* Women's mineral and vitamin requirements

* Men's mineral and vitamin requirements

* Vegan diet

* Vegetarian diet

I hope this is useful. Feedback appreciated.

Go well and keep moving,

Teddy

***********************

Partner Details

Chief Sponsor: Bang & Olufsen Cheltenham: https://stores.bang-olufsen.com/en/united-kingdom/cheltenham/unit-15-the-courtyard-montpellier-street

Info on Sponsor Offerings: For 15% off Herring Shoes enter the code SPORTANDLIFE at checkout at - https://www.herringshoes.co.uk

For 30% off Cytoplan supplements for your first purchase at https://www.cytoplan.co.uk and a 10% discount ongoing: Check out the intro to the podcast.