Sport and Life

Harry Bates is a Worcester-based Personal Trainer. He runs The Movement Company with three tiers of engagement: a free run club, group circuits and bespoke one-to-one sessions at his private studio.

In this we discuss:

** For sedentary people why ditching data, wearables, smart watches and SMART goals and just moving could be the key.

** Why combining fitness with community/socialising maximises the benefits of working out.

** Why people realising exercise makes them 'feel better' could be the key to getting the population healthier, in body and mind.

** Harry's pivot from Primary School teacher to fitness pro.

** The difficult of knowing what career to follow for young people and why often the unsure choose teaching as a safe option.

** The challenge for PTS of fitting in their own training when busy with clients.

** Levels of kids movement in primary schools.

More on Harry and his service: https://themovementcompany.co.uk

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

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] 

Josh Davison, 26, is a striker on loan at Cheltenham Town from Tranmere Rovers.

He was discovered by a Peterborough United scout when he was 16 playing 5-aside with friends in Enfield, North London.

In the past nine years he's played for 12 football clubs - and the moving has become more complicated in recent seasons and he's a father to two daughters, a toddler and a baby.

Lots of ground covered here including:

** Why Josh chose to move his young family to Cheltenham even though he's only on a four-month deal.

** How he plans to relax with an uncertain out-of-contact summer coming up.

** His Tottenham Hotspur boyhood heroes.

** His plans to tone down his physicality.

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

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] 

Luke Harvey was an elite jump jockey winning races at the famous Cheltenham Festival and Aintree among other successes.

Since retiring he's become a beloved racing broadcaster for ITV, Sky Sports and others.

In this conversation Luke tells me why he thinks the 2026 edition was the best 'Cheltenham' in decades.

In a time when we're also considering the healthiness of much of elite sport - jump jockeys have a lot of financial uncertainty to contend with and physical jeopardy - Luke explains why he's forever grateful for the like horse racing has given him.

Also an interesting riff here on the enigmatic nature of both humans and horses - how people and race horses can be brilliant in training but not able to perform in public.

My brother, Dr Max Draper was in a dark place six or seven years ago. Physically and mentally he was as low as you can go. At his nadir he felt like he didn’t want to be here anymore.

Remembering that time is painful for me and everyone else who loves Max. But there’s a huge tale of hope that sprung from that low and it’s in his rise back to health that Max charts in his book Testosterone Decoded. 

Max, then a GP in the North East of England had his health and T levels battered by a triple header of testicular cancer, meningitis and chronic stress. 

For a long time he didn’t twig about the testosterone. When he did start testosterone replacement therapy his rise from the deepest doldrums was remarkably swift. 

In this story then there’s a beacon of optimism for other men brought to their knees because of hormonal imbalance. 

I’m biased but I think Max’s book is a brilliant breakdown of what testosterone is, what it gives men, what healthy levels should be and the options to get heathy again. There’s also a frank look at TRT’s downsides, including fertility issues and how potentially to mitigate those. 

It’s a book that has enough science to educate medical practitioners and health professionals. But it is written in a simple and punchy way that won’t lose the lay man. 

I’m proud of my bro for battling back from bleak ill health, for having the wherewithal to pivot careers, from General Practice into TRT specialist, whilst being a top dad to three young children. 

Kudos to his wife, Dr Katy Draper for her part in supporting this transformation too. 

I hope you enjoy the chat and I’d really appreciate you considering to buy this book. It might help you or a man you know: 

https://hammersmithbooks.co.uk/product/testosterone-decoded/

Go well and keep moving,

Teddy

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

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]

Legend is perhaps an overused word in modern sport. But Lewis Ludlow would be considered a Gloucester Rugby legend in any era.

'Luds' has captained the club for much of his time - more than a decade - wearing the famous cherry & white colours and is on track to break Gloucester's appearance record in the nearish future. 

He also captained England on his debut, underscoring his innate ability to lead.

In this conversation we discuss:

** Physical longevity - sauna, ice baths and diet

** Lewis' 10 operations and why he has no regrets for the physical toll of the game on his body.

** His pride and gratitude at representing Gloucester

** How his mindset is behind his success rather than physical gifts

** Favourite movie motivational speeches 

** Hopes to work at Gloucester beyond his playing days 

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

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]  

Have you noticed how one health topic is all the rage on the internet one week only to be replaced by another next week?

That's why it was powerful to get Katie outline why the focus on protein isn't a fad - but a vital message for good health.

Katie, a Cheltenham-based nutritionist who helps clients all over the world remotely, tells us why protein is vital for our health.

The conversation includes:

** What protein does in the body

** How much protein you need

** The types of foods that carry big protein hits and the meals a protein rich day might include .

** Vegan protein options

** Protein shakes

I really enjoyed this one - let me know how you found it.

To contact/follow Katie:

Instagram https://instagram.com/nutrition_with_katieLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/katieizobeldempseyBlog: https://nutritionwithkatie.com/blogWebsite: https://nutritionwithkatie.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] 

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. 

Gloucester Wing star Ollie Thorley on why being big and fast too early in life stunted his skills, on the challenges of overcoming a stammer at Cheltenham College and plotting a second career.

For more in-depth feature interviews like this please visit and subscribe to the Sport and Life website: https://sportandlife.co.uk

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

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

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.