Move Smarter To Support Fascia And Lymph Flow great discussion with Leonie Tilley

We sit down with applied health and human performance specialist Leonie Tilley to rethink stress, training, and what our bodies actually need in modern life. We connect fascia, lymphatic flow, inflammation, and simple daily movement so you can feel better without adding more pressure to an already full plate.
• eustress vs distress and the stress threshold that changes how your body adapts
• why people feel “over the line” now and why hard workouts can backfire
• fascia as a whole-body fabric and how movement variability supports healthy connective tissue
• collagen loss with age and why multi-directional load matters for long-term mobility
• fluid flow, lymphatic drainage, diaphragmatic breathing, and the “tight fist” problem
• movement snacking as a realistic strategy for busy schedules
• simple tools: ground-to-stand practice, 30-second sprints, gradual barefoot time, taking load away from the midline
• inflammation markers, dry blood spot testing, omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, and cell membrane fluidity
• reconnecting to body signals and choosing movement that fits how you feel today

Stress is not automatically bad, but living in overload changes everything. We’re talking with applied health and human performance specialist Leone Tilley about the difference between eustress and distress, and why so many of us feel like our bodies can’t “keep up” anymore even when we’re trying to do the right things. If you’ve ever pushed through workouts, felt more tight than strong, or wondered why you’re exhausted despite your best efforts, this conversation offers a clearer, kinder framework to work from. 

We zoom out into fascia and connective tissue health, collagen decline with age, and how repetitive movement can make the body strong in one direction while leaving it fragile in others. Leone explains fluid flow as a foundation for feeling good: when tissue gets compressed, dehydrated, and stuck, lymphatic flow slows down, circulation suffers, and cells have a harder time moving nutrients in and waste out. We also connect this to inflammation and the environment your cells live in, using simple metaphors that make the science easy to visualize. 

Then we get practical. We share realistic “movement snacking” ideas for busy days, including ground-to-stand variations to support ankles, hips, and the thoracic spine, a quick 30-second sprint to shift energy and focus, and a gradual return to barefoot time to rebuild foot strength and stability. We also touch on dry blood spot testing, omega-6 to omega-3 balance, and why cell membrane fluidity matters for recovery, resilience, and long-term health. 

If you take one thing away, let it be this: check in with your body before you add more stress, and choose movement that supports where you are today. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find these conversations.

Leonie's details;

email - info@longliveyou.net.au

website - https://longliveyou.net.au/

Socials -

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/long_live_you_wellness
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/longliveyouwellness
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonie-tilley-706748229/

Transcript

Welcome To Home Of Fertility

SPEAKER_01 0:04

Welcome to the Home of Fertility, a space for real conversations and expert insights about fertility, healing, and creating family. I'm Liz Walton.

SPEAKER_03 0:17

And I'm Helen Z. We are two mums who've walked this path and are passionate about supporting you on your journey. Emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

SPEAKER_01 0:28

We talk about it all. Fertility treatments, holistic support, relationships, mindset, and the emotional highs and lows.

SPEAKER_03 0:38

Because sometimes the missing piece lies in someone else's story, in the quiet wisdom of the body, or in a breakthrough that's finally made for you.

SPEAKER_01 0:49

We are so glad you are here. Let's dive in.

SPEAKER_02 0:57

Good evening, good morning, good afternoon. Wherever you are in the world, it is wonderful to have you here. Um, at the Home of Fertility, uh, this is Liz Walton. And today we're speaking about a really um important subject. And I'm speaking with this on with a lovely lady called Leone Tilley. How are you doing, Leone? I'm excellent, excellent. Thank you for having me. Oh, fantastic. And she's speaking on a massively uh passionate subject. I do love a good passion for a subject, you know. We have such busy lives, don't we? And it's like, how do we manage these busy lives and try and be healthy within our bodies, within fascia, within flow, within um lymph. So we're gonna bring this all together. And uh, I love what you've called it. You've called it eustress versus de-stress. Yes. Also, I've never heard of eustress before, Leone.

SPEAKER_00 1:57

Ah, yeah.

Eustress Vs Distress Explained

SPEAKER_00 1:59

Yeah. So eustress um is stress that is good for us. So generally, when we think about stress, we're thinking of the negative and thinking, oh, you know, don't want too much stress in my life. But actually, a little bit of stress is good for us. So you can think about it when we're a little bit stressed, it might make us motivated to complete something, for example. So the human body um can handle actually quite a bit of stress. Um, you know, you can think about things that you can manage, like your environment, your relationships, your food, uh, your family to a degree, um, even finances to a degree. Um, but when the human body is experiencing stress upon stress, upon stress, yeah, then it gets to the point that we are in what we term distress. So you can think about um stress plus stress equals distress, or in other words, life plus life ends up distressing. So part of what I do in my work is I'm a movement coach, and what I see in my work is that people arrive all the time in distress. So, for example, 15 years ago, our stress levels were sitting under the threshold where we could manage it okay. So, physical stress or exercise is one of the biggest stressors to the human body. So, 15 years ago, when you came to me and you said, I want to build muscle, I want to look good, I want to be strong, I could take you from below the stress level that the body could tolerate to above via getting you to move and exercise and do all great things. And the body would adapt to that to get you to achieve the goals that you wanted to achieve. Because the human body is an adaptation machine, it will adapt to whatever input is coming into the body or not coming into the body.

SPEAKER_03 4:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:14

Versus now, when people come to see me, they are already over the threshold that their body can tolerate. So when I'm adding more stress to the body through coaching movement, yeah, we need movement in our lives, but it's becoming harder and harder for people to achieve the goals that they want, like building muscle as an example, because their bodies just cannot tolerate all stress. So if you think about the stressors that are in our life, it can be the air that we breathe, the chemicals we apply to our skin, the list goes on and on. Toxic foods, uh, seed oils, all sorts of stuff. There's so much stress coming into the human body that I think it's time to start thinking about what we are doing to help ourselves in our health in this modern day world by moving a little bit differently.

Why You Feel Over Threshold

SPEAKER_00 5:13

So um I love I wanted to talk about um so often when we're going to the gym, you know, we're lifting weights, feeling good, we want to look good in the mirror, but I want to explore the topic of whether or not the human body is designed for this and can tolerate this over time. So I'm gonna get you to think about um if you had a credit card. So I've got a little card in my hat. Yeah. And if I bent it in half over and over and over again, what do you think will probably happen to the card?

SPEAKER_02 5:53

Well, it starts to wear and then it starts to tear, I suppose. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:58

Yeah, it it eventually breaks, exactly. Whereas if I bend the card in all sorts of different ways, do you think it's going to be a little bit more resilient and be able to tolerate the stress a bit easier?

SPEAKER_02 6:14

Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_00 6:15

Yeah. Okay, so the same analogy can be applied to the human body.

Fascia Collagen And Smarter Strength

SPEAKER_00 6:21

So our body is made up, um, we're glued together by collagen and water. So our connective tissue network holds us together and gives our body shape. But we lose, we start losing collagen from the age of about 21. And by the time we are 50, we've lost up to a third of our collagen. So we want to support our body to be able to move well and keep doing what we love doing for as long as we possibly can.

SPEAKER_02 6:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:53

But to enable that, we need to be held together by healthy connective tissue. So when you look at it under a microscope, it's multi-directional. It's made up of lots of water and collagen, and we are designed to carry load in all sorts of different ways, not just one direction. So if you think about a bicep curl when you go to the gym, we're applying a line of stress to your arm. So when we've applied that stress, a beautiful little chemical activity happens in your body called mechanotransduction. And what it is is little fibroblasts come along and glue us along that line of stress to make us strong in that way. So next time we go to do a bicep curl, we've developed some strength along that line of stress. Yeah. But the problem with that is our body demands movement in all sorts of different ways in order to keep fascia or connective tissue healthy. Yeah. So um, I want you to maybe think about when you go to do your shopping, Liz, and you're carrying a really heavy bag of groceries and you've got to make it to your car, but it's really, really heavy. Tell me what happens if you think about that. What do you do with the load when you're carrying it?

SPEAKER_02 8:22

What do I do with the load? Well, I tried to make it so it's even on both sides, and you know, I keep on carrying it, I suppose, if I want to get to the car or whatever.

SPEAKER_00 8:33

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. So often, right, if we're carrying something really, really heavy, you'll put it down, you'll change hands, you'll maybe put it down, you'll carry it on a hip. So your body will automatically crave carrying load in different ways to spread load through tissue. So it actually designed to move in all sorts of different ways. Okay. So um, in traditional gym movement, we also generally bring weight towards the body, like that bicep curl again. Yeah. So what really helps our body tissue to become more tolerant so that we can be injury free for as long as possible, yeah, is to also include movement where we take load away from the body.

SPEAKER_02 9:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:32

And that movement stimulates the body to produce long collagen.

SPEAKER_02 9:37

All right.

SPEAKER_00 9:38

And long collagen binds in a triple helix shape, which is a little bit like crossed forearms. So if I tried to unlink my crossed forearms, it's it's a little bit challenging. It's quite strong, held together. So long collagen benefits us greatly as the years go by. So variability in movement is super, super important to help our body to stay healthy, but also to withstand that threats, that stress threshold where we're sitting in distress.

SPEAKER_02 10:19

Making sense? Yeah, that's interesting. That's um, yes, that makes a lot of sense. So hold on. I just want to be able to have a quick bio of you, and then so people understand who we're talking to. So Leone Tilley is an applied health and human performance specialist. She's a Zinzino independence partner, a speaker, and a co-founder of the Menopause Summit that was held in Brisbane in 2025. Um, so a lot of understanding with health and wellness. And I know with our talk today, it's about looking at fluid flow and the role in long-term health. And we're going to be looking at health through a new lens today. So, so what is fluid flow as we start to look at the cross, you know, the cross fibers as well. And yeah, let's have a look. So, what is fluid flow?

Fluid Flow Lymph And Detox

SPEAKER_00 11:14

Yeah, so fluid flow is everything in the human body. So, we're being held together by this amazing fascial network. You can think of your whole body being draped in a massive big piece of curtain fabric where no part of our body is not attached. So, this beautiful um piece of curtain fabric moves in all sorts of different directions and flows freely. Our movement feels amazing. We don't have pain or niggles when that piece of fabric is healthy. But in our modern day lives, through repetitive movement, through chronic stress, through seated jobs, all sorts of things, we end up with parts of our body that get a little bit stuck, also from dehydration of tissue. So when we're sitting down here right now, the back of our legs, our hamstrings, they're being compressed. So that's pushing fluid out of tissue. So when we get up, sometimes we'll feel a bit stuck. That's because there's no fluid in the tissue. So over time, we can get parts of our body that get a little bit stuck in our fascial network, and it's a little bit like a tight fist. So when you've got a tight fist, could blood flow through it? Or could lymphatics flow through it? Not so much. No, exactly. So that means that your body's ability to eliminate toxin or even to get nutrient into cells is diminished. So if I can help you to change the health of your fascial network through variability and movement, I can help you for the fist to let go a little bit. And that creates fluid flow through the body, it creates an ease of movement, it creates greater range in movement, and it also helps your body to eliminate toxin. So when we are, you know, when our body tissue is not healthy and we've got that fist type of environment in certain places in our body. I mean, we all feel that it's like holding tension in our body. Um, our lymphatic fluid cannot flow throughout the body. So we have 15 liters of lymph in the body, it has no pump, it relies on movement or diaphragmatic breathing for lymphatic flow to flow throughout the body, versus we have five liters of blood, but we have our heart to pump that around. So we need movement to stimulate that fluid flow so that we can eliminate toxin from the body. So if we don't do that, it's like your cells swimming in a dirty fish tank. So, like, you know, if a fish tank hasn't been cleaned, it's cloudy. The fish will often be bubbling to the surface looking for oxygen because it is a low oxygen environment. And our cells don't like that. The body also becomes more acidic. And, you know, all sorts of disease, even cancers love an acidic environment. So we really need to look after the fact that our body can get rid of all the rubbish. So if things are working really well, then your fish tank will look beautiful and clean. So your cells will be thriving. But we need movement, movement, movement. But unfortunately, we are becoming more and more sedentary for all sorts of different reasons, and computer-paced work is obviously just one of those.

SPEAKER_02 15:06

So, what then is so how can we have movement? What is movement's role in you know today's today's busy life? You know, how can we do that for our health?

Movement Snacking For Real Life

SPEAKER_00 15:20

Yeah. So great question, right? So if we already know that people are above the stress threshold that the human body can tolerate and crazy busy, everyone's crazy busy. I don't know about you, but I don't seem to talk to anyone these days who says, you know, if I ask them, what have you been doing? And they say, Oh, we've just been relaxing, you know, life is really easy. Like, who says that these days? So more and more I think we need to be thinking smarter about what we are doing.

SPEAKER_02 15:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:53

So what movement can we put into our day? And the days, in my opinion, where uh 60-minute workouts at the gym are the thing that we strive for, I think it's becoming more and more challenging for people to achieve that. So I think we need to break it down. And we know that even five-minute blocks of exercise as movement snacking throughout the day is very, very effective in very, very simple ways, like even doing getting on the ground, standing back up, doing variations in ground to standing movement.

SPEAKER_02 16:31

Wow, one of the reasons snacking, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 16:35

Yeah, yeah. Movement snacking is really, really powerful. So um, yeah, in terms of keeping our body moving well, healthy fascia, healthy tissue, being able to uh go through life injury free and keeping, you know, the whole system going really well. We need to have three mobile joints, major mobile joints, and these are ankles, hips, and thoracic spine. Right. Okay. When these are mobile and healthy, then lower backs and knees are the joints in between. They're meant to be stabilizing joints. But often these joints can be taking over because we're seated all the time. So ankles, hips, and thoracic spine are not getting the movement that they need. So definitely a focus on these is really important. And just getting up and down off the ground can be a way of mobilizing through all of those three major joints. So as simple as that, get up and down off the ground in as many different ways as you can think of. Do it 10 times.

SPEAKER_02 17:40

Wow, because I I know I get my knees are I hate being that person now, but my I know my knees are a bit more tender than they used to be in my youth. So um, so I find that quite interesting. So, what would be the most easiest movements then? Uh, so what would you recommend as easy and doable movements within our busy lives? So, like you say, get up and down in different ways. What else?

Three Doable Daily Movement Tools

SPEAKER_00 18:08

I'm a big advocator of 30-second sprints. All right. So um sprinting on the spot as fast as you can for 30 seconds. That's it.

SPEAKER_01 18:18

Really?

SPEAKER_00 18:20

Yeah, because most people are trying to make changes. And what we we've all been through this, right? We make a plan, we want to uh, you know, I want to do this, I want to feel healthier, but man, it feels hard to do it. So I like to approach things from the opposite point of view. I know if I can change your biochemistry within your body, you're gonna be far more likely to achieve the goals that you want to achieve. So believe it or not, in a 30-second sprint, you can change your body chemistry. You'll feel really energized, clear, productive, way you go. And to be honest, I use 30-second sprints before I'm about to do big meetings because it lifts me, it lifts my energy and helps me to deliver.

unknown 19:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:08

That's really interesting. Okay, I think I might have to try that one. Okay, what else? What else?

SPEAKER_00 19:14

Um, so I love bare feet is a huge one.

SPEAKER_02 19:18

Really?

SPEAKER_00 19:18

So again, um most of us are walking around with on spongy shoes, so we're losing connection to our feet and also to our breath. So our big toes are connected to our pelvic floor, which are connected to our diaphragm, which is connected up into our jaw, our tongue, and our temples through myofascial lines. So our feet give us feedback about how we move throughout the world. So our proprioception. Also from wearing, you know, toe-cramped shoes, spongy shoes, our feet are losing strength. And every myofascial line in the human body runs from toe to head. So when our feet become weak, our feet are responsible for dissipating force throughout your body. So every time your foot hits the ground, the foot is supposed to take force and kind of get rid of it. But when our feet are weak and not mobile, that force ends up coming up the chain, up into legs, hips, shoulders, who knows where it's going to end up. So a lot of problems I see in people that I help, the problem originates in their feet. So strengthening your feet and getting your shoes off is really, really important. So walking barefoot is what you're saying. Walking barefoot, yeah, absolutely. But as with everything, if we go from woe to go very quickly, the body may not like that either. So if you're used to wearing shoes all the time, you may start by just walking around in bare feet for half an hour.

SPEAKER_02 21:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:04

And see how things go, and then keep going. But your feet are critically important because remember, they're the only thing that sticks you to the ground. So as we get older, if you're lacking in foot strength and foot mobility, your stability is going to be really challenged. And I see this in my mum. She's developed big bunions and things, and her biggest risk in aging now is that she's very unstable. Right. And of course, when you're very unstable, when that leads to falls, etc., that's a huge health risk as we go forward.

SPEAKER_02 21:39

Yeah. Yeah. Well, I like that. Getting up and down off the floor, um, walking in feet, and second sprints. Those are three seriously doable things, and if they all create that fluid flow within our body, then And that's that's a beautiful movement, you know, the a great way to have movement play a positive role in our health and and well being.

SPEAKER_00 22:11

Yeah, and one more to get load away from the midline of the body. So that's your long collagen stimulator.

SPEAKER_02 22:19

Oh yeah. Right. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:23

Yeah. Yes. So um but just start moving. Don't be frightened of it. Um, and just do what you can as small as you may think it is. I think we need to change our mindset in our expectation of ourselves in doing everything that we're doing, especially as, you know, stereotypically, we know that women are generally taking the load at home, etc. So, you know, we're trying to cook, clean, provide, work, look after elderly parents, whatever it is that we're all doing. Um yeah, we just need to do little bits that are going to help us for the long term.

SPEAKER_02 23:05

Movement snacking, I think that is awesome. But also I'm aware, you know, with everything that's happening, there is stress, and then this creates inflammation in our body. So if we're if we're you know, have a level of stress because we're all so busy, we're even trying to do the movement snacking, but I know with with big inflammation, um, that can cause you know a lot of issues in our body. So, what can we do?

SPEAKER_00 23:36

Yeah, absolutely.

Testing Inflammation Omega Balance

SPEAKER_00 23:38

I am a huge fan at every stage of life as a foundational biomarker of testing for inflammation via dry blood spot testing. So that's a simple finger prick test, which can give you a very clear indication of what is happening for you from a cellular health point of view. This is very relevant for both heart and brain health. And we are living in a really chronically stressed world. So whatever information we can get about what is happening on the inside of our own unique bodies, I think is incredibly empowering and a necessity for everybody. So when we take this test, it gives us a very clear read on cell membrane fluidity. So if we are out of balance in omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, it's problematic because it creates rigidity in cell membrane. So that means no matter how well you're eating, nutrient can't get into the cell easily, and toxin can't get out of the cell readily either. It affects mitochondria, cell signaling, etc. So definitely as foundational health and helping every little bit that we can help ourselves to peel off layers of the onion to create longer-term health. I think it's critical and definitely, definitely um something that is worth the investment.

SPEAKER_02 25:16

Oh, yes. And I and I know I've done yours in Xeno and it's something that really supported my health. Uh well, I'm still doing it now, actually, to be fair. So um, and I I I feel like it's been extremely beneficial. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 25:31

Absolutely, absolutely. It's well documented in a lot of literature that if our cellular inflammation is in check and our omega-3 ratio is between 8 and 12 percent, we'll get an extra five healthy years. So yeah, absolutely, super important. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:53

And I'll make sure that I in the show notes it's got the information so people can connect with you to find out about you know, inflammation markers and zine xeno and the oil, which I take and I think is is awesome. So as we bring in this conversation um to towards the end, what would be your top tips to supporting health?

Reconnect With Body And Play

SPEAKER_02 26:18

You know, what would you like people to walk away with?

SPEAKER_00 26:21

Yeah, I the big thing that I try and work with my clients on the most is listen learning to reconnect to their own body again and to listen to the messages that it is giving you. Because at no point in time is your body working against you, your body is only ever trying to message you to tell you what it needs. So um that's the biggest thing that I think in this modern-day life, we are at risk of that people are becoming more and more detached from themselves. So when really all along their body has been signaling to them that it needs something different.

unknown 27:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:07

But listening to that message is not easy, not easy. But um, that's probably the biggest thing. Keep moving, keep playing, do childlike things, pick a ball with someone, throw a frisbee. That's when truly our stress levels are reduced.

SPEAKER_02 27:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:25

And the nervous system is at the heart of every single movement that we're doing in the style of movement that I deliver. Um, I'm creating bodies that are elastic, nimble, soft, that can keep functioning with space between joints. So people are improving their movement with age. It's definitely not um something that's true that our movement deteriorates with age, we can train to improve it, absolutely. Um yeah, but just to live happy, healthy lives, connect back to yourself, create that elastic body and also a reactive nervous system through particular nervous system um techniques that I also deliver. So if we can train our nervous system to switch on and off quickly, we reduce our risk of injury, injury hugely. And that can be, you know, I hear people talk about they reach for their handbag and suddenly they've done something to their back.

SPEAKER_02 28:27

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:27

You know, our bodies should be able to tolerate small things like that without issues. So that's all um what I am all about in helping people um to keep doing what they love doing for as long as they possibly can.

SPEAKER_02 28:44

I love that. So listen to your bodies. Um, I like the playing frisbee. Gosh, I don't think I played frisbee for ages. So I'm gonna do that with my daughter. Um, I know it's a bit colder here, so it it it's uh, you know, it's it's it we I suppose you haven't done it so much, but I I'll thank you for the reminder, I think is what I'm trying to say. Thank you for that reminder. Just enjoy your life, play. Yeah, and and bringing back the you know, the length, the elasticity, the movement. Yeah, I like that. Thank you so much. And um is there anything else that you would like to leave this conversation with?

SPEAKER_00 29:29

Uh I would like to say address your inflammation, uh, support your collagen loss.

SPEAKER_02 29:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:37

And as I said, listen to your own body. But um, yeah, just move in a way that is gonna be supportive to you. And when you're thinking about lifting heavy, because that's the message on Instagram or YouTube that everybody is doing, ask the question: how does my body feel today? Am I well hydrated, well nourished? Have I slept well? What are my energy levels like, etc.? Because that's gonna dictate your stress. Are you in eustress or distress? And can your body tolerate more stress? Because if the answer is no, you're risking injury.

unknown 30:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 30:20

So not every movement is for everybody, depending on um where they are in life.

SPEAKER_02 30:26

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, and I I know I do weights and I have to um I have to check in, is this right for me? So I really like that reflection. So thank you very much. It's okay to ask when you're thinking, oh, I need to do my heavy weight. So um, yeah, I'm very grateful for that. Thank you so much, Leone. Thank you, thank you for your own. Thank you so much for having me. It's a pleasure, always a pleasure and honor. I I love being able to learn. So this is just such a great space and to share this with everybody out there is I think truly powerful. So thank you very much.

SPEAKER_00 31:03

No problem. And yeah, fascia-based movement is a life changer, absolute life changer. So I would love to help more people to understand its power and how amazing it can make you feel.

SPEAKER_02 31:18

Wonderful,

Final Takeaways And Share Request

SPEAKER_02 31:19

thank you. And with that, I shall bid everyone a good farewell, good evening, good morning, or good afternoon, wherever you are. And just remember to check in with your body. It is always talking to us. And what's the best thing for your body today? And listen, what's the answer for you? And with that, sending you all lots of love. You take care.

SPEAKER_03 31:49

Thanks for joining us at the Homer Fertility. We hope today's episode brought you clarity, comfort, and connection.

SPEAKER_01 31:59

If this podcast resonated, please share it. Leave a review or subscribe. This helps us support more people that are on this path.

SPEAKER_03 32:09

And if you'd like to connect or share your story, find us on Instagram and Facebook at Australian Fertility Summit.

SPEAKER_01 32:18

Remember, the missing piece might be waiting in a story, your body's wisdom, or something new just made for you. Take care. Take care, and we'll see you next time.