Ep19. Joy of spectating, half maz & gummies

This episode features Laura 'Biceps' and Sarah Bevan sharing their recent fitness adventures, insights into community fitness events, and the evolving landscape of health and wellness. They discuss running, recovery, innovative fitness formats, and industry trends, offering practical advice and inspiration for staying active and connected. In this engaging episode, Sarah Bevan shares her journey through burnout, career changes, and the importance of community and self-awareness in health and fitness. Discover insights on social identity, mental health, and how to make empowered decisions for a balanced life.

Chapters

00:00
Introduction to Fit For What Podcast

02:15
Running Experiences and Community Support

12:35
Charity Runs and Personal Reflections

15:53
Training Programs and Personal Goals

19:19
Community Fitness Events and Experiences

22:14
Innovations in Fitness and Wellness Culture

26:21
Unilever's Acquisition and Market Trends

29:05
The Rise of Gummies in Nutrition

32:38
Health and Fitness Market Insights

34:36
Community and Social Spaces in Fitness

39:24
The Importance of Social Identity in Health

42:20
The Role of Culture in Fitness Communities

44:51
The Impact of Parkrun on Community Engagement

51:19
Marathon Musings: The Journey Ahead

52:49
Charity Runs and Personal Goals

54:42
The Emotional Rollercoaster of Training

56:01
Teeth Whitening and Self-Confidence

59:44
Navigating Burnout and Career Changes

01:03:09
Self-Discovery and Personal Growth

01:05:21
The Importance of Change and Flexibility

01:08:51
Looking Ahead: Future Plans and Aspirations

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:02

Hello and welcome back to Fit for What, a BS free evidence-based take on health, fitness, and wellness with a bit of humour, honesty, and some practical advice to help you be fit for whatever life throws at you.

SPEAKER_00 0:17

My name is Sarah, women's health coach, PT, and chief loudest spectator. Honestly, the videos you sent me.

SPEAKER_01 0:25

Laura! Laura!

unknown 0:26

Laura!

SPEAKER_01 0:27

Yes. My name is Laura. My name's Laura. And I am, what am I today? Um, I don't know. A bit of a yeah, a bit a bit um all over the place today, actually. My name's Laura and I'm a PT. I'm a best-selling author. What else do I do? I do a bit of work here and there. I'm a lover of running, still white belt, one stripe at jujitsu. Haven't done any strength training of any great anything to report home about for a long time, and I feel weak as hell. Oh, but yeah, I do. But you're a good runner. Well you're a fantastic runner. Depends who's asking.

SPEAKER_00 1:12

Well, I saw it firsthand so I've never seen someone so focused. Like you the videos I had to put, I had to put music over the videos that I sent that I put on Instagram because I am screaming. The poor woman next to me. And the first time I was like, because we were basically, I was tracking Laura on the um app and I was like, She's not starting, she's not starting, she's not starting. And then we weren't my one. I was like, I've got a I've got to watch her here. And watching it is so weird. You go a bit blind, like you just see so many people, and I was like, Oh my god, if we bloody miss her. And I screamed that honestly, the people next to me must have been like, shut up. But you only noticed us at right at the end, like you were you were nearly away from us and you had to pull back. Yeah, yeah. She had the scream.

SPEAKER_01 1:52

Oh yeah, so basically I ran um with my mate Emily, who is the social media manager at Women's Health, Men's Health Runners World. And at the start, we had the awkward conversation because we both got our headphones and we just sort of said, Um, how do you want to do this? And I was like, Are you gonna do noise cancellation? And she was like, No, I'll put do it on transparency. And I was like, Oh, yeah, yeah, six, six. But I had like a really good playlist that I'd made last night that I was really adamant I wanted to listen to. But do you know what? With this uh for context, um this run today, I've I've just I've just run the London Landmarks half, and Sarah was going to watch uh a couple of her mates, and I was there, you know, so I I saw her a few times, which was really nice. Um, but I genuinely, if you have been following Calfgate, I've always got a something gate. I've that dawned on me today. There's always something that's really irritating that's going on. I have a dodgy calf, don't I? And I was unsure of how today was gonna go. So I did 25 plus 9k last weekend. Then I tried to run a mere 5k on Tuesday, and I pulled up after 800 metres.

SPEAKER_00 3:10

Wild.

SPEAKER_01 3:11

800 metres, that's all I manage, but at least I was sensible enough, and then I went on the bike for the CT bike for 25 minutes just to strop, just to have it out, just to have it out in my head because I couldn't run. I thought, well, great, I can't even run a kilometre. Really good. This is this is going really well. So I did an SOS to my physio, who is the greatest wizarding, ghoulish wizard of all time, and uh Rebecca from Balanced Osteopathy in Farrington, big up. She fixed me.

unknown 3:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:42

Now what she must have. Yeah, what she does is she fixes she fixes me for one ride, and then I'm in back in the bin again. So that was my ride out today. And I yeah, managed to.

SPEAKER_00 3:54

Was that your last was that your last long run now?

SPEAKER_01 3:57

Are you tapering now? Yup, yup. Oh my god. That's why I was so upset about it because I was like, oh, I can't even run one kilometre, I've got to do 21 in five days. What the hell? Yeah, so yeah, so she and she um I said to Sarah, so I'm boring Sarah to death here, but it's useful for context. I could not personally do one single leg calf raise on my right leg on Friday afternoon. I nearly fell over, I couldn't do it, and I hobbled out, and she my physio goes, she's she we she knows well. She goes, Can you walk out normally? And I was like, I can't. She's like, Well, can you just try your best to walk normally? She'd had a long day. I'd had a long day, and I was hobbling.

SPEAKER_00 4:43

She's so but what did you do? What did you do yesterday? What did you do yesterday? Nothing.

SPEAKER_01 4:48

No, I went to jujitsu in the morning. Oh my god. I went to no, it's fine. No, listen, listen, listen. It's a bad boy. You know when we say active recovery, it's sort of jujitsu and sauna. No, yesterday I went to uh a no-gi beginners class. So no gi is without the gi, no pajamas. Um beginners class yesterday, uh, which was great because there was five lovely jubbly ladies there. Oh, it was great. So we had a good time, and I was able to say, Hey guys, um so I've got a bad calf. So if you wouldn't mind, don't touch my calf, yeah, or I'll kick you out the window. Um, no, they're yeah, they were really good. So I did jujitsu yesterday morning and then sauna, and then I sat down and watched hours upon hours of the Jack and Ash podcast.

SPEAKER_00 5:42

Oh, that's that's like your ideal recovery. If you could get like a podcast TV in the sauna, I think you'd be in your element. That would be your ideal, wouldn't it?

SPEAKER_01 5:50

I would absolutely love it. So, um so yeah, so so that was the context. And then today, like my physio messaged me yesterday, and I think she'd had a reflection of how I walked out or fell out the door. She was like, Hey, just checking in, like, how are you today? And I was like, all good boss, on my way to jujitsu. And she's like, Okay, we would take.

SPEAKER_00 6:18

Oh my god. Yeah, I sent her a bit. I sent her a picture, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:21

I sent her a picture of the front of jujitsu, and yeah, she's like, Yeah, cool, all right. And then, and then she's like, just just thinking about how you left me yesterday. Like, if you cannot do like if it doesn't, like, if you can't do your calf raises, um, please don't do the run. And I was like, sweet, I hear you, Gandalf. You've been heard, yeah. Gandalf, I hear you always hitting ways, but obviously I was mega disappointed at that reflection because I was like, oh no, she doesn't believe in me. Um, so yeah, I turned up at London Landmark's half this morning, met my friends, and it was game on. I just prepared. I thought, how embarrassing would it be if I'd carb loaded for a bus to fucking central. I know, yeah, a slow bus back having done nothing. But yeah, I got to the start line and I literally I was like, alright, off I go. I'm I'm feeling okay. And then we got to one kilometre, and I turned to Emily, and I was like, Oh my god, I've done one kilometre, and she was like, Yes, and then I was like, Yeah, I think I'm sweet. I held back for like the first 3k. Yeah, you didn't. I think it's when I saw you though.

SPEAKER_00 7:36

I think you're mile, what's mile one in kilometres? One mile in kilometres, just over two K in 2K in. I saw you, and she was like focus mode, eyes down, glasses on. But I didn't know I didn't know what you're gonna wear. I was like I'm sure she'll wear pink, and then everyone was wearing pink because it was the Tommy's charity, and I was like, oh my god, I'm not gonna have to see her. Um so yeah, for London, please can you wear like some big headpiece, please? There was a man today with a a teapot, a jelly cat teapot on his head, and it was fantastic. I saw him miles off. Um, but yeah, you absolutely nailed it. Like she I've never like no, but she did, honestly. You you should have seen it. Like, it was actually really funny. I was we were at um Temple, and it's a bit of a funny route, like it's quite it's a nice route. I mean, I didn't run it, so from from what I saw, it was a nice, interesting route. But they're quite narrow, the streets in the city, like and they're quite bendy wendy. And I was trying to and I was trying to stalk Laura on this app, and I was like, Oh, she's she must be near, and it was so weird, she was literally like in my face. I was like, Oh my gosh, she's there! And I was screamed and chased up the hill. But um, it's yeah, she I it was so nice seeing you do that. I was actually really glad I was there because I was like, this is gonna be a hard one mentally. There wasn't, there wasn't. But you you smile as in in terms of how you're gonna get around. But I think once I saw you go, I was like, this is fucking fine. Yeah, she's absolutely fine. I think, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:57

A little message with you, we were well chuffed. Yeah, I think like I said to you before, I think once I sort of was seeing the 1015, it's like, okay, yeah, I've done this, I've done this once, I can go again. But yeah, oh my god, some of the it was obviously it's a very charity, it's such a well-run race, but lots of charities would sport and oh my goodness, the things written on the back of people's t-shirts. I was like choked the whole way around. It was um it was pretty amazing, think you know, considering all of the all of the charities, but I think that's what makes these things so amazing and special, you know, like every single person there is going through it. Do you know what I found amazing about this run and actually choked me up a little bit as I was going round, was the amount of charities that people were supporting. Um, I'm sure as a spectator you you saw it, but you know, when you're just looking at all the individuals, you know, I'm just sort of running in my own head, listening to my uh drum and bass players, and I think going, is my calf okay? Yes, okay. My heimstring doesn't feel great. Okay, just on repeat for two hours, yeah. Then a bit, a bit of a bit of some hawks shouting at me along the way. Laura!

unknown 10:09

Laura!

SPEAKER_01 10:10

Um yeah, I saw loads of people actually. It was really, it was really nice, but yeah, you just look at and you just think. And I actually posted on my Instagram story last night. I saw this thing that was like, I think social media has really, really made half a marathon look like a walk in the park.

SPEAKER_00 10:28

It really isn't. Yes, I saw that. No, it's not, and I think that's what I like. I loved, I saw I saw so many people say as well that I haven't seen for years, and like friends watching it, friends running it. Like I bumped into the lovely Fiona Roberts who um runs the charity The Movement, and I was just like, God, this is just so nice. Like everyone's here for such a different reason, and yeah, and I so agree. Like, and I we've obviously we have talked about before, like everyone's kind of right doing the most and running ultras and running all sorts, but half marathon is so much work. Like the hours people put into that in terms of and I was asking the question, like always, is this is this what you've trained for? Is this kind of like I I said to my friend Eva who I was watching it with, like, do you think I wonder how many people are then going on to do what Laura's doing in terms like a marathon soon or something else is part of a bigger plan. But I remember training for a half marathon multiple times. I've done a couple of events like that, and it's a lot of work in itself, and it it shouldn't be kind of snubbed at, like, it is such an incredible achievement. And some of the people running today, it was clearly a real challenge for them mentally and physically, and there was some people in wheelchairs. I thought, oh my god, like this, yeah, I was a mess, like it's just so uplifting, and um yeah, I yeah, I I loved it, and I remind you of why I love going to support people doing that because even if you don't have someone you know doing it, like just standing there for five minutes taking that in is such a special experience, like it just it brings out the best in humankind, I really do believe. Yeah, and what did you text uh me and a a couple of other people after? You said, Oh, I'm definitely doing that next year. Yeah, I am gonna do it next year. I am like it's just it honestly. I I did I did I think I did the Royal Did the Royal Parks one when I was like 17, 18. I was burst into running. And I remember loving that, and then I think I've I had to drive dropped out of a number and I think that's what put me off. But like actually, once we're back after Shin Gate, yeah, I was gonna say, I was gonna say, what's what's happening?

SPEAKER_01 12:22

I've obviously Calfgate's had a headline appearance today. What's Shin Gate saying?

SPEAKER_00 12:26

Shin Gate, I've not run for ages. The last one I did was about three weeks ago with my sister, and that was okay. Yeah, it felt fine. I'm just a bit scared if I'm honest with you, but I do need to I've just been busy, just been busy the kind of strength training and doing I've just yeah, so I've I've kind of neglected it, but the plan is really to maybe I might try a run this week. Who knows?

SPEAKER_01 12:50

Well, how so how is your programme going? You said a few weeks ago. It's going you were looking forward to having that structure.

SPEAKER_00 12:59

It has been going well. I think I possibly asked for too much volume from Dear Harrison. So I said, please may you program for me four strength sessions and then one or two conditioning sessions for me to dip from. But I've actually realised now that I have been attending our lovely friend Ola's classes on a Tuesday evening shout-out, Mr. Fitzberation on Instagram, fantastic human being. That's a strength session once a week that I'll be going to. Then I am starting my new job, which I can now announce Strumroll, please. Strumroll, please. I will be joining Bart over in Richmond. Lovely from this Thursday, which I am buzzing about. Like Will Taylor is someone I've known for years, and he runs an incredible gym out in Richmond, which is someone I actually used to train at when I worked for Mr. Wicks. Um I'm starting there on Thursday, and I'll be participating in those classes a couple of times a week just to get my kind of confidence up and get to know people and build community there. So I did send Mr. Harrison a long message yesterday I think it was last week, and I said, loving this, and I do really, really love the programme. He's fantastic. But I said I think I probably went a little bit too hard on the volume request. Can we scale it back next block to maybe three strength sessions and maybe one conditioning session? Because I've not swam for ages as well, which I was really enjoying as well. I think everything's just got a little bit like I've just been trying to do too much stuff in the gym and out of the gym. So no, I've loved it. I and I do feel like it's benefiting me, like it feels very um rehab specific and natural. But yeah, I just I've just been doing a lot, which is fine. But it's just trying to also be realistic with what is, and I say to clients all the time, what is the minimum that I can get to when my weeks are really busy? And I think I've probably over-egged that a little bit. But we're getting there, we're getting there, it's fine. I'm not stressed about it, it's just I don't want to waste Harrison's time or energy programming stuff that I'm not actually hitting consistently.

SPEAKER_01 14:56

So I think I I think there's something really in that. Obviously, yeah, I mean it's Harris Harrison and any coach, it's it's their job, right? To provide what you need. And I think if it's it can be really overwhelming if you consistently don't hit the amount of days in your programme. Even you might have had two great sessions, but there's something that says, yeah, but it wasn't four.

SPEAKER_00 15:18

I've not ticked all those boxes, yeah. I've not ticked all those boxes or all those sessions that have been prescribed to me. So and I know rationally in my head, no, actually, hang on, you've done you did that strength session on a Tuesday and said, like, that's fine. But it's that actually, I kind of yeah, I'm it's so true. I've not I don't feel like I've ticked all the boxes on that list. So there's a sense of failure which isn't which isn't valid, but uh yeah, I totally agree with you. I think it's an element of I'm not hitting what I set out to hit um that needs adjusting. But no, that that but I'm enjoying, I'm really, really enjoying it. But I do now the weather's better, I would really like to get back out running again. For sure. Yeah, girl. You heard it, and it was weird. Gymsink on Friday 20 cents on Friday. Yes, things like that have happened this week. Big things, yeah. Gymsink was on Friday with the longest ride, which I must say, I do find the name quite funny. Like, I'm just one of those people that whenever I hear ride, like if someone puts like evening ride on their strava, I crack myself up. I think oi oi, evening ride. So the longest ride was on Friday, okay, and I went to Manor in Victoria, which I'd never been to before, and I was very grateful that a friend had shared the location before because I would have no idea how to find that. It's literally in a car park. Have you been to Manor? Yeah, you haven't seen it.

SPEAKER_01 16:36

Um MCP, they call it the Manor Car Park.

SPEAKER_00 16:39

Yeah, but it's a cool, really cool space. I was there with uh Optimum Nutrition, which was lovely, um, and I competed with my friend Ellie and Remy, and I loved it. Do you know what? I actually think it was my favourite one in terms of workouts so far. Um, we went in with a plan and then we rethought the plan, and I think we actually did it, we did a really good job. Some of the scores on those leaderboards though are absolutely wild. Like I was like, yeah, we fucking smashed that, and I was like, oh my god, like we've not even done half of what some of these people in these leaderboards have done.

SPEAKER_01 17:11

But regardless, mana would have really like the fuel, didn't the fuel girls do 600 cal? So yeah, for context within a three-minute window, that is 20 cal ski, 30 box step overs, and the remaining time on the C2 bike on damper 10, so they would have done it. Which is the highest bike resistance, exactly. They they did they did 60 us mad, isn't it? Those girls are insane, yeah, incredible.

SPEAKER_00 17:39

But no, it mana was already nice. I normally do it at seven. The last couple ones I've done at 7, which I love, but mana just felt a little bit um a little bit cosier almost. It just felt like a slightly different vibe. But um I really, really enjoyed it. And I love, I love uh it's nice, it's really nice actually bringing friends together that I know Ellie separately from Romy and bringing different friends together and doing it. It's just a real I just was like, this is what it's all about. Like it was just just chuck a group of people together and and train, and there was a guy there actually on Friday. I think one team was short of one person. So this guy went round a second time, like he just finished and then went round a second time, which was just like, oh my god. Wow, but it was really nice, really nice vibe. Yeah, I like mana a lot, bumped into a couple of friends, so no, I really enjoyed it. It's been a yeah, really, really uplifting community fitness weekend.

SPEAKER_01 18:28

How mad is that that that's your Friday night?

SPEAKER_00 18:32

But I literally said to my friend, I went out for food with my friend who I did it with after and I was like, this is legit my ideal Friday night, and she said, Me too. I was like, this is this is this is growth. Like we went, we had a little 30-minute amrap, little 30-minute hours at killer, and then when I had some pasta and Harry's in Victoria, and it was it was dreamy. I mean, I absolutely stank in there. I was like, please can you put us at the bar because I don't want to be sat at a public table.

SPEAKER_02 18:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:53

Um but it was such a nice Friday, like genuinely really, really enjoyed it.

SPEAKER_01 18:58

100%. And so, yeah, so that was the second gym sync event this year. There will be four, three more, I think, this year, three more. But yeah, I just yeah, I just love I just love where things like that are going. You know, we talk about we've been talking about the growth of wellness and health and fitness, and there's just so many things to get involved in. Um, I all I also saw things that have been happening in the fitness world this week, the Ministry of Sound Games, which is a concept that is, you know, if you think about I used to go to the Ministry of Sound for very different reasons to what occurred there this Saturday. Um last time I went, I went to see Idris Elba, um, and it was amazing. And now that same room will have hosted a workout, and then you can sort of within the sort of vibe, you know, the music, the live DJ. And then I think that one of the headlines was Jack Fowler from Love Island. Yeah, and it's I'm just on the website now. It was yesterday, it was yesterday, yeah. You're right, you're right. So it's it's the c I I love the concept in that you know, you're sort of merging sort of some hedonism with fitness, and you know, in a in a place, like no one can do that. Like it's the Ministry of Sound, like it's iconic. Um so cool. So yeah, it's mad, isn't it? That you spent your Friday night visiting a new gym that you know it is and people would have spent their day yesterday and then they would have got changed and they would have gone out. Um, I also see um there is a a really great funny chap, Connor Minnie. Um he he Oh, I love yeah. I I first met him when he was an instructor at Barry's back in the day, and he's just amazing, he's just amazing. He's he's a great, not only a great coach, but he's funny. He's yeah, he just the way he communicates is yeah, is amazing. And he runs uh a group called Gaines, as in G-A-Y-N-S. Um and he call he calls them his gaggle of girls, and it's like the biggest run club, and they do they also do events at Ministry of Sound. And what I love about that is that he and he he's quite he promotes it that way. It's you know, it's a lot of gay men coming together in the name of sport and fitness, and actually loads of people hook up, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:18

And um, yeah, it's just there was it's so it's I love him, he's brilliant. The stuff he's been sharing. Yeah, and that that community is incredible, like there are so many there, and it's just like that what an amazing thing to create such a safe environment and where people can go and and genuinely just feel like themselves and enjoy it on so many different levels. Like that that is so powerful.

SPEAKER_01 21:38

And I think it was Graham Norton, I might be wrong, but I was watching Graham Norton and there were two chaps sat together, and they, you know, when they ask audience questions, they were like, Who are you? Who are you here with? And he basic basically they said, We're here on a date, and they were like, Oh, where did you meet? And they met at Connors Gain, they're part of Gaines. So, yes. Yes, I think Connor posted on his Instagram. Anyway, I think it's I think it's fantastic. It's just this it's actually mind blowing versus my Friday nights in as I've mentioned before, Oceana Kingston, um, where Jananne's dad would drive us and drop us outside Oceana Kingston and we'd have the best part of 20 quid you know to enjoy the night and God knows how we got home. It is actually mad to think like the youth, the youth of today, and including myself myself, we're just not interested in in booze as much, you know. Um it it's amazing. So yeah, so that was that was another thing that happened this week and slightly rogue, not necessarily fitness related, but in the world of uh wellness and uh from a financial perspective I thought was mad. Have you heard of grunz? It is a green teddy bear branding, it's G-R-U-N-S Grunz, like with the um umlaut over the U. And it is a gummy that is it's a greens powder gummy. Have you heard of it?

SPEAKER_00 23:06

No, and I've just googled it now. I I I think I recognise the brand. Oh no, yes, this is a good one.

SPEAKER_01 23:11

So in under so it is a gu it is a greens powder gummy thing. AG1 greens powder, blah blah blah. Grunz is greens and gummy. It has scaled to$300 million in annual revenue in under four years.

SPEAKER_00 23:28

Oh my yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:29

So it's um and it uh Unilever have just acquired the brand for$1.2 billion. So back in the day, I used to my first ever corporate job was at Unilever. I worked for Unilever, they're sort of FTSE100 vibe, huge big player in FMCG, like the likes of Procter and Gamble, Kellogg's, Pepsi, blah blah blah. So Unilever are expanding their portfolio into the wellness scene. Um, previously they have um got liquid IV as a Unilever. So liquid IV are hydration powders. If you've ever tried it, yeah, mad sweet, like so much sugar in there. So sweet, yeah, yeah, yeah. So it's kind of like it's listed in boots, kind of one for the masses, but anyway, you know, it just shows you like you know, flipping green powder gummy, just you know, I wish I wish I wish I thought of that because I'd be 1.2 billion dollars better off.

SPEAKER_00 24:26

But yeah, it just I'm just on the website now.

SPEAKER_01 24:29

Wow, yeah, and they got kids' ones as well. Exactly. So I've got a big question around gummies as a format from a nutritional perspective because by the time that you've uh swallowed it, absorbed, uh digested it, acids covered it. How I don't actually know how much is bioavailable to absorb. I you know, out of my scope, uh I'm not you know, I'm not a nutritionist, but we know that uh supplements can vary in its absorption levels, and depending on you as an individual, will be you know how much is actually efficacious. And it's been interesting to see gummies as a format. We like gummy the gummies as a format isn't new, like we've been eating haribo for for for years and and we like it.

SPEAKER_00 25:12

And gummy vitamins, probably as a kid, you had those the bat, yeah, the bass the bassology. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 25:19

But we're just big. We're just big kids as well, so even adults, you know, actually a gummy format is so easy to chew and probably a bit nicer than putting that stanky old greens powder into a swamp juice.

SPEAKER_00 25:36

Yeah, I remember I do remember I had the creatine gummies once, I can't remember where I got them from, and it was like per serving. I was like, I can't, I can't sustain this. It was like eight gummies was a serving, and I was like, No, I can't do this. Like it was so many, but yeah, people clearly love them. I mean, they I mean they're very cute as well. They're very um I I really like the marketing on these um gummies. I don't know if I would purchase them myself, but clearly many, many, many people have.

SPEAKER_01 26:02

Isn't it mad, isn't it? And I I I think you know, obviously, we we usually talk you and I about health and fitness, and I think it's really pertinent to also uh make a mention this week because there was the UK Health and Fitness Market Report uh was delivered on behalf of UK Active Sport England uh in partnership with some consultants, uh Grant Thornton for Global uh and many sponsors. And one of the things, because I've worked with UK Active for a few years now, five, six years, and their sort of line is getting more people moving, more active more often. I assume you, as a personal trainer and the work that you've done with Mr. Wicks previously, we're aligned. We want to get more people moving more active more often, and the uh the penetration number in the UK never really moved. It was like hanging around 15-16% of people, percentage of people go to a gym. Um, uh participation around COVID obviously was really challenging, and we're in this sort of post-COVID um sort of um adoption of what does the new wellness scene look like and how are we financially uh set up to be able to participate because as we know a lot of gyms are still quite expensive, but the the report shows that visits to health and fitness clubs year on year are up 10%. Whoa! So so the um that is that is 697 million visits to a gym uh in in 2025 full year. So that was up 10% versus 2024. Um the the the the the stats on how many members are now uh how many members there are of a health and fitness club in the UK, it's now 12.2 million people, so that is 18% of our UK population, which is is it's pretty big. You'd obviously want it to be more, but still that's good. And when you dissect that, one in eight of those are a member of a Pure Gym.

SPEAKER_00 28:12

Whoa.

SPEAKER_01 28:13

So be big up, big up Pure Gym, and that one from a from a revenue perspective, the total UK health and fitness market in in this scope of their data is now hit 6.5 billion pounds, which is up from 5.7 billion in 2024. So it's just like you know, it's it's another seven and a half billion in attributable social value through health and fitness. How is that measured? That's measured in terms of life satisfaction and reduced health conditions. I think one of the things that we know is like health and fit, it's not just fitness, it's not just you know, mirror muscles and uh summer body ready, it's actually it's it's putting us on a different direction away from the NHS if you are fit and healthy. So that attributable social value and and and less of a burden, the more people that are fit and healthy, it is less of a burden. I think that's such a tough thing for the government to get their head round, um, which we know that they they haven't always. Um, but I just thought that was that was fascinating, and I saw that and I thought, brilliant, because sometimes you know you the day you plant the seed isn't the day that you you see the flower. And actually, I think this industry has been doing a lot of really great things in in many different ways. Um so so to get that up and and the and the number of visits was a higher growth rate than the than the value. So actually, what that says to me is a disproportionate growth rate is people are visiting more often. So those that are going are going more often, and I think that's because you know there's there's so many different things that people can go and do. I sometimes just go to the sauna, so do you. Yeah. You go and do work at your gaff.

SPEAKER_00 30:02

Exactly. Yeah, and I think it's it's great to see that people are using those spaces for however they want to use them as well. It's not it's not as prescriptive as you have to go to the gym to do X, Y, and Z. It's actually you can make these spaces what you want them to be. Um and that they are they facilitate so much more now than just exercise for a lot of people. I think we've spoken about community so much, but it was really nice. I went into my gym recently, they've got like a started putting like a board up in the reception with all these different things, and it's some of them are kind of fitness-based for sure, but a lot of them are kind of socially based, and there's like a cacao ceremony, and there's a music, like there's a musical element to it, and there's a kids' car, but you think like this is such a positive space. If we're building social spaces around exercise and good nutrition, the and you're right, I think you're so right. I think we'll see these benefits in years to come as well, in terms of teaching habits to kids. And I was really lucky obviously to work with Joe, and he's he he himself is really focused on kind of the kids' element. But I mean, even at my age, where there wasn't really that much in terms of kids' sport being as accessible, like we I was in a very fortunate position where I went to after school clubs, and my parents were able to pay for me to go to dance clubs on a weekend, but that's not how it is for everyone. So if we're building this more naturally to everyone's lives now, I think that's such a positive thing, and yeah, I think we'll see this. Hopefully, we'll see the kind of the rewards reaped in in years to come as well. But that growth is still, I mean, 10% is a significant increase over a year for sure.

SPEAKER_01 31:33

It's huge, isn't it? And I also think um within our post-COVID way of life, I do think hybrid working really helps that because before you'd be so rigid in the office, and if you're honest, when you were in the office, you probably could have lost two hours guessing throughout a day or chatting shit because you're there nine to five, and maybe you know some intensity of workload has reduced, or you've just finished something and you're taking a bit. You just think, well, that time is uh not wasted, but it could have been used in uh in something that would positively benefit your health, which would then you know be reinvested back into the workplace. I I truly believe that. Um, and I think I think also um what we've seen is that there's a study that was done um about saunaculture. Um so there is there is a study, um, it was on the social science uh and and medicine uh study, and it says sauna culture improves physical and mental well-being in the UK through social connection and ritual. And it says not only is obviously sauna use uh linked to improve physical health given sort of the cardiovascular benefits, um, but there is a uh there is an improvement in well-being via a feeling of belonging. Interesting. You feel like you belong to the sauna community? Whatever the fuck that is.

SPEAKER_00 33:02

Oh, yeah, that's it. Because I find I I kind of I notice myself sometimes. I think when I take a book in or I've got my headphones in, which again I cannot suggest is a positive or a sensible thing to do with said technology, but when I do go in, I'm like, I'm actually really closing myself off here to conversation. I'll be honest, I'm I kind of go to the sauna for time alone. But like there was I did I had a chat, I don't know, I think I told her about this. I was in the sauna the other day, and this guy came in with this big stick in his mouth, and I all thought, what the fuck is going on here? And it's it sparked conversation. I was like, excuse me, do you mind me asking what you've got in your mouth there? And it was a cinnamon stick, and it was just actually, I would never have spoken to that person normally. Like, I think there is an element of actually it is quite an intimate space, it is quite intense, and I think it's very dependent on my mood and obviously the other people's mood in there. But sometimes it is quite nice and chatty, and I think, especially, obviously, we've experienced being in women's only saunas and we've been chatting about candles and all sorts of crap as always. But it's there's quite we I remember we used to just kind of have a bit of a joke in there, and sometimes it'd be quite a nice little social club, so I can understand that as well. I think it's and obviously we've seen like we've talked about these kind of raves in the sauna and all this kind of stuff going on now, like there's there's more and more going on it. You don't have to be at a gym or at a health club to have community in the kind of typical exercise setting, like people actually socialising through relaxation now and connection.

SPEAKER_01 34:25

Did he say, Do you want to ride with my stick? No, I did not.

SPEAKER_00 34:31

No, I was like, what is that? But it was quite it was quite an impressive, um quite an impressive. Quite an impressive stick you've got there, bro. And he dropped it on the floor. I thought, oh, please don't put that back in there. He did purpose. Whoops, dropped it. But um, yeah, I do love do you know actually that made me think I've not been in the sauna enough this week. I've missed it. I missed the sauna.

SPEAKER_01 34:52

I went today. Me and Emily went to third space Soho after the run. We went back to our um VIP pool, we're told we weren't allowed in the pools, so we went stuff it, we're gonna third space and we're gonna go sauna, um, which was amazing. I've not been in that one for ages. Yeah, nice. I think that's a nice, nice sauna. I would say four people can go in at maximum. Oh, it's a social cubby, little cubby cabin. Interesting, a little cozy cubby cabin. But yeah, I know going going back to that, there's um something called the social cure model, and it offers a compelling explanation for how social identities can safeguard both mental and physical health by forcing meaningful connection. And I really like back in my days, you know, 10 years ago, I was at the foundry gym, and our tagline was where the strong belong, and I still to this day think it's the greatest tagline of all time. It was ahead of its time. That's really nice. Yeah, it's amazing, and it's it was it was bet it was the co-founders Ben uh and Dave at the time that that delivered that, nothing to do with me, but I just really could relate to that, and it was just like yeah, because it's like obviously strength training is so important, but it's like you know, people from all walks of life are in there, and that you know there's no judgment, and you you can belong here, yeah. And I think like it's it's like um for me the the biggest um thing that I observe of this is like the Hyrux patches, it's like it's your social identity, you're so proud to put that patch on your bag and show it's like passport stamps. It's like I've done all of these races, and you know, like it says something about you, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_00 36:33

Definitely. No, I it's yeah, and again, I think people obviously take the piss, but it's like actually it's so impressive. If you've got all those patches on your on your backpack, it really is that sense of belonging in community. I think, yeah, they they clearly do them for a reason, it works. People love collecting things like that.

SPEAKER_01 36:48

100%, and so that guy so going back to this uh study, finally, it just says that rooted in this social identity theory, this framework shows that people who feel strongly connected to a group, uh, whether that's community, culture, shared experience, they experience better health outcomes, and it's just like it even for me, like I've gone on about it for five million years, but like this new sort of jujitsu community that I'm now being you know exposed to, the girls are amazing. Like, I don't like I don't know men, I don't know them very well, but like there's this one girl when I come in, she's like big dog, like like it's just it's so it's so nice to be in a group where you can be yourself a whole wholly, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 37:38

Exactly, and it's so important, I think, especially with obviously you can work from home some days, like if you didn't go to jujitsu some days, you probably wouldn't have any real life interactions with people, like it'd be so be so easy for you not to see anyone that day. And I think I I could I really really resonate with that. I think going from obviously working in a busy full-time gym last year where I was around people all the time, and there was always uh even when I went to the coffee shop or where I went out, there was always people around me the whole time, going from that to then being self-employed and really kind of focusing on building a business and studying. I've noticed that I spent a lot more time on my own this year, and initially that was really important for me, I think, in terms of this element of recovery from burnout and feeling kind of sensory overloaded, and potentially, I mean, I I've not got an official diagnosis, but it felt to me almost like an ADHD overstimulation kind of burnout that I experienced last year. That kind of isolation was actually quite important for me, but I've come out the other end of that now, and I'm seeking and craving that element of community, and that's why I've sought out working with Barch, which I know is an amazing community, and that's what appealed to me, and that's why I got in touch with Will and was like, Yeah, absolutely, I'd love to be on board with this because I really miss that. Like, I really, really miss that sense of community and being part of something, and I think, yeah, I'm really excited to be part of that for that reason as well, being somewhere where you can be totally yourself. That their tagline is no ego training, which again I really align with and really love, and it's clearly drawn the attention and attraction of a lot of members there now. And I think, yeah, it's it's so key, and it's clear that they are thriving and the members are thriving there for exactly that same reason. Yeah, that sense of belonging. How exciting! So this is going to be you Thursday morning, yeah. Back on early doors that alarm's going back on nice and early.

SPEAKER_01 39:22

Oh my god. The amount of times I'm gonna buy the royal car does the amount of times I've driven uh to Vauxhall at 5 a.m. Um, yeah, it's it's uh it's it's uh it's a special time of the day.

SPEAKER_00 39:36

It's it is, it is, but it's really weird. Like I have a really like it's funny how you have these really random memories that are just like so happy and for no no like particular reason, but I remember when I was working out in St Margaret's years ago and it was like this time of year, it was like super light in the mornings, and I remember walking to this little tiny PT studio I was working from, and it was no one else was on the streets, and it was like bright sunshine, it's like 6am, and I was like, I was just so content, and I was like, actually, you can have some really lovely moments in that kind of like quietness before you hit a gym at that time in the morning. So I'm actually excited for that now, which is really cool.

SPEAKER_01 40:11

You mean moments? Moments if you don't listen to the Jack and Ash podcast, you won't know. But I really urge you to listen to the Jack and Ash podcast. And if you don't know what it is, message me. It's amazing tease. Um, we just need to hanker down. I'm gonna hanker down after this pod, and I'm gonna listen to some Jack and Ash. Catch up. It's complete, complete escapism, but but yeah. Um I yeah, community. We know we know the power of community, and actually, when I talked about community last week, um my my pal messaged me and he said it's not about community necessarily, it's about the culture. And I was like, that's a really that that's a really good perspective. And I the way I see culture in gyms is like it's just how we do things here, and I reckon Barch, where you're going to work, a small independently run um studio that has classes and and PT will have a really strong culture, and I'm sure a new member will join and they will feel that culture. They might not be able to put their finger on it or explain the culture necessarily, but the you know, things could be like do classes start on time? You know, do people listen to the briefing when the coach is talking? You know, do people skip reps? You know, do you know what I mean? It's just like the the the the site sort of sets the culture, and then it's just how we do things, and then that attracts a certain type of community. But yeah, it's mad. I think um, you know, we talk a lot about all these different events, and I know I I've done a few park runs, but you were saying, weren't you, like the stats were unbelievable on park run?

SPEAKER_00 41:52

Yeah, yeah, like it's unbelievable. I had a bit of a nosy into this before because I think I was just I literally left today like buzzing, like I was just so and I like record your video that I put on my own put on the wrong bloody Instagram story, so I couldn't took it down, but I was just like so excited by it. Like I was just like it was just such a lovely feeling, and I I'm I've never really been a park runner, but I can tot totally get the like drive for it now. And basically, some of the stats were mind-blowing. So as of April 2026, global park run participation regularly exceeds 400k weekly, which is wild, and that's supported by 50,000 volunteers, um, which is crazy, isn't it? And there's over 10 million registered participants worldwide. Um, the UK is still like the largest provider of parkrun, um, and they've got like junior events now, which is super cool. So it's like 26k junior events, but there's 23 countries that now host parkruns, so it's it's international, it's giving pitbull, which is just Mr. World Wad. Yeah, it's great, and I just Mr. World Wad. Um, but yeah, it's just the numbers, and then I kind of got into a bit more reading around numbers and running because I mean I I remember doing the Royal Parks. Honestly, I must it must have been over 10 years ago I did it because I was only Diddy, and I remember it being a big deal now. But I looked at how many people did your run today, Lauren. It's over 20k runners, like that's yeah. So I went on to you got all the results and stuff like it, it's over 20k, which is just phenomenal. And I I was like, what is it about this that is so appealing? And I think it builds on that idea that we've been talking about community and a sense of achievement, but it's just like there's a feeling about it, isn't it? And you probably failed to say, but I'm sure it's it's very different experience being a participant and viewing it, but there's something so like addictive about that feeling, like it's just so feel good, and the sun was shining, and I think just seeing how much work had gone into it clearly for a lot of people there was just so inspiring.

SPEAKER_01 43:47

I think that that's that's what it is for me. I'm looking at everyone, I'm looking at their outfits, I'm looking at their training. I love I love that they've come together in groups of them, and that you know, they've obviously put a lot of effort into their acting.

SPEAKER_00 44:00

Outfit and they've got their there was a there was a there was a lady dresses ovaries, there's two women dresses ovaries. So I thought that is my girl.

SPEAKER_01 44:07

I thought pick up the fallopian tubes. But yeah, pick up your tubes. Yeah, it was um yeah, there was some actually some very attractive men. I I I oh wasn't it there was there was you can you can tell you can tell I'm feeling untraumatised because I I was very I was very awoke to uh to to the scenes uh that that were there.

SPEAKER_00 44:30

Yeah, there was some veryone there was just yeah, and even like participant like me, I said to my relief, I was like, everyone is just so beautiful today. Like everyone was just I don't know what was going on, but it's like I was like the Wizard of Oz, but I was like, this is just such fantastic vibes, and even with the rain and I and I had a look into the like the psychology behind it because I literally felt like I'd like I felt like I was on a high when I left and I didn't even bloody run it, but it it kind of it fed into this idea which I think is spot on. It's an idea of like a brain reward system idea, so it's that anticipatory feeling of like, oh my god, am I gonna see someone I know? Am I gonna see Laura coming around the corner? Am I gonna see my lovely Steve coming around the corner? And then you see them, and it's like a dopamine hit because you you kind of like caught caught your prey almost, and it's I was like, that's spot on. I was like, I saw her, I saw her three times, and it was just such a you get such a buzz from seeing someone that you care about doing well and and supporting them, but it's and it's seeing it on repeat, and it's like there was a there's so many like like dads with their kids waiting for mums or whatever, and it's just such a lovely, lovely feeling, and you can see like the relief on people kind of getting to the end and the sheer grit and determination, it's just so inspiring, and I think it you know there's so much shit going on in the world right now, isn't there? It can feel like quite a scary and overwhelming place. But honestly, I'd say to anyone if you're having a shit week or a shit day, see if there's an event to go and watch like that because I you can't walk away from that feeling crap, like it was just a volunteer at a park round, yeah. Totally, yeah. I and it did make me think actually, I need to make more time for this in my diary. And I think seeing Lovely Fiona from the movement, who I mentioned earlier, I was like, I really need to actually make an effort to do something for them because they're an amazing charity, and there's so many amazing charities, and I think maybe that's why we see part more participation in these events now as well. I think some of the stats I found as well in terms of um even just running like 15, like what is it, 70% of Brits now say that they run outdoors, like people are running more now, and we've seen that already, especially in London. But I think having charity places make it feel more accessible to people because they can do this for a reason. They've got a reason to now get out there and train and put their trainers on and and actually do something. So I think the charity involvement in these events are just for normal. I mean, it wouldn't happen without them, right? Like Tommy's was, I think, the biggest one there today. But we've got all these amazing charities. Who's the official do we for London Marathon this year, lovely? Oh, the official charity partner.

SPEAKER_01 46:58

I'll find I've I'll fast uh fast find it. But what can I just say? One of the things um as I'm looking for this, one of the things of the stats that um you have shared on this, I've just seen 10% of people that who run up to 5k do not time their runs. Yeah. Are you mental?

SPEAKER_00 47:19

How are you supposed to tell anyone? How are you meant to put that on on your Instagram stories? Like but also I think that's really nice as well. Maybe that's reflective of a generation who are running just because they want to run and because maybe they don't have social media or maybe they just want what's the point? What's the point? What I'm just supposed to go because it feels good. What you don't want me to do a transparent sticker over my image.

SPEAKER_01 47:50

No, I want you to do one of those things where you do you kick the air and you kick your Strava time. Some of those are a bit icky now, aren't they? What do you think?

SPEAKER_00 47:59

I did an embarrassing one once with Ola. I remember I went for a run with him and it was like the hardest run I've ever done. I was like, Yeah, it was fine, it was fine. And I tried to make him do the Lucas A grab in the fridge from the offie ones, and he was like, We're not doing this. This is so embarrassing.

SPEAKER_01 48:11

Yeah, because I look at that and I think you've actually put your phone in the fridge and shut the door. Yeah, I did actually put my phone in the fridge.

SPEAKER_00 48:17

Yeah, well, I mean, yeah, it was it was desperate times, but yeah, I just I just bloody loved it, and I definitely like I literally am one of these stats. I want to do one now. I really want to do one. I'm not doing not a marathon. I don't think I'll I don't know, never say that.

SPEAKER_01 48:32

For marathon, I mean I I'm I'm in the like smug part of marathon training now where you're slightly nervous because it's officially two weeks, uh, but also you're like, well, I've done all the work now, and I'm and you've done so I'm actually quite good because of uh you know, because my shorts at the stint and competing in in weight lifting, you have this sort of taper and weight cut and all of this stuff. I know I'm pretty good at this point going, I've done the work, I will just what it will be what it will be on the day. What does upset me is if I haven't done the work, if that makes sense. I thought maybe I couldn't have, and then that that would have been in my head. So that's that part. Going back to your initial question one minute ago about who is the official charity partner of London Marathon. Yes, you do know this because we went to Kubo on the same Oh McMillan, McMillan. Mary Curie. Mary Curie. Yeah, because we went we went to that event. Our our mutual friend uh Chris does um a run club called the Grief uh Run Club, which we did talk about a while ago and we we it was amazing, but we we found it really hard. Um yeah, so Mary Curie supported the Grief Run Club and they said that they were uh the sponsor, but yeah, so it's good it's a we it's a weird one for me because obviously I'm I'm doing the rogue midnight one, so I will I will I will be in a very different so everyone that's sort of gearing up for London, I always have to say, yeah, but I'm doing the midnight one, um having having run London twice. But yeah, I'm I'm just I'm I'm hoping that I enjoy it really, first and foremost. I'm hoping that it is a good reflection of my training. Um I'm hoping that I am safe and I'm hoping that I can have the ability to you know have a small contribution to raising awareness uh for a charity uh that's very important, that very important to me. So yeah, there's lots of sort of intricacies about how it works that I need to work out. And I'm I'm I'm also thinking about there's a few run clubs that do it, and they all meet up. So I was thinking about reaching out to a run club and sort of say, Will you have me? or what sort of paces are you at, and blah blah blah. Because I know that so it within my within my charitable uh group, I know a lot of them will be walking it, uh, and and I and I'd like and I'd like to I'd like to run it.

SPEAKER_00 50:52

So yeah, but yeah, and I was gonna say the logistics of that, because I was even saying in terms of coming to watch you, I was like, we need to. Oh, so watch me, Jesus. Oh, that'd be sneaky. No, there's no in terms of logistics for that.

SPEAKER_01 51:07

How boring is that. No, can I tell you can I tell you how boring that'll be? You might as well get like a line bike and cycle next to me at 2 a.m. after going to Freedom for a night out.

SPEAKER_00 51:18

Yeah, well that might be a that might be a pack or 30th on the same night. You never know. I might come out in my in my hot pants and pajamas. You you'll be lucky, yeah. More likely pajamas and hot pants. But yeah, it's yeah, it's um it's gonna be interesting. But you have put so much work in, you've you should now just you've done the work and we've all witnessed it, and we are very proud of you so it's exciting.

SPEAKER_01 51:40

I said to Sarah before we started, I said, unfortunately, the way my head works, even though this morning I was dil I would have been delighted, my benchmark was like start the race. If I'd get 5k in, I'd be delighted. Obviously, now I've run the half for three, four minutes slower than my best ever, so great, and 20 minutes faster than the last time I ran London Landmarks half five years ago. Um but in my head, I'm like, it was alright. I know that's really boring. And I do know what I almost wish I was doing, I almost wish I was doing it for like you know, for banter that I was a bit of a knob that I'm just trying to get people to go, no, that's not true, you've done really well. It is not, it's just genuinely that's how your brain is. I genuinely I'm like, well, I could have done better. It's like immediately the the the bar the bar changes when yeah, literally, like I said, couldn't couldn't do a calf raise a mere few hours ago. So it's um it's been a Sunday and we are mid-April. Q1 is behind us. We are mid-April. Sarah and I are still hard and fast, um, and probably very silently competitive on our teeth journey. Yeah, so obviously it's an audio podcast, but that little ding ding noise means Sarah's showing me her grill. Um and yeah, we're we're both on the 16% whitening and we're on the strong stuff. I'm getting my composites done in 10 days.

SPEAKER_00 53:06

Are they gonna be there for the the marathon? You're gonna have fresh teeth for a turkey, a turkey teeth maz through the night.

SPEAKER_01 53:13

That'll be I won't need a torch, I'll just smile.

SPEAKER_00 53:17

Yeah. Oh no, I literally I'm gonna I did say to my dentist actually, who is also a lovely client of mine, I was like, can we do like a composite mock-up? Because you know what?

SPEAKER_01 53:25

It's actually I want to see your composite mock-up because I it's hard to I think you've got great teeth, so it's like, what do you want?

SPEAKER_00 53:30

I don't. But honestly, the difference in my confidence since having them slightly whiter is wild. Like it's actually like I'm not filtering my photos at all now. As I used to put a little cheeky Paris filter on my because it was my teeth that I was conscious of. I'm not filtering them now. Yeah, didn't like it. Do you know what?

SPEAKER_01 53:48

I I fade I fade a lot of my uh Instagram. I I fade it because I think I look orange.

SPEAKER_00 53:56

Oh no.

SPEAKER_01 53:57

Whilst we're fessing up about the things that we're self-conscious about. Yeah, I think I look orange. But I mean I am, so maybe I just need to live my best orange life.

SPEAKER_00 54:06

Yeah, I would, I would absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 54:08

So your your peak of the week must have been today, right? 100%. What a peak. Like, I mean, I had a great time with Jiu Jitsu yesterday, it was uh uh unreal, but yeah, 100% today today is is 100% a peak, and I just think now I'm like, woo, okay, so next the weekend is like 13k, I think. Woo! Yeah, it's like but you know, I I remember yeah, it's mad to think uh me and Emily today we were like, oh thank god it's only a half today. When you're I know that sounds like a real knobby thing to say, no, it's when you're when you've been cracking around 30k for a while every week, it's not much of a recovery time. Um so yeah, that's 100%, and yeah, and thank you for um for cheering me. Lala! Lala for frightening the life thank you for frightening the life out of me three times.

SPEAKER_00 54:57

No problem. Anytime.

SPEAKER_01 54:59

Anytime.

SPEAKER_00 55:01

My peak of the week, actually, I had a photo shoot yesterday with my lovely friend Des, who is Des Isles Photography on Instagram. She's super talented. Um, and basically it was my first photo shoot for Wikifeat profile, no for my basically my business venture, which I still am not ready to disclose fully, which is so annoying. So can I share this? It's only fans. It's definitely only fans. And can I definitely OnlyFans with my knitwear on, but um I had yeah, it's so nice, yes, and it feels a bit surreal. And without getting too deep, like this time last year it was one of my bestest friends' birthdays, and I didn't even make it out to her birthday, like I was in such a kind of deep hole of exhaustion. And yes, sir, I had this amazing photo shoot with Des and a couple of friends that were really kind to support me on it, and then I went out and celebrated my best friend's birth, and I thought, God, like I really feel like I'm on the I'm on the up now, and I touch wood. Um, but I really am proud of myself actually, and I say that with my chest because yeah, this time last year it was not looking good, Han, and I feel in really good and really positive, and I feel like I'm gonna cry. So let's move on.

SPEAKER_01 56:11

If you were to give anyone any advice from your experience of having made such a big life decision to change to leave what was quite an all-encompassing career and profile and position, that you know, if you're gonna do that, you were at the best place to have done it, right? So, what what advice would you would you give to anyone that is feeling as you describe a version of burnout and too exhausted to socialise?

SPEAKER_00 56:40

Yeah, I think, oh god, it's and you know what? I it's hard, and I think it's so personal. I know we talk about personalisation all the bloody time, but it's so different. I think for me, truly, I look back on it and it was I can't fault the gym, I cannot fault the company, I cannot fault my clients. I had on paper the best setup. I wasn't working silly hours, I'd made it work for me, I'd worked so hard to make it work for me. The team around me was super supportive, but for me, I think, and I can truly say now, I think it really was a sense of sensory overload burnout for me, and it sounds silly and it sounds obvious like you work on a gym floor, but it was the noise, it was the slamming of weights, it was being around people the whole time. It just didn't work for me, and I think I think that really took me so long to actually realise because I am people meet me and you're probably even listening to me on this podcast. I sound like such an extrovert, but I actually really am a real introvert at heart at times as well, and I think it took real guts for me, and I was going through therapy at the time as well to really understand myself a bit better. And again, I was in a very privileged position to be able to do that, but actually talking it through rationally and from a different perspective. And I was really lucky to have Laura in my life as well, and she could see what was going on. It wasn't for me, and I think actually accepting for me that that job probably wasn't best suited to me as a person took time. But that was the real that was the biggest step I had to make. And it and I hope it that isn't the case for a lot of people who feel that way. And I'd say actually, try and identify what are the triggers, what is making you feel this way. Is it is it the role? Is it the timings? Is it the time of day? Is it your client base or just trying to identify your triggers? But I think once I realised for me, sadly it was the physical environment wasn't right for me as a person, that was when I could really start to make the steps, and for me, sadly, I had to step away from that environment. And I can't say that I'll ever be able to go back into a in a vertical commercial gym environment, but that's for me personally. But I think trying to understand yourself first and what's causing that sense of burnout is the key thing, really. Yeah, I agree.

SPEAKER_01 58:46

And I I would obviously, you know, uh having observed you over that time that we've talked a lot about, and you say, Oh, you know, uh, you help me. I I don't I don't think I did. I I think I facilitated you to have a conversation with yourself and almost gave you like outside permission to go, do you know what? I don't have to do this, and I I feel and I have this conversation a lot with a lot of people in the industry because I'm, I guess, slightly elder and have uh done the sets and reps uh relatively on the gym floor, and not to say that I've had a really long career, you know, I've I've had a career where I've done a lot of hours on the gym floor, and I can really understand that it's not a failing like you were successful, you really were. But what I always try and get people to think of is at what cost you can do anything you want, I believe that, but at what cost? Because I I don't think you can have it all, and I think especially the the empowered woman these days bears, especially mothers or people that are carers, or you know, lots of for lots of different reasons the way our hormones are set us up each day that is different to the day before. It it's really difficult for us to maintain any sort of consistency, and I think we do need that flexibility. And like I've my parents have always said to me, if you're not happy, change something. The amount of times my mum says to me, just quit. If I'll ring her up and I'll say blah blah blah, mum goes, just quit, just tell them you're not coming back. And I'm like, Well, I can't do that rationally, but that like that's who's that is who I've grown up with. My parents have always told me, if you don't like it, not in like a spatty diva bratty way of like no, I'm not doing it. I work really hard and I and I'll work even harder if I feel supported and psychologically safe and believed in and empowered. But it's like, yeah, it I agree with you. It's like if it doesn't feel right, like you don't have you don't have to continue it. So I think it was brave, it was very brave, brave decision for you.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:52

Yeah, and I think it's so sad because I think I was heart, I was truly heartbroken that I had to step away because it was the best, it is the best. I stand by it, the best place to be a full-time personal trainer, and I think it really upset me. And I think initially I saw it as a failing, I now don't see it as a failing, but I saw it as a failing on my behalf. I was like, why can't I make this work? Like, this is the best, but it is just coming to terms with the fact that actually for my brain and for my body, that kind of environment wasn't wasn't right for me. But it's not to say that it isn't for everyone, like there's some trainers there who are absolutely thriving and smashing it, but I uh I know myself really, really well now. And last year was fucking hard, but I know myself so well now, and what I'm building now, I truly believe in and suits me as a person, and I feel like I can genuinely thrive and throw everything at it, so yeah, it's it's tough, but it you can make it work, and you have to make decisions for yourself and for yourself only.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:48

100%, I completely agree, and yeah, I like I said I've always said I'm a huge advocate of throwing things up in the air and starting again. I've done it many, many times in my life, and I've never regretted any of it because it's always a learning experience. Um, and I I see it as like a sign of self-respect because if you're enduring something that is dog shit to you, it doesn't feel good, or for whatever reason, you're disrespecting yourself. Obviously, there's lots of reasons why you may have to stay in a situation, financial, personal, all of the things, right? I get it, but hopefully, it's not uh you know, it's not a live sentence. You know, we we should enjoy as much of our days as as we can, I believe, uh as we can. So, yeah, so okay, so photo shoot was was your peak. What's the what's what's the what's the pit then? My pit well, my pit is still my fucking calf situation.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:41

Little shit.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:43

My friend Nick keeps saying, Oh, where he's keep sending me like pictures of basically like a wetsuit, just like a full body compression garment. Because I once dared to wear compred to wear compression calf um socks out on a run with him, and he was like, What is that? And I was like, Don't hate, do not hate my calf compression. You should all just because he's got no calves.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:09

Oh yeah, bless you. I wore K I wore K-tape today. Did you I don't think I even spotted. I thought I was surprised that you didn't have compression socks on, so that K-tape makes makes perfect sense. By the time I saw you, it'd probably fallen off.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:22

Like for 15k it was it was flapping behind me. Oh no, that's so like a like a you what's the thing and but when a bride gets married and it's the what's the trail? Oh, like a train. Yeah, that was like that. It was like a train of K-tape today. It was so gorgeous. It was gorgeous, yeah. No husband, just a bit of a K-tape and a sore calf.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:43

Just a bit of K-slapping behind you. Um what was my my pit my pit? I'm not gonna lie, this period is not again. It happens every month. God, oh do you know it crept it crept up on me because I was on I was I was due on yesterday. This is so here, my bus is so me. So I was due on yesterday, and I'd said to Dennis, my photographer, I'm due on on the day. It was in the boot, wasn't it? It was in the yeah, the like chat GPT like Zoom notes. It'd be like Sarah is going to be on her period on this shoot, no lighter layers. Um, and then it didn't arrive until I got back from my friend's birthday yesterday, and it arrived, bang. Um, and it's I don't know, I've had some pretty bad headaches and stuff today, but I'll get over it soon enough. It's a period, you know. But it's um it's been it's a it's a heavy boy, so I'm gonna after this, I'm gonna have a nice bowl of pasta, I'm gonna have a bath. No, nice early night, and I'll be fine by the morning. But yeah, this um it's it's it's it's quite heavy. It's quite a heavy one this month.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:38

They always are how good that you'll have it out of the way though before you start work on Thursday.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:44

True, true, you'll be true, and then I can wear my onesie shorts. I'm joking, I'm not just your full tennis onesie. I can wear my all-in-one socks. Gorge. That would be nice to know. I'm the new coach there at my lit high wear all-in-one socks to work. Do you have a onesie? Throwback onesies.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:04

I used to have one. Do you have a wore one on a uh college ski trip? Of course you did. It was like the one, it was like the expense, whatever the brown, the expensive brown. The one that's it's it's I had that one. Yeah, yeah. It was in black with a white zip. Yeah, gorge, that was really good. Yeah, I don't know what I was doing. That was a pr a previous pit, probably, or peak for me at the time. Um, so it's been a I mean, it's been another a big week. We've done a lot yet again, and here we are. We're two weeks out from our teeth, which then we promised to deliver. It was my fault because I yeah, I said we'll do video we'll do video record pods in May, which will be post MAS, and I'll have some other date. Ultra gate will be my next one, won't it?

SPEAKER_00 1:05:51

Oh god, I can't wait. I can't wait. I might just put it I might just put some loop ear pods into that episode.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:57

I'll just t I'll just yeah, I'll just text your summary and say that. Don't worry, just read that on the loo when you can. Run 50k today. Snore. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, it will. It's um, yeah, I'm excited about my teeth. I'm excited you're starting your job this week. We're going, we're going to gym Tuesday night. Um, we are, yes. And I've got to run on the weekend.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:23

What a surprise! And we have got, we now, we're so organised now from this week. I mean, this is Sunday evening to record. We're now like, we're we're being serious about this, guys. Just so you know, don't worry, we're going nowhere. It's gonna be a Friday evening record, updo, uploaded. We're gonna be slick, slick, slick, slick, slick. So don't you worry, you can wake up every Monday on the way to work. You can have us in your ears or wherever you're going. We'll be there. Do we say Monday? Or will it be Saturday or Sunday? Oh, maybe it's Saturday, we can decide.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:52

If anyone's listening to this and has a preference, please do let us know because we just look at the stats and all I can see is that we're just growing at a wonderfully gorgy rate. Um month on month, and it's yeah, it truly is fabulous. So yeah, um we're we're yeah, we're having a nice we're having a nice time, so we're hopefully gonna continue to have a nice time. But as always, thank you so much for listening. Um, if you have any any any shoes or requests, or you just want to you know talk to Sarah about her period, please feel free to DM just Sarah and talk.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:26

I love tomorrow. I was gonna wear my I was gonna wear my I'm on my period cap to then I thought she might smack it off me. I would not, I would not. I like I mean I don't wear it. I do have it at home still, but I don't wear it. I love those moon cob caps. I might wear that tomorrow actually. I'll just went round round and round the house just so George knows. I mean he's very aware, blessed. Anyway, I'm sure he knows. Anywho, thank you so much for listening. Have a wonderful day. See you next time. Grand