Ep31. Bone health, work wellness & mercury in the microwave

Join us as we explore the latest in women's health, longevity, and fitness innovations at the Women's Health Summit. Discover insights from industry leaders, groundbreaking research, and practical tips to enhance your well-being. In this episode, we explore the latest trends in wellness, supplements, bone health, stress resilience, and workplace wellbeing, featuring insights from industry experts and personal experiences.

Chapters

00:00
Introduction and Personal Updates

02:59
Navigating Home Buying Challenges

06:01
Pop Culture Escapism: Love Island and Music

09:03
Cultural References and Music Preferences

11:59
Serena Williams and Sports Updates

15:00
Controversial Opinions on Sports and Events

20:11
The Impact of Scheduling on Lifestyle Choices

22:35
Reflections on Personal Health and Fitness Goals

24:41
Insights from the Longevity Show

29:54
Exploring Women's Health and GLP-1 Perspectives

34:58
The Importance of Bone Health

50:58
Cultural Shifts in Women's Empowerment and Health

52:21
The Evolving Role of Women in Leadership

55:10
The Importance of Corporate Wellness

58:56
Mental Health Awareness in the Workplace

01:01:39
Building Resilience Against Stress

01:06:41
The Role of Sleep in Wellbeing

01:11:30
Navigating Stressful Situations

01:15:26
Celebrating Personal Achievements

Resources

• Hertility Women's Health Summit
• Sister Act 2 on Rotten Tomatoes
• Stress Resilience Course - Future Practice

Thank you for listening, like subscribe and tell your friends!

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Hello and welcome back to Fit for What, a no-nonsense evidence-based take on health, fitness, and wellness with a sprinkle of humour, honesty, and practical advice to help you build your fittest year yet. My name is Sarah, and I'm just a little baby who wasn't meant to have so many responsibilities in life.

SPEAKER_02 0:23

Fair one, hard relate. My name is Laura, a PT author, and this week I'm absolutely clapped. Um, Sarah and I have said on many occasions this week, is Mercury in the microwave? We need uh ChatGPT to confirm that for us, but I I think it is. Me and Sarah this week, right? There's some things, you know, when people go, I can't tell you yet, and I we really can't tell you yet. Um there's lots of things going on, but what is Sarah is trying to uh she's popped her big girl pants on and trying to purchase some bricks.

SPEAKER_00 0:55

Yeah, there's just so many and I hate Moni but because I know I I am aware I'm in such a privileged position to be able to, and I'm really bloody proud of myself and my partner for being able to do this. But it's just like no one teaches you how to buy a house. Like, there's so many moving parts. Thank God for Chat Gwynneth Paltra, which we've now named Chat GPT in the house. The Chat GPT is now known as Chat Gwynneth Paltrow in my household. Why Gwynneth Pultrow? Sorry, I've lost that. We both really love her.

SPEAKER_02 1:25

Why? Doesn't she have that goop brand that's Clarted?

SPEAKER_00 1:30

Clapped Clarted. I just chat shipped. Does she? Oh well. Yeah. Like a very superficial love. Anyway. Okay. The amount of times I've had to use Gwyneth Paltrow this week for questions, like, what does this mean? What's the difference between this document? When do I need this document? What timelines? I'm like, oh my god, why are we not taught this in school? Why am I taught how to complete the magic square maths, but I don't know how to buy house? Like it's Yeah, shout out, shout out to the mode.

SPEAKER_02 1:58

Right. Shout out mode. Didn't look absolutely useless.

SPEAKER_00 2:01

Literally, why am I completing the square? Someone tell me why I've got so many documents to complete. But to be fair, I feel like I've come out the other side. I'm as as I'm sure it comes across in the podcast. I'm a real type A control freak. So this is very, very out of my comfort zone. But I feel like we are managing it. Um, I don't think I've been very contactable too many people this week, but yes, it's Friday. We're recording the pods. I'm actually in a really good mood. I am due on my period any day now, so that would explain maybe why I'm feeling quite so overwhelmed. But I'm gonna have a takeaway, I'm gonna have an early night, and I'm I'm literally ups. Love island has been my escapism this week. Have you been watching it at all? I can't say I have, no. Oh, it's the best it's ever been.

SPEAKER_02 2:46

It is no. Yeah. I so all I so I'm gonna tell you what I think I know about Love Island now. Uh Cavs uh had a mare, Priya people like, but she's maybe a bit aggressive, but I think that's just because she's being direct in what she wants.

SPEAKER_01 3:00

Love Priya, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:01

Okay, we love Priya. Um there's two uh a couple of couples that are like really into each other and it's quite sweet. No, it's cringe AA. Oh, okay. Yeah, what? And someone and a girl's come in with Cav who's crying because she's overwhelmed. Yeah, that would literally be me. And and Simba Simba absolutely cracks me up. He's like, I I something about I saw I mean, I just see the snippets from Instagram. Something about the girl, the girly that he's been on and off with the entire time. I needed the test to be better for you. Yeah, yeah. I literally, I literally rolled. Oh, kill me now. Roll.

SPEAKER_00 3:37

I wish I was I really wish I was gay. Jesus says the most bizarre things. Yeah, he's not he's not coming out across terribly well, I'll be honest with you. I'm also really mindful of these shows that like they are produced so well and so tightly that I do feel do actually always have to check myself and be like, this probably or possibly isn't how it's been meant to be portrayed. But I'm hooked and it's really not done my sleep very well this week because I've been coaching two days on the trot, so that means early, early starts. I've been watching Love Island till half past ten and set and I'm at half past four. Of course I'm gonna be tired.

SPEAKER_03 4:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:09

Um but yeah, otherwise I am actually okay. I I'm amazed. I'm glad it's Friday, but I'm actually in a very good mood.

SPEAKER_02 4:17

I'm surprised that you haven't on the side just qualified as a solicitor so that you can do this for yourself. That would be a very you thing to do.

SPEAKER_00 4:26

I just sit in my final exams to be a solicitor. Yeah, I just I might I mean it must be a really dull job. I don't think law or soliciting, is that the right is that the right verse? Well, we we decide, it's our podcast, soliciting, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:39

I just think that'd be such a dull job. Like I So one of my best friends is a lawyer. And there was she was once working on a case. I think there was like um a toilet roll manufacturer, there was like a fire, and it yeah, she was she was uh something that was dreadful. Then she worked on another case that I mean I hope I can say this out loud. I haven't said her name, so it's fine. Another case, it was like a stage partial stage collapse for a Madonna concert. Wow. But but she did a lot of her placements in uh shipping law. That's very lucrative, apparently. Yeah, that's what I've heard. I mean, that would be very hard to do that. Oh but I yeah, I just I never thought it that is Bance.

SPEAKER_00 5:20

No. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, like I procrastinate, I'm not I'm not a massive procrastinator, but if anything I'm gonna procrastinate on, it's paperwork, and their job is literally just reams and reams and reams of paperwork.

SPEAKER_02 5:31

So yeah, when we lived together, she would just come home with like 20 big files, yeah, yeah. And she'd have to look through the files on the weekend, and I just thought, no, you're all right.

SPEAKER_00 5:42

Yeah, fun fact, my first ever job was cleaning a solicitor's office, and I used to walk around that and be like, this looks dead, and like this looks dead. Just bad vibes. Like you can even tell someone's happiness by their meal deal selection. Some of the meal deals I used to clean out of the bins, I was like, Yeah, the vibes aren't popping here, it's not great vibes, so yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:03

Speaking, never go on, interested in being a solicitor, I'll be honest. No, no, no, no. I don't I don't have the patience. I like I've got a relative, I would say good attention to detail, but that's the kind of detail that I don't want to pay attention to, so I'm I'm out. And speaking of actually, before I go on to that, what we do want to say is there is a a a more boring job. I'm gonna say it. My mate's in reinsurance, and from what I understand is they insure other people's insurance, therefore, reinsurance.

SPEAKER_00 6:33

That is so niche. Can you imagine explaining that? Or that being on my own?

SPEAKER_02 6:36

She she takes I okay, I'm gonna say this and I'm just gonna go for it, and she will give me the feedback. I think they take other people's risk and they resell the risk. No, I think that's I think I've just spouted absolute shit there.

SPEAKER_00 6:52

I think that's wrong.

SPEAKER_02 6:53

They take other people's, they look at the r it's something about looking at the risks. Obviously, insurance is the premiums that you charge is based upon a relative risk. And I think she takes that and she does it. Oh no. She's gonna kill me, she's gonna kill me. I'll stick to squats. Okay, moving on. Going on, moving on. Let's pretend we uh I didn't say it. Um so what I would like on when you said meal deal, I thought, uh, and I've had a few people this week, a few listeners of the pod, some I know, some I I don't. So some some lovely uh listeners of the pod have sent me some pictures of the MS three for eight. Thank you, listeners. And I will say, so today, uh happy birthday, Caroline Bragg, uh, Queen of Pilates. Oh, I did love. She sent me a video of it today and said, This is a three for eight. And I said, Caroline, I I I get it. I like I get it now, but there's nothing in that deal that I would buy. Because I don't like olives, cold cheese, and I'm a vegetarian. What else can I fucking buy in there? The falafels are great. I've eaten three of them.

SPEAKER_00 8:05

I've eaten so many falafel this week. I think I'm like 90% falafel.

SPEAKER_02 8:09

Love of falafel. I okay. I am 90% trip. I've had so many trip drinks. Strawberry ones. I love I had a strawberry today. Yesterday I had an apple blossom. Yeah, which is rare. Shall I got that? No, it's just a trip drink. It's just a trip drink. The app apple blossom jeans. The fur. The fur. Oh my god. It goes on for a while in my head. Carry on, sorry. Um so speaking of also that, um, a side note, I went to Girlie's Jiu-Jitsu today and it was Bad Bunny themed. Oh, I played a lot of Bad Bunny this week. I feel like I've seen, but I feel so jealous that I have not gone to see Bad Bunny. I want to be in the casita.

SPEAKER_00 9:04

Did I not tell you I turned down tickets for that? Are you okay? Because I want to go. It's because you had your solicitor exams. Because I was so sleeping. I slept for 14 hours, I think, and I messaged my friends like I'm so sorry I can't face Benita today. Like, I love him, but I can't do it. And I I'm not being funny, I think I know two songs and that's it.

SPEAKER_02 9:25

I just but I don't think you need to. I think it's one of those that you can just say it with absolute passion. Yeah. I mean I do I do. Like, try and sing one now. Try and sing. Do you know one?

SPEAKER_00 9:38

See, we don't know any. Well, I can't speak Spanish, but I d from Spanish friends and people that I know, they've said like it's not very good. I don't think the language, I don't think the Spanish is actually particularly accurate either. A friend of mine made did an impression that she was just eh, eh. But it's just very well delivered. It is. I love it.

SPEAKER_02 9:59

Yeah, I I can say uh what's the one? A la manana eh eh. That's it, that's all I like. That's all I remember for today. Oh my god. But anyway, we listened to it and it was like that.

SPEAKER_00 10:13

So good. It's so good. It's just like you can't listen to it and be in a bad mood. It's so great. I love I love that in a class setting. I think it's 1010.

SPEAKER_02 10:23

But it is um we probably should go on duolingo to uh, you know, just in case, just in case ever I go to the casita with Benito and all I can say is uh oh I can't remember any, I can't even say banana anymore.

SPEAKER_00 10:40

Yeah, no, I and I think it's quite explicit. I think the the I think the lyrics are quite explicit. Oh gosh. But it's okay. We love we love Bad Bunny. Yeah, I was Benita. I watched back at the videos and I was like, why the hell did I say no to that? But I mean the tickets weren't cheap, but I was like, yeah, I don't know why I said no to that. But I've got pitbull next Friday. This time next week I'll be at Pitbull shaking my ass.

SPEAKER_02 11:03

Yuck in a thong a board cap on. No. I I have suffered for 19 years. No, I um I can't get on board with pitbull at all.

SPEAKER_00 11:15

Oh, Laura, it's so good. Um so there's a world record next week at BTS, so it's at British summertime in High Park. There's a world record for the most um dress people dress up as Pitbull. So I'm trying, I need actually I need to order my board cap tonight um and my black sunglasses, but I think it's gonna be hot. I'm gonna be sweaty, but I can't wait. Like, I just feel like that is gonna be like the best evening. I remember I was over, I think it was the 02, so happened to be the same night that Pitbull was playing there last time, and the sea of board caps up the escator. I was like, this is just like British plane. Oh, it's funny. Is it funny? I thought it was like, ha ha okay. Excited. But you're in it the whole night. Yeah, I can't wait. I can't wait to travel the tube with a ball cap on.

SPEAKER_02 12:05

I just think it's not my I just think it's missed my era. Like, I like Corrupt FM and Garage.

unknown 12:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:12

Do you know who corrupt FM are? No. Oh, for God's sake. You not have you not heard the song Your Mum Loves Garage? No. Right.

SPEAKER_00 12:22

Your Mum loves Garage.

SPEAKER_02 12:23

Yeah, I'm gonna send it to you. Oh, you won't like it, actually. There's no point. I won't like it. No. I don't think you'll like it. But you you understand what garage music is, right?

SPEAKER_00 12:33

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I know garage music. I know I know the garage music.

SPEAKER_02 12:37

Yeah. I just think, yeah, I just I can't get on board. I like I like I like Yeah, I like Bad Bunny.

SPEAKER_00 12:45

But your TV fireball is not a banger. Do do do do do do that is like that is like parody to me.

SPEAKER_02 12:52

Oh nothing funny about that.

SPEAKER_00 12:54

The pitbull J-Lo song's a banger.

SPEAKER_03 12:56

La la la la la la la la.

SPEAKER_02 12:59

Well that's because it's J-Lo. She can't God you suck. She can't. Did you okay, right? Did you like, let's talk about something that's actually really good. Did you see the B.E.T. awards? Did you see the tribute to Lauren Hill? No. No, honestly. I think I'm not sure this can continue.

SPEAKER_01 13:16

No, don't tell me you don't know what BET is.

SPEAKER_00 13:22

Oh no, I've not seen that, I'm afraid. Right. I cried I so I'm not joking.

SPEAKER_02 13:27

I cried my eye. I've I've watched it five times and I've cried throughout it. When was this? Last week.

SPEAKER_00 13:34

Oh, I'll watch it, I'll watch it, I'll watch it.

SPEAKER_02 13:35

I'm a big Lauren Hill fan. I love the Fuji's. That is my era. Obviously, because my name starts with an L and Lauren Hill's nickname was L Boogie. It was me at school, and I would write L Boogie on my pencil case, Killing Me Softly, the first album, The Fujies, the score.

SPEAKER_00 13:52

Like that is bars of scripture. Understood. I can understand that the value, the value of that versus the quality of Pitbull's music is vastly different. It's not comparable. I hear that. I hear that. It's not comparable.

SPEAKER_02 14:07

And have you seen Sister Act 2? No. I'm actually upset now. I'm actually upset. You're telling me you're Love Island obsessed and it's the best ever. You don't know. You've not seen Sister Act 2. No, what you please, can you watch it? I will.

SPEAKER_00 14:27

It is the I so I need you to know I know every single word. It came out in 1993 and I was born in 1998. It doesn't matter. You sing Tina Turner? Yes. Yes, yes. I will watch it. I need to watch, I need to. Sister Act 2 is unbelievable scenes.

SPEAKER_02 14:47

It's only got 15% of Ross and Tomatoes. Yeah, because the majority of the public are knobs. You need to understand the cultural significance of Lauren Hill in Sister Act 2 with Whippy Goldberg. Yeah. I appreciate that.

SPEAKER_00 15:03

I'll watch it. I'll do my homework. I'll watch it this weekend and I'll feed back.

SPEAKER_02 15:07

She is married to Bob Marley's son. Lauren Hill. That's cool. So Lauren Hill's children are Bob Marley's grandchildren. That's very cool. Do you know why G. Marley?

SPEAKER_03 15:21

No.

SPEAKER_02 15:25

She's genuinely upset with me, guys. Do you know what? Sometimes it's me and Sarah, right? There's so many things we've got in common. And then other times I think I'm a fucking Toot and Carmoon here. Well, not fucking Toot and Carmoon. Because that would be really weird. I am Tut and Carmoon as in Toot and Carmoon is absolutely ancient, ancient bars of scripture. That would be very weird. That would be very weird. Other things that I've seen, moving swiftly on from that, other things that I've seen and I have loved this week is seeing the goat of tennis, Serena Williams back on the court. Did you see? Did you see? No. What?

SPEAKER_00 16:12

I've been training to be oh for God's sake.

SPEAKER_02 16:18

I've been in reinsurance.

SPEAKER_00 16:21

I am up to my eyeballs in solicitor's.

SPEAKER_02 16:25

Yes, Sarah's buying a house, right? And she's basically sat by the watching the phone and refreshing her emails to see if anything's happened. She's very busy.

SPEAKER_00 16:33

I'm going to set alerts up on my emails to get notifications from everyone. I'm just such a control freak. So I'll be in that office going, paragraph what? I was going through the TV. I've got it for you on our mortgage. We're like highlighting it as I read it, and I was like, we've got to sign this regardless. I don't know why I'm even reading this. How bad is a mortgage, by the way? Have you read it? It's actually a joke when you read it. Literally. And even like the first sign, I actually laughed out loud. It's like, you may not keep this copy. This copy is for us only. I was like, I'm the one paying for this.

SPEAKER_02 17:07

I know, yes. Is a mortgage is worse than like death do us part. It's like it's yeah, it's quite the commitment.

SPEAKER_00 17:13

It really, I think both of us are like, this is actually quite a big deal, isn't it? We're kind of committing to something on paper.

SPEAKER_02 17:19

Yes, Sarah messaged me this week. I was like, how's it going? She's like, the interest rate's something else. I was like, welcome to mortgages. Or do you think they just go, Yeah, you can have that house, Chuck's a tenor?

SPEAKER_00 17:31

Chuck us a tenner out, dude. But the fact you've got to pay to even have a mortgage. Okay, I'm boring myself now, but it just a Ponzi scheme. Literally, I was like, Oh, it's what do I actually get from this? Hey yo, right, yes, no Wimbledon, I can't.

SPEAKER_02 17:44

Can I tell you the worst thing also about owning a home? Guess what happens when something goes wrong? I've got to pay for it.

SPEAKER_00 17:50

Your problem. The squirrels in my lofts are still here, so I've not dealt with that problem very well, have I?

SPEAKER_02 17:57

But yeah, they they've they've not paid rent. Right, so going back. So you don't you didn't see Serena Williams. What I will say on that, she went out. So for those of you who didn't see, Serena Williams, she first uh started her first game at Wimbledon 1998. 28 years ago. Right. Is I think have I got that right? Don't know. No, it can't be because she's 44 now, is she? I think she's 44 now. Maybe it's 2008. Something. Anyway, I'm not good on facts today. Do not fact check if well, do fact check me because I'm all over the shop today. Anyway, it's been it's been s bear time. It's been bear time that she's been back on the court. So everyone was like, love it, the queen is back. Sadly, she went out in the first round.

SPEAKER_00 18:42

Oh.

unknown 18:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:43

Well, I think she's called that quickly. Yeah, but I just think sick, that's so sick, like to even be back there, you know. And I and I, I was so pleased with myself, uh, spitting additional bars of scripture. I wrote on the post from the BBC comments on the Instagram saying Serena back in the arena, and loads of people liked it. Oh, I'm a lever. I was so pleased with myself, right? So funny. It was like women in the arena. Love that.

SPEAKER_00 19:11

Let me see if you find it now.

SPEAKER_02 19:14

So she was back, and then her and her and her sister Venus are now doing doubles. Oh, sick. Yeah, so that is good. Uh have you been watching the World Cup? No, uh No.

SPEAKER_00 19:27

You've not that what? I watched half the game, when was it? When was the five o'clock game? Wednesday? Uh yeah, Wednesday, five o'clock, yeah. I watched out of one eyeball whilst doing some more admin. But I do know what I'm gonna say something controversial here. I don't really care.

SPEAKER_02 19:50

Yeah, got it. So I didn't what I haven't watched any games yet.

SPEAKER_00 19:55

Oh, okay. Oh fine, fine, fine.

SPEAKER_02 19:56

Um I I will get there. And I was mildly interested in the last game against Dr. Congo. Yes, do you know what I mean by Dr. Congo? No, darling. No. No. Everyone's calling them Dr. Congo because it it says DR Congo and it's the Dominican Republic of Congo, but they're out now because we beat them. But I booked to go to jujitsu at 5 30 forgetting that the football was on. So I was we were all in on the mats and we all looked around and someone went, Oh, no one likes football then. And I was like, Oh fuck, completely forgot.

SPEAKER_00 20:31

It's the erratic erraticness, I don't think that's even a word, but we're going with it, of the scheduling. Like anti-social is what we're saying. 1am on Monday, isn't it?

SPEAKER_02 20:40

Sundays. And I actually big up big up my workplace. Um they have sent a message around today saying, if you so wish, relax yourself Monday morning. Now, I've got a big meeting at 10am, so I will not be relaxing. I've actually got a 9 30 and a 10, so I shall not be relaxing myself. I will watch it though. At that time. I will, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 21:03

Woo!

SPEAKER_02 21:04

Because we're in it because we're in the knockout, this is the knockout stages now. This is where it actually counts. And I d I d obviously I love football. Um do I love to see Harry Kane? Tough one as an Arsenal fan, but you know, good for him. It he was he was m a magician.

SPEAKER_00 21:22

I watched the highlights after jujitsu. No, that he did he did a very, very good job. I and he he does come across as a nice gentleman. Is that correct? I don't know if that's a correct uh observation observation.

SPEAKER_02 21:35

A man of integrity. Yeah. Does what he says he was, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:39

So fair play, but yeah, one that 1am, no uh chance. You won't know, because you'll be you won't get to bed till four. You'll be all right. Is what it is.

SPEAKER_02 21:48

It is what it is. Well, it's not giving longevity for me, is it? And I I will what I will say, which is uh news, I haven't told you yet, I've got my whoop back on. So you have. Yeah. What is that doing there? Yeah, because I have had a real word with myself this week, as I've spoken about on the pod, to those uh the listeners that have heard me go, I don't really know what I'm doing with blah blah blah. I'm gonna have what I will describe as a hot girl summer. And to do that, I need to be my best self and I need to go to bed. Yeah. I've let things I've really let things post the marathon, I've really let things slip. And I say I say this, I say let things slip as if that is bad. I'm gonna reframe that and gonna say I've relaxed myself.

SPEAKER_00 22:36

You yes, because I must say when we first became friends, or all that time ago. What is that, a year ago, a year and a half? About 18 months. I think we're coming up to anniversary, eighteen, about 18 months. Um, you would be in bed at like 9.30. So true. Phone's gone, speak to you tomorrow, and I'd be like, cool, love that for her. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And now you're sending me memes at half past ten at night. I uh and the rest, I'd be up at midnight sometimes.

SPEAKER_02 23:04

Wild you are feral. She's got a vote. But but I think that is I I'm out of my structure big time. Big time teams. And and my and I always advocate for there's no no, I can't ever say to someone, I recommend this or I recommend the whoop. All I can say is, if you believe that it could encourage positive behaviours for you and it works for you, great. So I've just as I'm in my reflection mood at the moment, and I'm going, what can I, how can I, if I'm feeling a bit lost, I'm really enjoying jujitsu because that's less structured, although someone did nearly armbar my arm off today. Sounds so shit. I yeah, um, that's for another time. Um and I'm just like, okay, I'm not doing. I've signed up to a programme and I'm not doing it, so I'm letting myself down again. What do I what do I need to do?

SPEAKER_00 23:58

Stick that whoop on is what you need to do. So yeah, trackable data for like you're such a data person.

SPEAKER_02 24:05

I have it with I have it with my um for this is an audio podcast, I'm pointing at my my ring. I've got it on my ring, but what is I struggle with is when I'm lifting, I can't wear it.

SPEAKER_03 24:16

Yeah.

unknown 24:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:17

So actually, there's elements of what I'm doing in the day, not I'm lifting much, but anyway, I take this off or I lose it, blah blah blah. Anyway, I just like, I'm aligned to this. Really did tell me off my whoop. Yeah. Uh and it and it and it really told me to go to bed. So I've I've started it again. Love today. Today fresh, fresh, fresh news. But speaking of longevity, last week talk to me.

SPEAKER_00 24:42

Yeah. So I went to the longevity show over at Tobacco Docks, which was a long, long way over in East London for me. I don't normally go to East London, it's very, very far for me. But do you know what? I was actually such a good use of my time. I went, it was Friday, Saturn. I actually signed up because it did a it today. Excuse my punctuation grammar spag. I am not speaking well today, but it did a this is annoying me, collaboration with Hertility, and it was a women's health summit that I attended. So I mainly went for that. The longevity show was kind of happening around, but I was in the women's health summit for the bulk of the day. It was so good. There was such a variety of brands there. I kind of on the first day, I was very much just kind of women's health kind of blinkers on. I was only really in that room. Yeah. The variety and kind of like mixture of talks and lectures and stalls and stands and brands there was like I genuinely was, I don't know what I was expecting, but I wasn't expecting something on that scale. There it was so interesting to see. And like, I think I kind of thought to myself, like, is that another trip? Here she goes, another trip.

SPEAKER_02 26:00

Yeah, I've just if you just heard it, it's not a beer, don't worry. It's a trip.

SPEAKER_00 26:04

What a flavor today.

SPEAKER_02 26:05

And I've gone raspberry orange blossom.

SPEAKER_00 26:08

Oh, another blossom.

unknown 26:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:10

Raspberry blossom jeans. Anyway, um, some really, really good chats. And I just thought, actually, there's no way there would have even been like an a longevity conference two, three years ago. Like it the fact that there's a whole two-day show, and it what it I was like, how busy is this gonna be? Is it gonna be a bit tumbleweed? It was packed, like everything was full, all the keynote speakers were kind of busy. There was a main stage, there was loads going on. Techno Gym was there, Lululemon was there, there was some really big brands. I really, really liked it. I do know what I think you'd actually really love it next year, Laura. If you I would do why couldn't I go again? Oh, I had some person some social plans. Yeah, we'd have gone. But honestly, even for going, I I I kind of it was so hot last week, so that I felt really sorry for them because I obviously spent so much time organising it, but it was just baking. So by the end of the day, I literally was like, uh, I actually fell asleep in yoga last week. I didn't tell you this. I was out cold for the whole class. You snore again. No snoring, just dipping. Like, you know, you're like nodding, you feel like you're gonna fall downstairs. Yeah, that's nice though. It was quite lovely. But um honestly, for anyone that I think they're I think they're already advertising for next year. Even if you popped along to a handful of chats and talks, it was just so refreshing. Because I actually I think being I think also being in the UK, and I think I obviously surround myself with a lot of British media as well, and kind of obviously I share a lot of opinions with my colleagues as well. It was actually really good for me to hear discussions on topics and different perspectives, and I think it's particularly in the US, they're far more forward-thinking, a lot of the tech is far more developed there. It was actually really interesting to get that perspective, even like I went to a talk on GLP one, and I think for me, my I think even in the kind of 80 months, two years that it's been on the scenes in a vertical commas in my life, my opinion of it has really transformed and changed, but it was really interesting to hear their perspective as kind of like doctors in the US and in the UK and how beneficial. What was it? What's the what's the top line? Really, really positive and basically some of them were really and again, I think it was it was very well delivered. There was a couple of speakers there who were very kind of like everyone should be on it. And I was like, okay, that's an interesting take on it. And obviously there's a that just feels black and white again, doesn't it? Which I It does. I was like, no, I think I think for me there's obviously a sliding scale in it, but it was really good for me to hear a different opinion. I kind of sat there and I was like, I don't think I've sat on a or listened to a piece, a kind of piece on GLP one where it's all been predominantly positive, and it was actually really good for me, and it's made me come away and think about it, and even like talking to George, my partner, about it, who works in pharmaceuticals, like actually talking about that, and it's made me kind of research more in terms of its place in terms of women's health and PMOS and metabolic conditions, and yeah, I just came away from it feeling really kind of like energized, and yeah, I I was really because I was a bit like it's always easy, isn't it? When you're working from yourself, you're like, oh like this is taking me away from my work. But do you know what? It's made me really, really passionate this week, and it's given me a lot to think about as a practitioner as well. So honestly, next year I'm sure it'll get better and better. But her tilt out like the lineup they had was phenomenal. Um, but yeah, it was just really interesting, and I thought actually, I'd like to be on that stage next year discussing some stuff as well. So, no, I honestly, if you guys can get tickets for next year, I'm I assume it would be at the same venue, which was great. But yeah, 1010, recommend. 1010 recommend.

SPEAKER_02 29:36

Who runs it? Do you know who runs it?

SPEAKER_00 29:38

Why don't you go and ask them? Longevity or ho or hotility? Both. Uh both, yeah. How'd you get on that lineup? Yeah, I think I will, I think I will reach out because yeah, it was great. I sat there and I was like, I know I know a lot of this, but it's also great to hear it from other people's mouths and different perspectives. So yeah, a really, really positive couple of days.

SPEAKER_02 29:56

And I I my assumption is it wasn't just women there, there was m men on the panels, or was it a very female?

SPEAKER_00 30:03

Very female based in the hertility tent at the Women's Health Summit, but there was some men obviously coming in to to participate in spectate, which was lovely. But I would say there was more of a mixed bag in the longevity scene. But yeah, it was it was a real lovely variety, and yeah, I you know, there's nothing better. I literally sat then, I was like, one I'm absolutely cooked right now, it's so hot in here. But the fact that I sat through 38 degree heat and listened to these women, I was like, there it's there's something about seeing women talk with such passion and integrity, and like these women are so fucking smart. I was like, this is just unreal. Like the two, there's I think there's three co-founders of Hertility, two of them are twin sisters from Ireland, one's a lawyer by trade and one's a doctor. And I was just like blown away by them. Like they were just so cool and so inspiring, and they just like knew their shit, and the way they spoke was just so inspiring. I was like, yeah, honestly, like there's nothing better than watching that kind of stuff. It was so good. Like, yeah, I walked away from that really buzzy, actually. So yeah, defo, defo recommend it for next year for anyone who's even I mean, even if you're not even in the field, like some of the conversations, like the stuff I learned from it was so interesting. Like, you don't need to be in the wellness industry or in the fitness industry, like everyone should be at those talks and upskilling.

SPEAKER_02 31:22

Yeah, 100%. And I I also just think as as we know, so many studies can say, you know, you could you can take a study and and lead with different conclusions, and I'm I'm always so skeptical about like who's behind the study because you can, you know, you can angle something to give you what you want to enable you, you know. I I I I work within the commercials in in I I work within a a high integrity um environment, but out there or on the scene, you know, there are some other brands that will use sceptical claims or they will do their own studies, or they'll, you know, you'll look at something that comes out and you think, okay, but who's behind that? So I'm always skeptical, and I think, well, who as a result of this, who is set to financially gain? And I think that's that's the real challenge in that women's health does need funding, but also someone somewhere needs a return on that funding, and and therefore what it sounds like you experienced was low, you know, that no one had any ulterior motive. It was just this is where we're at. And that's and actually that's very rare. I think we're talking a lot more about women's health, and one of the things that you know I see in the industry is like, you know, the menopause stack of supplements, and it's like, well, that's just too black and white for me because we must treat everyone as an individual.

SPEAKER_00 32:52

Yeah, and there's just a lot of that, there just isn't the science to back it up. It there just it just isn't in place yet, sadly. And I think that's what I found so refreshing. I went to a lecture, I will gonna touch on it a little bit later on the pod anyway. I went to a lecture by an orthopedic surgeon who has done the research, has spent the time, and the conclusion she's drawn from it is like, yes, there are things that you can do and can take to help you, but obviously everyone is so different, and I think that was really interesting in terms of the American perspective was like trying like HRT as like a diagnostic tool, or trying supplements as a diagnostic tool to help work out what's going on. It's like, whereas I think HRT here is like you're put on it and that's it. Whereas it there's there's far more kind of like I guess playfulness with it in some ways. Obviously, that there's so much importance placed in it because it's affecting women's quality of life, but people are more willing to try stuff because they've got that hand holding and they've got their, they've got that practitioner that they trust to help guide them through it. Whereas in the UK, for the vast majority of women who are taking HRT, it's a one-dose and see you in a year, maybe that's it kind of joby. Whereas it's far more individual and and handheld process in the US, which again was just really interesting because it's like you're not really gonna know where you are hormonely unless you start trying these different things as well. So yeah, it was really cool, really, really cool. And yeah, I think we're getting there. But you I think you're right, like it was just nice to sit there with there was clearly no agenda, they just wanted to share this information they had with. I think that's really rare. Yeah, really rare. Yeah, it's a really good point to make actually on that.

SPEAKER_01 34:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 34:28

Um, what else did I um see this week? Um, speaking of supplements and all all of all of this, what we've seen in the world of of nutrition and certainly within CPG as in consumer uh product groups is we've seen lots of big players in the world of sort of food and the sort of FMCG um products that have seen the rise of let's call it wellness category that we've talked about a lot, and then these big players. So, say you've got like a small cool brand doing cool stuff, and then you get these big players going, I want a bit of that because I don't really have the knowledge or understanding. So that there's loads of MA activity, so there's lots of merger and acquisition activity going on within the world of wellness, and I think I talked uh in previous pods around. So, what have we seen? We've seen the Huel buyout, we've seen um Gruns, which is the uh Greens gummies that went for millions and millions. Um, we've seen obviously Liquid IV is a Unilever brand, big FMCG now, so that's getting pumped loads and loads of cash and blah blah blah. So that the marketing machine around these brands now is so huge. You're seeing obviously things like IM8, which is David Beckham, sort of funded huge, huge growth uh over the last few years. And I think as as someone who is so passionate uh about the world, uh uh or I'm fascinated about the world of supplements, it is no wonder that consumers are confused.

SPEAKER_03 36:04

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 36:05

And I'm so passionate about trying to help or encourage, and I I don't think I know quite how to do it personally. I certainly can't do it on my own, but there are some people out there that are really trying to take that evidence-based fair view on all of these things that are out there. And like I always say on this pod, like my first question to someone, if they go, Should I take this? It's like, Are you deficient? First question. Secondly, what are you trying to achieve? What are your goals? Thirdly, can you get it in your diet? Is it something that you're missing in your diet? And only then do we really look at supplementation? Could that help? And I think a lot of people, there's a lot of claims, a lot of marketing claims in the world, and you know, you you can see all these things, you think, oh wow, I'm getting all this stuff. But actually, what is the effective dose and how bioavailable is it? And how does your body absorb it? And like you say, I do think it is important to have a bit of a playful approach to a certain extent within you know the realms of a safe practice and obviously consulting a professional where you can, but you know, how do how do I know that it could help you? Exactly. Um I've just started taking um in my getting locked in era, I've gone back to I'm taking creatine daily, I'm having a protein supplement one, you know, what once a day, I'm taking my magnesium glycinate or biglycinate. Um, and I do I am starting to feel overall a little bit better. What I also want to be really clear on, it is not just those supplements alone. What I think it does for me personally is because I'm in the practice of doing all these good things, it has a knock-on impact to the rest of my day and how I treat myself. So, can I tell you that by taking creatine that has made me faster, more powerful, better, better, you know, strength endurance? No. I don't, but the evidence suggests it's possible. But for me, it's more around when you start treating yourself with respect and you bring all these things into your routine, whether that's a supplement, whether that's you've brought in a before-bed routine, I think that's when it's just we start to take control of ourselves and we learn what works. And then, you know, I always say the goal is for a coach, I don't want to coach you forever, I want to teach you to be able to auto-regulate yourself. And maybe the role of the coach as I'm experiencing is still really important, no matter how far into your career, because you need that external accountability validation, whatever that is. But yeah, I just think, yeah, the supplements industry in general, in and around the longevity conversation, and I think women are so can be vulnerable in that space. And I know you said that you you were gonna you're keen to talk about it, but you know, the importance of bone health, such a big topic. I did an article um uh for a friend of mine, a journalist. She wrote an article for the the David Lloyd Club Life magazine, and it's like I think we've got we're we're getting somewhere, I think, in my short time in the industry, sort of 10 years, with this protein game and strength training, but bone health is a bit forgotten.

SPEAKER_00 39:23

Yeah, yeah, I agree, totally agree. Yeah, and I think yeah, it's a good good way for me to kind of talk about that because I I I think I I was aware of the importance of it, and I think from own lived experience, I'm I'm sure my mummy talking about this, she went through a hip replacement last year, and she's she's a young, she's a young woman. She she definitely and it's so interesting. I sat in this lecture last week and I thought, I wonder if my mum could have avoided that by making the changes that I'm now learning about now. And she's always been an active person, like she's she did Zumba when I was growing up, like she did kind of she's always trained and been an active person, but it was really interesting how I feel like the conversation around bone health is becoming more open. And again, I'm like, I don't know if it's just because we're in this field, and I I don't know. Like, I I definitely try and scatter, I've always tried to scatter it with clients for years, but it's also something I'm really aware of. Like, I'm also an aging woman, you're an aging woman, like we're all hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Thank goodness we're doing this now because I actually I just hope that the numbers around kind of hip fractures and osteoporosis, osteopena will drop with our ages as well. And I think, yeah, I actually this the lady who I was referring to was um Dr. Jocelyn Whitstein, she's an orthopedic surgeon over in the States. Um, and yeah, she was just some of the stats were like mind-blowing. Like I really I am aware of it because of the kind of population that I tend to work with, which is perimenopause of women, and I'm aware that osteoporosis is a real kind of high risk factor. But it was saying, so some of the stats, I'll reel off some now that really stuck with me. 23% of women worldwide have osteoporosis. That's a lot. 50% of women over 50 will sustain a fracture due to poor bone density, versus 20% of men. And those women who have that, 30% in one to two years will sustain a hip hip fracture. 30% within that one to two years will experience death. 30% within one to two years of a hip fracture. Like that is bonkers, and 60% of those who live past that time will need assistance. Like the impacts of bone health, it's not just surface level in terms of you have a fracture, it's what does that impact have on someone's long-term ability to live independently, to look after themselves, to to go out to the shops. Like, it's so important. I think it r this lecture really lit a fire in me because I was like, this is so much more important than how we look. Like, this is literally how well can we live as individuals.

SPEAKER_02 41:57

I know, but it's do you know what it's so unsexy, isn't it? It's so difficult when you're in a life stage where you couldn't give a flying F. Yeah. Because you know, the world's collapsing before our very eyes. Yeah, yeah. It's so difficult to get someone excited about you know something that you they can't see.

SPEAKER_00 42:13

No, but it's so basic. And I think we'd need to just like I'm like literally my pork, my poor glasses ever since I've been to that. I'm like, right, we are doing jump training and we're doing because I'm like, this actually really matters. I want this to become ingrained into people's lifestyles. Like, can you literally give me five jump squats after you brush your teeth? Like the difference that could potentially make to someone. Well, blind me. No one who brushes their teeth with any clothes on.

SPEAKER_02 42:40

What is what a start to the day. I don't wear any clothes. You're lucky I wear clothes outdoors.

SPEAKER_00 42:46

I know what a treat she's got clothes up for. But it's it's what, and I think I was aware that estrogen had a big role to play in this. Um, but some of the stats are really interesting. So we find that obviously estrogen is one of our key sex hormones as women. Estrogen and progesterone are the two we kind of really talk about, especially in permenopause. Um, but yeah, it was saying that kind of fifty from the age of 52, there's a sharp decline, and obviously it's difficult with these ages and numbers because everyone's experience can be different, and people go through menopause in so many different ways. It might be clinical menopause, it might be early menopause, it might be primary um ovarian insufficient disease where like your ovaries just start to shut down at an earlier age. Um, but yeah, it's basically saying that Eastern levels start to really decline um sharply in that last two years of your perimenopause window, um, about approximately 2.5% per each year. Um, and how now the women's health initiative is confirming that actually there's a huge amount of musculoskeletal benefits that can come from taking HRT. So it's great that we're now talking about this protective mechanism that oestrogen has in the body and how important and how life changing HRT could be in preventing the. Development of osteoporosis, etc. Um and that's that's not to say in terms of just take HRT and that will stop your risk factors, is that in combination with things like strength training, we love strength training, we know how important that is. Jump training, um, 10 to 50 jumps three days a week, that can increase bone mineral density hugely. Um, and saying how potentially kind of there's a 3% increase in hip bone mineral density with jumping 50 times a day, like 3% can make the difference in someone sustaining fracture and not sustaining fracture. So yeah, I just found it really interesting, and I think you're right, like it's not sexy. Like, I know that I sometimes feel like a bit of a melon doing my plymetrics in the gym or as you should talk, but like we just shouldn't care. Like, literally, I'm just doing them, and I'm like, it's actually once you get comfortable doing it, I actually find kind of plymetric training quite enjoyable. But it doesn't even need to be like complex primetrics. Like, I use a lot of kind of med balls with clients, slamming balls and literally going up onto tippy toes and then slamming heels down, like it doesn't have to be bouncy. And I'm so aware that as we age as women, often sometimes that comes hand in hand with things like poetic floor prolapse or incontinence. So maybe jumping and bouncing doesn't feel like a safe idea, but you can literally just march and stomp on the spot, and that could really help um improve it.

SPEAKER_02 45:25

And even like we say, like walking with purpose, like oh my god, whoever walks, I went for a coffee earlier with um a mutual friend, and she was wearing Birkin stocks, and I said, Oh bro, I I've got to go to I've got to go to jujitsu. And she was like, We hadn't finished the conversation. She was like, I'll walk with you. I was like, Are you ready? Off we went. She was literally like marching alongside.

SPEAKER_00 45:51

She's like, and then he said in in her little in her little birkin stuck. Oh Lord, but yeah, and it's just yeah, it isn't sexy, but there's so many things that we should be doing to improve our bone density and our bone health. And this is this is for men as well. This isn't just women, it's just I think because it it particularly affects women, and obviously I work with women exclusively. So for me, it's really made me really passionate about it. But yeah, I it's I think it and it's because it is it's not surface level, right? Like we can't tell, like, hello, are my bones looking stronger? Because we can't do that. But they were making that made the very fair point that DEXA scans like they're being done way too late for women. Like we should be doing these in our late 40s, early 50s so that we can then make the changes. Doing a DEXA scan at 60, you're 10 years too late almost. Like the changes you're gonna make, yes, of course, still do all the things, they're still gonna make a difference. But in terms of incremental differences, you've missed out on 10 years of that if you leave it that late. So yeah, I'm a big, big fan of bone health, big fan of bone density. I will be jumping and hopping and skipping until I'm 100. Like, but yeah, it just made me, and I just I don't know, I actually really felt sad for my mum. I've not really spoken to her about this, so but I just thought, oh my god, like why like I think she could have avoided that operation if we we'd done this earlier with her, and even in terms of HRT and creatine, and that's just something that we just didn't talk about. She went, she kind of went through perimenopause about bless about 10 years ago. So she went through it quite early on, and she didn't get any kind of HRT assistance or supplementation. She didn't really touch creatine or vitamin D or calcium or magnesium, vitamin K, like all these things we talk about now in this field. We weren't talking about. So I really hope that we start to see a change in these stats. But if you are at home, if you are a woman, if you're anyone, do your stomps, do your jumps, do your primetrics. Like it could literally stop you from a fracture.

SPEAKER_02 47:49

I think that's what I've got. I must have massive bones. I haven't done a dexter in a while. But I do have I got dense bones. I don't think you I don't think that's gonna be a surprise. Um, but yeah, I I I stomp, I run, I lift, have done for many years. I have a relatively good diet, it's not the best. Um, I've got to be honest. I do uh I do take the piss out of myself quite a bit with with with sometimes myself, but I can't do it all, you know.

SPEAKER_00 48:18

No, I can't do it all. At least you're stomping and you're jumping, but yeah, it just yeah, it I was like the stats really like you know, when you sit there, I was like, oh my word. And it's such small things we can do daily. Even literally if it's just walking, going for a walk, combine that with your steps, like just walk with purpose. Like, really, where do you slam those feet down?

SPEAKER_02 48:41

Um 100%, 100%. I yeah, I guess I just think, you know, be I actually posted on my my Instagram story, I found an old interview that I did in 2021, and I and I listened to it and it's kind of I sort of had a bit of a moment, I sort of smiled to myself because it's like, oh that's cool. I'd say exactly the same thing today. Like these things don't change. I was like, uh people should exercise every day. Uh the only reflection I had on it, I said people should exercise every day. And I would today I would go, depending on your goals and a variety of intensities. Um, I think over the years of social media, I've learnt now to add as much nuance and context flag to as much nuance as possible. So yeah, because otherwise, yeah, people will um will will tell me off. But yeah, I I just I just think yeah, I I think we're we're at we're at a stage now where we understand more what we need to do. And I think the future, future generations, like young kids now, statistically we know are drinking less, are more into the gym, are more, have more, let's say more boundaries. You know, they say I can't make that time at that call because that's my focus time. And I think, fair fucks, young kid. Yeah, I I could never. I'm just available as uh yeah, this week I've answered the phone to uh pre-8am um for for for work-related stuff. I just yeah, I just I just think um yeah, it's I I I hear you on the reflections of you know, m my own mum and you know, what are the things and sometimes yeah, I just think it's cultural, it's it's generational. Um, you know, if we think about previous generations, I I was thinking about the other day, um I was talking I was talking to my friend about sort of the the the independent woman who sort of runs her own household, which I can very much relate to, and I was thinking well, Mad, Mad, like years ago a woman couldn't get a mortgage on her own.

SPEAKER_00 50:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 50:42

Not that long ago, not that long ago, you know, a woman wasn't allowed to run the marathon. Not that long ago, a woman wasn't able to vote. So, you know, let let her have cake and let her have big bones. Let her stomp, absolutely. Um and and I also think alongside this, what I have also witnessed and what I love is we've seen the empowered woman in the workplace. Um, and I've sort of over the the last uh 10, 10, well 20 years actually, sorry, who am I kidding? 20 years of of of my career, I've been really fortunate that I I think I've mentioned this previously, but I've had some really inspirational female sheols that's been the boss in in many uh businesses that I've been in, and I've seen uh a woman in many different profiles actually, usually sort of a bit of red, you know, to be to be a leader and to be direct, but a bit of sort of red-blue analytical or a bit red-yellow with a bit of you know, that sort of charisma and personality to sort of rally the the troops. And over the years I've become more aware of maybe looking back and going, at what cost? And I know I talk about this a lot, at what cost, you know, you see the women doing okay, um yes, sell more, you do this, blah, blah, blah, delivers the direction at work, gotta go, my kids, I need to pick them up. Yeah, and I when we talk about workplace wellness, especially for women, I just wonder if is it even possible sometimes.

SPEAKER_03 52:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 52:18

Um, because you know, historically, uh, you know, we we we have we have had more of a role managing the household and have taken up statistically less sort of C-suite positions, and that's really changing and evolving and for the better. And there's lots of stats around businesses that have women in the on the board, have better performance on average, and you know, we we know we know all of that good stuff. But what we do know um is that you know, wellness is is is really important, and we talk when we talk about stress, that's stress of the job, but stress of your home situation and your responsibilities, especially as someone that's running your own home or or or as a mother. So I was looking into it. So the UK, when we talk about corporate wellness spend in revenue, the UK, which is actually smaller than I thought, but I guess as a percentage of population, it it's it's we're probably still over-indexed. So the UK accounted for six and a half percent of the global corporate wellness uh market last year. But that growth, the cumulative uh aggregate growth rate um that is set to sort of the forward forecast is around on average 4%. So that's going to continue to grow, I believe it was like for the next five years, uh, etc. Uh, and the UK is the fastest growing regional market uh within the UK. One of the things we talked about previously was like the cost of absence, you know, being absent through ill health or or or um the the opposite of of wellness. Um and it cost the UK economy annually 150 billion quid. Because that and that is nearly three million people uh out of the workforce. And that's broken down into various ways. So we know and we've talked about it for a lot, we've talked about our own experiences, but nine in ten adults have experienced extreme pressure or stress in the past year. One in five workers have required time off for stress-related concerns, 20% of the workforce, mad. Yet only 26% of employees feel comfortable discussing their mental health at work. Isn't that mad? Something that basically impacts everyone.

SPEAKER_00 54:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 54:36

Yeah. Uh uh 20% have to actually leave work as a result for a period of time, yet only 26% um uh feel comfortable talking about it. So when we look at sort of um product, say productivity, so what does a company want? Let's just talk about it in in the sort of the corporate sense. 81% of employees report that well-being directly affects their productivity. Obviously, yeah, if you are feeling good about yourself, if you are in good health, if you have energy, if you have mental, physical capacity, obviously you're gonna be more productive. Yeah, so why would you not as a company focus on your team's well-being? And I'm I have also observed from afar that companies that are that their product or their service that they sell, that they are known for, is either coaching or or well-being. And then I look at the members of the staff and I think, oh God. And it just it's just always it's just always uh been been a worry. 84% of workers said they would stay at their job longer if their employer provided a robust physical and mental well-being offering. And I'm not talking about fucking Pizza Friday. No, how many times I swear to God, how many times have I been at a corporate occasion and the food for lunch is crisps? Yeah. And and and some sort of chocolate and uh cans of coke. And I'm like, are we all mad? Yeah, yeah. That's mad, isn't it? 84%. It is, it is mad. And I just it's just a constant reflection for me around stress management. And I definitely uh all the statistics show that you know who who you those of you that are listening to this this podcast can potentially relate to there have been periods of time in life where you feel stressed, and I always really think like, what would I what would I do? And and I have been in situations where I have had a significant amount as as you have, you know, I'll be open about it and say that there has been periods of my life where I've had to tap out for a little bit.

SPEAKER_00 56:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 56:49

And I'm so grateful that my team, my employer, have been able to support that. However, if you are a freelancer, yeah, who's supporting you?

SPEAKER_00 57:01

Exactly. Exactly. Yeah, I yeah, I think it is a constant reflection of me. I I actually I don't know if I've ever told you about this, Laura. I when I was working, I used to work for Mind, the mental health strategy used to work for Mind in West Essex. And um part of my role was I worked with a um partner called Time to Change. I actually don't think they still exist. I let me have to I'll have to fact-check myself very quickly if they still you haven't told me that you work for Mind, actually, no, you're right. Why not? So I so I suffered a really um bad period of mental health in my teen years. I they went off to university and I had to leave university due to my mental health being so poor. Um and me being the girl that I am, I decided, okay, this has happened. I want to help people who feel the same. And I was very fortunate that within two weeks I was working at Mind in West Essex, which honestly was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. I'm forever grateful to the um the team of people there. I had an incredible time working there, but as part of my role there, I um worked with Times Change, who I don't say oh maybe they have maybe they are. But basically at the time I worked with Times Change, it was a collaborative project with mind, central mind, and um Times Change. And I went into I basically ran a pilot scheme across Ottleswood, which was the district that I worked in, to go into workplaces to get them to pledge to improve mental health. How are we gonna pledge to support our our kind of uh colleagues and our and our workers in the workplace? And that was what nine years ago, and I just feel like these stats are getting worse, and I just part of me, part of me loves the fact that we're talking about it, and there's there's data out there, but it's like we've got all this data, but like what the fuck are we doing? Like, I don't know, and we've we spoke about this very candidly. Like, I don't know that many people who would say that they're thriving at work, and mental health and stress levels, like that is crazy. Like, nine in ten, you just said, adults with extreme pressure or stress in the past year. Like, what are we doing? Like, what are we actually doing as a society? And I think I kind of bought the fact that I did I was doing that work years ago, and it was amazing, and I and it was such a great piece of work to do at the time because people genuinely were really on board, but like I think people do, and I think employers feel stuck. Like, what can they do? Like, what what practical things can they do to help people? And it's it's really hard, isn't it? That that blend of like work life. Like, there's no bad I don't agree, I don't think there ever is a balance, but yeah, where do you draw the line as an employer as to where you can support people? What what can you do in the workplace that is then gonna filter into that everyone's daily lives? I I honestly don't know what the answer is, and I think some of these stats are really quite sad, and I don't know what the answer is. I mean, a lot of um the companies that I work with all those years ago, a lot of it was kind of based around talking, which I think is so essential, and the feeling safe to talk about mental health is so key. And and I think mental health being considered as importantly as physical health is, but I still think there's still a massive gap in if I was to call in sick, and this this isn't this is just hypothetically, if I if I was to call in sick tomorrow to wherever I was working, saying, and it actually I think this is more a reflection of me, but I still think that I, and I don't know why this is, this is very honest. I think I'd feel a sense around guilt to call in sick to say my anxiety is debilitated to say I can't get out of the house, versus calling up and saying, I've got a stomach bug, I can't leave the house. I still think I would really struggle. And I don't know why I'd associate guilt to calling in with a mental health issue versus a physical health issue.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:44

Because of the sh because of the societal shame that's attached to it.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:48

It's almost like it's your fault.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:50

Yeah, yeah. I think that's which you know it isn't. Yeah. I I can I can really relate when I had to communicate my poor mental health. I I think I've mentioned it before, but the basic there was there was a t a ti uh time where I I was like, okay, enough now, because I miss I was working from home and I I was late for a 9 a.m. call at my own home.

unknown 1:01:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:11

Like really late, and I was like, what the hell? I just completely lost track of time. And it was that sort of brain brain fog around that particular event, and I knew, yeah, I I I was catastrophizing everything, and I wasn't resilient to to anything. Everything was the end of the world for me, but that's because I was, yeah, my my cup was absolutely empty. And I I think what I what is missing, and just as you was talking you were talking, I was thinking about it to myself. I once went on a a course, a really good course, um, my friend Harry Jameson and Ollie Patrick. They have a uh an education uh business called Future Practice, and I did a course called Stress Resilience.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:50

And I there's a lot, there's lots of talk around stress, obviously, because of the growth of people reporting stress, mental health-related uh situations. And yes, can you say that we are? I mean, I I I can't say that I would be more or less stressed if I lived through World War II. You know, stress is is relative, you know. We we sort of have stress, you know, there's no milk in the fridge. Oh god, awful, end of the world, or there's a uh, you know, a bomb going off outside, uh put perspective. We all experience relative stress. And for me, I can always think to actually a conversation with a friend today. At certain parts of my cycle, I know I am less resilient to that thing. And another day when that happens, no milk, not a problem.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:39

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:40

And so so I think it's about how can businesses, corporates encourage coaching people how to have stress resilience because what we can't do is take away the stress. No, that's not what we can't do that. That's that's that's the reality of life. How we take it, how we are resilient to it, how do we react, how do we pick ourselves up? Now that's that's what I'm interested in. Yeah, no, and that's and and and then also on the flip side, I hear the conversation or the rhetoric that says, oh, everyone's a snowflake and you know, stress is good. I agree with that as well. I do think, even I'm gonna bring it up again, training jujitsu, which is essentially a sport where someone's about to, you know, break my foot arm, strangle me, I am more resilient. I genuinely believe I am a calmer person in the last three months because I am training in jiu-jitsu, because I have to I'm I'm learning how to stay physically relaxed under physical threat.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:44

Yeah. Yeah, I can so see the benefit of that. Yeah, it's so true. I I Are you coming to jujitsu then?

SPEAKER_02 1:03:50

Did you just say you were coming with me? No. Absolutely not, absolutely not. I can bring a friend this month and I was gonna ask you. No. I'm saying really, really no. Really no. I'm but I'm in I'm inviting you to be my friend at Jiu Jitsu.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:05

I've got big law exams, I can't risk it. Well, no, no, I'm not ready for that.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:13

Do you want to say no one more time just to really let me know?

SPEAKER_00 1:04:17

But yeah, I just I agree, I do agree. I think it's getting a blend of talking about it, talking about it is so important. But yeah, how can we train that skill? And I I know it sounds I remember even thinking when I was like back in my teens, like people being like, you know, as you age, you do become more resilient and you do become a big thing. I agree with that, because you go through more shit. You just go through more shit and you just get used to getting on with it. Like I remember definitely in my teens, my attendance at school was shocking. Like I was barely in, I was struggling with anxiety, I had no idea what the hell was going on in my body. I felt bizarre, I felt out of body, it was awful. I just get on with it now. Like if I'm having an anxious day, I'm like, sorry, mate, like you've got bills to pay, you need to get on with it. So I think it's it's learnt resilience, but I definitely think it's a skill, and I think what you're saying in terms of the physical building in terms of resilience plays such a factor. And it's even resilience in terms of being resilient in terms of like you could you push, but you know when to stop as well. And I think that is a skill you have to learn as well. We've learned it the hard way. We burnt out and you and it takes to come back from it.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:19

Few times, haven't we?

SPEAKER_00 1:05:20

And we you'd think we'd learn the first time, but but that in itself is a skill. Okay, I can identify when my mental health is maybe not in its best place. I need to be resilient to the fact that it's not always going to be in its best place. It there's there's times in our lives where we do have stress that we can't avoid, but what can we put in place to make ourselves feel better equipped for that? So definitely I feel like employees have a massive role to play in that. Even things as can they teach people how to breathe properly? Like I for instance myself, like I when I'm stressed, I breathe in my chest. And it's like, okay, take a sec. Can we move that from our chest down into our Stomachs more like it's it's I I so agree. There's so many different microhabits that you can build into your life to help you, even something like going in a soul. And I know that's that's from such a privileged position, but in terms of dealing with the stress, in terms of the heat we've had recently, I feel like my body has been able to deal with that physical stress better because I've exposed it. It's been like an exposure training and resilience training to that. So I think the same principle 100% applies. And yes, I think workplaces have a huge amount. Do you think how many hours, how many hours a day, how many hours a year we spend at work, they have they have a lot to answer for. But yeah, I'm interested. Yeah, the fact you raised that course. I did the same course when I was working at Third Space, and I thought it was fascinating. Like it's yeah, it is a it is a trainable skill, um, and more needs to be done. I think people have to advocate for themselves and and make that commitment to themselves. No one can force someone to learn stress resilience, but being offered those opportunities through your workplace is essential. I totally agree.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:00

Yeah, and and going on that, I honestly think uh sleep is as we know, is is is almost the foundation of it all because especially for us girlies, any off bit of sleep can throw our hormones out, can kick grelin right up, you're hungry, you're pissed off, it starts a whole cycle, you feel bad about yourself, blah blah blah. We've all done it. Um and and I just think, yeah, I was having a conversation with a friend today, and she she was having a conversation at work, and she, as as Gurlie's doing the group chat, she was like, Do you think this I'm gonna write this in in as a message for work? Do you think I'm being too harsh? Because I'm asking you because I know I'm not myself today.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:42

And I was like, that's so cool. And I was like, I'm so relaxed, I've just finished jujitsu, I've had the sauna, I'm chilled. I've read that a bit arsy, mate.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:52

And she you know, and she's like, cool, thought as much because I'm on the fucking edge today.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:58

Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:58

So it was like, can you just tweet that maybe? But I just think, yeah, but that just comes from communication, isn't it? It's having someone that you feel safe talking to and saying, you know, I don't feel I know I'm not myself at the moment, um, and we and we can't we can't be all things. So yeah, actually it was my obviously it's gonna be my pit of the week because last week was we were all burned alive at the stake. And now I'm we're obviously it's starting to be a bit cooler, and now it's getting a bit hotter again. So me and my bestest, bestest fan um are really gonna have to do do do our best tonight. So yeah, my pit of the week was obviously not being able to sleep in the heat, yeah. Uh, but I it sounds basic, but it just changes everything, it changes my whole perspective. If I get eight, do you know what I think eight and a half hours is the one for me?

SPEAKER_00 1:08:49

Yeah, I've been getting like six this week, and I actually had to like like have a word with myself yesterday. This kind of relates to my pit as well. But I had to catch myself because I was getting wild road rage, and I was like, Sarah, just take a sec. Like, you're due on, you've not been sleeping well, like you've got a lot of kind of mental stress going on right now. Just take a sec. Training to be a solicitor. Training to be a solicitor. I've got so much on my plate. These exams doing cover at work, doing cover, but like it all these little micro kind of things, and I think obviously, like, as much as we're joking about like buying a house is a massive deal. Like, I've saved my whole life for this deposit. Like it's also like, oh my god, we're actually doing this. So I'm aware there's lots of little bigs, but I was the same. I'm like, you just have to catch yourself and be like, I'm not sleeping well, this is why I feel shit. It is, it literally underpins everything, doesn't it? Like, if you're not sleeping well, everything else, we know hormonally, you're dysregulated. If you're not sleeping well, you are dysregulated.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:48

So my my c my cousin has just had a a little baby boy, and she's on sleep, she was on sleep four four hour shifts with her partner. Yes, sir. Um and you know, obviously, you know, eight and a half's great for me, I've only got myself to answer to and my mum's account. Um, but it's just like yeah, obviously, four hours is no good, and once that happens often, the cumulative effect of sleep deprivation is psychologically really challenging. So, again, if that is you and there is nothing you can do about it, you know, as always, our advice would be just fucking give yourself some grace.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:27

And and just go, I am not myself. You know, you know, you're not yourself when you're hungry. Um it's it it it re it really is it really is that. So and as we know, Mercury. Mercury, that is my pit of the week. Is it actually in the microwave? Let's have a quick Google. So I um Kathy messaged me and she said that there was there is something, I don't think it's in the microwave. I don't think it's I think Merc I think it's Mercury is in retrograde. It is, yeah. In Gatorade.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:56

Mercury in Gatorade. Yeah, Mercury is in microwave as the optical illusion phase occurs from June the 29th to July the 23rd. We are in the microwave.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:05

Okay, so we are in the microwave. I had a um I've had a stressful week, guys, just so it's just so everyone knows. Um and I got to a point, but like it wasn't that stressful, but like you say, it was like positive stress, but like you you buying a house is positive, but it's still stressful. There's shit going on, there's conversation to be had, there's things that need to happen by certain times, amongst the rest of the stuff that we do uh uh day to day. And I just said uh I had a conversation with the mate, and I was like, I'm back to taking it an hour at a time. Yeah, yeah. We literally said I'm literally living for the hour.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:39

Yeah, yeah, 100%. Yeah, this week's been weird, weird vibes, weird. I don't know if everyone's like just frazzled from the sun last week, but totally there's just like weird behaviour going on. I'm not gonna lie, like just every I just there's just been a tension, and I don't I it's probably reflective from myself. But even like, for example, I'm I would consider myself, I bring it back to driving a lot. I think that's why I really I really let out a lot of emotion. Yeah, you get very angry about driving. I do, and I don't. I think because I'm a very safe, considered driver, it really me often people aren't. But for example, say we're we know what it's like driving in London, it's busy, there's buses. I've had a couple of instances where buses have knocked off wing my wing mirrors. So I'm very, very cautious. If I see a bus needing to pull out, I will let I will wait for the bus to pull out. Wait till the other day, let this bus pull out. This car just overtakes me and cuts in front of me because you can't be asked at the bus wait. Why are we in such a hurry? Everyone, calm down. Well, it's also just a bit dangerous, to be honest. That's annoying. There are just loads of annoying behaviour this week and like just people being inconsiderate. It's just that's my that's my pit of the week. But my peak of the week is I actually, despite this, I feel like I've actually it actually very well links on Twitter just because I feel like I've set myself up very well in terms of being a bit more resilient this week, despite all this kind of bubbling stuff going on right now. I've prepped my breakfast every night, which for me actually is such a good what is it? What have you eaten? I've gone back to overnight oats. I have gone back to gluten-free overnight oats, and my recipe, guys, for all those that are itching to hear, oats between 40 to 45 grams, maybe up to 55, I'm being a hungry girly. Milk, cover it with milk, I don't weigh that, cover it with milk, but then I put in a teaspoon of Nartella, some chia seeds, some flax seeds, pop that in the fridge, then the next morning, a couple of big dollops of Greek yogurt, stir, stir, stir, nice texture, with berries on top. Sets me up. Sometimes in peanut butter, depends how much time I've got. But you know what? I think it's more I we are not the same.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:46

It's great, it's great. But I know what mine is. So what you do is you get a bowl out, uh, and then you you pour some cocoa pops in there. Cocoa, yes. And then you get a banana and you chop it up as you see fit, and then you put some milk in, you let it simmer for 30 seconds, and off you go. Elite. I've eaten that every day this week for breakfast. It worked for me.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:12

Yeah, I can understand that. I I do like I do enjoy a cocoa pot. But I'm honestly, I feel like I've got worms or something. I eat so much food. I just feel like that wouldn't touch the sides. But what I was gonna say was I feel like me prepping is more of a sign of self-care. Yes, I would agree to that, yeah. Interesting chat with a beautiful, I believe she's a dermatologist at this longevity show, and people were asking her, like the QA section, like do all these kind of gua shar things and rituals and red light masks and things work, and she was like, Well, obviously, there's a massive sense of nuance to it, and but she basically said underlying was the fact that you taking that 10 minutes for yourself in the day to put your red light mask on or do your gua sha is actually far more beneficial than those tools, but that in itself is a 10-minute act of self-love, is and you feel good about yourself, you're like, well done me. Exactly. And I was like, fair place. Yeah, so I really was on it with the food prep this week and just to come after myself, just like training, I did the minimum. I'm probably gonna get in and try to train again this weekend, but yeah, I've just taken my expectation down a little bit because I'm like, I can't do everything. So I'm actually quite proud of how I've navigated a bit more of a less hormonally resilient period of my cycle as well. That's perfect.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:29

Thanks, mate. That's perfect. Um well I'm gonna finish the pod with my my peak. I've got two peaks, greedy. Um, one of my mates, uh, well, Emily Campbell is in Team England and she will be at the Commonwealth Games. Um, and I had bought tickets for the 86kilo plus women's group for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, which is in three weeks. Yeah. And I am now uh able to share that my one of my other besties, uh Crystal Campbell, is going to Commonwealth Games to compete uh for her home country, Jamaica. So Emily and Crystal will be competing against each other on the platform at Commonwealth Games Glasgow. Um so me being me, which is like I'll work it out. I bought a ticket to go to the Commonwealth Games for that session, and then I thought, Glasgow's not that far. Uh five hours on the train. Yes, it is Scotland.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:27

Hmm.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:27

Well, I didn't think it was that bad. I don't know. I've had a week, I didn't really think. So I bought tickets to that, and I've got to get like the first train from Houston to Glasgow, and then I'll have to get the train back pretty quick, and I'll have to get a good book for ten hours of on the train. Yeah. I'm not staying over. What's the point? So don't have to get one day on the train, you're gonna feel like a lobster. That's all right. Cross station. More more of a cross station, but anyway, and then the second thing that I just to mention now, and hopefully in the next week's pod, I can tell you about it. But I got asked to go on, it was a personal dream, BBC Women's Hour. And the theme is, I currently believe, is um there's a lovely lady called Grace Victory who has a campaign called Arms Out Summer, Arms Out for Summer. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Anyway, and so they basically the BBC thought who has got the best arms in the land? I've got the call up Sarah Benton just. I'm not sure examples it's so weird that they didn't ask you. I'm as shocked as you are.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:32

Can you imagine how funny that would be if I would you say?

SPEAKER_02 1:17:35

What would you say? How what what to go on it? Of course I'd say. Like, what would you say like about your how would you describe your arms? Huge, yeah, exactly. Absolutely massive.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:49

What annoys me though is sometimes I'll like be training in the gym. I'm like, they actually look quite large.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:53

I'm taking honestly, they are. I'm just taking it's just too funny. It's too funny.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:58

They're like too, they're just like they just it it is it is funny. Yeah, I just can't do it. I can't do it. But yeah, I'm so tough you mate. That is such a win.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:08

Yeah, I'm buzzing. So I'm I'm gonna be live and direct in the studio. Grace, I unfortunately cannot be there live and direct. Um she she will be joining remotely, um, but I will be live in the studio, so that's just a really nice experience.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:22

That's so cool!

SPEAKER_02 1:18:23

I know for me, yeah. I'm buzzing, buzzing. So yeah, hopefully on next week's pod I'll be able to download and hopefully the Guinness Book of Records will will get in touch and and just give me the biggest guns in SW.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:36

I'll be in that anyway, because I'll be at the biggest pitbull turnout ever. Oh, honestly.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:44

Do you know what? If you like, as I always say, if you like it, I can't argue with that. And on that note, happy weekend. Thank you for tuning in to our pod fit for what. We appreciate you all, and um we'll see you next week. And don't forget to do your stumps and your marks and your jumps and your squeeze your pelvic floor.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:07

Oh god.