#271 Strength Through Change with Mel Anderson

We are joined by Shane Nugent MSc to discuss all things nutrition & lifestyle management. Shane shares his nutrition principles which broadly apply to everyone & then discusses how these principles can be added to when specific variation is required due to athletic goals or personal preference. Shane is pragmatic, sensible & clear in his approach & believes getting nutrition 'right' for the individual requires a combination of education, accountability, support, community & empathy. This is not your standard conversation around nutrition, calories & macros - it is a call for us all to take our food choices more seriously but delivered with care & realistic, practical advice.

Following 4 weeks of guests on the podcast Pete & James take the time to catch up & discuss what they've taken from recent episodes & what's going on in their own training & businesses. Topics up for discussion include the upcoming Lift for Life Charity competition, the recent Dawn of the Deadlift challenge at Unique Results & how to manage overwhelm when embarking on a new fitness/lifestyle programme or trying to make positive changes in your life.

We are joined by Mark Tonner for the 2nd time. Mark's last episode with us was 174 (Boxing Day 2023) & we were talking about his upcoming 24hr Deadlift Challenge for Suicide prevention. This year will be the 4th time Mark has organised the 'Lift for Life' Challenge & this year it's bigger & better than ever & raising money for Andy's Man Club in the UK & Suicide Prevention charities in the other countries taking part. There are 3 options to get involved in this event on 27th December - as an individual lifter, as part of a team of 5 or as a larger gym community. Mark explains all in this inspiring & emotionally raw conversation.

We are joined by Mel Anderson from @my.bodyfits a Personal Trainer, Kettlebell Coach, Meno Strength Coach & Nutrition Coach. Mel talks openly & honestly about the challenges she experienced herself both with post natal depression & menopause & how big hormonal shifts can impact both mental & physical wellbeing. It was these experiences that led Mel to want to empower & support women going through similar phases of life & where she gains most fulfilment as a coach. This is very practical conversation around starting your health, fitness & strength journey from the ground up & is just as applicable to men as it is to women.

We are joined by Theo Newton from 'Ultra Wellness' to discuss all things optimal health & advanced recovery from his state of the art wellness clinic based in Chelmsford, Essex, England. Theo is a Personal Trainer turned Wellness business owner who shares the benefits of Cryotherapy, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, Red Light & Near Infra-Red Therapy, Compression Therapy & the LED Cryo-Mask. We talk performance, health & injury (and post op) rehabilitation in a relaxed, down to earth way & learn that many of these therapies are using scientific breakthroughs to supercharge many of the benefits that we get from nature.

We are joined from Cambridgeshire by Hannah Fitzgerald, Personal Trainer, Coach & competitive Strength Athlete. Hannah is the 2024 Under 57kg Strongwoman World Champion AND the 2024 Under 59kg Masters British Weightlifting Champion. She teaches Pilates, Yoga, Barre, Bootcamps as well as other community based classes. She has 2 young children, 1 husband, 1 dog, 2 cats & 3 chickens AND she still somehow managed to find time to talk to us! A great conversation with a lovely & inspiring lady who has her sights set on even bigger things.

After 3 weeks of back to back guests Peter & James catch up, discuss recent thoughts & conversations & what they're working on at the moment. The conversation shifts to Longevity & a quiz James has been working on. They discuss areas of life that can have a big impact but are often overlooked or undervalued & how looking to the future can inform your current decisions. As Peter often says "What does it look like in years?"

We are joined for a record breaking 12th visit by the fountain of knowledge AND seemingly discoverer of the fountain of youth, Dan John, all the way from Murray, Utah, USA. We discuss Dan's recent travels to Australia, his latest book - The Art of Coaching & the concept of 'Game-changers' in coaching & life. What is a coach? What are some simple 'coaching truths' that Dan has uncovered after over 40 years of experience. How, as a coach (and athlete/client) do you stay focussed & avoid all the noise & distraction that threatens to derail progress. As usual, Dan makes the complex simple (and enjoyable) & we have a lot of fun in this insightful conversation - enjoy.

We are joined by a big friendly giant - Icelander turned Londoner, Jón Valgeir Williams. Jon is the founder of 'Valgeir Strength Trips', a Personal Trainer & Strongman Coach based in London & the father to a very strong 18 year old son - Erik. Jon was a competitor at the Worlds Strongest Man competition in 2002 & 2003 & was also the mentee & training partner of 4 x WSM & former Health Oddity guest Magnus Ver Magnusson. We discuss training, competing, travelling, stone lifting & what a lifetime of being incredibly strong (& the injuries that come with that) has taught Jon about training the general population & being 'strong for life'.

We are joined by pound for pound probably the strongest stone lifter on the planet. Andy Crawford lives in far North East Scotland & is making waves around the globe from his home garage gym. We learn about Andy's athletic background, including running a near 5 min mile, 18 min 5km & throwing before getting into barbell training, going 'all in' on stone & sandbag lifting & niching down even further into the art of lifting VERY heavy stones to shoulder & even having a 'Limbo' off with Luke Stoltman! For fans of 80s/90s movies, we also discuss the Jean-Claude Van Damme classic A.W.O.L - and yes, there is context behind that as well.