Time to Talk

This week we celebrated International Women’s Day and I was really keen to talk to Christina about her role as an executive coach supporting women within leadership roles. I was hoping we could look at that landscape and how that is changing. If we can learn something from her experience about the conversations she is having with women and how they can be effective within their roles. I hope you can join us!

Dr Susana has recently joined the Gillvray Health team and is running monthly educational sessions for some of our patients. Her session last week on fatigue and why we feel tired resonated a lot so today we are going to talk about the topic and explore how lifestyle medicine can help us to have strategies to manage the fatigue a lot of us experience in every day life.

Who are we and what do we do? An opportunity to hear about how Lucy and myself founded Gillvray Health. Why we do what we do. Who we are seeing in our clinics and how we can help you. It’s been a while since we have had the conversation and a lot has happened!

The first in our new series of video podcasts. We are excited to bring back James Roast, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist to talk Child Mental Health for Child Mental Health week. We have 15 minutes to explore this really important area. Topics I hope that we can think about are social media and the debate around phone usage, as well as how we can best support our young people with their mental health despite worsening statistics and difficulties accessing professional support. Hoping you can join us!

Who are we and what do we do? An opportunity to hear about how Lucy and myself founded Gillvray Health. Why we do what we do. Who we are seeing in our clinics and how we can help you. It’s been a while since we have had the conversation and a lot has happened!

Dr Tommy Wood is a paediatric neuroscientist from University of Washington. In this episode he shares his research, teaches us how to keep our brains healthy and explains how cognitive function need not decline with age.

This week is Children's Mental Health Week. 1 in 6 5 to 16-year olds have a diagnosable mental health disorder, with 6 in 10 young people saying they are experiencing mental health difficulties such as anxiety, low mood, eating disorders, and self-harming behaviours. Yet only a third are able to access any effective treatment.   I'm really grateful to James for coming back on to Time to Talk for us to talk about the big issues effecting young people today.   We talk about eating disorders and self harm and hopefully as ever share some hope and some tips for young people or their carers.  Watching a young person struggle with their mental health is really hard.  We want to fix it for them but we don't know how. James Roast qualified as a psychotherapist in 2008.  Initially trained in Psycho-dynamic psychotherapy and Hypnotherapy, he began operating an outpatient clinic in South Woodford, East London, specialising in Trauma; specifically with the Fire Service. Later more specialised training in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and a Post Graduate Certificate, Post Graduate Diploma and Masters degree from the University of Cambridge has qualified him to combine strengths from all Psychotherapeutic theoretical models. James began his work with adults before further training enabled a specialism in the Child & Adolescent field.  He has also studied under Prof. Chris Fairburn a specialist in Eating Disorders. We cover hard topics in this conversation, please feel free to reach out if you need support.  Enquiries@cognitivesportstherapy.com

Nicola has been a health and fitness coach for over ten years. She has a particular interest in working with women specialising in pre and post natal care since 2008. Since 2018 she has been specialising in working with peri and post menopausal women. and she runs a weekly fitness group for women over 40 alongside her Buggy Bootcamp sessions, Cross fit and strength based classes for women.   She has a wealth of knowlege to share on the best way to move in this phase of life, how to avoid injuries and how to get started if like many women we have taken time out for family and career and are struggling to know how to get going again.   Movement is so good for us both mentally and physically.  I hope this conversation gives us the inspiration to find the love of being active and to see the potential and opportunity in the perimenopause to be stronger than ever. Please like, review and share this episode if you enjoy it.  The more people who follow the podcast, the more we can expand and develop it. 

This is my weekly interval run session. My virtual run club! These sessions are for any level of runner as you can make the high intensity interval session as fast as you need it to be to make the session work for you. I suggest using these sessions once a week to help improve cardiac fitness and speed. The sessions are also designed to help you feel strong in your mind, body and breath. Do not run an interval session if you are injured and stop and seek help if you develop chest pain or shortness of breath that is more than you would expect. This session is written as a 5 minute warm up jog followed by 4 times (3 minutes hard effort with 1.5 minutes of rest interval) and cool down jog. The whole work out is 25 minutes long and we will be thinking about a positive core value along with using our breath to help particularly in our rest interval and we will be thinking about our form and specificlly engaging our core as we run on our harder efforts. Enjoy!

This is my weekly interval run session. My virtual run club! These sessions are for any level of runner as you can make the high intensity interval session as fast as you need it to be to make the session work for you. I suggest using these sessions once a week to help improve cardiac fitness and speed. The sessions are also designed to help you feel strong in your mind, body and breath. Do not run an interval session if you are injured and stop and seek help if you develop chest pain or shortness of breath that is more than you would expect. This session is written as a 5 minute warm up jog followed by an interval pyramid  2 minutes hard / 2 minutes rest interval ,  3 minutes hard / 2 minutes rest, 4 minutes hard / 2 minutes rest / 3 minutes hard / 2 minutes rest/ 2 minutes hard and cool down jog. The whole work out is 30 minutes long and we will again be focusing on positive thinking along with using our breath to help particularly in our rest interval and we will be thinking about our form as we run for longer at the peak of the pyramid. Enjoy!

This is my weekly interval run session. My virtual run club! These sessions are for any level of runner as you can make the high intensity interval session as fast as you need it to be to make the session work for you. I suggest using these sessions once a week to help improve cardiac fitness and speed. The sessions are also designed to help you feel strong in your mind, body and breath. Do not run an interval session if you are injured and stop and seek help if you develop chest pain or shortness of breath that is more than you would expect. This session is written as a 5 minute warm up jog followed by 5 ( 3 minutes hard / 2 minutes rest interval ),  3 minutes cool down jog. The whole work out is 30 minutes long and the theme for our mind is Positive Visualisation.  Enjoy!

I am so pleased to welcome my good friend Louise on to Time to Talk.  In this episode we cover how we diagnose perimenopause and the key medical information you need to know.  Louise qualified from Bristol University in 2003. She completed 4 years as an Obstetrics and Gynaecology specialist trainee before changing career path to become a GP.  She has maintained her interest and passion for women’s health and became accredited as ‘GP with Special Interest’ in gynaecology in 2013. She went on to set up a successful community gynaecology clinic in west London where she worked for several years.  She is now based in Bath as a GP but also works as a specialty doctor in gynaecology. Her main area of interest is menopause, and she works closely with Dr Sarah Gray and Dr Jane Davis as a board member for the Primary Care Women’s Health Forum.   I invited Louise on to have a medical chat about menopause but I know she also is passionate about hormone related mood disorders so I am hoping we can also touch on this.    Medical treatments are only one way we can help manage the menopause. Listen out for our other episodes on how we can use our body and our mindset alongside good medical care.  Please message if you have any questions.  Enjoy the episode please subscribe and like. 

This is the second of my weekly run sessions.  The CST virtual run club.  These sessions are for any level of runner as you can make the high intensity interval session as fast as you need it to be to make the session work for you. I suggest using these sessions once a week to help improve cardiac fitness and speed. The sessions are also designed to help you feel strong in your mind, body and breath. Do not run an interval session if you are injured and stop and seek help if you develop chest pain or shortness of breath that is more than you would expect. This session is written as a 5 minute warm up jog followed by 6 ( 2.5 minutes hard / 2 minutes rest interval ),  3 minutes cool down jog. The whole work out is just over 30 minutes long and the theme for our mind this week is "Gratitude". Enjoy!

This is the first of my weekly interval run sessions.  My virtual run club!  These sessions are for any level of runner as you can make the high intensity interval session as fast as you need it to be to make the session work for you.  I suggest using these sessions once a week to help improve cardiac fitness and speed.  The sessions are also designed to help you feel strong in your mind, body and breath.  Do not run an interval session if you are injured and stop and seek help if you develop chest pain or shortness of breath that is more than you would expect.  This session is written as a 5 minute warm up jog followed by 6 ( 2 minutes hard / 2 minutes rest interval ),  3 minutes cool down jog. The whole work out is 30 minutes long and the theme for our mind is "Being connected and alive". Enjoy! 

TRIGGER WARNING - SUICIDE    This was a special episode recorded for #suicidepreventionday It is a hard topic and triggering for some people.  James had severe depression and intrusive suicidal thoughts and came forward to talk about his experience.   This is a very open, honest conversation about the first hand experience of men's mental ill health.  It may be hard to hear but it will hopefully help us all to understand what is happening when someone feels suicidal and will maybe help someone who is struggling to reach out for help.   I really hope it makes a small step towards reducing the stigma around men talking about their mental health.   If this is triggering for you or it makes you want to get help for yourself or someone else please get in touch.   Other resources  @samaritanscharity Your GP/ A and E @mindcharity @856foundation @nhs_prachealth @wellvetweekend @studentmindsorg @docs_in_distress

This year saw the first 8 stage Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, an event that excited female cyclists everywhere. If we see female cycle racing then it gives young women something to aspire to and work towards. Cycling is a great sport and it is wonderful to see it turning up on our screens and on social media more and more. Becky is a NHS and private physio in Cambridge but she is also a massive advocate for women cyclists.  She is a brand ambassador for Specialised and Lululemon and races for team Magspeed.  She regularly runs sessions on bike maintenance and strength and mobility sessions for cyclists and runners and recently she led a group cycle from London to Paris.   Womens cycling doesn't get the same coverage as men's cycling but there is a movement to try and change that.  Becky and I talk about the benefits of cycling as a woman and work to dispel any fears you may have at getting out there on 2 wheels.    Are you a female cyclist?  What stops you from cycling more?  https://www.becky-hair.co.uk/

Eating Disorders are often missed in certain people. The non white, overweight or athlete to mention a few groups. Often they can be linked with exercise, either the exercise is secondary to the eating disorder being used to drive weight down, or it is the primary factor leading to issues around eating. When we know exercise is so good for our mental health it is difficult to know how to manage it when working with eating disorders.  I met Renee virtually at an event run by the RCPsych on theis topic of Eating Disorders and Sport and have been really keen to get her on here to share her experience and knowledge.   We talk about Eating Disorders that are less visible and also explore the difference between movement for our mental health and exercise dependency and addiction. Renee is a leading Sports dietitian, specialising in Eating Disorders, REDs, The Female Athlete, Athlete health and performance. She heads up the Renee McGregor Team and is the author of several books including my current favourite in this area - "Orthorexia, When Healthy Eating Goes Bad".   Her practice and knowledge is supported by extensive experience of working in both clinical and performance nutrition, including,  Olympic (London, 2012), Paralympic (Rio, 2016) and Commonwealth (Queensland, 2018) teams.  She is presently working with a number of national governing bodies, including Scottish Gymnastics, The GB 24 hour Running squad, Scottish Ballet, Women’s Reading Football and England National Ballet. She has also provided CPD to The Welsh Institute of Sport and Sports Institute, Northern Ireland.  Hoping this helps anyone who is struggling with their eating. This is a difficult topic and this may be hard to listen to. Please do contact me if this triggers anything for you. 

This month is Menopause awareness month and I am so excited to bring on Lesley @wildcountrywomanhealthcoach   Lesley and I connected around 10 years ago when we were living in Bristol and I have watched her health coaching business develop and her knowledge in the field of perimenopause expand.   She is so passionate about helping women be "wildly well" during this transition. She sees it as an opportunity for us to focus or refocus on our health, wellbeing and personal passions and joy.   The key to this is understanding ourselves and the impact of hormone change both in the perimenopause but also beyond the menopause.  I love her positivity and approachability and I hope that this episode helps women listening to be inspired to look for ways to turn this phase into a positive experience.

This is a cyclist's special episode as I share my conversation with Ashleigh Moolman Pasio recorded this summer just after the Tour de France Femmes.  Ashleigh is a professional cyclist who needs little introduction. Her list of titles is expanding but includes 2 x Olympian, 2022 winner of the inaugural Tour de Romandie Feminin, 2020 UCI cycling e -sports world champion, Commonwealth Games Medalist (Glasgow), podium finisher at The Giro Rosa, La Course, and multiple times South African National Champion.  In the first Tour de France Femmes this year since 1989, Ashleigh was in the top 5 of the GC until the final stage when she had to withdraw due to illness.    I have been priviledged to see first hand Ashleigh's passion for developing a community of female cyclists through her business Rocacorba Collective and have loved being part of her A team last season racing on Zwift WTRL. Rocacorba Cycling is Ashleigh’s home and chosen training destination just outside Girona.   We talk about life inside the female peloton, the drive to lose the gender gap when it comes to cycling and sustainable living on Ashleigh's beautiful estate in the Catalan hills. Enjoy.