Are We Still Here?

Third time special guest, Fai Lucas (aka Sacha’s mum), joins us for this week’s pod. We each ask 1 burning question about coaching clients wants vs needs, having a personality for fitness, and what we’d have done differently if we started again. Let us know your own answers to this week’s questions or tag us where you’re listening on social.

Do you attach too much to your health and fitness? Your success? Whether you’ve had a good day or not? Today Jess and Sacha discuss why it’s not always wise to attach too much to your own consistency. The reality of uncertainty is inevitable, so being aware of that and also comfortable knowing you can’t always. As always like, share and tag us in your stories on social wherever you’re listening!

Pull that chair up a little closer, you’re going to want to listen to this one. There’s 3 things that make you different from the person next to you: your biology, your social context and your psychology. This week Sacha and Jess dive into what each of these mean for your health, and why one size, doesn’t fit all. Don’t forget to reach out to @sachalucas_ & @s3lfuk - we love to hear from you!

Confidence comes through knowledge and experience, right? Yet how can we tell the difference between those who are great at shouting the loudest Vs those who actually know their stuff? When you feel confident enough in something like fitness, does that mean you’re done learning? This week JESS & Sacha dive into the Dunning-Kruger effect, and talk all about how confidence, doesn’t necessarily mean...

Don’t get the ick, this podcast ep is worth hanging around for. When you think cardio, you may think uncomfortable, sweaty, lungs are about the burst activity. But it’s a bit from the truth. The benefits of cardio are for our cardiovascular health: think the heart, blood vessels and blood. And although that means the body is going to be working, it might look a little different to you first think....

The human body is a complex series of systems which allows us to produce energy and function optimally for our daily lives. Yet when it comes to exercise, a lot of people don’t consider how and where their energy gets spent. What’s the benefits to training each energy system and what’s some of the downfalls? How do we know where to spend time for our goals and how learning more, could unlock your...

“The truth will set you free but at first it will piss you off.” Have you heard nutrition advice over the years, which at the time seemed to be all bells and whistles? Same. But how quickly did you come to the realisation it might have had some sketchy science or was a bit of a marketing campaign? We get it. Today’s pod is all about those bits of nutrition advice which have left a lingering bad sm...

What happens when your goal changes? What are some of the reasons that make our goals change? How do we manage that feeling of change whether it's either positive or negative? Join Jess & Sacha this week as they discuss getting clear on your goals and adapting as they change. As always if you’ve enjoyed this week’s podcast, please like, share and subscribe!

This week’s podcast is all about diet strategies. What advice has become popular over the years? Are these tips helpful, and how can you work out what’s going to be useful for you if you’re trying to improve your diet. Building your awareness around what’s out there being said, is a great place to start to build up your own picture. If you’ve liked this week’s pod, don’t forget to let us know on s...

If something seems necessary or enjoyable, the chances of you being consistent or sticking with it are always going to be much greater. In this week’s pod Sacha and Jess dive into what it means to enjoy exercise. Is it a feeling we’re chasing, a sense of belonging or even a way to stay accountable? What makes one thing helpful and another less so. Take a listen to this week’s episode and tell us y...

What’s the benefits to having your whole training structure planned out? How about the cons? Today Jess & Sacha discuss the thoughts behind structure and how this can impact progress. Does progress look different for each of us? Is it linear or if not, what should we expect? As always keep us posted on your thoughts!

This is a question that comes up a lot. But why do we think it? Where have we got the idea from that we’re not pushing ourselves hard enough? For what reason or goal? In this week’s episode Jess & Sacha explore why we push ourselves with excessive amounts of exercise, ignore our body’s red flags, and side step the principles of recovery. Understand at what point do we experience diminishing return...

Jess and Sacha are back with episode 52 of the Are We Still Here podcast! It’s been a year and we’re very grateful to all of you for sticking around. The topic for today is relatability, and whether that’s important for hiring someone within the fitness industry. We believe that relatability is great when it comes to character, values and goals – but not so helpful when it comes to habits you thin...

Did you know, only 5% of us are reaching the UK’s guidelines of 2 strength sessions a week? On this week’s pod, Sacha and Jess discuss the benefits, their own why and how to apply it all when you get on the gym floor. If you’ve liked this week’s episode. Don’t forget to like, share and subscribe.

Whether it’s your emotional brain responding in the heat of the moment or your logical brain kicking in after some thought, this week we’re talking external people impacting your decisions. When it comes to your health and fitness there are other factors at play. Friends, family and social media are a couple we dig deeper on in this week’s podcast. If you’re enjoying AWSH don’t forget to leave us...

This week Sacha and Jess are joined by special guest and fellow coach, Craig Massey @craigmasseycoach. Craig (Mass) has been a coach in the industry for over a decade and heads up Opex Manchester. Expect conversation around motivation, discipline and admiration. What are we striving for with our health and fitness? But more importantly, who are we doing it for? If you’ve liked this week’s podcast,...

From Kim Kardashian’s Met Gala health faux pas, to sharing our own health extremes, Sacha and Jess delve into what it means to find true body autonomy. What does feeling in tune with your own body look like, and how can we find ways to help our own understanding of how to get there. Don’t forget to share, like and subscribe!

How we see, feel and think about ourselves matters. But how often do we check in with our actions and intentions? Explore this week’s episode where Sacha and Jess discuss everything from Susan Boyle’s first audition to the feeling of belonging in your workout class.

Fitness magazines or content as a whole can be confusing. “Do this, but don’t do that.” So this week Sacha & Jess dive deep into Women’s Health magazine and call out, offer our take on, and dissect some of the content. If you’re enjoying this pod, please head over to socials and let us know what you think by sharing the wealth. Spreading the word helps the pod grow, big love!

Find yourself feeling counterproductive if you’re not always working towards something? How about like there’s not enough hours in the day to do what you want to do? We feel you. In fact it’s a pretty common feeling as we delve deeper on today’s pod. Expect a new jingle and a segment where we highlight the fitness BS we’ve seen this week and question “are we still here?”

A lot of people want to “get strong” but few know where to start. Like anything with your fitness, there are systems to help you grow. Sacha and Jess cover why progressions in the strength are important but also how you might go about to your own differently.

Training for a 5k, 10k, or even a marathon – is a lot harder than you think. On this episode we talk about how important setting intentions are when it comes to goals that are going to be a little more challenging. Jess takes us through her experience training a lot differently for the Manchester Marathon this Sunday, and Sacha goes through her why’s behind Jess’s programming, and why, when traini...

Is your own expectation of what you can achieve holding you back? Whether that’s putting too much pressure on, or in some instances too little? In this pod, Sacha and Jess explore some of the caveats, what that means for overall health, and how you can start to action in your own life too.

This week Sacha and Jess put it to the vote. Would you still exercise if it had no impact on weight or aesthetics? Would you still do what you do with your health and fitness if you could tell no one about it? Let us know your thoughts on this weeks pod!

Skipping breakfast, over-consuming caffeine, rushing your workouts might all be poor habits and behaviours you’ve picked up over time. You might notice you’re doing some of these, or you also might not. The importance of being aware of what we’re doing day-to-day matters for your health. Being quick to address what you view as the little things, might actually be the big things if you give them a...