Creating Active Lives

In this week's episode I speak to Will Behenna about inclusive paddleboarding. Will  discusses his background in disability sports and adventure, particularly after sustaining a spinal injury in 1988.  We discuss: inclusive paddle boarding  the challenges of outdoor adventure  perceptions and mental barriers  customized seating and support  the mental health benefits  the physical accessibili...

 In this week's episode I am joined by  Vicky Hatch, an expert in aqua and aquatic activity, pre and postnatal exercise, diabetes, cardiac rehab, and pulmonary rehab. Vicky will be sharing her expertise on aquatic activity.  We discuss: Why  exercising in water is beneficial Aqua exercise for specific populations Safety and considerations for aqua exercise Fun and social aspects of aqua exerc...

In this episode Sarah is joined by her guest, Hannah Ashton. Hannah is a former occupational therapist and now a creative thinking coach. She shares her journey from working in the NHS as an occupational therapist to pursuing her passion for supporting business owners with creative thinking as a coach.  Sarah and Hannah discuss the importance of creativity in everyday life and its impact on our mi...

In this week's episode I talk to Claire Jones all about how to stop dieting and start losing weight. It can be so difficult to learn to manage food because it is part of our life. It is impossible to just remove it as we could something like alcohol. So how do we start to look at this differently. We discuss: the statistics for obesity and what they tell us how we can support people who’s hea...

In this week's episode I talk to Professor Anna Campbell, a specialist in oncology and exercise. This episode will hopefully be an eye opening one for those of you either supporting clients with cancer or perhaps you are living with cancer yourself. Anna is a leading expert and tells us the importance of exercise on the cancer journey. She explains why this exercise is important and why exerc...

In this week's episode I am talking to fellow dog lover Emily Thomas. I am so pleased to be able to share another form of exercise with you this week that you can enjoy with your pet dog. Emily talks to us about canicross, a type of exercise with your dog that sees your dog attached to you via a specialist belt for you, the runner; and a specialist harness and lead for the dog. We discuss wha...

In this week’s episode I am joined by Steve  Shreeve, a specialist in pre and post natal exercise. We talk about what brought him to specialise in an area mainly led by female instructors, a lesson in following what interests you. We also talk about the importance of pre and post natal exercise and the benefits it has. This is a fascinating interview and one from which I hope you will learn someth...

In this week's episode I am talking to experienced yoga teacher Penny Davies.  We discuss the power of stillness, why it is important and how she brings stillness to her students. We also talk about the idea of still ness through movement.  On a podcast entitled creating 'active' lives this discussion about active stillness is important and necessary. About Penny: Penny is a registe...

IMPORTANT NOTE:  This episode is the experience of one person affected by chronic fatigue.  For a large percentage of people with this condition, exercise or activity may not be possible and is therefore not recommended without the guidance and support of an appropriately qualified health professional and we recommend that you seek further advice before considering any form of activity or exercise...

Do you struggle with staying motivated to maintain an active lifestyle? In this episode  Kelly Cookson discusses with me the power of positive psychology in achieving overall health and wellness. Kelly shares her experience of blending mindset support with marketing strategy to help her clients overcome mindset blocks and reach their full potential. The discussion focuses on the four areas of heal...

In this week's episode I am talking to Sam James about disability and exercise. Sam shares with us her own journey of fitness as a disabled person and how that led her to train as a fitness instructor.  We talk about: what do disabled people want to see when accessing exercise some of the issues disabled people come across when accessing gyms and leisure centres the lack of understanding abou...

In this week's episode I speak with Theresa Wheatley from FitPro. As a fitness professional, I understand the importance of continuing professional development and was eager to discuss this topic with Theresa. FitPro provides education and support for fitness professionals, and we discussed how crucial it is to stay up-to-date with the latest research and evidence-based practices to better se...

In this week's episode I speak with Liz Tough who is a physiotherapist and also a stretch coach. In this fascinating discussion we talk about what it means to stretch, why it is important to stretch your muscles and when you should stretch. We discuss why it is important sometimes to stretch a muscle over resting it and how relaxing it can be to stretch. Liz will teach all of the things you d...

In this week's episode I talk to Heather Gwyneth Bird all about the power of nature. We discuss: the physiological benefits of being out in nature what is biophilia the art of forest bathing in Japan the chemicals that are released from the natural world that impact us on a cellular level the experience of being in nature how nature gives us a sense of perspective After this conversation with...

In this week's episode I am talking to Katie Knapton who is a physio with a special interest in women's health and incontinence. We discuss the importance of the topics of the pelvic floor and incontinence and the huge numbers of women impacted when things aren't functioning in the way we would like.  We discuss: how incontinence is seen as part of the ageing process or an expected...

In today's episode I am talking to Craig Blain who specialises in physical activity behaviour change. Craig supports organisations to apply the theory of behaviour change to their physical activity concept. We discuss: the benefits of long term movement what physical activity by stealth really means the physical activity spectrum the importance of play for adults how to build long lasting hab...

In this week's episode I talk to Mark Harris about working within the secure sector whether that be in a mental health facility to high security estate. He talks us through the range of challenges not just for someone leading fitness programmes in these settings but also for the people living within the settings. We cover some of the risks within these setting but also the positive impact mov...

In this week's episode I am talking to Ginny Gaunt about how she went from being an exercise giver upper to finding the right form of exercise for her and signing up for the adventure of a lifetime along the way. We discuss how people quit exercise because they think the problem lies with them rather than the class or exercise not being suitable at the time. We also explore why it's impo...

In this week's episode I am talking to Dr Sarah Gilchrist, an expert in sleep health. We talk about sleep health education, the importance of sleep and why good sleep is critical. Have you ever wondered how we fall asleep or how much sleep we actually need? Well Dr Sarah is here to share answers to all of these questions and so much more. This is such an interesting episode and I hope it will...

In this week's episode I am joined by Rachel Hubbard discussing all things perimenopause. Rachel shares with us her journey of being inspired by Jane Fonda to do aerobics which led her training to teach aerobics herself. She has a particular interest in perimenopause and provides us with some incredibly helpful ideas for how we can support ourselves during perimenopause. We discuss: the diffe...

In this first episode of the Creating Active Lives Podcast I want to introduce you to how I believe anyone can create an active life. With a long and diverse background in the health, fitness and exercise industry I have seen that getting active is different for everyone. Join me today as we discuss what being active can mean for each individual and how we can all make the most appropriate movemen...

In today's episode I am talking to transformational life coach, Nicola Mercer about building health through habits. We discuss: What do we mean by health? How can we make sport a daily habit The importance of movement The biggest barriers to people moving more and exercising How to start an exercise habit How to celebrate your achievements The ripple effect of change I would love to hear your...

In today's episode I talk to Elaine McNish about physical activity pathways. We cover why we talk about physical activity rather than exercise, behaviour change support and the exercise referral toolkit. We also think about what people are actually looking for in their activity and the importance of offering a variety of activity options to bring people back to physical activity.  About Elain...

In this episode I speak to Caroline Bramwell who shares with us her incredible journey from living a more sedentary lifestyle and being diagnosed with a long term condition to taking back control of her health and becoming a triathlete. Hear Caroline's story and be inspired that you can start a new movement activity, whatever you choose and whatever your circumstances. About Caroline: A self-...

Welcome to the Creating Active Lives Podcast. Join me in this short trailer to hear what I am going to be sharing with you each week. For more about the training and support Sarah offers, visit www.sarahbolitho.com or contact her at admin@sarahbolitho.com. Follow her on social media Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/fabnewlous_active_lives Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fitnesscareermentor...