Make Movement Matter with Wendy Welpton

It’s fascinating to discover the role some of our senses have in transforming the way we move.  In the latest episode of the Make Movement Matter podcast, I talk with Amanda Kemp, a pilates teacher with a deep understanding of how 3 of our senses can materially affect our movement patterns and therefore our practical abilities.  Amanda shares her journey of studying these sensory connections to he...

Are you ready to shift your perspective on fitness? In the latest episode of the Make Movement Matter podcast, I chat with Janey Holliday, who went from being a self-confessed exercise hater to a thriving fitness coach and now mindset coach. Together, we dive deep into how our mindset shapes our relationship with movement and why it’s essential to challenge the traditional narratives surrounding e...

Get ready to get down! 🌟🧘‍♀️ In this solo episode of the Make Movement Matter podcast, I’m going to do my best to convince you about the benefits of creating a new daily habit and how easily you can incorporate it. The habit is getting down to the ground and spending some time there daily!  It may sound simple to some, but in our modern world, it’s an often underused and for some bodies, almost...

Who knew the power a mere banana could have on your wellbeing! However this is not a discussion about nutrition. Instead, it’s about encouraging us to see past the ‘movement metrics’ we can so easily get caught up in, and helping us look inward to notice how moving, and particularly moving together, makes us feel in our bodies and minds and therefore benefits our lives.  Elaine Hart is the self-na...

Many movement systems which were practised many centuries ago are still used today. To stand the test of time, they must be beneficial. One that caught my eye a few years ago, when I was looking at ways to move that would nourish my body, rather than tax it and put stress on it, was Qigong. Annabel Deans was looking for the same reasons during lockdown and now loves teaching this incredible system...

In this episode, I’m talking to author and health coach Susan Saunders who shares her own experience with dementia and its impact on her family.  After navigating this incredibly challenging phase in her life (and having witnessed her mother go through the same experience with Susan’s grandmother) she became determined to look for ways she could help herself try to prevent dementia.  Susan then we...

I learned so much in this episode with Leah Levitan about a system in the body I knew very little about; the lymphatic system, perhaps the unsung hero of our bodies. Leah made a great case for the crucial role the lymphatic system plays which can often be overshadowed by the better known cardiovascular system, despite their close connection.  You'll learn to recognise signs of poor lymphatic funct...

For the start of Season 3, I invited Jess Meredith, a neuro-diversity expert, to discuss the essential role of movement in our workplaces and schools. Jess talks and leads workshops about neuro-inclusivity and helping everyone to look at the environments they spend time in and think about changes that can be made to suit the needs of everyone.  Jess shares tools and ways of interacting that help p...

It's the last of 5 Summer (feels like a stretch to call it at that, here in the UK!) Mini Episodes.   This week I'm turning the tables and asking you to answer 3 questions about how you move in daily life.   Changing the way I see movement and how I move in daily life has helped me make big changes in my body and mind and I believe it can for anyone who really wants to make lifelong changes.    I...

Healthy, happy hips are so important for maintaining optimal overall movement and particularly upright movement.  In this fourth summer mini episode, I share the importance of hip health and help you see how our modern lifestyles can work against it, leading to tightness, weakness and often pain.  As ever, I share simple, practical tips to keep your hips mobile and strong in ways you may not usual...

We all know that balancing is a fundamental movement skill, but let’s be honest, it can easily become overlooked when there are so many other exercises that we are told to give high priority.  In this third summer mini solo episode my aim is to inspire you to start practising this skill more in your daily life, to keep doing upright movements with control and confidence for as long as you can.   I...

For the second summer mini solo episode, I’m talking feet, how they move in relation to how the rest of us moves and the benefits of going barefoot. I’m sharing some foot facts and related practical tips with some additional ways to care for our feet for improved movement health. Chapters 01:00 The Importance of the Brain-Body Connection for Foot Health 03:11 Stimulating Nerve Endings and Improvin...

For the first summer Mini solo episode, I talk about the importance of thinking about overall daily movement, not just exercise and I offer some practical tips to become more aware of your movement, including sitting actively and ways of taking regular breaks to move. Chapters 00:00 The Importance of Daily Movement 01:27 The Negative Effects of Prolonged Sitting 03:23 Strategies for Incorporating...

How often do you get to hear the pearls of wisdom that someone who’s been on the planet for 103 years can share. Not often!  In the last interview style podcast of Season 2, I had the massive honour of speaking with the wonderful Dr. Gladys McGarey, who is no less than 103!  Having read her inspiring book, ‘The Well-Lived Life’ it was brilliant to be able to delve into the significance of movement...

Trigger Warning: This episode discuss cancer diagnosis, treatment and more in detail. Please take care of yourself, and hit pause at any stage and if now isn't the right time to listen, please to feel free to come back at a better time for you or those around you.   After seeing images on Instagram of Louise Butcher crossing the line of the London Marathon with such pride, I realised what I was se...

I didn’t realise that the way our feet move; the space we give the toes to splay, the importance of  stimulation by varied surfaces, the level of movement in and the alignment of our big toes and more, can hugely affect the way our entire body moves…until I became injured and was searching for anything that might help me get out of pain.  However, I was aware that when I wore narrow or heeled shoe...

In a change to the normal format, today I’m going solo to talk to you about ageing. Why? Because I turned 50 yesterday! Woop woop! The move into a new decade affects everyone differently, as does the ageing process and yet we all have quite set thoughts on how we see the ageing process, particularly with regards to our ability to keep moving and what we expect of ourselves and others at each age. ...

Navigating this part of life myself, I know how important it is to be open and discuss the importance of movement through what can be a turbulent and confusing time.  I really enjoyed talking to Dr. Katie Hilton and Dr. Laura Clark who founded The Lifestyle Health Clinic to help midlife women with their health and well-being during perimenopause and menopause; giving women time to really understan...

Getting outdoors, meeting and moving in a wide range of ways, with a wide range of people and learning about yourself in the process, is a really special combination.   I’ve had the pleasure of knowing this week’s podcast guests; Gill Erskine & Andrew Telfer, for a while now. I’ve even been fortunate enough to experience some of their magic, at a Wildstrong certification weekend. I came away h...

Playing is such an innate part of growing up that brings so many more benefits than we realise, so what stops us playing as adults? I hadn’t even thought of what play meant to me until I started searching for a way of moving that I knew I could keep doing after injury for life. Speaking to Darryl Edwards, founder of the Primal Play Method, I wanted to find out how he found play again and particula...

On her Instagram page, Lucy Butler decided to share her passion for gardening that has helped her so much with her struggles with her mental health. In so doing, she gives hope to many and gains a community herself.  The topic of this year’s Mental Health Awareness week is ‘Movement: Moving more for our mental health’. When Lucy reached out to me, I knew this was the perfect topic as it has such w...

In the second episode of season 2, I have a conversation that resonated very strongly with my own experience of pain and recovery.   Samphire Hayes reached out to me about her story and I replied immediately. We share a story of chronic pain and of having to search for why our bodies were reacting that way.  Our solutions were similar in terms of adopting a natural movement lifestyle and Samphire...

What better time to think about improving your walking technique, than May, ‘National Walking Month’ in the UK.  In this energetic conversation with Joanna Hall, founder of Walk Active, we dig into some walking nitty-gritty. We discuss the benefits of walking and perfecting technique, through to practical tips about footwear, discussing the use of poles, backpacks and more.  Joanna’s aim is to hel...

It’s the final episode of the 1st season of ‘Make Movement Matter’! For the finale, I was grateful to be joined by my dear friend, mentor and fellow small business owner; Jane Tarrant. With incredible passion about her subject, you will undoubtedly be inspired and energised by this conversation.  Jane clearly conveys the importance of learning how to breathe well for optimal health, something she...

So often, people take a path in life due to significant experiences that change their trajectory. Caz Hitchcock is one such person. Her career as a self-proclaimed, ‘human movement expert’ has been shaped by her own personal experience of multiple surgeries at an early age.  In this episode focussing on the less-explored subject of scar tissue, I asked Caz to inform us about the specifics; what sc...