Moving Minds Freeing Bodies: Recent Episodes
Stephen Fraser
Have you ever wondered what makes up good health? Well Stephen Fraser is here to break it down for you, from basic anatomy into nutrition, neuroscience, social-economic and cultural aspects. Stephen is a certified personal trainer and runs his own fitness studio in Glasgow, The FITT Principle. He is also studying Psychology and is an expert for the Be Well Collective, an organisation supporting young people and their mental health. He’s taking all this knowledge to help you better understand your body, health and the science behind it all. Stephen will be joined by guests, from professional athletes to psychologists, top coaches and business owners changing the wellness landscape, all of whom will discuss that week’s topic from a research and/or experience point of view, giving you an in-depth look into a variety of health and wellbeing topics. You can find us at:Instagram @stephenjafraserSpotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever you get your pods. Want to find out more about The FITT Principle, Be Well Collective and more?@TheFITTPrinciple@be_well_collective@runcrewrunThe FITT Principle
As Season 2 draws to a close, Stephen looks back on some of the highlights from the conversations he's had over the past few weeks - those which he believes will help you in your own journey of Moving Minds Freeing Bodies.
Below we've listed the guests you will hear from and the topic they're discussing:
John Loughton, Social Entrepreneur and Youth Rights Activist - What should drive your purpose and your 'Why'
Andrew Ritchie, Performance Breathworks - The differences in the types of breathing, how to regulate our breathing and helping our nervous system with diaphragmatic breathing.
Greig Corr-MacLeod, Athletics Coach; Body and Soul Fitness - How to frame running as part of your exercise routine
Sarah Allan, CrossFit Coach - Breaking down myths, such as lifting makes women ‘bulky’
Joslyn Thompson Rule and Christie Mitchell, Personal Trainers - How the menstrual cycle can potentially impact your training
Cam Cooney, Vedic Meditation Coach - A guided meditation
You can find all episodes from Season 1 and 2 on Apple, Spotify and TheFittPrinciple.com
You can find links to keep up with each of the guests below (in order of Season appearance):
Greig Corr-MacLeod - @bodyandsolefitness
Sarah Allan - @SaarahAllan
Andrew Ritchie - @performance_breathworks
Cam Cooney - @CamCooneyMeditation
John Loughton MBE - @JohnLoughton
Joslyn Thompson-Rule - @joslynthompsonrule
Christie Mitchell - @christiemitchellpt
Catch you in 2022, but in the meantime you can follow Stephen on various platforms:
@StephenjaFraser on Instagram
@TheFITTPrinciple on Instagram
TheFITTprinciple.com
And if you want to see what's playing in The FITT Principle Studio, you can follow the playlist - FITT Principle Studio Sounds
Today Stephen has two guests joining him - Joslyn Thompson Rule & Christie Mitchell - to talk all things menstrual cycle and how this can impact training.
Jos has been in the fitness industry for around 18 years, first in rehab and then moving into strength work. For the past 10 years she has been working with Nike as one of the Master Trainers and over the last 6 plus years, having noticed the difference in what was available to men and women, she has focused on elevating female coaches, training women and identifying differences in the training of men and women and how to address these.
Christie has been a personal trainer personal trainer for around 3 years, with a focus on unlocking the potential in her clients and showing them how capable they are.
They being by talking about women health and its relationship to training and why they believe that women's health is under researched, underfunded and still considered taboo, even though it affects and impacts so much of a woman's life.
You'll hear them take it right back to basics:
- laying out each stage of a woman's cycle,
- the average length (although this can obviously vary from person to person),
- the importance of nutrition in helping maintain a consistent cycle and what
- some of the benefits, and potential drawbacks, of tracking your period (or any other element of your life, ie sleep, hydration etc) can be.
Stephen asks Jos and Christie about working with someone on dietary changes and, with the consideration of cravings and mood fluctuations in mind throughout a cycle, would they try to begin this during a certain point of the menstrual cycle or just as soon as possible with a client?
Stephen also considers how best to approach the subject with clients, especially as everyone has a different relationship to their period and its impact on their body, and asks Jos and Christie how they think male personal trainers can help with fitness programming in relational to the menstural cycle and how to open the conversation with clients that experience a period.
You can follow Jos on Instagram @joslynthompsonrule or via her website.
You can follow Christie on Instagram @christiemitchellpt and her website will be launching very soon!
Moving Minds Freeing Bodies is out every Thursday at 09:00 GMT.
You can find our host Stephen on various platforms:
@StephenjaFraser on Instagram
@TheFITTPrinciple on Instagram
TheFITTprinciple.com
And if you want to see what's playing in The FITT Principle Studio, you can follow the playlist - FITT Principle Studio Sounds
As always, you can drop us a message at any of the links above - we'd love to hear from you!
Today's episode is a wide ranging one and we think you'll have many take aways after hearing it, as Stephen sits down with John Loughton - Social Entrepreneur, Youth Rights Campaigner and Leadership Coach. He is the CEO of Dare to Lead and Scran Academy, a skills social enterprise which has produced over 150,000 meals for families during the pandemic and continues to do so.
John has also raised over £6.5 million for good causes, and spoken to over 1 million people in over 55 different countries - just wait until you hear some of the power people and organisations he has addressed around the world.
Together, John and Stephen discuss the 'Why' we each have behind what we do (our purpose), as well as the importance of 'Yes' and the correlation between the two.
They touch on so many interesting topics throughout their discussion, including:
- The behavioural psychology behind our actions and the two motivators of behaviour
- Beauty standards across industries
- Authentic representation of self in the world
- Why John loves working with young people, what we can learn from them and helping to empower the next generation
- How to reach the older generation or those out with your own echo chamber, who have their own learned behaviours ingrained in them
- Personal brand building and the four questions to ask yourself.
Want to keep up to date with all of the work John does? Here is where you can find him and his various organisations:
You can follow John at on Instagram @JohnLoughton or via Twitter
To find out more about Dare to Lead head to their website or Instagram @dare2lead
You can find Scran Academy on Instagram @ScranAcademy or via their website. You can also purchase one of the food hampers mentioned in the episode here
You can watch John's TEDxTalk from 2015 here and his TEDxQMU Talk from 2020 here
Moving Minds Freeing Bodies is out every Thursday at 09:00 GMT.
You can find our host Stephen on various platforms:
@StephenjaFraser on Instagram
@TheFITTPrinciple on Instagram
TheFITTprinciple.com
And if you want to see what's playing in The FITT Principle Studio, you can follow the playlist - FITT Principle Studio Sounds
As always, you can drop us a message at any of the links above - we'd love to hear from you!
Today Stephen chats, and mediates, with Cam Cooney a meditation expert based in Glasgow and originally from Australia.
Please note that during this episode you will hear briefs mentions and discussions around drugs, alcohol, mental health and suicide.
Stephen finds out how Cam came across meditation following a broken back when he was 19, his journey since then and why he found meditation to be a powerful tool.
They look at the modern day culture and society we find ourselves in, including how we are frequently engaging our fight or flight response and what this can lead to.
Stephen asks Cam if he sees meditation as more of a spiritual practice, or as a data led mechanism to help us cope with the society we live in today and they chat about what you should expect from a meditation session.
Have you ever wondered whether meditation apps are are worth it? Well you'll hear Cam's thoughts on this as he tells Stephen whether or not he thinks apps are a good gateway to get started in meditation or if they too generic, as well as what styles of meditation do they use.
You can find the meditation starting at around 26 minutes, with Cam first explaining his meditation method and techniques. You’ll also find out the benefits of this type of meditation and what the 'after glow' of meditation is.
During November, Cam is doing Movember in a big way to raise money for the Movember charity for Mens Mental Health - he is not only growing a moustache but doing movement and hosting an event, both of which he explains in more detail, including the person reason why he’s going all in this year.
If you want to find our more about Cam’s work (and see the tache’s growth…) you can follow Cam via Instagram at @CamCooneyMeditation. You can also donate to his Movember Mindset Movements efforts here.
Moving Minds Freeing Bodies is out every Thursday at 09:00 GMT.
You can find our host Stephen on various platforms:
@StephenjaFraser on Instagram
@TheFITTPrinciple on Instagram
TheFITTprinciple.com
And if you want to see what's playing in The FITT Principle Studio, you can follow the playlist - FITT Principle Studio Sounds
As always, you can drop us a message at any of the links above - we'd love to hear from you!
Today's episode is all about breathing and there are some many interesting topics covered as Stephen sits down to chat with Andrew Ritchie of Performance Breathworks a health organisation focused on breath work and movement techniques.
Andrew discusses how breathing work can help enhance performance in many areas including recovery, mindful awareness, manage sleep and stress and increased concentration.
The two look at different ways people breathe and what diaphragmatic breathing is and the benefits of this over chest breathing, plus some tips if you want to consciously move away from nasal breathing to see some of these benefits.
You'll also hear them talk about:
- How Andrew got into this area of work
- The 'Why' behind why we breathe
- What HRV stands for and its importance
- The framework Andrew suggests for stating breathe pattern work
You can find out more about Andrew and his work at @performance_breathworks on Instagram or via their website performancebreathworks.com.
They offer free consultations call to, which will allow you to discuss the packages they have available and the benefits of these. You'll find details of how to contact them via their website.
Additionally, they have a special code for listeners that would like to try out their services for FREE for a month. The code is PBFITT
Moving Minds Freeing Bodies is out every Thursday at 09:00 GMT.
You can find our host Stephen on various platforms:
@StephenjaFraser on Instagram
@TheFITTPrinciple on Instagram
TheFITTprinciple.com
And if you want to see what's playing in The FITT Principle Studio, you can follow the playlist - FITT Principle Studio Sounds
As always, you can drop us a message at any of the links above - we'd love to hear from you!
Today Stephen looks at self-care; the ways that it can potentially lead to narcissism, the profits it can lavish on businesses whilst they're highlighting your insecurities, how the term 'self-care' has be co-oped by businesses, the history of self-care and more.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
UK needs more focus on self-care by Hearst Media
Self Care Trends by IRi Worldwide
The self-help industry helps itself to billions of dollars by Brainblogger
The history of self-care by Slate
Moving Minds Freeing Bodies is out every Thursday at 09:00 GMT.
You can find our host Stephen on various platforms:
@StephenjaFraser on Instagram
@TheFITTPrinciple on Instagram
TheFITTprinciple.com
And if you want to see what's playing in The FITT Principle Studio, you can follow the playlist - FITT Principle Studio Sounds
As always, you can drop us a message at any of the links above - we'd love to hear from you!
This week Stephen chats to Sarah Allan, a Crossfit coach and athlete.
They chat about Sarah's time playing badminton before a skiing injury, surgery and long recovery brought that to an end.
Sarah discusses how she got in to Crossfit, what Crossfit is, what drew her to that type of training, the community element of the sport and training and her own personal journey from training to coaching.
Together they also do some myth-busting, with Sarah debunking some of the stereotypes around Crossfit training.
In addition to coaching and her own training, Sarah also runs workshops and coaching sessions around nutrition, which she discusses with Stephen, including the importance to her of working with young girls and the impact female hormones and menstrual cycles can have on training.
If you want to follow Sarah, you can find her on Instagram at @SaarahAllan. You can also visit Glasgow's Crossfit page, where Sarah is a coach, at @CrossFitGlasgow.
Moving Minds Freeing Bodies is out every Thursday at 09:00 GMT.
You can find our host Stephen on various platforms:
@StephenjaFraser on Instagram
@TheFITTPrinciple on Instagram
TheFITTprinciple.com
And if you want to see what's playing in The FITT Principle Studio, you can follow the playlist - FITT Principle Studio Sounds
As always, you can drop us a message at any of the links above - we'd love to hear from you!
This week Stephen is joined by Greig Corr-Macleod, a Scottish athletics coach and personal trainer.
They discuss how Greig got in to running, why he chose to stick with it and how his training has developed over the years as he has better understood his body and his own approach to fitness and health.
Looking to get into running or want to develop your routine? The guys chat about their idea of a 'running starter kit', including topics such as - habit formation, motivation, tips, training and more.
If you're looking to build on your distance running, whether that be a 10k or a marathon, Stephen and Greig talk about the importance and benefits of not just clocking up those training miles but also adding in strength work to your programme.
They also cover topics such as running shoes, how to improve your times, the culture of 'no pain, no gain', and how our bodies were made to run.
If you want to follow Greig, you can find him at:
@bodyandsolefitness on Instagram or at bodyandsolefitness.co.uk
Moving Minds Freeing Bodies is out every Thursday at 09:00 GMT.
You can find our host Stephen on various platforms:
@StephenjaFraser on Instagram
@TheFITTPrinciple on Instagram
TheFITTprinciple.com
And if you want to see what's playing in The FITT Principle Studio, you can follow the playlist - FITT Principle Studio Sounds
As always, you can drop us a message at any of the links above - we'd love to hear from you!
Stephen's back with Season 2 and you might notice some changes, mainly a new name!
Don't worry, everything you loved about Season 1 remains, and Stephen talks through the changes and what Moving Minds Freeing Bodies is all about.
He also touches on his own personal background, which leads us into today's discussion on cognitive bias within the fitness industry - noting that all humans are susceptible to falling victim to cognitive bias but what is it and how do we get around it?
Don't forget, you can go back and listen to Season 1 episodes, where you'll hear some great discussions with athletes and other industry professionals on overcoming injury, the importance of sleep, mental health and much more!
Want to keep up with all things FITT Principle? You can find us on instagram at @TheFITTPrinciple or you can visit our website at The FITT Principle. We'd love to hear from you and if there are ever any topics you'd like us to cover, please fire us an email!
Today Stephen is talking men’s mental health, the men’s identity crisis and the importance of being vulnerable with Dr Fraser Smith a counselling psychologist.
Together they chat about the way Dr Fraser has seen landscape of men’s mental health change in recent years and what he thinks the male identity crisis is, including whether he think this has changed since his TEDTalk in 2019.
They also look at the relationship between the mental health and fitness industries and how they could and should collaborate more, as well as the benefits of movement for our mental health and wellbeing.
Why it is important to be vulnerable and break down barriers to ensure that people reach the growth that they want to achieve.
Dr Fraser explains some of the coping mechanisms he has found work best for his male clients, as well as what you should try to avoid saying, plus what may be helpful, to those that may reach out and look to open up to you - advice which can be beneficial whether you're talking to the men or women in your life about mental health topics.
Appreciating that, for many, there can be a cost barrier for access mental health services on a long-term basis, they discuss the services that are available, both immediate and long term, for people regardless of their economic situation.
Finally, they touch on what Fraser’s aspirations are for his legacy within the work that he is doing.
Dr Fraser has a number of resources that are available for you to via social media:
Get Psyched, his online Psychology Community
Instagram
Mini YouTube Series on Men's Mental Health
YouTube Channel
Website
Facebook
LinkedIn
Psychology Scotland is Dr Fraser's practice, which can be found in Glasgow City Centre.
You can find out more about the practice via their:
Instagram
Website
You can also find Dr Fraser's TEDxTalk on the Male Identity Crisis, given in 2019 in Glasgow, here.
We know that some people may require immediate help with their mental health - if you have listened to this episode and need to reach out for help, or know someone that does, please get in touch with these free, confidential services that are here to support you, regardless of the time of day or night.
- Call 116 123 to talk to Samaritans, or email: jo@samaritans.org for a reply within 24 hours
- Text "SHOUT" to 85258 to contact the Shout Crisis Text Line, or text "YM" if you're under 19
- If you're under 19, you can also call 0800 1111 to talk to Childline. The number will not appear on your phone bill.
Information via NHS - Where to get Urgent Help for Mental Health
Today Stephen is joined by Nicole Perry, a Scottish banker based in London, an amateur cyclist who aims to complete all 21 stages of the Tour de France, for charity, in 2022.
The Tour is known to be one of, if not the, most difficult sporting events, which takes place over 23 days and more than 3,400km.
They chat about how Nicole took up cycling (which is much more recent than you would think) and the freedom it helps bring to her life, why she decided to do this challenge, and support a charity, Cure Leukaemia, in the process, plus how she has found training to aid in building her mental resilience and how exercising in nature has helped her mental wellbeing.
Stephen and Nicole also look at ultra-endurance events, such as cycling, and the fact that women are massively underrepresented in these events. They discuss why this may be and what this means to Nicole, including the representation of women in sport as a whole.
For those looking to take on their own challenge, or wondering how Nicole does it all, they also look at how she balances training around her everyday job and personal life, including some tips she’s learned during this process, plus the importance of implementing recovering time into her life and routine, and tips on how to move from treating your sport as a ‘hobby’ to an endurance level, if that is a challenge you are considering.
Nicole sets off on her Tour de France journey on 21 June 2022. You can support Nicole and Cure Leukaemia via her Virgin Money Giving page here.
You can also follow Nicole’s journey via Instagram @_NicolePerry, Strava and keep up to date with everything she’s doing on her LinkedIn page.
If you would like to follow this year’s team on their journey, you can do so on Instagram at @TheTour21.
As always, we will be back with a new episode every Thursday at 9am and you can find us on Instagram at:
This week, Stephen is looking back on the discussions he has brought you so far, helping to collate a starting point which essentially The Foundations of Good Health.
This episode covers:
- Motivation
- Limiting Beliefs
- Strength Guidance
- Sleep
- Self Care & Nature.
All of our guests so far make an appearance in this episode, including:
- Emma Canning
- Amy Connell
- Luke Worthington
- Kerri Major
- Dr Wendy Stewart
- Zoe Black and Hannah Ranaldi
You can find more information, see what Stephen is up to and let him know your thoughts via Instagram at both @thefittprinciple and @stephenjafraser.
Today Stephen delves into the topic of sleep with Dr. Wendy Stewart, a paediatric neurologist and associate professor and director of humanities at Dalhousie Medicine in New Brunswick, Canada.
They explore why we sleep and why it’s important for not only our body’s physical health but also our mental health, plus what the circadian rhythm is and how it fluctuates.
They have an interesting discussion on the different stages of sleep we go through in our sleep cycles and if one of these stages is most important to our body. We’ve all heard that we should get 8-hours sleep a night but is this still the gold standard or has this become more flexible and based on the individual?
You’ll also hear them talk about; the symptoms of sleep deprivation, the impacts of technology on our sleep, what the biggest implications of poor sleep are to your long-term health and some tips of how to improve your sleep.
Sleep for adults isn't their only focus, with the importance of sleep for children and teenagers being discussed to, including the importance of establishing ‘good sleep hygiene’ in kids.
You can find more information on Dr Wendy, including her education, areas of research, some publications and awards and honours, plus more, here.
If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget that you can catch new ones every Thursday at 9am wherever you get your podcasts.
You can follow us on social media via:
@stephenjafraser
@TheFITTPrinciple
@BHMedia
This week Stephen sits down withs Luke Worthington, a Sport Scientist, Coach and Nike Trainer to chat about how Luke started his coaching career over 20 years ago, became affiliated with Nike in the last five years and more.
They discuss why resistance-based training is important for creating a healthy body and Luke’s five pillars of health and wellness, the myths around strength training and muscle building and why clients start coming to the gym versus why they become committed to their training programmes, plus how Luke approaches formulating his clients' training schedules.
Luke explains his view that the fitness industry's barrier to entry for the public can be too high but the barrier to entry for coaches and trainers too low, and how he, and the industry as a whole, can work on combatting this. They also look at the new online platforms and technologies which have gained a following during the pandemic, and what these mean for the fitness industry and personal training.
Luke also shares what he is looking forward to and his future goals, both personally and within the fitness industry as a whole.
If want to follow Luke and everything he is getting up to you can do so via his:
Website: LukeWorthington.com
Instagram: LukeWTraining
Twitter: LukeWTraining
If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget that you can catch new ones every Thursday at 9am wherever you get your podcasts.
You can follow us on social media via:
@stephenjafraser
@TheFITTPrinciple
@BHMedia
Today Stephen chats with guest Amy Connell, a Team GB athlete in the discipline of Karate. Amy is a Senior European Bronze medallist and a Paris Open K1 Silver medallist.
Amy talks to Stephen about how she got into the sport of karate and later overcame a potentially career ending injury.
The two also discuss the importance of mindset, motivation and how to overcome limiting beliefs, plus any pre-event routines Amy has.
If you want to keep an eye on Amy’s journey, you can follow her on Instagram via @littleconnell
If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget that you can catch new ones every Thursday at 09:00 wherever you get your podcasts.
You can follow us on social media via:
@stephenjafraser
@TheFITTPrinciple
This week Stephen talks to two psychologists, Zoe Black (Sports and Exercise) and Hannah Ranaldi (Applied Health). They discuss the differences in their field and the biggest impacts and effects the COVID-19 lockdown has had on them, those they are close with and their clients.
The learning that has taken place as a result of COVID-19 is an key topic of this week’s episode, with Stephen, Zoe and Hannah looking at the importance of community and nature for our mental health and more, plus the increase in health anxieties alongside those who have become more aware of their own health and well-being. The three also have an interesting discussion when sharing their approaches and thoughts around self-care.
They touch on the role of public health, the government and those in the sport and medical fields in helping people on their health journeys.
You’ll also hear Hannah and Zoe discuss their hopes for future developments within their fields and what they want to focus on moving forward.
Sources mentioned:
Social Identity and Group Network (SIGN)
A Social Cure for Better Health – Research Impact
If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget that you can catch new ones every Thursday at 09:00 wherever you get your podcasts.
You can follow us on social media via:
@stephenjafraser
@TheFITTPrinciple
Today Stephen talks to Scottish heptathlete Emma Canning. They discuss what the heptathlon is and how Emma took up the sport before talking about changing coaches and Emma’s move to France.
They also look at how to mentally tackle challenges, in Emma’s case events that are her strongest within the heptathlon, the importance of a strong support network, holding yourself accountable, learning how to switch off, the impacts of social media and Emma’s future goals.
If you want to follow Emma’s journey you can find her on Instagram at @ec4nning.
If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget that you can catch new ones every Thursday wherever you get your podcasts.
You can follow us on social media via:
@stephenjafraser
@TheFITTPrinciple
In this first episode Stephen is joined by Kerri Major, a registered dietitian as well as a personal trainer and author of ‘The Dietitian’s Kitchen’.
In this episode they discuss the role of a dietitian, how Kerri got into the profession and the differences between a dietitian and a nutritionist.
Stephen asks Kerri about some longstanding dietitians’ advice that she feels stands the test of time, nutritional basics and the fads that she finds frustrating as both a dietitian and personal trainer, plus the impacts of social media.
They also look at the increased interest in meat and dairy alternatives, sustainable options for the planet and the benefits of good gut health plus more.
If you want to keep up with Kerri’s journey as a dietitian and PT you can follow her at @the_dietitian_kitchen and you can purchase her book ‘The Dietitian Kitchen’ at your preferred bookstore.
Sources Mentioned:
HCPC List of Registered Dietitians
UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists
If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget that you can catch new ones every Thursday wherever you get your podcasts.
You can follow us on social media via:
@stephenjafraser
@TheFITTPrinciple
Join Stephen, a certified personal trainer and who runs his own fitness studio in Glasgow, The FITT Principle, an expert for the Be Well Collective and psychology student as he provides you with the tools to help you better understand your body, health and the science behind it all.
Stephen will also be joined by guests such as athletes, psychologists, innovative business owners and more to discuss and explore these topics.
You can find new episodes every Thursday wherever you get your podcasts.