Cold Water is our simple connection to the outdoors - Episode 120 - Gilly McArthur

Hey there and welcome to the weMove podcast .
 
The next episode in our exploration of the nervous system, this week Chris talks Dom Koch, one of the practitioners we have worked with for many years, about how the nervous system is the governing body for our movements, but when it feels unsafe or from past experiences, it might reduce the number of options available to the body.
 
The body is always giving you the truth, telling you where you are at. How we respond to that truth is crucial in moving forward.
 
Do you force yourself to move or do you let your body move into place? Allowing our bodies to move, the body will more likely move in the way you want it to. Forcing anything, never really works.
 
There is no right or wrong in movement but there are options, many of which might be forgotten, ignored, shut off from due to pain, memory, past experience
 
 Your body will use what it has and deems safe, but it might not be the most efficient. If there is then pain then it creates limitations on how the body can move and in turn how we feel in space, in the environment around us.
 
 Dom’s work is a mirror to remind the users body of movement options and in turn show the body that it has nothing to fear in how it moves and if it feels safe to do so.
 
 Your body will move better when the nervous system feels safe, efficient and energy conserving to do that. He tries to get what is missing, much like the map in the brain that has been smudged and we can’t quite see the path forwards. His work reminds our brains of the paths the body can travel, opening us up to greater ranges of movement and awareness.
 
 He’s a bit of a wizard in our opinion, whether you have long standing pain in movement, or just feel like life is not quite flowing, his skills might just be what is required to get movement and life on a forward path again.
 
 Enjoy the pod, have a listen and remember to share it with someone you feel might get something from it.

Web - https://www.decrypt-bodywork.com/
Insta  - @decryptbodywork

The weMove podcast is getting in to the Nervous System, what it is, what it does for us and how we can relearn how we communicate with it to take us from a place of fight, flight, freeze, fawn to a more regulated alert and healthy state giving us back the power to experience life and movement.
 
We have heard the phrase Nervous System many times and trauma equally as much. The last few years the word trauma has become increasingly used and focussed on. However we have felt being stuck in this place of trauma contemplation was not the place to be, nor was covering our past with experiences that took us away from what we were feeling, be that ice baths, breathing practices, daily training, ointments and potions. None of which are wrong but our bodies tell us what the problem is through these sensations that if we numb them, we cannot feel. And if we cannot feel, then we cannot heal.
 
 Our guest @irenelyon Irene Lyon, MSC. and nervous system expert, teaches people around the world how to work with the nervous system to transform trauma, heal body and mind, and live full, creative lives. To date, her online programs and classes have reached over 9,500 people in over 90 countries. Irene has a Master’s Degree in Biomedical and Health Science and also has a knack for making complex info easy for all of us to understand and apply to our lives. She has extensively studied and practices the works of Dr. Moshé Feldenkrais, Peter Levine (founder of Somatic Experiencing) and Kathy Kain (founder of Somatic Practice). Irene spends her free time eating delicious food, hiking in the mountains or walking along the Pacific Ocean in her hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia.

Enjoy the show and share the episode with one person who you feel will benefit. Peace from Chris and me (James!)

Website - https://irenelyon.com/
Instagram - @irenelyon
21 Day Nervous System Tune Up / Smart Body, Smart Mind - https://irenelyon.com/programs/

Moshé Feldenkrais - https://feldenkrais.com/
Peter Levine - https://www.somaticexperiencing.com
Kathy Kain - https://somaticpractice.net/

Hi there and welcome to the weMove podcast. 

This episode revisits our farming series ran a few months ago as since then Chris has been documenting in film the farmers and the relationships the farmers have with the land and most importantly the animals on the land. 

This podcast directly accompanies Chris’s film The Dairy Farmer, hearing how Sophie Gregory became a dairy farmer, her relationship with farming as a business and it’s direct connection to the health of humans. 

There are many levels to the phrase “we are what we eat”, but we literally are because what we eat, becomes our flesh and blood. It nourishes us with it’s nutrition for good and bad (in direct correlation with the lifestyle the animal/crop has led, think pasture raised cattle who live on the land versus antibiotic filled, synthetic food eating cattle, kept in conditions less than optimal for their health, let alone ours) 

Eating well is the same process for the food that feeds us, and eating for our health and vitality becomes a simple process when we understand that minimally processed natural food sources that have been raised and grown in conditions which support the land and them, provides the most nutrient dense positive nourishment for mind and body. 

As Sophie says in the film, “healthy soil, healthy animal, healthy milk/food, healthy human”. It is a simple connected wheel, one that does require us to be aware and mindful of what, where and how our food is raised/grown/produced. 

You can watch the film on weMove.world, or click the link in our instagram bio. 

Thanks to Chris as always for making these films, up and out whatever the weather to capture the moments and share the stories of the people and animals who provide our food. 

Peace.

New podcast up.

In a sea of brands, I find it more challenging than I thought to find those with genuine energy for inclusivity, united by a true love for the pursuit/movement they practice, in this case, cycling. And Universal Colours does just that.

So much of creating something is about the intention of choice and this is often ignored because it takes time. Yet there is a great power and transference of energy when intentional decisions in design are made. It can be felt, not necessarily needing to be understood by those who come across it. Some brands just feel right and in an increasingly uncertain world, Universal Colours feel increasingly right.

We catch up will Inge and Will, the brand and creative leads behind UC. Getting into how and why they started. Where the idea of “emotional durability” fits in, how that idea is transferred from the physical pursuit to the product range itself and what and how they see inclusivity in a sport/pursuit that can be seen as liberating and exclusive in equal measure.

But whatever mode you choose, getting up and moving, creates powerful connections within our Selves and with others. Because at the end of the day we share more in common than we often like to think. We were born to move.

Check out UC at www.universalcolours.com and @universalcolours on Instagram.

Hey there and welcome to the weMove podcast. It has been a while.

This week's episode is with Ben Massey, the founder, and creator of RAD Global, the new upcoming brand in the fitness and training space. A hybrid of CrossFit, streetwear, and action sports.

An interesting mix of worlds but authenticated by Ben’s history in the elite training and Crossfit space, having competed at the Crossfit Games a couple of times. A goal of Ben’s since he discovered the sport.

It was the feeling after competing at the Games that sewed the seeds for RAD, with Ben wanting to create something more, something that gives back and inspires, and a brand seemed like the way to do it.

No easy feat to start with shoes, they require significant investment to create something that comes up against the big 5 shoe brands and the many after. So, you sell your gym and double down on creating something that can stand alongside the big players.

And that is what Ben did, from having the idea to tracking down the designer of the shoe in Portland and the brand design team in the UK, he has set about creating RAD and it without a doubt caught my eye. In a world of increasing brands, it was the energy of RAD that stood out. It felt like I wanted them and to train in them. What caught my eye is that it has not played on the idea of the heavy burden that training has been portrayed as, the black and white images of dark gyms where you meet your demons. There is a lightness in spirit to RAD reminiscent of 90’s skating of pure enjoyment however heavy the weights are. A connection to others and that we are all out there doing our best and wanting to give it everything we have and enjoying it at the same time.

It’s a vibe, and I’m into it.

Thanks, Ben for your time. Be quick if you want a pair of shoes, they never repeat a colourway and they sell out quick. So follow them and to hear more about Ben’s journey to the games there are some other good pods out there that focus more on that side of things.

As always thanks for listening and your patience in our hiatus these last few months. Life is happening quickly around us. Check out RAD at RAD-global.com and explore the weMove podcast on Spotify, where we have all our episodes covering a wide range of movement, health, and wellbeing areas, from breath work, to food, health to performance. And give it a share. 

Until next time, from Chris and I peace.

Hey there and welcome to the we move podcast. 

We have been away for a few weeks again whilst we waited for our next two pods both of which are a bit more gear based, specifically footwear and the ideas behind the two brands. 

We love brands, and gear, like we love food and farming and we also love the world around us and these two worlds often times are given a bad rep, but brands like food does have a place in the world. 

Since the farming series and conversations we are regularly having at our sister platform Commonground, where we work with brands and companies to support their communication to making their customers feel seen, safe and heard. We have been connecting some of the dots as to what is being sustainable, is it even a thing or is there something more appropriate and meaningful brands can be pursuing and integrating. 

And it is in this context that the next two podcasts are based. Perhaps increasingly the way brands are communicating feels like a cover up for the problems that they create as a result of actions they take. The goal of a fully regenerating and circular production cycle is firmly in a brands mind but the current place they and we find ourselves in is a little way off that destination. So it is about doing the best we can where we are and moving forward towards this goal. Having the awareness that every action has a reaction, and every problem solve will create something that might be a future problem enables a person, company or brand to have a mindset shift in how they perceive their place in the world and their journey forward. 

Step in Hylo Athletics. That is the essence of the Hylo brand, started by former professional footballer Michael Doughty and a couple of shoe industry veterans to create an active footwear brand using materials science to create products that deliver high performance for athletes and low impact for the planet. 

Hylo is a year in and as Michael will say, it has not always been a straight forward case of following ideals. The initial models whilst up there in sustainability were not so in longevity, creating a conundrum for brands because longevity for the customer is a key part of making a positive impact. Now Hylo shoes are finding their sweet spot and per pair have 50% less impact on the planet than all other brands out there. Some may say 50% too much, but 100% further on than others. 

Having just secured a further round of investment, they are set to continue making positive impact, and if that combines with supporting people to move then that is never a bad thing in my book. 

This week is Hylo, next week is RAD Global. A new footwear startup in a different movement space, but doing equally good things to challenge the stagnant status quo. 

As always thanks for listening, and if you are feeling in the supportive mood, head to wemove.world and click the orange button in the bottom left corner to buy us a ko-fi or click the link in our insta bio @wemoveworld. From Chris and me, peace. 


Hey there and welcome to the we move podcast. 

We have been away for a few weeks again whilst we waited for our next two pods both of which are a bit more gear based, specifically footwear and the ideas behind the two brands. 

We love brands, and gear, like we love food and farming and we also love the world around us and these two worlds often times are given a bad rep, but brands like food does have a place in the world. 

Since the farming series and conversations we are regularly having at our sister platform Commonground, where we work with brands and companies to support their communication to making their customers feel seen, safe and heard. We have been connecting some of the dots as to what is being sustainable, is it even a thing or is there something more appropriate and meaningful brands can be pursuing and integrating.

Hey there and welcome to the weMove Podcast. Today we are following on from Simon Jeffrey's podcast on resilience taking excuse the pun, a dive into cold water immersion and wild swimming with Gilly MacArthur, who has a long background in the outdoors being a climber and a face within the industry but she's also the co-founder of @bluemindmen and @wonderfulwildwomen both initiatives to get people inspired and maybe excited to discover the benefits of getting in the water, even better when it's cold. 

GIlly has been and still is a massive advocate of getting in cold water, particularly up in the Lake District, and using it as a way to, as always raise awareness for mental health or mind health as i am preferring to call it. And I just wanted to get another take rather than the obvious ones in the Wim Hof world, etc. Of what getting into cold water really does and how it really benefits. And Gilly has had an interesting history in that she had a big fall whilst climbing over in the states and with that a long journey of rehab to where Gilly is today. 

What I hadn’t expected from the conversation was to talk about the transferable skills/benefits that come with a practice of cold water immersion, namely keeping you calm under stress and just being able to manage the body's responses to stressful situations which I think everyone would benefit from that skill. So again, it's quite a self-explanatory conversation. It doesn't already doesn't need much more of an intro than that. Gilly’s a lovely person, tough, steely but super gentle in encouraging and chivvying people on and providing some inspiration to get in the cold water. Because we need it, the water, it’s always cold, and you need those people you can trust and lean into to get you to do things that you never quite thought you could. And Gilly is one of those people. 
Really enjoyed this podcast. I think there's a lot more to come from everyone in this sphere of mindset, mental health, central nervous system awareness, so it's definitely worth a listen. 

Remember, if you are thinking about supporting a podcast, remember ours! You can support us with a coffee by clicking the link on our website, which is now on there thanks to a friend reminding me it wasn’t! 

So the website is wemove.world.

Hey there and welcome to the weMove podcast

This week we are going into world of mindset and specifically resilience with a chap who’s about as as well versed in resilience as you can be as he served in the UK Special Forces for many years.
Simon Jeffries has taken much of what learned during his time at the pointy end of things and combined it with neuroscience and other psychological methodologies to create The Natural Edge, a company and program he has co founded to support individuals and groups to develop robust and resilient mindset practices. Because we all know that the hardest part in anything is quietening the voice inside our head that tells us to stop, or stay in bed a little longer.

This is a podcast I have been wanting to have for many months, but timings weren’t quite right, so I’m rally pleased we have gotten the chance to do it.We talked about a bunch of things, the usual resilience aspects but also about emotions and how in order to become truly resilient we have to be aware of our emotions and be able to use them rather than block them out and run away from them which is perhaps often the way that it's seen as the way being in the military.

It’s not a long one, but it contains a lot of good information from someone who has not just read a few books on the subject. and if you are interested in what he does, then check out thenaturaledge.com and @the.natural.edge on Instagram. So thanks for listening and until next time.

Hey there and welcome to the weMove podcast. This week is the last of our series on food following on from Dr. Jenny Goodmans 2 episodes “Staying Alive in Toxic Times”. 

I have to say it was an unexpected podcast and as is often the way just an unexpectedly good conversation, full of insight from left field and an area that we hadn't necessarily thought about, which followed on from the overall conversations with that we've been having in this series whether Abby Rose of Farmerama, Peter Greig of Piper's farm, or Glen burrows at Ethical Butcher. 

I say left field because entering the Regenerative Farming rabbit hole, can easily be clouded by a meat-only bias. And remember this all started with talking about “staying alive in toxic times” whilst supporting our individual, personal health, rather than an eating bias/dogma, which is where seems to be the media portrayal of Regen Farming, an opposition of meat versus plants rather than it being about a return to the principles of nature, homeostasis, balance. Which would and do provide the foundation for positive health, growth, everything. We need it all and we need the principles to be able to move accordingly to maintain health. We are nothing without our good health. 

So, who are we talking to then? Josiah Meldrum, co-founder of Hodmedods, who work with British farmers to produce pulses and grains, contributed to creating a more diverse farming system and diets because of their belief that creating both diverse farming systems and diets is a key to a healthier and more sustainable future, for us all. As a consumer, it would appear similar to a Pipers Farm but for pulses and grains, but like Pipers, it is an approach to creating something which supports the earth, the farms, and the people, rather than simply a hyper refined, processed machine, focussed solely on production volume. 

And it was a brilliant conversation, we talked about a load of things the geographical nature of food, the political nature of food the cultural nature of food, how East Anglia in the UK is one of the biggest exporters in the world of the fava bean, traveling to the Middle East as a mainstay of their diet, talk about the irony of food miles and how disconnected we are from the potential of the earth we live on to grow food for us. It seems crackers. I guess you go where the demand has been manufactured. 

This whole series about food has been fascinating for me, I hope it has been the same for you listening. And I think this episode, in particular, has many touchpoints with things that I’m seeing in the press, the media, and the world in general. Food, politics, geopolitics, all of that has an effect on our health. But having a good grasp of the principles is like having a map, compass and knowing how to use them to get home. Sadly too many rely on being told by a voice they will never meet the body of. 

So enjoy, listen, support Josiah and his Hodmedods network. If you're in the British Isles that is and if not then source a Hodmedods type network on the land you are currently living on. 

From Chris and me. Thanks for listening. Peace.

Hey there and welcome to the we move podcast. So we've had a few weeks off for the start of the year coinciding with a few weeks of waiting for our guests to become available. 

So this week we are continuing our conversations about food and farming, all linked with the podcast titled Staying Alive in Toxic Times. and because, food is super important for us all as it is the root of many of the problems regarding health and wellbeing. 

Todays episode we speak to Glen Burrows founder of Ethical Butcher who we have had on a couple of times, but this episode is specifically to talk about Regenuary which is the initiative for the month of January to raise awareness and encourage us to buy our food from producers who follow a Regenerative approach to farming, because the food is better for us and the process is better for the planet. 

What always strikes me is how these ideas for eating, getting healthy, or back in shape tend to be just for a month in the year, rather than a way of living and a constant practice. Nothing that we speak about in the episode but it seems to be the way that one idea is pitted against another, even though they all are heading in the same direction and require the same consistent year round action, not just a month. 

In fact is is Chris speaking to Glen today, and whilst the conversation might be seen as Regenuary vs Veganuary. It is I would say about the relationship we all have with food, that we can have differing views on the way we eat food , but the health of our selves and the planet might actually be better if we worked together in our similarities and respected the differences but realise we need the contrast of difference to move us forward. 

And maybe if we apply those principles to fitness, to relationships, to money, to health, to family to everything then there is a good chance that improvements will be made. 

Next week we speak to Josiah Meldrew of Hodmedods, another farmer but from the non meat world and it is a perfect companion to this episode but from another perspective within the same realm. I think the two of them combine quite nicely. 


And also next week, we release our eight week newsletter programme, which is a weekly series of 3 ideas per week for laying a foundation in movement, health and wellbeing provided by 3 of our good friends and long time collaborators, Barney Gabos of Whitehart CrossFit, Oxygen Advantage Master coach David Jackson and Osteopath and Nature Cure practitioner Alex Johnson. So if you're interested in that, and you're already on our mailing list, you will receive that and if you would like to receive it, sign up to our mailing list on the website wemove.world and that will automatically arrive that to your inbox. 

Whether you are a seasoned athlete, or a raw beginner, this will be a useful refresher series or an entry point if you are wanting to supplement your training or start something that will make a difference to your life. It's three short videos, and purposefully very few words, but things that you can consume and you can do at home. 

And then at the end of that eight weeks, the plan is to get people together for a day of training, ideas and food, because quite frankly it’s getting to the time when we need to move together. 

Thanks so much. And, as always, if you like what we do share it. And if you are considering supporting a podcast, do think of this one. We have a very simple link on our instagram and website where you can shout us “coffee” to keep the podcast moving on. 

As always, thanks for listening and from Chris and me Peace.