Speaker 1: Get everybody.
Speaker 2: It is.
Speaker 1: Oh, it's a strange feeling coming into the studio today
Speaker 1: for a number of reasons, the first of which it's
Speaker 1: the last episode of the year, and the second of
Speaker 1: which it's the last episode probably for a little while,
Speaker 1: because we're going to take a break. I'm not sure
Speaker 1: for how long, but it's just the right time to
Speaker 1: have a little break of Woodlife podcasts, something that we've done.
Speaker 2: We've done forty.
Speaker 1: Episodes a year for the last two years and I have, honestly,
Speaker 1: hand on heart, loved every second of it. So we
Speaker 1: don't have a guest coming in today because I thought
Speaker 1: it was important to reflect back on what has been
Speaker 1: such a brilliant journey, wonderful learning experience, and most importantly
Speaker 1: give thanks to all of you for listening and tuning
Speaker 1: in every single week or a couple of times a week.
Speaker 1: And I mean that sincerely. It's been wonderful to get
Speaker 1: all of the great feedback and the continual questions that
Speaker 1: come in. But there's just a lot going on at
Speaker 1: the moment, and sometimes something has to give and it's
Speaker 1: time for a little break. And a massive thank you
Speaker 1: to iHeartRadio, Aarn and Tobri and to Indy, my wonderful
Speaker 1: producers who have just been incredible to work with. A huge,
Speaker 1: huge thank you to our eighty wonderful guests over this
Speaker 1: time that have taught me so much and and I
Speaker 1: really mean that sincerely. In a job where you're often
Speaker 1: the one giving advice, to be able to sit there
Speaker 1: and listen and learn on a weekly basis has been
Speaker 1: something that I've thoroughly enjoyed. It's literally like getting the
Speaker 1: front row seat to some of the best experts in
Speaker 1: the world.
Speaker 2: But it's not goodbye. It's just goodbye for now.
Speaker 1: So yes, we're going to get to a little list.
Speaker 1: I've put a little list together, a bit of a
Speaker 1: recap list, which I don't know I'm going to wax lyrical,
Speaker 1: and we could take in any direction that's coming up
Speaker 1: next on the Woodline. All right, time to get into it.
Speaker 1: Our last list, our last list for now. Here are
Speaker 1: just some of the key takeaways from two incredible years
Speaker 1: of the Woodlife. There has been so many key lessons.
Speaker 1: I think one I was writing a little list, and
Speaker 1: I think one of the one of the things that
Speaker 1: really sort of hit me was how often the same
Speaker 1: key lesson would come up in a different way, So
Speaker 1: from a nutrition perspective or a sleep perspective, or a
Speaker 1: mental health or a physical health or psychology, physiology. The
Speaker 1: interconnection between them all just really reinforce the fact that
Speaker 1: and I'm going to start with my last point first,
Speaker 1: because everyone's health and I've got health in inverted commas,
Speaker 1: is different. What's important to you might not be important
Speaker 1: to that person, and that doesn't matter. You have to
Speaker 1: find what works for you and you have to be
Speaker 1: multi dimensional. You know, pilarates is not health. Pilaratees is
Speaker 1: a tool to health. It is one facet. You know, yoga,
Speaker 1: an apple, a smoothie, a good night's sleep. It all
Speaker 1: has to come together for what ultimately drives your health
Speaker 1: and happiness in a realistic, sustainable manner. So I think
Speaker 1: the most important message to start with is that everyone's
Speaker 1: health is different. You've got to find what works for you,
Speaker 1: and it's really important that you're multi dimensional. The second one,
Speaker 1: closely related to that is you can't separate mental and
Speaker 1: physical health. They are so connected. It's not just think
Speaker 1: they've got a mental health. It can be fixed with
Speaker 1: going for a run. It's not suggesting that if you've
Speaker 1: got a saw a leg that can be fixed with
Speaker 1: the meditation session, but it does show the overlap and
Speaker 1: the interconnection always between the two and again reinforces the
Speaker 1: multi dimensional, holistic nature of our health the way that
Speaker 1: we look at it. I'm all about, you know, doing smarter,
Speaker 1: not training, but doing smarter not harder. When I was younger,
Speaker 1: it used to be more is more, push harder, The
Speaker 1: harder you work, the better results you'll get from a
Speaker 1: training perspective. And interestingly, to my point at the beginning
Speaker 1: of the episode, I think I'm starting to have the
Speaker 1: same revelation from a life perspective. More isn't more, Harder
Speaker 1: isn't better, do things smarter, give more time to yourself.
Speaker 1: It's not all bash and crash for the best results.
Speaker 1: It's not all you know, the person who does the
Speaker 1: eight and our day wins at the end of the day.
Speaker 1: You might win from a productivity perspective, but at what costs.
Speaker 1: And it's the same with your training. I always see
Speaker 1: that relationship or that metaphor between life and training from
Speaker 1: a train smarter, not harder perspective, and adding in you know,
Speaker 1: I'll do less workouts, but there'll be a sauna and
Speaker 1: an ice bath in there once a week where a
Speaker 1: workout perhaps where two workouts perhaps were and I definitely
Speaker 1: am better mentally and physically for it. Another one that
Speaker 1: really resonated with me is get in the flow. Finding
Speaker 1: something in your life each week that makes you forget
Speaker 1: about time. Get rid of your phone, no alarms, no alerts,
Speaker 1: nothing to break that flow with a beep or a
Speaker 1: vibration or whatever it might be. It might be reading,
Speaker 1: it might be dancing, it could be crochet, painting, pottery, writing.
Speaker 2: Whatever is your thing.
Speaker 1: Find a little window every single week to do something
Speaker 1: where you get into a flow and it makes you
Speaker 1: feel inspired, It makes you feel creative, and it's a
Speaker 1: disconnect from the craziness that is life that we all know.
Speaker 1: The next one balance. That's a really interesting one because
Speaker 1: I don't know if I believe if there is such thing.
Speaker 1: If I'm being honest, I think it's important to have
Speaker 1: boundaries and parameters around things, because then we can't tell
Speaker 1: those little white lives to ourselves that we're perhaps doing
Speaker 1: things better.
Speaker 2: Than what we really are.
Speaker 1: But when it comes to balance, it's I think it's
Speaker 1: about am I taking care of myself mentally and physically
Speaker 1: without putting too much pressure on myself. And I'm a
Speaker 1: massive believer that if your attitude or your philosophy is
Speaker 1: progress not perfection, and you are trying to do things
Speaker 1: at a seven or eight out of ten, then that's
Speaker 1: where you will find the best or the closest level
Speaker 1: to what is balanced, because you're going to be doing
Speaker 1: good things for yourself, eating, sleeping, exercising, mental health most
Speaker 1: of the time, but never in a way that feels
Speaker 1: like your own harshest critic. You're never satisfied no matter
Speaker 1: how much you're doing. You are comparing yourself to others constantly,
Speaker 1: probably more so from an individual perspective. You're depriving yourself
Speaker 1: of everything all of the time. So you're like, yeah,
Speaker 1: I'm great, I'm a ten out of ten. I'm a
Speaker 1: ten out of ten. I'm doing so well, But at
Speaker 1: what cost? No chocolate, no wine, no beer, no socializing,
Speaker 1: no fun, no life. Really, if I'm being honest, and
Speaker 1: I think it's when you have that realization that life
Speaker 1: is to be lived. And if you can do that
Speaker 1: at eight out of ten while still taking care of yourself.
Speaker 1: You've got to remember, most people out there are taking
Speaker 1: care of themselves at a one to or three. If
Speaker 1: you're an eight, you are absolutely in the minority of
Speaker 1: people out there that are looking after themselves. People look
Speaker 1: at me like I'm some kind of wellness freak. I'm
Speaker 1: at a seven. Literally, if I'm being honest, I'm at
Speaker 1: a seven. I would eat at a seven, I would exercise
Speaker 1: at a seven, I would sleep at probably a six.
Speaker 2: Since I've had babies. But I feel good. I feel good.
Speaker 1: I feel like I'm getting that balance pretty right for
Speaker 1: a forty three year old bloke with four kids, and
Speaker 1: I'm okay with it. Next one, don't try and do
Speaker 1: too much too early. It's all about small habits build success.
Speaker 1: If you can get the little things to the habitual stage,
Speaker 1: that is this habitual to you as cleaning your teeth
Speaker 1: every morning and every night, you will be absolutely blown
Speaker 1: away at how much those little habits add up to
Speaker 1: genuine success from a wellness, productivity, happiness perspective. Don't worry
Speaker 1: about where you need to be in a year. Don't
Speaker 1: worry about locking yourself into one hour workouts seven days
Speaker 1: a week, and you know feeling that the world's going
Speaker 1: to end if you miss one. A misst workout is
Speaker 1: a mist workout. Tomorrow is a fresh day with a
Speaker 1: clean slate. Don't beat yourself up about it. The next one,
Speaker 1: eat real foods. Try and avoid the word diet for
Speaker 1: the rest of your life. It's never really a good connotation.
Speaker 1: Diet by definition, is already talking about a short term solution.
Speaker 1: It's got a finish line, and good eating, good wellness
Speaker 1: should be something you're aiming to build a habit around
Speaker 1: that you stick to for the rest of your life.
Speaker 1: So try and work away from diet. And when people
Speaker 1: say what's the best advice when it comes to food,
Speaker 1: and you may have heard me say it here before one,
Speaker 1: eat real food. Number two, eat more protein and more vegetables.
Speaker 1: If you can achieve those three things, you will already
Speaker 1: be ninety percent of the way There. One of my favorites.
Speaker 1: It's an oldy bit of goodie, and I promise you,
Speaker 1: no matter what fads come and go, this one should
Speaker 1: absolutely be top of your list. Always try and move
Speaker 1: every day, and I'll add to that, try and move.
Speaker 2: In the morning.
Speaker 1: If you can move your body for ten to thirty
Speaker 1: minutes in the morning, you will not only be better mentally,
Speaker 1: but you'll be better physically. You'll be consistent with your
Speaker 1: exercise because you get it done before something can intervene.
Speaker 2: You'll have a.
Speaker 1: Boosted energy, boosted mood, more clarity, more productivity. You'll feel
Speaker 1: a great sense of accomplishment early in the day that
Speaker 1: will carry on, that will carry momentum throughout your day.
Speaker 1: So try and move your body every single day. It
Speaker 1: keeps the momentum and the motivation going. It's the perfect
Speaker 1: start to the day. It decreases stress. I could go on,
Speaker 1: I could write a list of three hundred reasons why
Speaker 1: you should move every day, but the bottom line is
Speaker 1: you should.
Speaker 2: You just should.
Speaker 1: And I always like to preface that by saying, know
Speaker 1: what you're going to do tomorrow today, don't leave it's
Speaker 1: a chance you should know tonight. When is the window
Speaker 1: that I'm going to move my body tomorrow?
Speaker 2: Whenever?
Speaker 1: That may be bet maybe best? And what am I
Speaker 1: going to do? Consistency what gets results. There's no magic workouts,
Speaker 1: it's no best workouts. Consistency of movement is what gets
Speaker 1: you the best results. And if you want to move
Speaker 1: every day or most days, planning the night before is
Speaker 1: an absolute game changer. Second last one, sleep It's been
Speaker 1: an evolution since Woodlife started because when the wood Life started,
Speaker 1: I would have been getting okay sleep because Harper wasn't
Speaker 1: born yet.
Speaker 2: She was in mum's dummy. She's now eighteen months. So
Speaker 2: I've gone, I've got.
Speaker 1: I've been on a roller coaster from a sleep perspective
Speaker 1: of the last six years, because every time a baby
Speaker 1: has been born, you go back into the trenches for
Speaker 1: I don't at least twelve months, and we've been in
Speaker 1: the trenches, out of the trenches on and off for
Speaker 1: a year, for six years. Two big things with sleep,
Speaker 1: I think so many of us tell ourselves we don't
Speaker 1: need as much sleep as we actually do. The other
Speaker 1: thing with sleep is don't get it with a sleep in.
Speaker 1: Get it by improving your pre go to bed, habits,
Speaker 1: dark room, cool room, turn off your digital devices half
Speaker 1: an hour before going to bed. Try not to binge
Speaker 1: on a streaming service, a TV show, a movie service,
Speaker 1: or social.
Speaker 2: Media just before you go to bed.
Speaker 1: Have a nice shower, you know, wind yourself down in
Speaker 1: some kind of way with some music or breathing exercise
Speaker 1: or gentle meditation. All of that stuff feels a bit
Speaker 1: rarah to many people. And I was perhaps in that
Speaker 1: boat once upon a time it works. And if you
Speaker 1: cannot only improve the volume of your sleep or the
Speaker 1: amount of your sleep, but you can improve the quality,
Speaker 1: you will feel the difference. And I think for many
Speaker 1: of us we need to stop feeling to ourselves because
Speaker 1: it really can be powerful.
Speaker 2: This is the last one.
Speaker 1: I'm glad I went backwards because I think it's a
Speaker 1: really nice one to finish on. And it's amazing how
Speaker 1: often this conversation happens.
Speaker 2: Just get started.
Speaker 1: Too many people talk and think and procrastinate or know
Speaker 1: what they should be doing but just aren't doing it
Speaker 1: for too long. And it's not to finish on a
Speaker 1: harsh note. It's not to finish on a note to
Speaker 1: make you feel guilty. It's to finish on a positive note.
Speaker 1: Don't try and do too much too soon. Don't overwhelm
Speaker 1: yourself by making the mountain bigger than.
Speaker 2: It needs to be. Just get started.
Speaker 1: Motivation doesn't create momentum. Momentum creates motivation. Take that first
Speaker 1: step doesn't mean you sign up for a one hour
Speaker 1: hit class tomorrow morning. It might mean you go for
Speaker 1: a ten minute walk. Doesn't mean you start some ridiculous diet.
Speaker 1: It might mean you're going to do. You're going to
Speaker 1: do a healthy swap and what you normally have for breakfast,
Speaker 1: you're going to swap out for a healthy smooth that
Speaker 1: takes three minutes to make.
Speaker 2: Just get started.
Speaker 1: Not tomorrow, not next Monday. You're not waiting for a
Speaker 1: new year like so many people do. There is no
Speaker 1: perfect time to get started. But getting started is the
Speaker 1: most important message that I can leave you with, because
Speaker 1: I know that many of you listen and nod and
Speaker 1: love the knowledge that you're building by listening to the
Speaker 1: Woodlife episodes, But knowing and doing and not the same thing.
Speaker 1: And I think too many of us confuse the two
Speaker 1: from time to time, or if not a lot of
Speaker 1: the time. So I'm going to love you and leave
Speaker 1: you with that. It's been my absolute pleasure and privilege
Speaker 1: to come and speak to you every day a couple
Speaker 1: of times a week here from the studio, And as
Speaker 1: I said, it's not goodbye, it's just farewell for now,
Speaker 1: and I can't wait to rejoin you in some capacity soon.
Speaker 1: Of course, if you want to keep up to speed
Speaker 1: with what's going on, just follow along on Sam James
Speaker 1: Wood on my Instagram, or keep you up to date
Speaker 1: with all of the updates with what's going on. I'm
Speaker 1: always putting content up there too that can keep you
Speaker 1: engaged and keep you motivated.
Speaker 2: And I can't wait to speak to you soon