S2 #E7 Lavina Mehta, MBE: The Feel Good Fix

04/03/24 • 47 min

Lavina Mehta, MBE, is an award winning personal trainer, wellness coach, mum of 3, was awarded an MBE in 2020 for her work in health and fitness over the pandemic and she is on a mission to help all ages feel good physically and mentally. Her slogan is Exercise for sanity not vanity. She has also done a great TED talk in a school to encourage young people to exercise. And is a patron of menopause mandate and an ambassador for diabetes UK, the Alzheimer’s society and Wellbeing of Women. The Feel Good Fix by Lavina Mehta is publishing on 30th May 2024 and is available for pre-order now (Penguin Life, £16.99) Follow Lavina on social media: @feelgoodwithlavina Lavina has not always been into exercising. She was the arty kid at school and had a very successful career in the corporate world. But over recent years she has been doing a huge amount of work to encourage everyone to exercise – exercise snacking whenever they can: whilst cleaning your teeth, cooking, on an aeroplane. Her work has also taken her into schools to talk about how exercising can help reduce mental health. Of course we talked about the importance of exercising during the perimenopause and beyond. And the importance of exercising outside, with friends. We can all do this – exercise snacking works and helps lead us to the Feel Good Fix.

Date of episode recording: 2024-02-20T00:00:00Z
Duration: 00:47:44
Language of episode: English
Presenter: Joyce Harper
Guests: Lavina Mehta. MBE
Producer: Joyce Harper
Transcription link: www.joyceharper.com/podcasts

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S2 #E6 Prof Mike Tipton: Cold water swimming: benefits and dangers

Mike Tipton, MBE, PhD, MSc, FTPS is Professor of Human & Applied Physiology, In the Extreme Environments Laboratory, School of Sport Health & Exercise Science, University of Portsmouth, UK. Mike has worked at the University of Surrey and University of Portsmouth. In addition, he was based at the Institute of Naval Medicine (INM) from 1983 to 2004 and was Consultant Head of the Environmental Medicine Division of the INM from 1996. He has published over 800 scientific papers, reports, chapters, abstracts and books in his research areas of drowning, thermoregulation, environmental and occupational physiology, and survival in the sea. He is an honorary life member of Surf Lifesaving GB and was a Trustee/Director for ten years, he is a member of the Council of the RNLI as well as a Consultant to the Medical Director of the RNLI. He has been a consultant in survival and thermal medicine to the Royal Air Force, UKSport and the English Institute of Sport (EIS). He chaired UKSport’s Research Advisory Group and sat on the EIS Scientific and Ethics Advisory Group. He sits on the QinetiQ ethics committee. Prof Tipton as edited several scientific journals including The Physiological Society’s “Experimental Physiology”. Mike is a visiting Professor at King’s College, London, and an Adjunct Professor at Waterford Institute of Technology. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine and The Physiological Society. He was awarded his MBE for services to physiological research in extreme environments; the Ireland Medal for saving lives from drowning worldwide; and the H&L Swiftwater rescue lifetime achievement award from the USA.

Why do people swim in cold water – and what are the benefits and dangers? Mike explains what happens to our body when we immerse ourselves in cold water and if this is good for our health. It can make us ill and even cause death. He gives important tips for those who are thinking of starting. As always there are many myths. Cold water swimmers religiously drink a hot drink after swimming. Mike says it is a myth that it is warming us up. And eating cake is lovely, but we do not need it! And the best way to warm up after cold water swimming? A warm bath or sauna. We discuss our latest research on cold water swimming and menstrual and menopause symptoms. And what’s it like training for Ironman when you are in your mid 60s!

Date of episode recording: 2024-02-23T00:00:00Z
Duration: 01:08:20
Language of episode: English
Presenter: Joyce Harper
Guests: Professor Mike Tipton
Producer: Joyce Harper
Transcription link: www.joyceharper.com/podcasts

Next Episode

S2 #E8 Dame Lesley Regan: The women’s health strategy

Dame Lesley Regan is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Imperial College, St Mary’s Hospital, London. Having graduated from the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, London in 1980, Professor Regan pursued her career at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, where she first became enthused by clinical & laboratory research, completing an MD on miscarriage, the commonest complication of pregnancy. She went on to set up the world’s largest recurrent miscarriage clinic at St Mary’s. Professor Regan was the 30th President (2016-2019) of the RCOG, during which time she co-chaired the national Women’s Health Task Force and published the RCOG Better for Women report which highlighted the need for an NHS led women’s health strategy. Lesley was awarded a DBE for her services to women’s health in the 2020 New Year’s Honours List. She was appointed chair of the WoW charity in October 2020 and became the first ever Women’s Health Ambassador for England in July 2022, to help implementation of the Government’s recently launched Women's Health Strategy to improve the health and wellbeing of girls and women nationally.

In this episode we discuss some of the key topics in women’s health as Lesley’s interests span from the cradle to the grave. As well as her pioneering work on miscarriage, Lesley has been helping women with menstrual issues, fertility and infertility and menopause. She has been trying to deal with the many obstacles and myths around women’s health. In 2009 she presented a TV series called Professor Regan Investigates looking into how some companies use science to sell. This issue is even more important now, as women’s health tech has become a booming industry. Through her work, education has been key for Lesley to ensure all women lead their best and healthiest lives.

Date of episode recording: 2024-03-15T00:00:00Z
Duration: 01.14.35
Language of episode: English
Presenter: Joyce Harper
Guests: Professor Dame Lesley Regan
Producer: Joyce Harper