#6 TOP DOSSER | Happy Easter!

I talk a little bit about what I actually do for a living! A brief overview of the MSK programme and Good Boost, which helps people with musculoskeletal conditions return to work (and prevent them from going off sick) and improve their overall quality of life. I also rambled on a bit about bouldering, Skyscraper Live, Easter eggs and football!

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Transcript

0:03

Hi everyone, welcome to the podcast. Hope you're all doing well. Um, and also a happy Easter as well, because it's Easter Sunday afternoon as I'm recording this, and then I'll upload this in like just over an hour's time, so I kind of need to get cracked on really. But yeah, uh thank you everyone for uh listening to all the previous episodes um and for all your support and all your feedback. I really appreciate it. So yeah, just please if you haven't already, remember to like, subscribe and share. If it's on YouTube or Spotify or whatever it is you're watching or listening on, that would be really appreciated. It'll help grow the pod and help me keep it going over the long term. Um kind of um I'll go into kind of um, I suppose what I actually do um with you know, it kind of like as like my full-time role and day-to-day living, uh which hopefully you find quite interesting. Um, but yeah, before we get onto that, um yeah, obviously it is uh Easter weekend. Um earlier today I didn't even realise it was Sunday, so it kind of throws you off a bit. But um yeah, I definitely need to find like a rehab facility for um people with severe addictions to Calbury mini eggs because I'm definitely like overdosing on them. So if anyone happens to know of any kind of a facility, then please let me know. But if um, you know, joking aside, I do need to just like stop buying mini eggs because like um I'm gonna end up uh in not the best of Nicks, uh to put it mildly. But yeah, no, they are they are very good though. But yeah, like every time I go on Instagram and scroll through my reels, it's just like full of mini eggs related content. So that's like what dominates my algorithm, and that's when you know you've got a problem. Uh so yeah, I'll um try and be a bit healthier going forwards, and um yeah, not being the best weekend in terms of like um those who know me know that I'll support Arsenal. We got knocked out of the FA Cup yesterday, we lost uh two-one to Southampton, which um yeah, it's not ideal, and to be honest, like we were really, really bad and Southampton deserved the win, so well done to them. But yeah, I'm really not looking forward to the next sort of six, seven weeks in terms of football. Um, it's not gonna be good for me whatsoever. But um yeah, we'll see, we'll see how we how things play out. Um, but yeah, the less said about football the better. So moving swiftly on, um, been quite sort of busy lately, um, you know, with work and stuff and uh kind of training as well, because um obviously I finished the row marathon two weeks ago today, and then the week after that was kind of a recovery week, and then this week I've started training for high rocks, which now is in like less than four weeks' time. And uh yeah, to be honest, like I've done like I've done like three high rock sessions, I think, so far this week. Um very humbling to say the least. It's just so hard, and I'm just like it's kind of like completely different to what I'm used to. So I just need to keep at it. But then kind of like uh since Friday night, really, up until kind of now, I've just felt like felt like crap really, you know, just like felt like really fatigued and I think it's kind of like my body telling me that I need to slow down and rein it back in a little bit. So yeah, I did like um I did like a light recovery session at the gym today this morning. Uh yesterday was like a much needed rest day. I've you know I've done like a couple of uh bouldering as well early this week. We went to uh the climbing lab in Leeds on Monday and Free Climbing York on Friday afternoon. And yeah, it was like again like really humbling because it's again, it's just not something I'm used to doing, but really, really enjoyed it, absolutely loved it, and I highly recommend giving it a go if you haven't done it already. It like really is like a kind of like a full-body workout. Like you definitely feel it like afterwards and the day after, and you know, the palms of my hands, you know, my forearms, my legs, my core, everything just like taking an absolute battery, and even my ribs as well. So I kind of feel like a 95-year-old book this week. Um, but yeah, hopefully I can like get back to the high rocks training sooner rather than later because I've not got a terrible lot of time uh to get ready for it, which is in Cardiff. I'm doing the men's singles on Friday, the 1st of May. So uh kind of looking forward to it, but at the same time, I do feel like really, really underprepared for it. I would have, to be honest with you, like to have um done a different one, so I'd like to give myself more and more time to prepare for it. But then like you've just got like other things in the way. So, for example, I'm off on a stagdo in like six weeks' time, and then there's a high rockster week after that, which would I would have liked to do, but going on a stagdo in Lisbon is absolutely not uh the ideal preparation for such an event. So I've thought like the kind of lesser of two evils is that I do one uh five weeks after the marathon, which is like not a great deal of time to train, and I know it's gonna be hard. Anything that involves sled pushes and wall balls, I'm I know is gonna be incredibly difficult. Um, but yeah, I'm just gonna like give it my j give it my best shot and just try and try and enjoy it, really. That's all I'm gonna do. And I'm probably like not really selling it to anyone who's listening, but no, it's um like I say, I did it like a year and a half ago in Birmingham. It was a great experience, albeit like just absolutely battered me and destroyed me. But yeah, somehow for some bizarre reason, I thought it'd be a good idea to book another one. So yeah, we'll see. But um, yeah, I'm kind of like slightly late recording this actually. I was gonna record it earlier today, but actually, like um I got in today after the gym and then uh went round to my dad's for a bit. So I've come back home and gone on Netflix, and I can't remember who actually, but somebody at work recommended me watch a skyscraper live on Netflix, so I'm kind of like half an hour into that. Um, and yeah, it's a guy called Alex Hoddell, and he um he basically there's a skyscraper in Taipei called the Taipei 101, and it's like a 900-foot vertical climb. So he is climbing that with like no ropes, no parachute, no safety net, no nothing, just literally climbing it all by himself with no aids, and yeah, it's uh kind of like absolutely crazy from my perspective, but from his point of view, it's probably just like a normal thing to do. But nevertheless, it's like really impressive. I'm gonna like watch the rest of it after I've like stopped recording this podcast and like once I've uploaded it and stuff. But yeah, uh really, really good so far. Um, like I say, if you've not seen it before, it's on Netflix, and like I say, I'm only like sort of half an hour into it. But um, yeah, so far, really good watch. And yeah, the thought of climbing up a 900-foot skyscraper with no support, yeah, it just sounds insane, really. But yeah, no, it's uh it's really cool to watch, and um, I'm assuming he does it because I've not um heard otherwise. So yeah, fair play to the guy, massive amount of respect for him. Um I just think like when you it's quite fascinating like watching extreme sports, whether it's like climbing, whether it's like any of that Red Bull stuff that you see, um you know, Red Bull do all kinds of crazy stuff that you see on Instagram, but actually it's kind of just like the people who do it are just like highly skilled, you know, both physically and uh mentally, and they kind of like don't let it phase them. And yeah, it could be something like you know, cliff diving, rock climbing. Um you've got your Red Bull X fighters where they're on like motorcross bikes and doing like stunts and jumps and flips and things like that. And uh yeah, it's like really like really sensational to watch, but obviously not something I would ever even contemplate doing myself. But I do like watching uh that kind of stuff. I definitely like appreciate like their dedication and skill set involved and things like that. So yeah, just um anything like that, I'm always interested um in watching it. Uh so that's kind of like me rambling on a bit, rambling a bit over, but um yeah, I've got yeah, not a lot of time really to kind of record this. But yeah, in terms of um what I do, like contrary to like popular belief, like some of my colleagues will tell you that I'm a DOSser and I don't do anything, which is fair enough, but um, you know, it takes on to know one. But um, you know, as you can sort of tell by the title of this podcast, um so I, you know, I do like running in the spare time, but like my main job is like running the uh MSK program uh for Active North Yorkshire, which is part of North Yorkshire Council. Um so MSK is kind of like highly uh prevalent uh in the world, but also in this country, and you've got like so many uh people with MSK conditions um you know in this country. Uh so you know, things like uh lower back pain, sciatic uh arthritis, you know, lots of people suffer from it and it costs like the UK economy like billions of pounds a year, basically. Um, you know, and the NHS uh costs them a lot of money too. Uh because um, you know, if you think about it, like lots of people are either unemployed or they're like off sick on a long-term sickness absence because of those like chronic MSK conditions, some of which I've just mentioned. And uh kind of the idea of the program that I run um in cell base, so it's like uh funded by the uh Department for Work and Pensions, DWP, and also the council, um, is to help people like of a working age, like either like get back into work, either if they're off sick or they're unemployed, and also uh kind of like a prevention is better than cure. So, you know, someone might still be in work and they've not been off sick, but they start to feel uh uh not so great in terms of like say, for example, their lower back either because they're like spend a lot of their day like either sat at the desk or on the flip side, they've got like a manual job where there's lots of heavy lifting and twisting and turning that can cause uh these conditions. So the idea of it is that it's like a 12-week uh funded program, and it's not like uh so I'm not a physiotherapist, um, you know, just to kind of like clear up any confusion. Um, but what I do is I kind of like assess them on weeks one, six, and twelve um in terms of like their MSK uh conditions and also like their mental well-being and the sit to stand test as well. And then, you know, based on that and kind of like feedback from them in terms of how it affects their work and how it affects their day-to-day lives and stuff like that, I will like give them a program to do and regularly check in with them. So that program can consist of like gym sessions where I will like give them like a specific tailored program towards them. So kind of like give them exercises to do both in the gym and at home. I can recommend like uh different group exercise classes uh for them to do. So that can include things like Pilates and yoga, for example, which is like really good at building your core strength and strengthening your lower back as well. Uh the main focus is on like low back pain, but like I said, it can be on like other parts of the body as well, like if you've got arthritis in your knees, for example, or your shoulder. Um and then another one, uh, another session that I do is uh something called Good Boost, which is really cool. So that takes place like in the water. So like with good boost, like every participant uh gets given a tablet. Uh the tablets are waterproof, which is like pretty cool in itself. I really like it. Um, but you basically like fill in questionnaires on the tablets, giving it as much information as possible about yourself. So, you know, filling in questionnaires about like your MSK conditions and how it affects you on a day-to-day basis and how you felt over the last few weeks and things like that, and then what the tablets do, like with all that information you gave it, it uses uh AI uh to personalise and tailor make each session uh towards you, and then every so often uh after you log into them, it'll like give you a few more questionnaires to kind of like keep it up to date in terms of like how much has it improved your MSK condition over the last few weeks. Um but yeah, basically like the tablets like create a session for you, so you're like in the water and you've got a tablet on the edge of the pool facing you, and then the tablet like plays videos of each exercise uh to you, and then you basically copy it while you're in the water, which is really cool. Um, so like it tells you kind of like uh it counts down like how long you've got um of each exercise left before you take like a rest period or like swap sides and things like that, um, gives you like teaching points, and I'm kind of there just kind of like supervising the session and just making sure that everything runs smoothly and that everyone is like understanding on what the tablet is asking them to do. Um you have like in the water uh some equipment as well, so you've got like um your noodles, uh you've got aqua dumbbells, which like weigh nothing when you pick them up, but when you're in the water they actually weigh quite a bit, and then you've also um got your kickboards as well uh that people use. So basically, like uh the water is like really amazing in terms of like what difference it makes uh to your body. So like um lots of exercises, um I'll give you an example, like jumping jacks, for example, you know, people with like lower back pain, sciatica, for example, wouldn't even dream of doing those sorts of exercises like in the gym or on land because it would just be like it would just have a massive negative impact on their joints, make them feel even worse, which is completely valid. But when you do that in the water, like um because of like the buoyancy in the water and all the different water properties, it actually means that the impact on your joints, your bones, muscles, ligaments is like very, very minimal, and it makes the exercises actually like really friendly and really suitable, and it makes a huge difference, and it's one of them kind of like you've got to like actually get in the water and do it yourself, uh, to actually realize and understand kind of like that you can do this and how much of a positive impact it has on your body. So, yeah, like um it does make like a huge difference as well. Um and then with like uh the sessions, so at the end of each session, you have like a questionnaire to fill in. So um you have like each exercise shown on the tablet that you did, and it asks you to give it like a thumbs up or a thumbs down. So any exercise that you give a thumbs down because like you didn't like it or you found it a bit too difficult, for example, it won't give you it again next time. So you're just constantly like giving the tablets uh more and more information about yourself, and then it just like tailors them sessions towards you. So, for example, you could have like five different people in the water with their tablets at the same time, and all five of those people will be doing completely different sessions and different exercises to each other, so it really does show like kind of like how um the programs are tailored to the individual, uh, which is really good. And like obviously, like um if anyone has like swelling, for example, even just standing in the water helps reduce the swelling, and over time it does make um a massive difference. So, in terms of like the the good boost itself, uh we started it, I think, like just before Christmas. So we're talking about four months ago, and then people who have like completed the 12-week programme, well, not just those people, but even people who have been doing it for like say three or four weeks, have already like fed back to me how much of a massive difference is like made to them. Um, you know, like feeling less pain and you know, increased mobility and things like that, and it just makes like their day-to-day, uh everyday tasks like a lot easier and a lot more bearable, which is really good. And then as a result of that, you know, in the longer term, they're less likely uh to be off work, less likely to be off sick, and then it increases like productivity in the workplace, and for an employer's point of view, that's like you know, a big win as well, and it also like saves them money on sick pay, um, you know, saves them money on having to bring in like temp temporary urgency staff to cover them. So yeah, like it's a you know, to me, it's like a no-brainer. It's still like kind of like in its early stages and in its infancy, uh, the MSK program. Uh we run it in Selby, and then there's also my colleagues in Harrogut who do it as well. But hopefully in the longer term, it will just like become like countywide and you know, hopefully nationwide amongst other councils as well. But yeah, I think like um any program like that that like helps improve people's health, you know, their physical health, their mental well-being, you know, and also it like eliminates barriers to them to exercise as well, then you know, that's like a no-brainer for me. Like, we need to just like kind of keep it going basically, um, and just like help as many people as possible. Um, really good as well in the sense that like um there's different like referral pathways as well. So like um you can actually like self-refer yourself, um, you know, which is really good. Uh so if you, you know, say for example you feel like a little bit of pain and stiffness in your back, um, you know, like I say, prevention is better than cure, just like get in touch with me basically, and we'll um and we'll get that journey started for you. But then also you've got like um, you can have like your GP uh refer you, you know, if you've got like a physiotherapist or a hospital team, they can refer you, and then also like even like your employer can can refer you as well. Um if you're like a job seeker, you you know, um and you and you go into the job center, um, you know, the DWP who run that, like they can refer you to us as well. So yeah, there's lots of different ways you can you can get referred to um on the program. And like I say, it's based in Selby. So basically, like I'll put all like the contact details in the in the description um of the episodes, whether you're watching on YouTube or Spotify, and then you'll be able to get in touch with me then, or even like if you uh if you know somebody who would benefit from this, then please like feel free to share with them, you know, um kind of like let them know. And you know, if you're like living or working in the Selby area, like we can get you onto it basically. Um so yeah, it's like very kind of like uh results driven. So like whether it's like the good boost sessions that you do or whether you kind of like do like the gym sessions or the classes, if you like kind of like keep showing up, be consistent, then there's no reason why you're not going to see results and kind of like improve your MSK conditions and your symptoms, and then it'll improve your quality of life. So, yeah, basically, if you're kind of like in that sort of pre-contemplation stage, just go ahead and do it, basically. Like, what have you what have you got to lose? What are you waiting for? And like I'll do you know everything in my power to kind of like help you out and support you and make sure that you're on the right track, basically, not just like during the initial 12-week programme, but beyond that as well, because like this is all about like making sustainable changes uh to your life, to your routine, and you know, like if you've got like a really bad back, for example, you're in excruciating pain, then you know, over the next few weeks you'll gradually see like improvements in that. So, yeah, onto a winner there. Um, and I've seen like some people like finish a 12-week programme and kind of like the difference in them between week one and week 12 is like night and day, and that's what like makes my role like really rewarding, uh just like kind of helping people out, making a difference, but also like it helps them too. So uh yeah, it's all positive stuff. Um that's kind of like in a nutshell what I do for a living, um, as like the full-time role, and it's like um yeah, a really good team to be a part of um as well. So um what I've got as well, um got a question from Ryan, uh just moving on. Uh what's what what to look for when buying a new pair of running shoes. Um so I think I might have like answered this a few weeks ago, but basically um what I look for, I kind of like personally just sort of like stick to what I know in terms of brands. So like um previously I've always wore mic shoes, but then like um the last like uh previous two pairs of running shoes I've had have been like hawkers or hookers, I don't even know how you pronounce it, but yeah, let's say hawker, and I've just um bought a pair of Max 7s actually like earlier in the week and I tried them out on uh Friday afternoon. Uh just did like a 5k run, like just to sort of like wear them in and get them bedded in. And yeah, like um they've never like let me down basically um the hawkers. Uh, but what I you know look for um mainly is sort of like comfort, you know, as long as they feel comfortable when I wear them, that's kind of all I'm really looking for. It's as simple as that, really, for me personally. Now, obviously, like people who are kind of like um who run at a much higher level uh than I do, they would have a very different answer and a much more in-depth answer to the one I've uh just given. I mean, if you go like right at the high end of the scale, um, you can buy like these like carbon-plated uh running shoes. Um now, if somebody like me were them, it there's not really much point uh because I'm you know not like a high level runner, it probably might make a small difference, but not a massive amount. But if you're like say running a let's say a 230 marathon, for example, a much higher level than than I am, or kind of like your average judd, and maybe like those sorts of people in that. Bracket would benefit from carbon plated shoes, but I've never worn a pair in my life, so I can't like relate to it. But um I think it's kind of like um it's the same with like any sport, really. I don't think you need like the top high-end equipment unless you're at that level, if that makes sense. But I mean, those hawker shoes that I just bought, like I bought them for like just over 90 quid um in the sale, but like you know, they were down from 130 quid, but you know, I kind of like love to like look for a bargain basically. So yeah, I'm you know, I I don't think you necessarily have to spend loads and loads of money on running shoes. I mean, yeah, on average I spend around sort of 90 to 110 quid ish when I buy a new pair of running shoes, and you know, to be fair, like they've not let me down. So, yeah, for me, I personally don't have a need to spend 200 quid on a pair of running shoes just for the sake of it. Is it going to make me a better runner? It might make a difference, a small difference if I was looking for a PB, but I don't think it would necessarily make me a better runner. You know, if I if I got given a Lamborghini, would that make me a better driver? Probably not. So I'll just stick to Macar. Plus, that's all I can afford. So yeah, that's kind of like um where I'm at in terms of like what to look for in running shoes. I think just the main thing is that comfort, and obviously, like you don't want to get injured. Um, you can like, I mean, I just buy mine off online, uh, get them delivered to me. Um, if you really if you're like really stuck, you can't you you do get like sports shops where you can like have your gate analysis where you try different pairs of shoes on and you run on a treadmill in the shop, and it kind of like um gives you a more sort of scientific scientific analysis in terms of like which uh shoes are better for you individually in terms of like your running gate. So you can do that as well. But um yeah, I don't think you necessarily need to spend a shitload of money if you're wanting to buy um a pair of running shoes. Um so yeah, that's uh kind of it uh today, short and sweet. I mean, I don't actually know how long we've been recording for, but it doesn't feel that long anyway. Um but yeah, um over the next few weeks I'm gonna go more into detail about like the benefits of like aqua-based uh exercise like in the water, so a bit more um in-depth about the good boost that I've just mentioned. Um I'm also gonna get I do have a guest lined up actually, but uh we just need to sort out um a day at a time. Uh but that will be really exciting. Uh, we'll we'll we'll get this guest on. There's like a lot of uh very interesting stories and a lot of questions that I want to like ask um this particular person, uh, which I think you'll all like really enjoy listening to. Um, but yeah, for now, um hope you're all having a great Easter weekend. Um, hopefully the weather gets a little bit better because it's been a bit grim this kind of like last day or two with the wind and what have you. But yeah, hopefully we can all um enjoy Easter Monday um as outdoorsy as possible. And um hopefully I feel a bit better tomorrow. I can get back into my high rocks training fingers crossed. Um and oh by the way, um Easter egg wise, I did have a um an MLS uh MLS in Major League Soccer, um and S Marks and Spencer um speckled egg, like a you know, massive egg and a little bag of eggs with it. Um yeah, really enjoyed that. Um, but like I touched on earlier, I really do need to like stop eating chocolate and stop eating like mini eggs because it's just like really not good for me at all. Um and especially as I like sort of like train for this high rocks and then train like later in the year, I just want to like um make my body feel as good as possible and give myself the best possible chance of like putting in a good shift whenever I come and do those events. Uh so yeah, um if anybody like at work even gets like a notion of me to buy mini eggs, like please do just like punch me in the face or something, anything to stop me from doing so. Like, yeah, you have my permission. So yeah, you heard it here first. Um but yeah, uh if you yeah, like uh whatever it is, if it's YouTube or Spotify, please like and subscribe. Uh please share with anyone you think might enjoy this, and uh if you have like any questions for any future episodes, then please put it in the comments uh below and I'll uh do my best to answer it. As long as they're not about football, because um because obviously like Arsenal not doing fantastic at the minute, and then um even though you can't tell by my accent, um I'm actually originally from Northern Ireland, so that's the the team I support when it's like international football. And unfortunately last week we lost to Italy in our World Cup playoffs, so yeah, uh we will not be at the World Cup this summer, which is um which is a shame, but it is like a very young team actually. I think the average age of the team that played against Italy was like 23 or 24, and no, sorry, the average age was 23, and Paddy McNair, who plays for Northern Irons, he was the only player above the age of 24. So what I'm getting at is you know, uh these players and that team will only get better and better with more experience, and yeah, fingers crossed we have a good um qualifying campaign for the next year as and the World Cup after that. But yeah, um I'm not as excited for this year's World Cup as most people might be, uh, especially with it being in America. I'm not a massive fan. Uh but yeah, that's me going off topic again. Uh, but yeah, like I say, please like, subscribe. Any questions, put it in the comments, and I will see you all next Sunday at 6 pm. Thanks a lot.