SF Fine Fettle

07/12/2025

⭐ Wisdom and an Anti–Fitness Industry Message⭐

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world.
Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” ✨💡

Looking back as a 60-year-old, it took me far longer to reach that epiphany than it should. ⏳

The key thing about change that is often forgotten, is that we don’t have to do it on our own. 🤝💛

Quite often the scariest bit is asking for help, and that can be from family and friends just as much as anyone else. 🫂

If we all make small changes to better ourselves, the sum of our changes is always greater than the sum of its parts. 🌱🌟

Our influence on each other through our skills, support, role-modelling and simply our presence – is huge, and often underestimated. 🌍💫
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📣 Here’s what the fitness industry always shouts at this time of year — and why it’s unhelpful:

• ✨ “New Year, New You!” – we are already good enough 🫵 and my slate doesn’t need to be cleaned.
• 🍫 “Burn off the Christmas calories!”, detox / cleanse – we don’t owe a debt for enjoying ourselves.
• 💪 “Get shredded / beach body by summer!” – what our bodies can do is far more important than how they look.
• 😅 “No excuses!” – you don’t know us – how about tailored support instead of an all-or-nothing judgemental approach?
• ❌ “Transform your body in 6–12 weeks!” – meaningless short-term guarantees do not create long-term healthy habits.
• 🎯 “Smash your goals this year!” – how about sitting down with us to help identify what our goals should be, rather than dish out generic hype?
• 💰 Discount-driven gym ads – competing on price = admitting the product is inferior.
• 📅 “Start Monday / Start Jan 1 / Start strong!” – investment in self-health doesn’t begin on a fixed time frame, we can start gently, on any day we choose.
• ⚠️ Aggressive before / after photos – exercise for aesthetic reasons is linked with disordered behaviours, depression, eating disorders, and low self-esteem.
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We don’t need a “new us” — we need a “supported us” 💬💖

Change does not come from pressure, guilt, or meaningless promises.

It comes from small, repeatable actions, paced for our life, our energy, and our headspace 🧠✨

We do not start from zero — we start from experience, resilience, and everything we’ve already overcome 💪🔥
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🌟 My most significant responsibility as a Mental Health and Exercise Coach:

Breaking down barriers to exercise to make movement feel possible, fun, and enjoyable 🎾🏃‍♂️💃

Principles I’ve evolved to live by:

• 🎉 We are never too old to go out and play.
• ❤️ We have a responsibility to ourselves, our family, and friends to be around for as long as possible.
• ⏳ Time being alive is limited, not guaranteed — and the odds of maximising time alive can be weighed in our favour.
• 🚶‍♂️💨 We don’t stop moving because we get old… we get old because we stop moving.

Investing in our own mental and physical health is the most important gift we can give ourselves 🎁✨ — as it gives the greatest return. 💡💪
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If anyone wants a chat about movement, mindset, confidence, or getting started — my door (and kettle!) is always open even though I’m not taking on new clients at present☕💛

I’d love to pay for a tea, coffee, or soft drink 🥤 at a time and place that suits.

Let’s just have a chat. A connection. Maybe a smile 😊💫

We’re already enough — let’s try and make life feel a little easier, together. 💛🌿

30/11/2025

Did you know…

• 37% of us don’t exercise at all
• 87% of us don’t exercise regularly
• so, only 13% of us exercise as a healthy habit.

A big reason? Hidden barriers — exercise anxiety, fear of looking unfit, lack of guidance, cost, and the belief that “exercise isn’t for people like me.”

One of my responsibilities as Chippenham’s Mental Health & Exercise Coach is to break down such barriers and make movement feel possible, fun and enjoyable👇
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❌ “Exercise is about being stronger and faster.”
✅ Exercise should be fun, build transferrable life skills, and help us feel good.

❌ “I’m too old to start.”
✅ We don’t stop moving because we get old. We get old because we stop moving.

❌ “Stress is just part of life.”
✅ Stress needs releasing — just like p*e and poo. 🚽

❌ “My wellbeing is only about me.”
✅ Looking after ourselves helps us stay around longer for the people we care about. ❤️

❌ “I shouldn’t talk about mental health.”
✅ We ALL have physical health. We ALL have mental health. So, we are ALL qualified to talk about both. 🧠💬

❌ “Gyms scare me.”
✅ They often are intimidating — because they can focus on looks, not what our bodies can do.
💡 MOVEMENT DOES NOT HAVE TO HAPPEN IN A GYM.
❌ “Starting something new is scary.”

✅ It can be — but life doesn’t get better by chance. It gets better by change. 🔄
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Soon social media will be full of “New Year, New Us” rubbish.
Yes, it’s never too late to start — but we don’t have to wait for bu****it societal judgment and idealism to guilt us into action.

👉 Our “why” isn’t about who we should become — the current us is already good enough, whether we realise it or not.
It’s about how we want to evolve, what we want to achieve and experience, and how we want to live.

Ultimately the only person we are destined to become is the person we decide to be.

Health isn’t “not being ill.” It’s mental, social and physical wellbeing working in harmony. ⚖️

It is about us gifting ourselves the ability to enjoy life, and support ourselves, wife/husband/partner, children, grandchildren, mum, dad, nan, granddad, brother, sister, niece, nephew, cousin and friends for as long as possible.

🏃‍♂️ Exercise is the ability to enjoy life and support the people we love.
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🔎 And don’t tell me there is nothing to do in Chippenham — there are over 150 local organisations listed on the Chippenham Activity Finder:

👉 https://onechippenham.org.uk/chippenham-activity-finder/

🗣️ Social Activities
🧘‍♀️ Yoga & Pilates
👩‍👩‍👧 Women-only spaces
💷 Low-cost or free groups
🧒👨‍🦽👵 All-ages & all-abilities activities
🎨 Arts & Crafts
🏃 Bootcamps, football, rugby, cycling, martial arts, climbing, walking groups
🌱 Gardening & environmental clubs
🧠 Mental health & support groups
👶 Baby, toddler & youth sessions
🤝 Community & volunteering
🧶 Knitting
⚽ Walking football
💃 Belly dancing
🧗 Climbing
🧓 Adult movement
🧪 STEM for children
….and more
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So, before you worry about what you’re buying everyone else this Christmas…

🎁 Ask yourself what you’re going to gift YOU.

And if you want a chat about movement, mindset, confidence or getting started — my door (and kettle!) is always open.

24/11/2025

https://accreditation.cimspa.co.uk/verify/7239bb6b00f83dca31c2e3bc0caf4b7876bfa315a899269bc241fb27a06d1b35

The holder has completed the Gym Instructor occupational professional standard by evidencing all of its competency statements. This has been evaluated through a comprehensive review of their professional qualifications and experience.

23/11/2025

EXERCISE IS MEDICINE — BUT SOMETIMES I USE BISCUITS AS A SPOON FOR ICE CREAM 🍪🍨😅

Bishop Desmond Tutu said:

“There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they are falling in.”

That’s exactly what exercise and movement does.

It’s the closest thing we have to a longevity drug 🧬 — helping us stay upright, resilient, and capable. Nothing else comes close to what exercise does for our Healthspan, Lifespan, and cognitive & physical function 💪🧠.

Neuroscientists argue that the primary purpose of the human brain is movement — our most ancient survival tool. Ever since we first left Africa, movement has meant safety, exploration, connection, and progress 🌍👣.

But in the blink of an evolutionary eye — the Agricultural, Industrial and Technology revolutions — we drifted far from our natural patterns ⚙️💻🌾. And that shift has consequences for both our mental and physical health.

Our ancestral movements were simple, balanced, and fundamental and every fitness professional should be teaching and supporting them.

And yet:

• 25% of us struggle with poor mental health 💭
• 37% of us don’t exercise at all
• 87% of us don’t exercise regularly

Despite the fact that movement is our natural default state.

Think about how we grow:

• We crawl 🤱
• We walk 🚶
• We run — usually to someone because we’ve hurt ourselves 🏃‍♂️💨
• Then we do it all again

Before we can talk, we adapt, aspire, connect, act independently, and are brave.

These traits — along with confidence, resilience, self-worth, calm, discipline, and appreciation — are all natural byproducts of exercise ⭐.
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My mission, as Chippenham’s only Mental Health & Exercise Coach 🧠💪, is to help people understand:

• Life is limited — not guaranteed ⏳
• We can tip the odds of longevity in our favour
• We owe it to ourselves and those we love to stay around to enjoy and support them❤️
• We don’t stop moving because we get old — we get old because we stop moving 👟
• Mental health can be positive too 🌤️

And the REAL reasons to exercise have nothing to do with ridiculous societal idealism:

• Fun 😄
• Independence 🙌
• Longevity 🧓
• Appreciation of life 🌱
• Self-care 🧘‍♂️
• Empowerment 🔥
• Value 💛

This is what I call SELF HEALTH, not health care.

We can’t control everything — but we can improve the quality of our lives as well as the length of them. And yes, we can still enjoy the things we love along the way, like biscuits and ice cream!

Balance trumps deprivation, every time 🍦😉.

18/11/2025

Love, love, love being part of this 💚

18/11/2025

Fun, friendly and local....what's not to love?

Give it a go... you may just like it.....

Finish lines not finish times......

16/11/2025

☕GREAT CONVERSATIONS CHANGE LIVES💬

Ever felt like you should be doing more for your health…
…but don’t quite know where to start, or what’s actually right for you?
You’re not alone — and you don’t need to figure it out by yourself either.
👋 I’m Chippenham’s only Mental Health & Exercise Coach.
And whilst I’m not taking on new clients right now, I’d still love to buy anyone a tea or coffee (other soft drinks available!) for a friendly, no-obligation chat.
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☀️ A little about me 👇
• 60 years and 16 days old
• besotted husband and grandfather of two (not necessarily in that order, depending on who’s listening! 😅)
• heart attack survivor ❤️‍🩹
• son of three parents lost to cancer — the first when I was 15 🎗️
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Health isn’t “not being ill.”
It is a balance of physical, social and mental wellbeing — that’s the World Health Organisation’s definition, not mine! 🌍
My own journey as a coach began when I realised that the hardest part of recovering from my heart attack wasn’t physical — it’ was psychological.
That realisation changed everything. 💭
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💡 Now I help people:
💪 rebuild confidence if life knocks them down
🧘‍♀️ find harmony between body and mind
😊 discover joy and purpose through movement — not punishment
My mission is to tear down barriers that stop people from moving, living and laughing.
Because exercise should always be:
✅ fun first
✅ focused on Healthspan before Lifespan
✅ about enjoying life — not chasing numbers or appearances
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Putting ourselves first isn’t selfish — it’s selfless.
It’s how we stay healthy enough to enjoy, and be there, for the people we love. ❤️
We all carry doubts like:
💭 “I’m too old.”
💭 “I’ll be judged.”
💭 “I’m not fit enough.”
💭 “I don’t have time.”
💭 “I can live with stress.” (You can’t — it needs to go, like p*e and poo! 💨)
💭 “I’m scared of not being seen for myself.”
💭 “I fear comparison.”
💭 “I don’t want to feel like the first day at school again.”
These thoughts just prove one thing: we’re human.
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🌱 Life doesn’t get better by chance — it gets better through change.
And sometimes the bravest part of change is simply asking for help.
We’re never too old to go out and play; sometimes we just need someone to show us the way.
People are instinctively compassionate, tolerant and inclusive.
Life thinks it can bury those natural traits — but we have the ability to keep coming up for air, to keep rising up, and to keep being ourselves. 💚
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So, if you’d like a chat — no sales, no pressure — just a conversation over a cuppa ☕
…just let me know.
Because connection is where magic happens. ✨
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09/11/2025

I don’t use gimmicks such as “befores” and “afters” to encourage people to exercise — I prefer to give people more credit than that.

My goal is to educate and inform, helping people decide their own reasons to invest in their wellbeing.

The fitness industry is full of “reasons” to exercise — some constructive, others… not so much.

As a Mental Health and Exercise Coach, I want to be clear about the principles that shape the support I offer:

💥 Exercise must be fun — we’ll never be too old to go out and just play.
❤️ We have a responsibility to ourselves, our families, and our friends to be around and enjoy life with them for as long as possible.
💓 Our time is limited and not guaranteed — my heart attack made that clear — but we can still tilt the odds in our favour.
🏃‍♂️ We won’t stop moving because we get old… we’ll get old if we stop moving.

My motivation isn’t just about lifespan, it’s about healthspan — that vital period of life where we can actively influence our wellbeing.

Think about it — the whole purpose of our brain is to produce movement. It’s how we’ve survived for millennia. When we stop moving, our bodies and minds both suffer.

I’m not a “people whisperer”, but my qualification in mental health and exercise coaching allows me to work with empathy — to help improve both physical and mental fitness together.

It’s easy for someone to say “Exercise makes you feel better”, but it’s far more powerful to understand why that happens and how to make it meaningful.

Here’s what happens when we move our bodies:

🌿 Stress Reduction – Endorphins act as natural stress relievers, helping us release tension (because we can’t hold onto stress — we have to get rid of it, just like we p*e and poo!).
😊 Mood Enhancement – Regular exercise lowers the risk of depression and anxiety, and boosts happiness through endorphins.
😴 Better Sleep Quality – Movement promotes relaxation, reducing insomnia and helps us sleep deeply.
🧠 Boosted Cognitive Function – Exercise improves memory, concentration, and protects against cognitive decline.

Exercise is more than movement — it’s a life skill.

It brings happiness, confidence, self-worth, resilience, calm, and connection.

01/11/2025

Well… I’ve hit the big 6-0 today.
And honestly, sometimes I wonder how I really got here.
Along the way, I’ve lost people I love (some “before their time” — I really hate that phrase), and gained a loving family and amazing lifelong friends.
I’ve made wise decisions, done brave things, and — on more than one occasion — been an idiot.
Just ask my wife! 😅
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But now that I’m here, the question is:
👉 What do I do with the next bit?
If average life expectancy is around 80, that means I’ve still got a quarter of my life left — and I fully intend to make it spectacular.
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I often say:
💬 We should stay around as long as possible — to support our partners, children, grandchildren, parents, and friends.
But let’s not forget about ourselves.
Growing older should mean growing bolder.
It’s about seizing opportunities that make us smile, spending time with people who lift us up, and never being too old to play, laugh and have fun.
That’s why prioritising our wellbeing isn’t selfish — it’s selfless.
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If the word exercise feels intimidating, we must think movement.
Because movement does so much for us:
💪 Increases lifespan – regular physical activity is linked to longer life by reducing risk of chronic disease
❤️ Improves heart health – strengthening the heart, improving circulation and lowering blood pressure
🧠 Boosts brain function and mental wellbeing – increasing blood flow to the brain, reducing risk of cognitive decline whilst improving mood, reducing stress, anxiety and depression
🏋️‍♂️ Maintains muscle and bone strength – preventing age-related muscle loss and osteoporosis, reducing the risk of fractures and falls
⚖️ Supports metabolism and weight management – helping regulate blood sugar, preventing insulin resistance, burning calories and supporting healthy weight
🦠 Improves immune function – strengthening the immune system, making the body more resilient to illness
😴 Improves sleep – helping regulate sleep patterns, leading to deeper, more restful sleep whilst reducing symptoms of insomnia and improving overall sleep quality
🧘 Enhances mobility and flexibility – keeping joints healthy, reducing stiffness and pain whilst supporting overall movement efficiency, making daily activities easier
🤝 Builds social connection – group exercises, sports, and fitness classes foster a sense of community, connection and social engagement
💥 Reduces the risk of age-related disease – keeping the body functioning optimally for longer, lowers the chances of developing conditions like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and arthritis
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As a heart attack survivor and the son of three parents lost to cancer, I know there are no guarantees.
But if we can tilt the odds in our favour — why wouldn’t we?
Growing old isn’t about fading away.
It’s about living fully — with grace, purpose and joy.
It’s about passing on wisdom, sharing laughter, and smiling until we’re no more.
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I believe health is not just “not being ill.”
It’s the balance of mental, social and physical wellbeing — and that’s what I teach and live by every day

29/10/2025

There's been no small amount of reflection in the run up to my 60th birthday on Saturday, and this has been a major part of it.

I believe that the greatest definition of service is helping people you will never know. If my journey does that just once, it will have been worthwhile❤️

25/10/2025

As I post this, I’m seven days away from turning 60. Given what I do, I often talk about longevity — helping others embrace it. But recently, I’ve been reflecting on what it truly means to me.

🕰️ Longevity isn’t just about living longer. It’s about living better — filling our time with moments that make us smile, laugh, and feel alive. Those are the times we’re most ourselves.

True longevity is being around long enough to love and support the people who matter most — our partner, children, grandchildren, family, and friends — and to pass on the wisdom that life teaches us along the way.

💭 Wisdom isn’t knowledge.
It’s the understanding that grows from experience, reflection, and compassion.

In a world that moves at lightning sp*ed, we need to slow down, look back, and share what we’ve learned — kindly, patiently, and with heart.

Every choice shapes our destiny. The lessons aren’t always easy, but they mould us into more resilient, compassionate, and grounded versions of ourselves.

We have a responsibility to pass that on — whether it’s a story, a quote, or a quiet piece of insight — so others can grow too.

✨ We rise by lifting others.

Compassion, kindness, and patience are the universal languages of humanity — the ones the deaf can hear and the blind can see.

💚 Compassion: In a world where we can be anything, let’s be kind. Even small acts can create ripples that reach further than we’ll ever know.

💛 Kindness: Sprinkle it like confetti! A smile, a kind word, a helping hand — they all build stronger, happier communities.

💙 Patience: Rome wasn’t built in a day. The most beautiful things in life take time — and grace while waiting.

Of course, regular exercise helps with heart health, mental wellbeing, immune function, stress, and even cellular health…

But it’s so much more than that. It’s part of living fully — of building the strength and vitality to enjoy the people and moments that make life worth living

19/10/2025

💪 TOO OLD OR UNFIT? THAT’S LIKE COLDPLAY — I WON’T HEAR IT! 🎵
I’m a 59 years 352 days-old grandfather and a mental health and exercise coach.
I’m not a personal trainer.
A trainer teaches you a new skill or behaviour.
A coach reminds you of what you’re already capable of. 💬
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I want to be around as long as possible — to see who my grandchildren blossom into and to make the most of every moment with my wife. ❤️
Longevity became personal for me in 2017:
❤️ a heart attack
👶 the birth of my granddaughter
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💡 Longevity isn’t about adding years until we fade away — that’s lifespan.
Healthspan is what really matters: the years we spend thriving.
Yes, things that shorten life may already be at work inside us, but healthspan is largely in our own hands. ☀️
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Fitness websites often show images that make us feel judged before we’ve even begun.
But exercise should be about:
🌿 Having fun
🌿 Creating transferable skills
🌿 Enjoying the journey, not just the outcome
As a mental health and exercise coach, I’m proud to rebel against the outdated view that fitness is about shape or size.
Movement is about joy, confidence and connection.
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Stress is a devil on our shoulder — punching us in the head and leaving bruises no one can see.
We all want to laugh, play, explore, and be an adventurer.
We often yearn for the freedom of childhood, why? That was the last time we were totally free. 🌤️
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💬 It’s easy to say “I’m too old” or “too unfit.”
But that’s like Coldplay — I simply won’t hear it! 🎶
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Before we learn to talk, we:
👣 Adapt by crawling, standing, walking
💪 Build independence by taking one step at a time
🧠 Show aspiration by moving forward learning new skills
🤝 Form connection with our parents
❤️ Show courage — falling and getting back up again
These instincts never left us, we just forgot where to look. They are byproducts of movement and exercise.
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After my heart attack, the physical recovery was straightforward.
The mental recovery took far longer giving me insight into what poor mental health feels like.
It taught me that exercise is just as vital for our mind as it is for our body.
Sometimes it’s not about moving forward — it’s about refusing to step backwards and having the courage to ask for help. 💪
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Life is there to be enjoyed — not waited for.
We all have physical health.
We all have mental health.
So we’re all qualified to talk about both.
We owe it to ourselves — and those we love — to protect and nurture them. ❤️
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