Fitness Mindset Motivation Podcast

In this episode, I spoke with James Laithwaite retired professional rugby player and now an entrepreneur.

'Jams' has suffered a lot with injury over the years and he talks about overcoming these setbacks and the hacks he uses day to day plus his inspiration to starting his company with his wife Michelle.

we talk about biohacking and how we both use certain techniques and devices to help our recovery from injury and improve our performance. he really advocates cryotherapy as do I and red light therapy which has been a game-changer for my hip pain.

In the last section of the podcast, Michelle joins as the pair talks about their ambitions in business and their company fuel hub and how they have made some huge changes, making the brand more eco-friendly and in line with their customers and client base.

If you want to find out more about fuel hub visit them online: www.fuelhub.co.uk and why not see their amazing menu on their Instagram @fuelhubuk

thanks again for listening please rate and review on apple podcasts it really helps the discoverability of the podcast.

have a great week

Tom

In this episode, I catch up with commonwealth judo champion turned professional MMA fighter and old teammate from saints academy Owen Livsey.

Owen played rugby and also trained and competed as a judoka until the last couple of years where the path of life dealt him some hands and he found himself in hull and coaching and teaching judo and wrestling to rugby players the sport that initially disregarded his pursuits of both rugby and judo all them years ago. Life has a funny way of coming around full circle many times over and his story is great to listen to as he like many sportsmen and women have been so close on many occasions but has never given up and is now in a great position training full time to pursue the dream of being an MMA fighter and not just a fighter! he wants to push this opportunity to its limit and I believe he has what it takes.

This conversation covers everything from judo camps to Olympic dreams, setbacks to dark times and the light at the end of the tunnel.

I hope you enjoy this episode. please like rate and share when you get a minute on apple podcasts it will help the algorithm and discoverability of the podcast.

If you want to discover more about Owen and his upcoming events please give him a follow on Instagram @owenlivsey or if you in the hull check out his gym @carlsongraciehull

We will be following his fight plan from now on and will be supporting him in any way possible so please check out his page and his current sponsors...

Hardlife Fightware

Combat Nutrition

Vitality CBD

Harman Coaching Systems

Again everyone has a great week and ill be back again soon with another podcast!

Take Care

Tom Armstrong

In this episode, we review the 135km Hadrian's wall ultra we ran on Halloween of last year.

we initially planned to complete the run in one day but the conditions were against us and as a result, we had to complete the challenge over 2 days.

We talk about all the prep leading up to the run and then all the challenges we faced along the way.

This was, without doubt, one of the toughest challenges I've ever undertaken and even matty a seasoned ultras runner with over 15 ultras to his name said it was his toughest ultra he has completed.

I hope you enjoy this conversation, Please share with someone you think will like this episode! And rate review on wherever you listen to your podcasts... Thank You

Have a great week

Tom

In this episode, I spoke with Andy Reid MBE and this was a long time since I last spoke to andy many years ago not long after his injury in Afghanistan in 2009.

There was a lot in this episode and we actually spoke for 2 hours but the first 30 minutes was too informal to publish and we have some excellent content that has been left out for another episode in the future which is exciting.

We spoke about his obvious injuries and the immediate moments from that point to where he is at now with his foundation and a new life without three of his four limbs.

Andy is a great bloke and I hope to link up with him on some more projects in the near future.

So thanks andy and thanks to everyone for listening.

I have published 2 bonus episodes which were recorded live with International DJ Max Chapman which you can find at @tarmstong89 on Instagram

And an episode with Matthew Dyas where we revisited our 135km Ultra Marathon last October.

I will get those episodes edited and published on the website as soon as I can.

Have a great week and Happy Easter

Tom

This episode as part of national eating disorder awareness week and to be released today as part of International women's day!

I sat down with a west end star Hannah Grace Lawson.

Hannah is best known for appearing arguable one of the most iconic of west end shows Les Miserables.

Hannah had struggled with controlling her eating disorder whilst in a super high-pressure environment at arts educational and then later whilst on the west end itself.

We spoke about how it affected her and how she managed to find her pathway to recovery during the lockdowns.

Hannah is a huge advocate for healthy eating now and wants to spread her message through her Instagram and her youtube to reach other ladies who may be suffering in silence with these problems.

You can find out more about Hannah along with all her current endeavours here:

Hannah London theatre direct, youtube, Instagram personal, Instagram Fitness

If you got anything out of this conversation or you think someone will please share it with that person.

Have a great rest of the week.

Thomas Armstrong

In this episode i caught up with Scotland International my old captain at leigh Centurions Oliver wilkes. He has amassed over 500 games in his professional career spanning over 20 years which is an amazing achievement by any standards across any sport in any country so it was a privilege and an honour to catch up with him and see how he managed to play at the highest level for so long!

We spoke a lot about rugby and about the transition out of sport and how he and others can use the help of others including rugby league cares who are doing a great job for the careers of players after the sport and he urges them to reach out and use the help that is there, No1 is going to do it for you.

Again thanks for listening if any of these topics reach you then please share or comment and give the podcast a rating where ever it is you listen.

Up next is a west end star who has overcome an eating disorder and is inspiring ladies from across the nation to be body confident...

Thanks again have a great week speak soon

Thomas Armstrong

In this episode, I caught up with Jamie Acton my Ex Teammate and a good friend.

We spoke about his challenges and life living with and overcoming ADHD. We covered rugby, coaching the mindset of a coach and the current challenges facing him as an assistant coach at Swinton lions.

We spoke about the app he has been developing for the last 18 months in which he aims to BANISH peoples demons as he calls them or anxieties depressions, mental health or learning difficulties through the medium of exercise.

Jamie realised how important exercise was to his mental health after he retired from rugby and started to develop the app around his own life experiences to help others in a similar situation.

I hope you enjoy the episode and if you think someone can benefit from it or you benefit yourself please share this with one person to spread the conversation wider. And please like and rate on apple podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcasts it will really help the algorithm.

Have a great week

🗣 Be True to yourself be True Athletic

Thomas Armstrong

We talk in-depth about his career and his upbringing. His struggles in his early career trying to fit in! his reason for being a rugby player and how he managed to use criticism to his advantage and motivate him through the tough times.

We talked about injuries and the feeling of isolation which is associated with being injured and out of the loop from the squad which has a huge impact on many players young and old.

We got a lot deeper and shared some stories of anxiety and depression and how we have both suffered and have helped those around us with similar problems which are all too common in the sport!

I really hope this episode can reach someone and can help them understand better the mindset of a true athlete and how it isn't all sunshine and rainbows yet there is always help out there in the form of your peers or teammates or family.

If you get anything from this episode or think someone you know will please share this and leave a comment and a rating on Apple podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Thank you for listening

Have a great week

🗣Be True to yourself be True Athletic

In this Episode.....

I got to sit down with Ste and talk in a huge amount of depth about all aspects of fitness and health. We really did take a deep dive into the infinite space of living better and healthier!

I am going to keep this brief however some of the things we covered are...

• Diet
• Recovery
• Biohacking - Red Light therapy
• mushrooms supplements
• Psychedelics
• travel
• love
• happiness
• Mediation
• Leadership

And more...

If you want to find more out about Ste and what he is all about please reach out to him on instagram or visit his website www.peakprimalhealth.com

If you enjoy the episode please share it with one person and if you really want to help out please give a rating on apple podcasts or spotify it takes two minutes and will be a huge help with the algorithm.

Have a great week......

Up next I have Australian international Willie Tonga looking forward to this one!!!

In this episode, I caught up with international Samoan Rugby player, Sheffield Eagles legendary Fullback and businessman QLT

This episode was a little different in the respect I was due an overdue catch up with Q after the year we have all had last year and it was over 2 years since I sat down and had a good chat with him so there was a little bit more back and forth but, to be honest, it was just nice to find out more about his life and ask some deeper questions to what I usually would in a rugby setting.

I spoke about his entire career From humble beginnings all the way through to the present day with a lot thrown in between during my time staying with him and his family during my time at Sheffield.

we went on to talk about his new coaching business and his property business try line property which he started a year and a half ago now with fellow rugby and Castleford tigers star Jesse Sene-Lefao . They are both clearly driven and motivated men to play full-time rugby raise a family and start-up business along the way. He also heads a coaching company complete rugby project with another former teammate of mine Jack Howieson this is for youngsters who haven't quite made it onto a professional pathway yet in Rugby League or Rugby union so be sure to check that out too here if you are interested in finding out more.

This episode will give you an insight into the life of Q and hopefully show people how it is possible to start second and third revenue steam in your spare time and still manage to juggle family life and all that goes with it whilst remaining happy and at the top of your game.

QLT was a mentor for me at my time at Sheffield and hopefully he can with his story guide others down a path to success and happiness too.

If you get anything out of this episode please let me know and leave a comment. It is greatly beneficial for the algorithms on Apple podcasts and YouTube if you like rate and comment so please if you have a minute to do that it will go along way.

thanks again for listening and reading see you next week

🗣Be True to yourself be True Athletic

Tom

TAF