Welcome And What We Tackle

SPEAKER_00 0:00

So you're thinking about running, but not sure how to take the first step? My name is Brian Patterson, and I'm here to help. Welcome to Brian's ROM pod. Welcome back to Brian's Run Pod, and it's me, your host, Brian Patterson, on some more hints and tips about running. Well, in today's episode, we uncover the truth behind AI-generated training plans and the realities of staying fit without injury. I sit down with Rachel Marks, personal trainer, NLP practitioner, and epigenetics coach to discuss how to make workouts truly personal, avoid common pitfalls, and build the foundations that keep you consistent. From midlife challenges and how to aging to balance, stability, and recovery habits. This is your guide to training smarter, not just harder. If you haven't listened to part one, then please do go back in our catalogue. That's a fascinating discussion. So without further ado, let's get into our conversation. You know, we've talked

AI Plans And True Personalisation

SPEAKER_00 1:20

about NLP in terms of um we've we've talked about how you know not necessarily one training plan is unique, is, you know, is helpful to to all others and and and we've and we've talked a little bit about sleep. Now I just wanted to go into sort of the rise of the sort of the AI training plans, and I know it's something it's a big topic at the moment. Um what's your advice to people who are, let's say, uh looking to maybe either it could be a running plan, it could be a personal training plan, um, and maybe using AI to sort of generate a particular program, you know, for their particular needs. Because I know you can be, I think that, you know, in terms of the prompts, you can be very specific, you can add a lot more prompts, you know, unlike the old days where you say, oh, give me a 5K training plan or give me a basic personal training plan, um, and you it you just take you the links to various websites, whereas now it's gonna regurgitate specific uh training plans, hopefully um you know, for your particular needs. But what's your advice to people who are looking to, you know, um use those particular training plans?

SPEAKER_02 2:43

Well, I guess I don't have a short answer for that.

SPEAKER_00 2:46

No, okay.

SPEAKER_02 2:47

If if um because there's so many different components, then I guess it also depends as just a person that's never done exercise before.

SPEAKER_01 2:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 2:56

And are you just going and using this particular app to start to stay to start running and you haven't done any exercise before?

SPEAKER_01 3:03

Right.

SPEAKER_02 3:04

So there's those kind of considerations, but also just bearing in mind that the fact that it's not designed just for you in mind.

SPEAKER_01 3:11

Right.

SPEAKER_02 3:12

Um, unless it you are using a specific program where it's got some personalization, but that app doesn't necessarily understand you. It's kind of like if you go on Google and ask advice, they'll give you advice that fits the entire population, but it doesn't really, it doesn't, it doesn't match to you. Um but actually before that, and it's not really the A sub I subject, but if you're gonna just start exercising, you've not done anything before, just ask yourself why you're doing it. Because if you don't have enough powerful, if you don't have enough powerful a powerful why for why you want to do it, you're probably not gonna keep it up.

SPEAKER_01 3:48

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:49

But also planning something that's that's realistic.

unknown 3:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:52

Um, but obviously as well, if you're using something new, look at reviews. I mean, the great day in our a in the great thing in our age, good or bad, is everything has reviews now.

SPEAKER_01 4:04

Yes, that's true.

SPEAKER_02 4:08

Um and just start off gently, because I know so many people that start off these things and are injured straight away, and then they're injured and then they stop completely because they've been put off. So ease yourself into it. Um, maybe do it with someone else. If you're a person that doesn't like exercise on your own, doesn't want to run on their own.

SPEAKER_01 4:28

Yes, that's right.

SPEAKER_02 4:29

Then go and find a running buddy. Because some people really need that and they're more likely to exercise if they've got a runny a running buddy, or go and join a running club that maybe has different levels, you know, more beginners or all that sort of thing.

SPEAKER_00 4:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:45

Oh yeah, but there's certainly a lot there's a lot available out there.

SPEAKER_00 4:49

Yeah. So when people come to you, do they find that they're coming to you because they've tried various uh different outlets or you know, try different training programs and it hasn't really helped? Or are they doing different very motivations for sort of coming to you as a

Starting Safely With A Strong Why

SPEAKER_00 5:10

as a as a personal trainer and as them being like your client?

SPEAKER_02 5:14

I guess lots of different reasons. Um some people um because a lot of my age group that I work with are 40 plus or maybe even 50 plus, and then some of them are concerned about how well they're gonna age and what's gonna happen, and so then wanting to be continue to be capable as they age, that can be a big determinant. Um some people come to me because they've got medical conditions, people with high blood pressure, they're diabetic, they've got thyroid issues. Sometimes people come with me with niggly injuries that um have not been they've not been been able to manage. Some people just need want to, you know, just have a whole lifestyle reset. Yeah. Some people have been to the gym and hated it.

SPEAKER_01 6:04

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 6:05

Felt very self-conscious, that's that's quite common and love the idea of me coming to their home.

SPEAKER_01 6:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:11

Um, so I I either go to their homes or I work with them online. So it's um yeah, it's really, really varied. Um, I generally don't work with I don't work with athletes or bodybuilders or people that just really want the aesthetics look. You know, I'm I'm much more about the the health transformation and getting better sleep. You know, I have a lot of people that come to me because they sleep really badly. Um, and want to understand how to work on that. So it's a real mix. Um, and so my clients varied from 40 to 85.

SPEAKER_00 6:46

Oh brilliant. Oh fantastic.

SPEAKER_02 6:48

Yeah. My 85 year old is incredible.

SPEAKER_00 6:50

Oh right.

SPEAKER_02 6:51

He can still full do full press ups, lunges. He's he really is incredible.

SPEAKER_00 6:56

Right.

SPEAKER_02 6:57

Balance on one leg for ages.

SPEAKER_00 6:59

Oh, right. That is very impressive. Yeah. Because um I know it's something that I mean, I know this is a running podcast, but it's something that I've become a lot more aware of. I'm 64, um, but um I know uh my my dad was in a care home. But as I've got older, I'm a lot more aware of stability, um, leg strength, and you know, having because I think as it's something that you you know falling over can have an inc you can have increasing problems, be it from hitting your head or I know and you know, if you do go have to be hospitalized or for whatever reason, then it just creates a multitude of um outlook kind of issues down the line, sort of thing. I know it's as basic as that, but has have you come across this um in your uh in your training for your clients?

SPEAKER_02 7:57

Uh balance is really, really important. Um because it's something that actually people don't realize neurologically it declines even from your mid-30s. So learning or ensuring that you have good balance is is so important because what happens when people fall? They hit their head, they break their hip, they dislocate their shoulder.

SPEAKER_01 8:20

That's right.

SPEAKER_02 8:21

And some of those things can be quite tricky to recover from.

SPEAKER_01 8:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:25

So doing these things at an early age um is really important. But saying that, even if you're 70, it is not too late to start doing that.

SPEAKER_00 8:33

Yes, exactly. Exactly. Yes, exactly. And and also to have that good base and grounding um will obviously help you uh in in later life. But um yes, it's it's something that I'm you know in increasingly become much more aware of as as I'm getting older.

Training Goals For Midlife Health

SPEAKER_00 8:55

So um And do you find that um I don't know what's how you know fitness landscape in New Zealand, I always get a feeling that, you know, like the rest of the Southern Hemisphere, they're tremendously fit people because it's a very outdoorsy life lifestyle. Um But um do you find that movement is uh becoming so much more important now that to keep on moving, to keep either elevating your heart rate and to keep moving, you know, in in different ways, um, has it do you think that's quite important now?

SPEAKER_02 9:32

It's incredibly important. And actually it's even though we're a big sporting nation, people here like to watch sport. They don't necessarily want to partake in it. Yes. And I think it's only um I can't remember what the latest stat is, but it might only be the 50% of people regularly exercise. So we've got the same obesity and lack of activity problem that a lot of the Western world have. And they're they are doing a push for that here, but it's definitely a problem. And um and specifically, I know the same as the UK, the health service is is is struggling because that's actually getting sicker.

SPEAKER_01 10:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:09

Um and actually with the pace of life, the costs of living, this is making people actually do less for themselves because they're just chasing the completely chasing the next thing. And um So if anything, it's it's it's more important than ever to look after yourself. Um and also I think as not because you should do it, but because you're actually gonna get joy and energy and much more happiness than being active.

unknown 10:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:42

But also as we're getting older as all over the world, in you know, in the Western Hemisphere, um we are, you know, there are a lot more older people and um we are living a lot longer. At the same time, it's so important that, you know, you're you know, if you if you you are going to be open to all these different, you know, ailments, either cancer or whatever, but it's very important to to have that in terms of you know being able to to move and to enjoy life what it is, um, and to experience lots of other things.

SPEAKER_02 11:21

And I think it's important to mention there's so much talk about, I think it's one in two people now, if not one in three, um, are gonna get cancers.

SPEAKER_01 11:30

Yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:31

And I think you can't live thinking that's gonna be you because still lifestyle, with a lot of the cancers, lifestyle is a big component, and that is something you can control. So it doesn't matter what DNA your parents pass down to you. Um I've been I've possibly possibly been passed down the bowel cancer gene. My grandmother, my mother's mother's mother died when mum was seven, she was 29 years old. Right. My mum my mum's had bowel cancer much later in life. I have inflammatory bowel disease, so you can say I'm a I'm a candidate, but in my mind,

Balance And Stability To Prevent Falls

SPEAKER_02 12:10

I have control. That's where this is what I do to help people realize that they're actually in the driver's seat. It's not just handed down and you build up with it. You have control of living the best life you can. Yeah. You do the right things.

SPEAKER_00 12:26

Right. In terms of, let's say, uh if we move on to uh the social media trap, in terms of I know some people do this comparison, so and it's very, you know, whatever your thoughts are about social media, but whoever people whenever if you are on Instagram, it's very easy to do that particular comparison. Um what what's your thoughts on that? And then how can sort of people sort of get out of it, as it were?

SPEAKER_02 12:58

So um are you meaning celebrities pitching their particular way that works the other.

SPEAKER_00 13:04

Could be, or you're just gonna either going on you know, you're you're going on Instagram and you're either you're comparing or you're trying to get, let's say, maybe some ideas about um I know for instance, you know, I put in uh I've got a uh an Achilles tendonitis issue, and then you'll s uh uh uh lately, and then you'll see loads of tendon Achilles tendonitis exercises, you know, and then you're kind of bombarded for the next week as to, you know, how to um treatment for Achilles tendonitis, that kind of thing. So from various people, you know, I mean in some ways it can be quite a good thing, and then other ways, you know, you you're just kind of bombarded with loads of um uh you know films or of of you know how to get over this issue.

SPEAKER_02 13:53

It it really is, it's very problematic. I am on social media, I've got a a Facebook business page, and I'm on Instagram, and I often talk about um I might show them a picture of my breakfast, and I actually said just because I'm eating this for breakfast doesn't mean you should. And maybe you don't need breakfast. So I'm saying I'm not here to tell you you should be doing what I'm doing. Yeah, because you may need something different. But but it is a problem, even on um there's a community pay community page locally where somebody is looking for personal trainers because they wanted to lose weight, and somebody that had a hundred people that aren't personal trainers telling them, Oh, well, forget the gym, you just need to diet. And I'm looking, you know, this person that's asked a question is was giving 50 opinions from people that are armchair experts.

SPEAKER_01 14:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:40

Um, and it's it's a worry because you know, that's not that's not accurate, but you have to look at the at the um you have to look at the person. So it can be highly, highly damaging in

Movement As Modern Health Insurance

SPEAKER_02 14:55

in some instances. And I I see a lot of stuff about you need to eat more protein or you need to do your exercise in the morning, and it it drives me insane.

SPEAKER_01 15:05

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 15:06

Because some people don't need more protein, and some people actually will be doing harm by exercising in the morning. And even with an injury that you have, talk you mentioned your Achilles, yeah. Um functional medicine is kind of like the side branch of modern medicine becoming more and more prevalent. And you're very much talking about you treat the person, not the symptom.

SPEAKER_01 15:30

Right.

SPEAKER_02 15:30

So you you treat the person in front of you.

SPEAKER_01 15:33

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 15:34

Rather than being grouped into you need the same the same rehab as everyone else that's got Achilles tendonitis. You need to treat the person in front of you. And sometimes the origin of that pain might be somewhere else in the body, because where where the injury is is not always where um where it started. So yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:52

That's that's an interesting thought because I find the left-hand side of my body, in terms of where all the injuries occur, on the left, it's usually the left uh left leg. Well, um that's that's where it happens. Whether that's a weaker side of my body for some particular reason, and whether there's something an underlying root thing. Um I know this is specific to me, but maybe other people might find who are listening might find there may be something underlying, like you said, you know, treat the person as opposed to the symptom.

SPEAKER_02 16:28

Maybe, and maybe it's actually really important if there's a big difference in strength between say your right and your left.

SPEAKER_01 16:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:36

Um sometimes we need to marry that up so it's it's you know, so they're similar because that's can become a problem.

SPEAKER_01 16:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:43

But it could be like a way that you sit and then every I mean, you have to look at so many areas of your life to see how

Escaping The Social Media Advice Spiral

SPEAKER_02 16:50

you're moving, how you're sitting.

SPEAKER_01 16:51

That's true. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:52

You know, there's so many things that can cause people to um move their body in a weird way. Like I'm quite you wouldn't know, but I'm quite deaf in my left ear. Right. I've been for most of the life, so I've had various lots of surgeries.

SPEAKER_01 17:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:05

And I know that I I sometimes, or probably more more than sometimes, hold my head in the city. Oh, right.

SPEAKER_00 17:11

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 17:12

And then I could have neck pain. And then somebody might be trying to fix the neck pain, but really I've got to adjust how my my I'm holding my head.

SPEAKER_01 17:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:21

So there's many things like that. Even if you're somebody that's not in uh in a great mood or in feeling good about themselves, what do we do? We try and make ourselves look smaller. So we're we walk hunched over.

SPEAKER_01 17:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:35

So that that can cause some pain. So it it gets so so complex but fascinating to try and explore what the causes the problem of the problem. And that's right. And and there's a whole thing about the fascia system. I don't know if you know about the fascia, the connective tissue in our body, which basically connects the fascia system, connects your eyebrow to your to your sole of your foot.

SPEAKER_00 18:00

Oh, right, okay.

SPEAKER_02 18:01

Any yeah, any and this is not my expertise, it's something I'm I'm waiting to do a course on to know more about. I I do work a little bit with clients on their fascia. So when you use a foam roller, for instance, or spiky ball, you're rolling.

SPEAKER_00 18:14

Yes, that's right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:16

You're trying to loosen up the fascia. So in that line of fascia, um, it could be that a a point uh in your neck can be causing pain in your foot or so many things. Every part of our body is held together by fascia. All our even all our organs are held together by fascia.

SPEAKER_01 18:34

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 18:35

Um, and you can you can even get tightness for not hydrating enough because the fascia needs lots of water to hydrate and move. Think about um like a bath sponge dried out.

SPEAKER_01 18:48

Yes, that's true.

SPEAKER_02 18:49

You know, you can't move it. So think about your uh your fascia like that. And as soon as you put water in it, you can move it in all sorts of directions. So for some people, it could just be about not enough hydration. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:02

Um But that's that that's really I mean, it's I mean, it's it's something that we've obviously talked about today in terms of the, you know, uh uh personalised programs, but also the thing is is that you may not have the injury. I was just thinking coming thinking about this now, is that you may not have the injury now, but maybe it's something that maybe down the line you may experience for whatever reason. But also it's so it's it's about treating the person as a whole in terms of sort of their well-being. And then, you know, if we are, I mean, I know uh as I said, it's we're uh running podcasts, but obviously it's always good to think about all these other different elements will which which will which will help you running.

SPEAKER_02 19:48

Absolutely, because if you look at you know, all areas you want to be a better runner, you need to be hydrated to get your fashion moving properly, and you need to be getting better sleep, you need to be rather foods, and you know, depending on what your goals are of running, if you want to be able to run marathons or you just leisurely shorter runs.

SPEAKER_01 20:07

So Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:08

But obviously to stay injury free would be a big goal, and to do that you need to look after yourself too.

SPEAKER_00 20:14

Yeah. So especially if it's if it's something, you know, it's running is something you enjoy, you're keeping fit.

Treat The Person Not The Symptom

SPEAKER_00 20:20

And you know, to have that taken away from you and having to, you know, it can be very frustrating. And and also I know we haven't talked about mental health, but you know, that can help, that can affect that as well.

SPEAKER_02 20:32

So Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 20:33

Yeah. Um I've coming up to nearly 50 minutes, but it's um it's I've really, really enjoyed this conversation and unless unless I could talk to you for hours. But the in terms of let's say what um if we move on to some sort of quick fire takeaways, in terms of uh I know it's very generic, but what is a good recovery habit?

SPEAKER_02 20:58

My top one, which I think is really neglected, is if you go for a run, and then most people will stretch afterwards.

SPEAKER_01 21:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:06

I'm not saying that everyone does, and there aren't better things you can do than stretching, but I won't I won't go there.

SPEAKER_01 21:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:11

But what's more important to do after your stretches is to actually do some deep breathing to help your body go go from your sympathetic system to your parasympathetic your parasympathetic sympathetic is your rest of recovery and digest.

SPEAKER_01 21:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:27

And that's you want to get into that to help your body um ease your body into that recovery process. So after my workouts, what I do, I do my stretches and then I do some deep breathing for a good five minutes to help bring everything down again. Right. And this and there's certain types of body structures that this is even more important for because some body structures live much more, and we're not all the same. Some people live much more in um sympathetic dominance, like my body does, and some people um um a much more cruisy and in paras more in parasympathetic. There should be a balance. But um definitely um around the hydration and make sure you're you're cooling down properly after your after your um after your run after your work out.

SPEAKER_00 22:16

Okay. Um is there anything I know you're you're not a running coach per se, but um you you are a personal trainer but is there any mistake that people make generally when you go to see them? Um you know uh is there a generic thing that basically they're either they're not understanding or is it like you know maybe they are just just taking common or garden training plans from the internet and you know just going along with them?

SPEAKER_02 22:47

So again it's it's down to understanding your body because we've all got different body structures. If you take a struct think think of a ballerina

Fascia Hydration And Simple Tools

SPEAKER_02 22:55

with a very very slight slightest body structure. Those kind of people have got a very heightened nervous system and they've got very fragile system. Those kind of people should not be lifting heavy weights that will do that will actually be a really negative impact on their system. So they should be doing light weights um and then there's there's there's people that shouldn't be doing really high intensity specifically first thing in the morning. So it's there's lots of different things. And then back to recovery if you're doing weights you shouldn't be doing them every day or at least you'd be splitting the routine. Yes. You know, because you you work your legs hard you don't really want to work the legs hard the next day.

SPEAKER_01 23:36

No.

SPEAKER_02 23:36

So you want to split up the body parts or do do a cardio day of some sort.

SPEAKER_01 23:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:42

Um and not everybody needs heaps of protein by the way after their workout and bodies don't need as much. It's not true that everyone needs more protein.

SPEAKER_00 23:51

Yeah. And also I think it's more of a like a trial and error and I think that the the important thing is to another thing that you know is coming out of uh coming out to me is that it's about listening to your body because that is probably the best thing or the the best way of giving you a bit of direction as to where you're going to be going in terms of your um uh exercise regime.

SPEAKER_02 24:19

I say I'll say sometimes. Yeah sometimes earlier in in in your younger days your body may send you mixed signals that what you're doing is okay when it's not because you tend to be more resilient but as with age you become a little bit less resilient. So things that maybe you did in your 20s you might not be able to do in your 40s. And you might in later life not for everybody start to understand your body a little bit and what it needs and kind of think okay that workout was too hard or I shouldn't have eaten that large meal half an hour before training.

Deep Breathing For Faster Recovery

SPEAKER_02 24:55

Yeah so so it's not always clear sometimes some people more tuned into their bodies than others some people were completely tuned out.

SPEAKER_00 25:04

Yeah yeah do you have a a sporting icon?

SPEAKER_02 25:12

I was thinking about this I don't really I'm not a big sports follower but I do have admiration for the dedication and the determination and the hours of work and and I really really appreciate all the stuff that goes behind the scene you know like that iceberg image that you see you don't see what's happening beneath you just see yeah you see them on the race day you see them you know um doing their sprint or you see them lifting their heavy weights you don't see everything that goes on behind the scenes I I have that kind of appreciation for the the hard work and the dedication for them doing it but I don't think I have any one particular icon.

SPEAKER_00 25:56

No okay yeah I mean I think I'm the same is that I'm always sort of going you know I always think um like we have the European Athletics Championships here recently um in Birmingham um but sometimes I always like to go on YouTube and just find out a little bit about you know what's their backstory or what was their training for that particular day because these are full-time athletes and how they approach the training in terms of coming

Common Mistakes And Body Structures

SPEAKER_00 26:25

up to a competition they might periodise their training and they might not obviously you know all the hard work has been done either in the winter months and then now it's just tweaking things you know in terms of their nutrition their recovery you know their training two twice a day that kind of thing so I'm always kind of like fascinated about that.

SPEAKER_02 26:48

Absolutely I do admire sprinters I love the look of a sprinter.

SPEAKER_00 26:52

Yeah it's been wonderful to talk to you Rachel. Where can we have pleasure no it's been fantastic and I think there's lots of tidbits here on on our um on the podcast and lots of n uh sort of like golden eggs that we can take away with us in terms of looking at personal training uh personal programs uh and maybe looking at other aspects of fitness that can help us but um uh I'd just like to ask you where can we find out more about you online?

SPEAKER_02 27:26

So my website's probably the best place to go. You can find out all about the body structures there's actually a free download on there where you can find out it gives you an overview of the body structures it won't tell you what yours is you need to take the assessment for that and I do have an online program which is available internationally where you can actually discover your own your own body and what it needs. Yeah. And that website is um allactive.co dotnzalactive nz okay and you said you're in I am on but I can't sure I can remember my Instagram handle right now.

SPEAKER_00 28:04

Okay well if we search racial marks we'll find it oh well anyway you've you if you let me know then um if you could just stick around long as you finish the recording then um then you can let me know then. So but um I just wanted to say I've really enjoyed today uh it's been fantastic um and as I and as I said at the beginning it's been wonderful to communicate with someone that it's um it's their evening all the way to New Zealand so whereas it's my morning so I'm just getting ready for the day. I haven't even had my breakfast yet so you'll need that.

SPEAKER_02 28:37

Yeah that's been my pleasure I've really enjoyed being here so thank you for the invitation.

SPEAKER_00 28:41

Yeah no that's that's fantastic and I'd just like to say uh goodbye from Rachel um and thank you very much for coming on the podcast and also goodbye from me and I hope you really enjoyed listening to the uh to the podcast and as I said there'll be many more in our catalogue. Cheers. Bye bye