About Me
A few years ago I thought like many people do, that I was doing “all the right things” to be healthy. I ate in I thought was a reasonably healthy way, but despite this, I frequently was on one or another “diet” to try and keep control of my weight. I was doing regular exercise 5 or 6 times a week, either running on my own or with local running groups and going to classes when I could fit it in. I was also working really hard in a busy job as a local GP. I was always busy, running round after the kids and all my other commitments, there just wasn’t time to do anything more. I was stubbornly overweight, stressed and felt tired most of the time.
Then, in 2017 I developed a stress fracture, ironically from running too much, which meant that I was forced to take time off training and slow down. When I suddenly wasn’t able to run anymore the weight just piled on, and I knew it was time to get a grip on it once and for all. But the difference this time was that I suddenly had some spare time, because I went from running and rushing around every spare minute, to hobbling around and sitting still.
I’d previously thought that I knew what to do to be healthy – after all, I’m a doctor, right? But medical school was all about learning how to diagnose illnesses and learning about all the different treatments and medications that conventional medicine has to offer. There was very little about how to stop people getting ill and keeping them well in the first place. What I realised is that there is a whole realm of research and evidence and information out there that just wasn’t part of my medical training – so I started reading and researching – and what I found is lifestyle medicine.
I started putting all the things I was learning into practice in my own life, and I found that it really does work. I have made changes to the way I live my life – I eat better, exercise sensibly, sleep well and take time to actively relax with mindfulness and other strategies. I have more energy, I weigh the least I’ve ever weighed as an adult without having to “diet”, and I’m less stressed.
Since then I’ve carried on learning more, and in 2020 I completed the Diploma in Lifestyle Medicine via the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine, so I am now a certified Lifestyle Medicine Physician. I continue to practice as a GP, and also offer coaching to help people put these positive changes into action for themselves.
The aim of this website and my blog is help as many people as possible find their way to feeling better and enjoying better health. I discuss this information with my patients every day, but I can only reach a limited number in my own clinics. I wanted to share what I’ve learned more widely, and that led me to set up my social media pages, and then led on to this website. Everyone is individual, so there’s no one piece of lifestyle advice that’s right for everyone, but if this page inspires someone to find one change that works for them, then it’s done it’s job.