James Golden explains why joining a gym isn’t always the best way to to get fit, gives tips on how to introduce movement into daily life and talks about his latest venture Elite Soccer Stars.
Watch the full chat with James Golden below:
In the modern world, we often equate being fit and healthy with ‘going to the gym.’ And there are certainly a lot of options in Cheltenham and Gloucester for those of us seeking a gym. But what if getting that membership isn’t the right place to start when we’re looking to make positive change?
Day to day movement is key
James Golden is a Cotswold-based fitness professional with more than two decades of work training athletes and lay people alike. He’s trained a lot in gyms, worked a lot in gyms, owned gyms and runs a business helping bedeck luxury gyms. But he told Sport and Life he doesn’t see signing up to a membership as the big win.
“It’s been proven in a lot of research that individuals may exercise in a structured environment, going to the gym two or three times a week. But they don’t move enough day to day,” Golden said.
“If they (the gym goer) are only moving 3 to 5000 steps a day, but on the other hand you have someone moving twice, three times as much, say 10,000 plus steps I think the person that moves more frequently is a lower risk for say coronary heart disease or just calorie expenditure. The individual who’s moving more is in a better window when it comes to living a healthy life.”
Using technology in the right way
Golden admits the use of tech in health and wellbeing can be tricky and possibly counterproductive. People tracking their sleep often report feeling anxious and non restful if they become too worried about the numbers on their wearable. But he believes when it comes to movement, getting a rough idea of your daily steps can be a good first step to getting healthier.
“It’s using it in the right way. I certainly wouldn’t recommend someone gets addicted to achieving a certain number. But there’s no harm in setting yourself little targets and goals, there’s incentive to actually move more and achieve little objectives from a health perspective week on week.”
When it comes to upping our activity levels, Golden reckons sprinkling movement or physical challenge into our daily routine can be a smart move – particularly for those of us who are short on time.
Top tips for adding movement to daily life
“A sports scientist I worked very closely with worked with a professional golfer. He was encouraging him to stand on one leg while he’s brushing his teeth and try brushing with the other hand. So he’s developing, you know, the motor skills element, but also he’s actually getting his core muscles to engage by creating an imbalance from just creating an unsteadiness from the frame. So little things like that.
“And you can look at building that foundation up with a healthy lifestyle that’s got sufficient movement in it and then look to layer that up build the core up, improve your posture and those other elements that might make the body perform better.”
In terms of implementing movement into our daily lives, Golden acknowledges the scourge of the video call has made it difficult for people to take work conversations on the go. But says social calls are a good opportunity to chat on the move and says even ramping up chores like vacuum cleaning can build strength and fitness.
“Who’s to stop you hoovering a room and then doing 10 squats? Then the next part you might do a sequence of lunges and then do up the stairs and down the stairs.
“You can modify a workout into an active life chore. It’s trying to be creative is what I’m getting at.”
A new venture into coaching kids
As a super fit guy, it might be Golden doesn’t need resistance hoovering to boost his fitness. But his commitment to promoting the power of movement has extended in recent years to helping set up Elite Soccer Stars – a football coaching school for Cotswold kids that mainly runs holiday camps.
The fitness pro has teamed up football pro, Cheltenham Town winger Jordan Thomas to deliver sessions in North Leigh and Golden says it’s powerful for youngsters to be coached by someone who has ‘made it.’
“He (Jordan) creates a unique experience in bringing that kind of professional football player to the kids. He’s a very, very good guy.
And we’re running our camps in conjunction with North Leigh Football Club where he started his career off. So I think that’s quite fitting for him because he never came through the traditional avenue of academy football. I think it gives aspiring football players hope that the opportunity still remains live while you’re playing the game at whatever level.”
For more info about the Elite Soccer Stars camps: https://www.elitesoccerstars.com/
