Authentic Edge Podcast

What if the exercise you think is best for fat loss… actually isn’t?
We tend to assume that the harder we’re working, the more we’re sweating, and the more exhausted we are, the more fat we must be burning.
But physiologically, it’s almost the opposite of that!
Have you ever wondered why the random gardener who has never stepped foot inside a BodyFit class can be incredibly lean, while someone else can nearly pass out in a high-intensity class several times a week and still struggle to lose body fat?
Maybe some of our assumptions about fat loss are wrong.
In this episode, I break down the different energy systems the body uses during exercise, how exercise intensity changes the fuel we rely on, and why lower-intensity activity can play such an important role in accessing stored fat for energy.
And the answer is far simpler than most people expect.
Because ultimately, the perfect program means nothing if you don’t execute it.
There are plenty of approaches that can work to varying degrees, but every plan fails if it isn’t carried out.
Sometimes the best strategy isn’t the most complicated, intense, or impressive one.
Sometimes the solution is remarkably simple.

Creatine seems to be popular at the moment. A few of my clients have brought it up recently, which I find slightly funny because I was using it 20 years ago, back when nobody outside the gym seemed to care.
In this episode, I give a practical, personal account of what creatine is, how I’ve used it, and where I think it actually fits.
Creatine is not a replacement for the fundamentals. Your diet, sleep, training quality and recovery still matter far more. But when those bases are covered, creatine can give you a small increase in training capacity and help make your workouts a little more productive.
I also like using it as a psychological tool: something that helps you lock in for a focused block of training. You take it consistently each day, commit to the process, and use that period to build momentum—whether you’re preparing for an event, chasing a goal, or simply wanting to train with more intent for a couple of months.
It is relatively simple, widely used and, in my experience, genuinely useful. But like any supplement, the real question is not whether the internet says it works. It is how it works for you.
Use it intelligently. Pay attention to your body. Test it for yourself. And make sure the basics are already doing the heavy lifting.

In this episode, I introduce a concept that I believe is largely missing from the way we think about health and exercise: conditioning exercise.
Most people exercise with performance goals in mind. We go to the gym to build strength, improve fitness, lose weight or perform better in sport. Those are all worthwhile goals—but they leave out an important piece of the puzzle.
Modern life has us sitting at desks, driving cars and spending hours in static positions before asking our bodies to suddenly perform under heavy loads. It's no surprise that so many people live with persistent aches, stiffness, limited mobility or movements they simply avoid because they don't feel right.
Conditioning exercise is different.
Rather than training your body to perform, it trains your body to feel and function well. It includes the lower-intensity work that nourishes your tissues, restores movement, improves mobility, maintains healthy joints and muscles, and helps your body recover from the demands of everyday life.
In many ways, conditioning exercise sits alongside recovery, rehabilitation and maintenance exercise—but I believe it deserves its own name because it represents something much broader: caring for the quality and condition of your body, not just its performance.
If you've ever wondered why you exercise regularly but still don't feel good in your body, this episode may change the way you think about movement forever.

In this episode, I break down how long you should wait before exercising after a treatment, and why the answer isn’t one-size-fits-all. It depends on things like intensity, duration, and what your body is actually processing.
Just like a deep therapy session, breathwork, or even something as intense as an ayahuasca ceremony, what you do after matters just as much as what happens during.
If you go straight back into stress and load, you can interrupt the healing process and interfere with some of the benefits you would have gained from the treatment. 
 
 
 

Most people think they need to process their negative emotions more.
They don’t.
They’re already experts at it.
In this episode, I break down why constantly revisiting frustration, anxiety, and resentment isn’t helping you—it’s reinforcing you. Every time you relive the same emotional pattern, you strengthen it. You’re literally wiring it deeper into your nervous system.
Fire together, wire together.
If you wouldn’t reward a bad habit in a dog, why are you rewarding it in your own mind?
This episode is about learning to withdraw attention from the patterns you want to kill, instead of feeding them with your focus, your story, and your identity.
At some point, you don’t need more awareness.
You need to stop energising it.
Let it die.

Squat like a piston for strong quads.
With all the focus on peach day, the quads aren't getting much attention lately. But they should!! Even the conventional back squat has turned into a proxy deadlift which doesn't use the quads anymore.
In this podcast I discuss some technique cues and exercises to activate and develop the quads properly.

Many of us wake up with a sore jaw, tight neck, or even headaches — and we assume it’s just something physical. But what if jaw grinding and clenching aren’t dental issues at all, but signals of mental agitation?
In this episode, Andrew explores how jaw tension often reflects our inner stress and agitation. While mouth guards and splints can help temporarily, they don’t address the real cause — the mind’s unrest.
You’ll learn how to identify your personal stress triggers, become more aware of what agitates your nervous system, and build simple behavioural shifts to ease the mental load. From winding down before bed to navigating emotional stressors at work, this episode offers practical insights into how awareness and nervous system regulation can help your body — and your jaw — finally relax.

In this episode of the Authentic Edge Podcast, I sit down with Beatriz Durango, a Clinical Pilates instructor at Novellus Wellness, to explore some of the features of 'clinical' and 'regular' pilates.
We unpack some of the most common Pilates misconceptions — like the belief that you need to work up a sweat for it to be effective, or that pilates isn’t for men. Beatriz explains how Clinical Pilates focuses on technique, alignment, and mindful movement, showing why it can be a powerful tool for injury recovery, strength, posture, and overall wellbeing.
We also discuss how Clinical Pilates fits into a balanced weekly exercise routine, why sometimes lighter loads and slower movement create better results, and how the practice has a spiritual and reflective dimension, encouraging deeper connection with the self.
If you’ve ever wondered what Clinical Pilates is good for, how it’s different from standard Pilates, or whether it’s the right choice for you, this conversation will give you clarity and inspiration.

Lately, there’s been a surge of interest in “nervous system resets,” with buzzwords like vagus nerve and polyvagal theory popping up everywhere, and books like 'The Body Keeps The Score'. At the core, it’s about understanding how our parasympathetic and sympathetic systems affect our health — and how frequent sympathetic activation (fight, flight, freeze) can wreak havoc on our hormones, ramp up cortisol and adrenaline, and drain our vitality.
When our nervous system is stuck in overdrive, it can fuel compulsions and physical symptoms like jaw clenching, tightening of the muscles around the face, head, and neck, elevated shoulders, nail biting, muscle tension, and hair pulling. In this episode, we unpack the theory behind nervous system regulation and explore practical pathways — from breath and vocalisation to touch, movement, and sound — that help us shift states, reclaim our resources, and ground our bodies.
By recognising our habits, triggers, and behaviours, we can learn to regulate more effectively, conserve energy, and move towards a more sustainable, stable physiology.

From boosting your body to inspiring ancient rituals, mushrooms have a history as wild as their health benefits. In this episode, we explore how mushies work their magic on the human body, why they’re like nature’s multivitamins, and where they fit in (without replacing healthy habits).
You’ll also hear the strange-but-true tale of how Siberian shamans — and their love for a certain mushroom — may have shaped the story of Santa Claus.
By the end, you’ll never look at mushrooms, or Christmas, the same way again.