The Movement Prescription

British Society of Lifestyle Medicine

Welcome to The Movement Prescription, the podcast where movement meets medicine. Hosted by three dynamic GPs, Dr. Callum Leese, Dr. Suzy Scarlett, and Dr. Hussain Al-Zubaidi, this show is your go-to resource for understanding the transformative power of physical activity in healthcare. Backed by the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine, The Movement Prescription shares the society's bold vision: transforming healthcare and tackling health inequalities through the principles of lifestyle medicine. Designed for everyone but with health professionals in mind, this podcast aims to educate, inspire, and empower listeners to integrate physical activity into healthcare settings. Whether you're a clinician, a health advocate, or someone passionate about promoting well-being, our episodes offer actionable insights, real-world examples, and expert interviews. In Season Two, we dive deeper, challenging misconceptions about physical activity and exploring innovative ways to address it across diverse healthcare scenarios, including for disease-specific groups. Join us as we unlock the potential of movement to revolutionize health and bridge the gaps in healthcare for a healthier, more equitable future. In season 3, a new series of The Movement Prescription brings together Hussain, Suzy and Callum for six engaging conversations on the power of physical activity to transform health and wellbeing. Across a wide range of topics—from multiple sclerosis and diabetes to prehabilitation—they explore how movement can be promoted in real-world clinical and community settings. Joined by inspiring guests, including consultant orthopaedic surgeon and BMJ columnist Ms Scarlett McNally, this series blends evidence, experience and practical insight to champion movement as medicine. Tune in, and let’s get moving, together.

  1. May 20

    How Little Can You Get Away With? Real-World Fitness and Cardiometabolic Health with Prof. Jason Gill

    What’s the absolute minimum amount of exercise you need to protect your heart and metabolism? In this episode of The Movement Prescription, host Suzy sits down with the delightfully no-nonsense Professor Jason Gill from the University of Glasgow to throw out the "heroic" 100-day fitness trends and focus on what actually works for the next 1,000 days. Whether you are a frontline healthcare worker looking for practical patient strategies or simply trying to navigate your own health journey, Jason delivers a refreshing, evidence-based reminder that "good enough is good enough" when it comes to diet and movement. Key Takeaways From This Episode:The Two-Stage Weight Strategy: Why intensive dietary changes (or tools like GLP-1s) excel at initial weight loss, while physical activity acts as the ultimate anchor for long-term weight maintenance.Frequency Over Intensity: Why moving at least every other day matters more for blood sugar and metabolic health than a single grueling weekend workout.The 15-Minute Strength Secret: How doing just one or two brief resistance sessions a week—focusing on large muscle groups and pushing close to failure—unlocks up to 80% of the total health benefits.Stop Shielding Older Adults: Why lifting light soup tins doesn't cut it for seniors, and why progressive, safe heavy lifting is required to protect independent living."Beautiful or Useful" Habits: How to make exercise stick for decades by ensuring it is either socially rewarding (beautiful) or seamlessly built into your daily routine (useful). Episode Highlight: "The difference between doing something and doing something ideally might be 10%, whereas you get from 0 to 80% just from doing something. I'm interested in getting people from 0 to 80%." — Prof. Jason Gill

    50 min
  2. 06/18/2025

    The Active Pregnancy Foundation: Bridging the Gap for Expectant Mums

    Join Suzy as she chats with the incredible co-founders of the Active Pregnancy Foundation, Marlize de Vivo and Sally Kettle. Frustrated by the lack of support and advice for women on physical activity during pregnancy and the postnatal period, Marlize and Sally launched their foundation in 2020. They're dedicated to breaking down barriers and empowering women to stay active through preconception, pregnancy, and beyond. Marlize brings a deep research background to the table, including a PhD focused on predicting physical activity behaviours in pregnant women. Her expertise has directly shaped the guidance and policies that support and empower women on their pregnancy journeys. Sally, a prolific adventurer who has rowed the Atlantic multiple times and is a renowned public speaker, shares her personal journey of navigating activity during her own pregnancy. She's driven by a powerful passion to ensure future generations of women don't face the same lack of clear, supportive guidance. This episode is packed with evidence-informed insights and practical advice for both women and healthcare professionals. You'll hear them tackle common fears, discuss the nuances of activity levels, and advocate for a holistic, individualized approach to movement in the perinatal period. Discover how the Active Pregnancy Foundation is working to ensure every woman feels confident and supported in embracing physical activity. Produced with support from the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine. Find us at https://themovementprescription.co.uk/ and join the conversation!

    38 min

About

Welcome to The Movement Prescription, the podcast where movement meets medicine. Hosted by three dynamic GPs, Dr. Callum Leese, Dr. Suzy Scarlett, and Dr. Hussain Al-Zubaidi, this show is your go-to resource for understanding the transformative power of physical activity in healthcare. Backed by the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine, The Movement Prescription shares the society's bold vision: transforming healthcare and tackling health inequalities through the principles of lifestyle medicine. Designed for everyone but with health professionals in mind, this podcast aims to educate, inspire, and empower listeners to integrate physical activity into healthcare settings. Whether you're a clinician, a health advocate, or someone passionate about promoting well-being, our episodes offer actionable insights, real-world examples, and expert interviews. In Season Two, we dive deeper, challenging misconceptions about physical activity and exploring innovative ways to address it across diverse healthcare scenarios, including for disease-specific groups. Join us as we unlock the potential of movement to revolutionize health and bridge the gaps in healthcare for a healthier, more equitable future. In season 3, a new series of The Movement Prescription brings together Hussain, Suzy and Callum for six engaging conversations on the power of physical activity to transform health and wellbeing. Across a wide range of topics—from multiple sclerosis and diabetes to prehabilitation—they explore how movement can be promoted in real-world clinical and community settings. Joined by inspiring guests, including consultant orthopaedic surgeon and BMJ columnist Ms Scarlett McNally, this series blends evidence, experience and practical insight to champion movement as medicine. Tune in, and let’s get moving, together.

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