Health Hacktivators With Dr Alka Patel – Adrian Hayes On People, Planet And Possibility

You're listening to Health Hacktivators with me, Dr. Alka Patel, on the Woman's Radio Station. Before we get into today's conversation, please do support today's show sponsor, Youth and Earth. Youth and Earth have a range of products that I love to use myself to supercharge my metabolism, to support my health, and to slow down cellular aging. So just be sure you click the link in the show notes for exclusive offers which Youth and Earth are so generously giving only for for listeners of this show. Welcome to Health Hacktivators with lifestyle medicine doctor, GP, and longevity expert Dr. Alok Patel. This show will help you to discover a hidden health hacking code that unlocks your phenomenal potential for an outstanding healthspan, lifespan, and wealthspan. The show features candid conversations with celebrities, influencers, and industry icons real-life stories, and cutting-edge health activating advice that other doctors might not tell you. Discover why now is the time to join the strategic self-care revolution and experience the profound effect this will have on your personal and professional success. Now, here is your host, Dr. Alka Patel. Hi, hey, and hello, health activators. On today's show is Adrian Hayes. Now, Adrian Hayes is no ordinary human. Extraordinary is how I would describe him, and unstoppable as well. Adrian is a record-breaking adventurer. He holds the world record for climbing not just one, not two, but three poles in the fastest time— the North Pole, the South Pole, and Mount Everest as well. Adrian has journeyed through the most incredible of landscapes on our planet, and the most challenging as well— deserts, mountains, snow, rocks, jungles, you name it. And one thing I know is that Adrian loves this planet. And he's also spent 2 years in the forces previously as a former British Gurkha officer. He's featured in documentaries, he's written books, and he is an exemplary coach and keynote speaker where he talks about trauma, tragedy, and triumph. And today on this show, We're talking about people, planet, and possibility. Welcome, Adrian. I am truly, truly— you can tell by the smile on my face— truly, truly ecstatic to be speaking to you today. Hi, Alka, good to be with you today. And to all your listeners. Wonderful. Thank you. Thank you. Now look, it is a bit of an understatement, isn't it, to say that you've done a lot in your life, Adrian? But I guess what kind of life is it? It's a life to me from certainly from the outside, at least, that looks like one of adventure and discovery. And almost, I think, what people would describe as impossibility, the dangerous stuff, the risks that you're taking, that kind of sense of living life on the edge where— and I've heard you say this— you're facing your own mortality. So my first question to you is, Adrian, why do you do what you do? How many hours have we got for this podcast? You know, we could take a day on that one. But look, let's, let's— I mean, let me go back to your first question. One of the things I wrote down when I was 13, I wrote down my, what I call my plans. Okay. And these were what we would call today goals. I don't know what goals were like. I had a— we grew up in a very busy hotel. Mum and Dad were were forever doing this. I was a middle child, you know, unseen, unheard, unloved, you know, and all the rest. And I just wrote down all these great things about what I want to do in my life. And I think I got stemmed from my grandfather. He just did everything and through his life. And I suppose there was a case of writing these things down. I just want to live everything I can in this marvelous life we've done. So that sort of started off. And the funny thing is, I always say, particularly to school kids and universities, you write down your goals, they just— because writing them down makes them come true. They all basically, almost all came true. As for the why, and again, the why for the big adventures, well, probably the initial side in my teens. I didn't have an unhappy childhood. We grew up in a hotel, but it was perhaps I struggled with trying to find my identity and who I was and, and everything. And I suppose the The bit I found I was really good at, it found out when I started doing adventures at 17, I found I could keep going forever more. So I had a fitness side of things, and probably there was an escape side as well, just escaping, getting into nature and really, really finding the power of nature. We've always, you know, we grew up with the adventuring heroes of Ran Fiennes, Chris Bonington, and all these polar explorers. So I suppose there was a— that, that was the initial start of, of, of of the escape and then doing something I could find I was actually really good at. Hmm. So, that's really interesting, isn't it? Because if you ask most 13-year-olds, I mean, how many 13-year-olds have you come across that are writing down their goals? It's not the sort of thing that's being talked about in school. And this whole bit about what you've raised about your identity, who you are, you know, those questions do start early in life, but no one's got an outlet for what to do with them. Yeah, I mean, and maybe that's something of the upbringing, upbringing and having heroes, you know, polar explorers and mountaineers and being fascinated by these people and wanting to do this and always fascinated with it. I had a globe, my mother gave us a globe, and I used to pore over this globe and I asked my mum, you know, great mum, is Greenland Greenland? You know, how did it get that name? And of course she didn't know. It was actually named by Erik the Red, who called it Greenland to tempt the Vikings to go over there, but because it's white, it's ice. I knew every island chain in the Pacific Ocean because that was one of my big goals, to live on a desert island. I did it for a few months. But so just poring over the world, just fascinated with the world we live in. And I suppose just this desire, just want to travel to it. One of the goals was to travel to 100 countries in the world. Well, I achieved that about 20 years ago or something like this. And so just that exploration side that just— we just grew up with my older brother, to be fair, he never did it as he went into adulthood. But we were both sort of fascinated by that side of things. But yes, you're right, kids don't generally do this. And coming back to the finding their identity, of course, is one of my big, big, big topics. I speak to school kids, they're trying to find their identity while trying to push this identity on these things, which is just, just distorting society beyond any measure we know. And I honestly think— I know I'm going to different sphere here. Perhaps we'll come back to it later, but I think social media and smartphones will one day be looked at as a health risk. There's a statement from Adrian. Social media and phones will one day be looked at a health risk. It's, it's a tricky one, isn't it? Because this sense of adventure and discovery and curiosity and being in awe of the world and our space, it's something that is very innate about being human. And yet Just as you're describing it, to me, it's starting to feel as though life is becoming narrower and narrower and narrower for people where it's now ended up on this kind of little, you know, 6-inch screen that you hold in your hands. What is your worry about that? Well, in the exploring adventure world, I mean, there's positives. I'll try to look positive at anything. And so, from an environmental side of things, which I'm very passionate about sustainability, I don't I don't go on the climate change net zero quasi-religion. I look at the whole bigger picture. But I think young people now looking far more for experiences rather than stuff. And if we can encourage buying less stuff and junk, which will end up on a landfill after 6 months, this is all resources. This is all stuff being taken out of the earth. That's a good thing. So there's a good thing that people are trekking, climbing, rock climbing, kayaking, skydiving, all these things across the world. And I think we should encourage it. So that's good. The downside is to ask that question, why are people doing it? After the initial teenage years of myself about finding I was quite good at this and an escape from a struggling teenage years particularly. And I always said you do these things for yourself. And I believe it was a pursuit of excellence, pursuit of goals, pursuit of adventure. Proving sort of yourself that you can achieve something, setting these goals and self-worth, self-esteem, all that side of things. But you do it for yourself. And what's changed the last 10 years? Instead of the pursuit of excellence or pursuit of goals or pursuit of self-esteem, it's become the pursuit of followers, of likes, of recognition, of name and fame. And I'm absolutely— and there are people now, and I see it now everywhere. You are not— and people still try and bluff it. They say, I'm doing this, I'm climbing Everest to show others, women, diabetics, cancer sufferers, those with ingrown toenails, I'm doing it to show others they too can achieve their dreams. So I'm doing walking to the North Pole to raise awareness of climate change. I'm running across the ocean to raise this money for an orphanage in Kenya. And I say, if you're really that passionate about those three things, about showing others, become a coach. If you're passionate about climate change or anything else, become a scientist. And if you're passionate about that orphanage in someplace, then go and work there for 3 months and spend that $100,000 you spent on this expedition for that. You do it for yourself. But as I said, but now it's become this external significance. And the funny thing is, you— both ways will get you to achieve a goal. You will get there. Yeah, but that way the internal side leaves a deep feeling of satisfaction, a deep feeling of, of, of living a life of just pursuing a goal. That one, you'll never ever satisfy and you keep trying to push and prove yourself. And I see it everywhere about people who've achieved things, just trying to prove themselves and trying to get more likes and more followers and more this and more that. It doesn't work in the long term. Yeah, yeah. And I'm totally with you. It's that internal validation versus the external validation. And I think, you know, increasingly there is a, there's a risk that we are seeking more external validation to the point that I've talked to many people and this idea of solitude, being alone with yourself, can be quite a scary thing. People, of course, humanly, we're designed to belong and connect and be part of, part of this great ecosystem together. But I also have seen many, many people who back to that identity piece, they don't know themselves. So then to create self-belief, self-worth, self-esteem, a self journey of discovery is very, very hard because they haven't given themselves space to, to even know what they think and why they think it. So that's really important as well, isn't it? You know, just allowing yourself to be bored by yourself rather than constantly having to be doing something as well. You're dead right. And as I said, going back, you know, our values are formed, the values but make us up are formed by our— well, before we're even born, by what our mothers eat and drink in pregnancy, by childbirth experience, by siblings, by our parenting, our schooling, our friendships, our environment, where we live. It all shapes our values. And that's— and that's what always has done. But when you're— when you don't even know who you are, and yet you're trying to shape your values on this external things of trying to get this this recognition, of course, of the social media world. And I'm not— by the way, look, I use it. And I'm not just speaking as a— as someone who isn't in touch with it. I'm seeing— just look at the association. I would say actually correlation. And even I'd say causation of the social media smartphone rise and anxiety, depression, everything. It just matches each other almost exactly from around 2010 onwards. And you have to look when you see this false world. If you are a very beautiful, particularly for teenage girls, but a beautiful young thing with a load of friends and like that, you're great. But if you are not, if you're overweight, if you're, if you're a little bit less attractive, you're just going to feel, you know, even less, less worthy of yourself. So you try and do big things. You try and raise, you know, millions for charity or just try all these things that you're trying to do to get some validation, basically saying to the world, look, hello, I need recognizing. I'm someone as well. And it's a crazy world we live in. But going back to your other point about going into nature, you know, yes, I actually, I can feel a bit lonely in a city, but in nature on my own, I am never more happy. Just right. Take it in. Look at, look up at the sky. Look at the trees. I don't tree hug or talk to trees, but you can actually get the bigger picture of everything. And of course, when I've stood on a mountain, looking down on the world and being the highest human being on this planet, or at the top of the world, North Pole and South Pole, and you know, you're in this place that looks like another planet. You have a completely different perspective on what is important in life and what isn't. Take us there, Adrian. What is that really like? Because you are at the extremes of landscapes, extremes of the world. When you are trekking through these challenges, climbing rocks that you have never been climbed before, what is going on in your mind and what is that view for you giving you? So all of the terrains— and by the way, I make it very clear to people that I don't claim to— everyone nowadays is trying to be the best, the fastest, the youngest, the shortest, the quickest, all these, all these things that try to get this thing. I make it very clear I'm not There are thousands and thousands of better rock climbers, mountaineers, polar explorers, desert explorers, jungle explorers, all these things. And I've just done them all. That's all, jack of all trades and master of none, really. So I never make any claims about being anywhere near the best of these things. So when you talk— and each one is different. So when you talk about the mountains, look, I'm very rarely a mountain climbing. Are you on your own? You're always with teammates and there's usually other climbers there. So it's it's not a solitary experience. Base camps are quite busy things these days on Himalayan peaks, and the facilities are pretty good. I think the, the most extreme landscape being on is the poles. I mean, I did 3 major polar expeditions. That was walking from Canada to the North Pole, walking to the South Pole from the de facto coast of Antarctica— a bit of controversy about that— and then the length of Greenland by using kite skis. Now, each of them were different teams, but that— the hardest thing, by the way, was, was the North Pole. It is absolutely brutal because it's sea ice. The other ones are ice caps that go to about 3,000 meters. The North Pole's an ocean. You're trying to climb and trek and ski over broken ice and pressure ridges and melting ice and water. So there's a huge challenge going there, but all of them you're in your own little world. You're concentrating on your fitness, you're concentrating on your foot and step, you're concentrating on your body. You know, is there any hotspot, any sort of little thing? And you're focusing on not the big goal, you're focusing on the goal of that day or the goal of the week or some of this, you know, just keep yourself in great shape. You also, on the, on the easier times, have time to think and contemplate. And I can tell you something very deep that I come back from these exhibitions, particularly the South Pole, when I, when I came back to when social media came in on this 27, 2008, when I did these two big ones. And you're in these places, on these polar expeditions, you're thinking, you're contemplating, you're critical thinking, you're focusing, you're, you've got this deep-seated, deep thinking process. And then you come back to the so-called real world of information overload. And it was, it literally was help get me out of here. And so, so if I can sort of sum this up, it's an incredible experience when you are on a remote place of this planet. And I always say, final thing I was going to say is you can go to the great places in the world, you know, Machu Picchu and the Grand Canyon, all these things. But when you're surrounded by loads of other people, I'd say to people, go to less known places and be on your own with a few people. It's far more rewarding. Mm-hmm. Oh, it's so incredible hearing you saying this because it's reminding me— I mean, and look, first of all, you know, I am no mountain climber and you are extremely humble in your description of what, what you do. I mean, these are incredible feats and the pushing yourself to that edge of human potential. So I'm in complete awe of what you do and your humility that goes with it is incredibly inspiring. And it's reminded me of last year when I went and decided to take myself off alone on a silent retreat for one. So I was on my own, no huge mountains, just the landscape of Andalucía. And that time alone to be with my own thought was just in itself so revealing. And to actually notice the beauty in this world, Adrian, to really notice, you know, our 5 senses, like we're a sensory experiencing being, and yet we don't allow ourselves else to touch, to feel, to taste, to see, to hear. And it's just incredible to be able to do that. And, you know, certainly for me, that was— I did the same as you, probably not when you're trekking poles. Of course, there's no signals on your phone or anything like that, I'm sure. So I turned off everything on my phone. I had no notifications. I didn't even touch my phone. I told the time by the, by the sun. And when I came back, exactly what you're describing, that sort of sensory overload from a from a digital perspective was not the sensory experience that I wanted. And it took me a long, long, long, long time to even think about getting notifications and pings back on my phone. So really interesting you've raised that. And I think you're proving you don't have to go to the top of Everest or go to the North Pole. By the way, the North Pole is never done now, the full-way expeditions. You can get these experiences in the world we live in right now. And, you know, I live in— thankfully, I'm very lucky to live in the New Forest. And every morning I go and I just go— I listen to a 2-minute Focus of the Day type podcast, and actually just forces you just to look around. You look at nature, look at this flower, look at this leaf. We don't look at leaves or mosses and all these things. And just breathe, look at the air, and it just sets up the day for— in a good state. And I'll always remember coming off the Greenland ice cap after we'd been going 67 days, 75 days. All we'd seen was sun and ice and sky and came back off this glacier and suddenly we saw mosses and flowers and I was just asking, "Oh my God, it's a moss!" And look at these things thinking, "Oh, look at the beauty, it's green, look at this thing." And I had the same experience on Everest when I climbed that. Having been up at base camp and climbing the mountain for quite a few weeks, we came down before the summit to oxygen, to life, to animals. And just, you know, it just— it's a reminder. And I think you said you just gotta remind yourself every day, if you can, that there's more to the world than social media and all the rest of the sort of things. There's a beauty in the world out there, and you don't have to go to the top and edges and extremes to find it. Yeah, yeah. No, well said, Adrian. Well said. But you are, aren't you? You— and you're not just trekking and climbing and out in nature, you're also a social commentator. So how does that fit with what you do and why you do it? Yeah, so I've got many different hats. As you know, the adventuring side, which just goes in very blocks and periods, this keynote speaking— I don't use the term motivation, motivation speaking, very Tony Robbins American type thing, motivate, you know, motivation is only one objective of a keynote speech, but I do this for conferences. I do the coaching, consulting, mentoring side of work. A few books, a few documentaries, and the latest one over the last year, Social Commentating. And why I went into this side of things, because, you know, we're all struggling to make sense of where the world is these days. I've never heard— if you put a name for it, it's uncertainty. There's this tension. It's not just in the last year, there's an uncertainty. And I suppose if you're from a coaching perspective, which you're trying to get the best out of people, you have to sort of— I think the boundaries between what's going on in the world, society, and what's going on ourselves have become very much intertwined. So you have to bring these things in. So what I'm trying to do on social commentating is I'll talk about things, anything from COVID to Ukraine to climate to everything, but trying to get a bigger picture on, on the issue as opposed to partisan political. I've got this view that right versus left is finished anyway. I don't think it means— I think there's a far more up versus down axis. But I'm trying to be non-political, trying to get, I say, this bigger picture, critical thinking perspective on so many things happening in the world today. And I enjoy it. I've always been fascinated from a young boy. Again, apart from looking at the the globe. I always was fixed on news, maybe got that from my father, but always wanting to know what was going on and say, know what happens in the world and, you know, the capitals of the world, and just to fascinate with what was going on. I suppose that's lent itself to that commentating position. I thought about politics at one stage, but there is literally no political party I think that can meet what I need. And also, if you join a political party, you lose 50% of your your audience, you switch off because people won't accept. They just judge and typecast you as this. So I think the social commenting side is a better way. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So there's a question there then. Okay, maybe you're not going to be leading a political party anytime soon, but what would you say needs to happen? This is a bit of a kind of long question. Well, it's a short question with a long answer probably, but what do you think needs to happen for this world to be in a much healthier state, in a much happier state, in a state where it is looking— people are looking outward, that that connection is being rebuilt. And I mean, you've alluded to some of it around social media, but, you know, what do you feel should happen from an individual side of things? Um, yeah, getting off social media, getting off tech, and rediscovering the joys of relationships and the joys of face-to-face meeting. And one lesson from lockdowns. Well, you know, we— you said it earlier, we're community animals, we revel in it. And so coffee shops, certainly down here, have never been busier. Everyone's going for coffee despite paying— what's the markup on coffee? It's huge. But we're prepared to do it to have those, those chats. So I think there's— and so that's one thing. The experiences I've also spoken about on that side of things. On a bigger mega picture, I think we've really got to a few things. Firstly, I think from a personal side of things that we've never had it so good. We've had it so easy in the West. We've had this conflict-free area. We've had money on tap. We've had loans. We can buy anything. We can ask for anything. We got the state will provide for us benefits, everything. And I'm not being political here. I'm just saying we've had it there. We've had it too easy. When we had a problem, we've asked the government to provide for us. Now this This works up to a degree, but it's become a very health and safety obsessed, sanitized, cotton wool wrapped society. And I think we've lost the hardships of our forefathers and our parents and our grandparents used to have. I'm not unique in saying that. But what I will say is that this, this very safety conscious, sanitized society will work provided society keeps like that. As soon as you get a challenge, then we all lose, we all lose our head. And I can see, to give a few examples, why we did that in the last few years. But on a bigger picture, I think, you know, we face many challenges, but I think we have to face the challenge of waste, that we are living beyond our means. And as an environmentalist, an environmentalist who doesn't follow the net zero quasi-religion, environmentalist who looks at the whole bigger picture, we're spending beyond what we can than what we can afford, than what the Earth can afford. And I think if we can start to live a little bit more simply and recognizing that the best experiences in life are free and you don't need to keep spending, spending, spending, spending, spending, I think it will make us a much happier place. And also for governments, instead of just spending, spending, spending because somebody's asked for it, it gives us the money to actually spend on what's priorities. I look at some countries like Bhutan, I've been there, and they seem to have a good, a good idea of how to live in a very sustainable fashion. And other countries as well. We're going to take a short break now for some music, and we'll be back shortly with even more health hacktivations. So show me family, all the blood that I will bleed. I don't know where I belong, I don't know where I went wrong, but I can write a song. I belong with you, you belong with me, my sweetheart. I be standing on canal and by a reef. She be standing next to me. I belong with you, you belong with me, my sweetheart. I belong with you, you belong with me, my sweetheart. Love, we need it now. Let's go, go, son. So where do we go now? I belong with you, you belong with me, my sweetheart. I belong with you, you belong with me, my sweet heart. I stood alone upon the platform in vain. The Puerto Ricans, they were playing this song. Crossed in the rain with open doors and manual locks and fast food parking lots. I headed west, I was a man on the moon. New York had lied to me, I needed the truth. Oh, I need somebody, I needed someone. One I could trust. I don't gamble, but if I did, I would bet on you. Like the Dead Sea, you told me I was like the Dead Sea. You'll never sink when you with me. Oh Lord, like a dance. Oh, I'm like a dance. Finest words you ever said to me. Honey, can't you see? I was born to be, be a dance. We live for somebody else. Your father died and you decided to live it for yourself. You failed. You just failed this time. I'm glad. That's, that's just not Yeah, yeah. And everyone can play their part. As you say, sometimes it feels like, you know, you're a small fish in a big ocean and, and all of that razzmatazz. But, you know, there's— everyone can play a part. I remember in lockdown, and this might sound very frivolous and it's nowhere near the sort of sustainability stuff that you're talking about, but what I did one day was I took out all of my shoes from my cupboard, all my pairs of shoes, and I put them all out on the floor. And there were 67 pairs, Adrian, and I've only got 2 feet. So, I made this pledge that I was not going to buy another pair of shoes. And actually, it took me 2 and a half years before I bought another pair of shoes. And I'd never really thought about it like that before. And we've made another pledge in our house just last week, which is all of these, you know, toiletries and cosmetics and stuff that we put on our skins and face. I mean, buckets of it in all sorts of drawers. We're going to use everything up before we buy a single thing. And, you know, it's— we're living in this really sort of abundant society, aren't we? And I just always come at abundance from a health perspective as well. And it's back to kind of what you were describing right at the front, this idea that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Because we know that even in terms of our, of our genes and our genetic makeup, we have to live in a space where we are actually stressing our bodies, not from a negative perspective, but stressors that indicate to our genetic makeup that you're living in a bit of adversity. So what am I going to do? I'm going to uplevel. I'm going to make you even stronger so that you survive. And that is how we get stronger and better and healthier rather than, as you say, being too comfortable being comfortable. Correct. There's nothing wrong with a bit of stress. You know, it's not too much stress, of course, but But yes, stress our bodies out. One of the interesting things of lockdown, very early on in lockdown, so I mean, it became very clear that it affected the elderly and those obese or those overweight. And I suddenly, I was walking down the street and said, oh, and Lymington's, as I said, where I live, Lymington in the UK, is pretty upmarket. It's pretty, you know, it's not some of the more deprived areas. And we all know that obesity rises with depravity and all the rest of it. But I looked around, I thought, gosh, there's so many people, gosh. And, you know, we— I just see everywhere we are the most— I think in Europe, the most obese nation in Europe. And I, you know, again, I just— I question what— what— how, you know, not judging people, but how do people get like this? Your body, you only got one unless you believe in reincarnation. We're not— we're not going to another one. So look after it like— treat it like gold dust. And that's one thing. And you're probably going to ask me about health and fitness in a minute, but I've treated this body I've got like gold dust for so many years. And I suppose that's why I can keep going at it. And I'm fitter now than I was since I did K2, which was 48 years ago. So I'm back to the fitness of there and I'm just going to keep going, keep going, run a marathon at 120. There's my, there's my goal. Well, you know what, we are living in absolutely the time that that 120 age is, you know, it's within our grasp. I always talk about living a 1 million hour life and people always say, what is that? Well, it's 116 years. And I truly believe, like you, Adrian, that we're absolutely in the time when that is a possibility. And it is that level of self-care that is going to determine your healthspan and your lifespan, isn't it? And it's never too late to start. There'll be people listening going, oh, you know, I didn't make my goals at 13 and I didn't get out at nature when I was 21, and I didn't climb mountains or run or move. But start now because it makes all the difference, doesn't it? Absolutely. And of course, it's not just a matter of living till a certain age, but it's living healthily and alert. And one thing— and of course, the mental side is just as important as the physical side. So can I just mention about the physical, you know, what my— firstly, I I barely drink, maybe a glass of wine a week, maybe 2 at the most. That's it. I've never smoked. I eat organic food as much as I can. I eat meat, I eat fish, I eat cheese eggs. I've been eating the keto diet for a few years now. The keto, which is the high fat, lower carb. And the more research you look into it, you know, it's the sugars and the carbs that's causing so many health problems in society. Definitely with diabetes, but I think cancer, particularly the inflammation that sugar is causing. And yet people don't seem to realize. So just ditch all these cakes and sweets and sugars and biscuits and all the rest of it, but also cut down on the potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, and grains. You know, eat good wholesome food, but organic as well, because I don't trust the pesticides and all the chemicals that's been put in the food. But the other thing— so that's, that's the thing I I train, you know, right now it's running, swimming, cycling, weight training, rock climbing, and hiking. That's before breakfast, then we get some real work done. But, you know, train, but usually for a goal. But the mental side, and I really want to mention this because it's— yeah, there's a few sayings that I've got, which, you know, you don't stop when you get old, you get old when you stop. And I think so many people just look forward to it. I can't wait till I retire. And I get it. If you're working on a production line, you just want to be doing this. But again, we create our own lives. You know, the buck stops with us. And I would encourage everyone to start getting into whatever skill you've got, whatever, to look at a business that you can continue doing after the company says you're too old, off you go. Something like that. Because the second thing is once you stop working, you lose that edge, you lose that sharpness. And you also, you don't become as relevant as you used to be when you stop working. And I've seen so many people retired. They say, we've never been so busy and all the rest of it. But there's that sharpness, that interaction, that of what working does to you. So I think none of us, and I personally, I don't think, you know, working, retiring at 65, what? That's a youngster's age, you know. Keep going as long as you can. Totally. And you look at those who are— those guys who are— and ladies and gents who are still sharp and alert and still going in their 80s are still working. And that's a key thing. That's the thing we need to be covering, keeping that brain ticking and active. Oh, totally. And it's that connection between physical agility and emotional agility and cognitive agility. And there's are so intertwined. And so, as you say, you know, you start with one, you're out there just walking, and then your mind's sort of freer and you're thinking about different things, and suddenly you've got another idea and you're then in the cognitive space. And it's all beautifully interrelated as well. So I'm, I'm totally with you that, you know, the— so I guess the option of slowing down doesn't really exist, exist for you, um, which is great because it gives you that stimulus to, um, to certainly to sort of keep going. But I think it's also really important for people to think about that passion and purpose, isn't it? Because I always talk about the ABC of life, really, which is about autonomy, belonging, and competence. So back to what you're saying, this sense of autonomy, doing it for yourself, having choice and control over what you choose. Every fork that goes and is lifted to your mouth is, is your choice. Every step that you do, choosing like I am right now to stand up rather than sit down for this conversation. There's all these tiny choices that we make. And sometimes we do them on autopilot, but you bring it to a conscious awareness. It's a different ballgame, isn't it? And then that belonging, you know, this again, you've experienced this throughout your life by the sounds of it, in terms of just being part of this planet, this incredible, incredible planet, being part of something bigger than you as well. And then competence, your capability, right? Like feeling good about what you do, being really good at what you do, upskilling constantly as well. And that's certainly brilliant ethos to have. And I see that, you know, it looks as though that's what this wave that you've been riding on as well. Yeah, it is. And, and, um, you know, there's many things I could touch on, on there, but on the, the, the physical side, I've— I had to take a break from big expeditions, uh, 5 years ago to bring up my teenage daughter. She was then— which I always say is my big joke— it's harder than climbing Everest, the North Pole, and South Pole put together, bring up a teenage daughter. Um, but now she's independent, and, uh, so I can get going. But I think I think, you know, I'm going back to— and this is a good thing, you know, the London Marathon every year, I look at this and I just— I'm actually sort of driven by— just, I get quite emotional watching this. There are people pushing themselves through pain, no one's forcing them to do it. They're doing it to challenge themselves. And I think most of them— and by the way, I know it raises a lot for charity, and I'm all for, you know, small-scale things you can do for that. But I'm going back to do a mountain in Nepal in 3 weeks' time. Just, yeah, 3 weeks today I leave. And just that setting that goal and just getting that focus. And I'll have the kit out on the floor this week and I'll be going through every sort of thing. But, you know, the physical fitness regime is being peaked to that sort of thing in 3 weeks' time. And it just, it keeps you, you know, I know, you know, we, a lot of the gurus in the coaching world don't think of, you know, the present is it's all about the present. And I get that. I think I was far too much when I was younger thinking future, future, future. My mother was very much— she, she was a planner, always planning, always planning. So I was future-oriented. And I think that the present is revealed. We've spoken already in this recording about appreciating the present. But I think if you just live in the present, well, you may as well smoke, eat, or whatever the most worst things, because it doesn't really— tomorrow doesn't matter, you know. It's just about today. I think the— yeah, I think the tomorrow and the goal setting— and I've got this ritual of annual goal setting which I absolutely go through. It takes over a period of days, not New Year's resolutions, but setting what I'm trying to achieve this year. And it just keeps you— again, keeps you alive, keeps you focused, and keeps you sort of driven. Yeah, yeah. And there's actual science behind this as well, Adrian, in terms of anticipation. So that sense of anticipation, having something to look forward to, creates a higher level of happiness. Um, and there's been quite a lot of research done about this. And, you know, even at a really kind of simple level in terms of booking a holiday, say, you know, once you've booked a holiday, you've got something that you're aiming for, back to your goal setting. Actually, there's a real level of happiness and joy that comes from anticipating that. And actually, some of the research has shown that people are happier in terms of awaiting the holiday than they are even when they actually go on holiday. So that anticipation really creates that motivation. There's a kind of driver to keep doing what you're doing in anticipation of something that's coming. And I love that, you know, your preparation for Nepal sounds as though that's that very thing, that anticipation of this event, this moment, this time that's ahead of me puts me in this positive state right now. Yeah. And on anticipation, I always look— I'm always reading the room, reading, reading people, reading the energy. You know, we all know when the sun comes out in the UK, you know, people are happier. In fact, there's an optimum— I found an optimum temperature which, which seems to be when it's 24 degrees. There's a, there's an enlightenment, you know, it feels good. But also look at the months of year that we, we can get beautiful weather in May, June, July, and August and September, you 5 months, but the different energies in May and June because you're looking forward to the summer. Summer's coming, you know, you've got that anticipation. And I think that there's a very different energy there and it makes it such a buzz. That's why I love May and June, my favorite months of year. The only thing I caution against is I think too many people just look forward to the annual holiday and that's, you know, or or the daughter's wedding in 3 years' time. And I suppose they just wish their lives away on this one thing— annual holiday, Christmas. You know, there are— there's things that you can do week in, week out. And I just wonder about the UK because I spend a lot of time abroad, and I know they're expatriate places, but Dubai, where I lived for 20 years, but I was even Hong Kong the last 2 weeks, and it's so fun. I just meet more people in one week than I do in one home year in UK, and everyone's actually open. It's more sociable, people absolutely sort of inviting you to various places. And I just think we've got to get that back to this society. Perhaps, you know, I don't know, the lockdowns just drove us in all our own little worlds and just doing our own things. And I think we've got about, you know, my, my main social, my running club, my climbing, rock climbing buddies, that's the most people I see when I'm here. But just such a great camaraderie, sharing, um, fun, laughter, all these things that make up, uh, and, and so that's a goal, you know, it's every— a goal every few weeks for some running race or parkrun. By the way, parkruns, if anyone listening's not done it, they are one of the greatest British inventions we've ever had. All ages, from little 6-year-olds to grannies up in, in their 60s, 70s, they're fantastic. Get out and do a parkrun. And it's just such a joy. Fabulous, fabulous. And I'll just take you back to the emotion of the marathon. So there was I in September watching the emotion of the London Marathon on TV, just getting caught up in all of it, you know, hand-on-heart moments. Did you listen to those interviews and see those people and what's written on their backs? And then this thing came up, Adrian, this thing flashed up on the screen that said ballot now open. So I came running up to my computer and I put my name in, in that moment, carried by the emotion. And then 3 weeks later, this thing flashes up on my computer that says, you're in, you got it. Wow. I am. So I am running the London Marathon this year. And oh, fantastic. You know, yeah. And you might think, you know, why are you doing it? But I can't actually answer to that right now because it was that emotional drive in that moment that led to a decision. So yeah, that's in my timeline. I did it once and it just— the feeling of energy you've got with all these people doing it with you, the camaraderie, the banter, the laughter, the support, plus everyone on the street. It's an incredible experience. I should do it again one of these years. But the, the timings, the ballots, the way to get in, because the timings you need to get into it, qualifying, uh, is quite— it's extraordinary right now. I mean, and it wasn't that many years ago. Remember London Marathon 1981, if I got that right? You know, and you, you've run a marathon, oh my goodness, oh, how, oh, what, you know. And now it's commonplace, you know, people do it, but it's still a fantastic challenge to do. Yeah. Yeah, no, I'm super, super excited. So tell me, just back on health then, has anything given in your health? I mean, you know, you're fit, you're focused. What's the health challenge? Is there one for you? Well, I hate getting old. That's my biggest fear of getting old. I just think, ah, you know, I've got to be more accepting of this, I suppose, but it's just just— you can't— none of us can defy age, um, but you can delay it. You can certainly delay it. Um, and I think that's one of the things I've got. Look, the health side— the health is made up of 3 major ingredients. It's what we eat, it's our physical fitness, and how much we sleep. And I, I say I eat just so, you know, so religiously, so diligently. People say, but you miss out on all the joys of life. Or people say everything in Moderation, you know, yes, to a degree. But those— the trouble is, everything in moderation. Once you have that, that cake, it's so easy to have another one and all the rest of it. So I just avoid it. I'm happy for it. I don't need it. But I've taken supplements from age— again, age 16 or so. Basically, the science— the apple we eat today has got 1/10 to 10%, 15% the minerals it used to have of 60 years ago because of over-industrialized agriculture. So, okay, do they work? I'll sort of take the insurance and put it in there, you know, just make the best out of it. The sleep's the one thing. So fitness and nutrition, great. The sleep one is the third one, the missing link. I think we have this machoism. You know, it's tough to be, you know, do without sleep and all encourage. But we've— and we're so out of sync with our Even our time zones, I just, I ever, you know, we go to summer, and down here in June, it's light at 4 AM in the morning, 4 AM. And I'm up because I get woken up with the light. And I'm out there thinking, what a waste of light. You know, we could, if we had an, if we're an hour forward, and we enjoy the light in the evenings, we're so out of sync with nature, which again, is what, funny enough, when I go on expeditions, I'm camping, I've I sleep the best I sleep at all, you know, because you're away from getting all the distractions. You've got the sounds of nature with you. But that's the one challenge, and that goes along with social media and information overload, the brain sort of ticking away and all the rest of it. But we manage it a bit better these years. Yeah, no, it's really interesting, kind of light and your rhythms and your circadian biology. And I always say, you know, if there's one one thing that you do to help your sleep is to get out in that morning light, let the kind of light hit the back of your retina, because that gives you that reset, that whole connection between melatonin at night, which helps you fall asleep, and cortisol in the morning, which is your kind of stimulating, activating hormone. They've got a reciprocal arrangement, and you've got to use light in order to fuel that. So I always say, you know, prepare— preparation for sleep, it doesn't stop when you get into bed, it starts when you wake up. And it It makes such a difference just stepping out into that morning light, build a habit around that. And you know, you're right. And I read that a few years ago. That's the most important thing. And that's why I said I go for that walk. Don't have to be half an hour. I mean, some people meditate for things. I've struggled with that, to be honest. I've always struggled with it. But going for a walk in outdoors, getting that natural light and you said exactly the same thing, that triggers the whole circadian rhythms. It's difficult when you, you know, I travel a heck of a lot, certainly the last 6 months. It's tricky, but you've got to sort of manage that. And but there's one, the master of catnaps, I can sleep, you know, 5 minutes, just I could sleep in a busy nightclub if I'm right there, I could get my head down and just knock out for 10 minutes or so. I'm envious of people who could do that. By the time I've tried to get the catnap, I've got, you know, 20 minutes have gone and I'm still trying to catnap. And it was time to wake up again. So, I'm very envious of people who can do that, that lovely, lovely power nap. So, but I must actually also zone in on what you were saying about getting older and aging and, you know, do I have to? I don't really want to. But I think it's worth pointing out the difference between getting older and aging because most people think they're the same thing. You know, I'm getting older, I'm aging, it's the same thing. But they're two totally distinct things. And so you're absolutely right. You know, we all get older. We can't stop the tick of the clock. It's going to continue. But aging is actually a physiological process. It's what's going on in your cells. And absolutely, you can change that by pretty much everything that you've described today, right? How you eat, how you move, how you sleep, how you connect. All of that is reversing aging. Now, I have no idea how old you are, Adrian, but I would hedge a bet that your biological age, i.e., the age of your cells, is going to be younger than your chronological age, simply because of that lifestyle, that self-care that you've impregnated into your day. It's probably a lot younger because I'm old now. But yeah, and you're right anyway. But it's— you're dead right, a good way to look at it. But again, it goes back to what I said at the beginning. We We create our own lives. Take responsibility for your own life. I think we're— we've got to get away from this victimhood and blaming others about, 'Woe is me.' You know, there's a gift in every circumstance, everything we go through. Take responsibility for your life. And if it's not going right, then do it to change it. And if you need some help, there's plenty of, you know, personal coaches and all these people around you who can who can try and make you find that, those lessons, those techniques and skills. Oh, for sure, for sure. So just let's wrap up, but just tell us before we do, what, what do you specifically coach on? What's your— because I know coaching consulting is also a big part of what you do as well. Tell us what, what your coaching ethos is, or what's the— it's, I mean, look, the general principle, maximizing potential performance results, that I suppose that's what we're all after. We want to be the best we can be. Bring the best out of people. I do a lot with teams, do a lot with management teams, senior corporations around the world, and we're talking, we're talking about change management, leadership, real teamwork, communication, risk, resilience, and so on. So values, mission, purpose, I mean, the list is endless. And it's just bringing that toolkit about what people want to achieve. But I think, you know, perhaps— yeah, so that's the major work I do is with corporations, senior management team boards and things like this. But I do individual coaching as well. And, you know, the funny thing is with individual coaching, your shopkeeper or your just store, your till assistant has got the same challenges, same things as the CEO of a multinational company. In fact, he's even lonelier because he can't talk or she can't talk to anybody because she's they're so high up. But the challenges are very, very similar. But there's lots of tools and techniques I use. And I've been doing this, this work for 18-odd years now and still love it. It's really fulfilling. Yeah, yeah. Coaching is incredible, isn't it? It's that handing back of responsibility to someone else, to the, to the coachee, to the person who takes personal responsibility. But just watching them really think about options and ideas and opportunities. And just seeing those penny drop moments is, is incredible. And I love that you're doing it both at an individual and at a sort of workplace, um, level as well, because we do spend, you know, a lot of our years— yes, we spend them, they're ours, your time is yours— but, you know, if you think about it, 8 hours of sleep, 8, 9, 10, 12 hours in a working environment, that has to also be a place where all all of this values, work, mission, purpose, your lifestyle is embedded. Most people kind of leave their lifestyle at home, you know, go into work, think they can sit at their desk all day long and hit it at the gym in the evening. It doesn't work like that. So, no, it's great that you're bringing that, this all into the workplace as well. So tell us, where can people find you if, if they want to reach out to you, get that motivation from Adrian Hayes? And also the word I hate as well. The motivation, yeah. But adrianhayes.com, my name, A-D-R-I-A-N-H-A-Y-E-S, that's fine. My name, my website, my brand, my, my, my everything. I, you know, and that's so they can find it there. Yeah, I'll pop all those, I'll put your links on your, on the show notes as well. So that'll be great. But oh, amazing, Adrian. I feel that me and you could just keep talking away, but we're gonna have to wrap it up. So What is your final message for people listening? Well, I think that the one is just really that, you know, we're so submerged with the negatives, particularly in the Western world. But get out, get away from— get away from your social media, get away from mainstream media news. Don't believe everything you think. Critical think everything, be skeptical, and just really live your life and really savor those great little moments. So it's not always the big wedding or Christmas or the holiday. It's those simple things you can do week in, week out. Wonderful. It's a wonderful message, and I've certainly savored every moment of this conversation. So thank you. Thank you so much, Adrian. I am feeling so motivated after that. Now, I know Adrian will not like me saying that. It seems that it is his least favorite way of being described, but honestly, what an inspiration. And you know, it's his, it's his ethos that resonated with me so, so strongly when he said, "I take responsibility for myself. What I do, I do for myself." Because what that means is embracing uncertainty. Taking risks, testing out your own body and your mind. And that's all about that principle of self-experimentation, simply trying things out, seeing how far you can go, what difference you notice without being locked behind boundaries. And all the while knowing that taking responsibility for yourself also means Taking care of yourself, supreme care of yourself, moving, eating, sleeping, connecting, having purpose, knowing your identity, oscillating through rest and recovery, creating habits that serve you, having emotional agility, having focus, this mindset of possibility with this desire to unlock to know your potential. So next week, that's what I'll be doing. I'm going to be taking a deep dive into potential, human potential, unlocking human potential. I mean, we hear a lot about it, but what does human potential mean? How do you, how do you explore it? Can you measure it? Can you optimize it? These are all questions that I will get into in next week's show. So be there and stay tuned. I know it is going to be a good one. And in the meantime, as always, I wish you a health activating day. Thank you for listening to Health Activators. If you have enjoyed this episode, then please support the show by leaving us a 5-star review wherever you get your podcasts and by sharing this episode with a friend. Don't forget to click the link in the show notes notes right now to find out more details about what was covered in this episode and to connect with Dr. Alka Patel in order to take your strategic self-care to the next level. Please do support today's show partner, Youth and Earth. Youth and Earth have a range of products that I love to use myself to supercharge my metabolism, to support my health, and to slow down cellular aging.. Just be sure you click the link in the show notes for exclusive offers which Youth and Earth are so generously giving for listeners of this show. Thank you for listening to Health Hacktivators with me, Dr. Alka Patel, on the Woman's Radio Station. I'd love you to stay connected through the socials. You can find me @DrAlkaPatelUK, and to learn more about the Woman's Radio Station, do give them a follow too on their socials @Woman'sRadioStn.