OUR TRAINER

We incorporate a walk into each day, often before the workshop begins. Putting the walks together and helping us put a program together is Lee, who has been working in health and fitness for more than 20 years. His approach has evolved over time, becoming more holistic, and he now considers balancing nutrition and physical activity as essential for wellbeing. Lee also loves travelling. Over the years, he has fitted his work around opportunities for travel, adventure and experiencing different cultures whenever possible. “This was the starting point that struck the spark for holistic approaches to health and wellness,” he explains.

Getting out of the school for a while and into the fresh air is really important, especially on a workshop. When are here you will be absorbing a lot of information, and getting outdoors gives you a chance to connect with the countryside – it’s about taking a break and resetting your brain. With Lee as part of the team, we have incorporated some physical activity into each day and use these breaks to get our heart rate up and work our muscles in a gentle but beneficial way. Exercise has been shown to help with brain function too. Lee explains “it’s been proven through numerous studies that footfall and increased circulation is going to help thinking. It’s like when if you’re in a deep conversation on the phone, you stand up and pace about you have better thought flow.”

Lee is now developing an interest in gut health and its role in wellbeing and overall health. We’re hoping he will be joining us as a student on one of our courses exploring sourdough and gut health very soon. Like me, Lee is always looking to find out more and questions everything to ensure that he has the latest and most relevant information at his fingertips.

But the main thing about having Lee as part of our team at school is that he is genuinely a great person to walk and talk with. “When you come into a group of people you don’t really know, sort of limited information on them, walking is a great introduction,” he says. I love that we can use these breaks from baking not only to get some exercise and fresh air but as a chance to get to know each other as a group of students better. The countryside around the school gives you all lots of options for beautiful walks, whatever the time of year. Lee tells me that being outdoors in nature, “it’s better than being in a gym, or within your own concrete space at home.” And the physical activity he takes us through, with lots of encouragement, is the kind of thing anyone can do. Under his careful guidance, we get our heart rates up, do some gentle stretching, and really just enjoy ourselves. We hope that through Lee’s tutoring, Sourdough School students will find a form of exercise they love and can incorporate into their daily routine.

You can chat on Lee on his Instagram