The Jim's Gym Podcast - Inspiring Movement

What if one of the best places to improve your wellbeing was already on your high street, completely free?

Sally Williams is Development Officer for Ageing with Creativity at Gloucestershire Libraries, where she's helping turn libraries into places for connection, friendship, creativity and better wellbeing for older people.

In this episode of Inspiring Movement, hosted by James Hilton, Sally shares how three community choirs for over-60s are bringing people together, from weekly singalongs to performances in care homes and shopping centres. There's no audition, no need to read music and absolutely no requirement to...

Melissa has played sport her whole life. Tennis from the age of six, hockey through her 20s, 30s and 40s, squash, golf, real tennis, even ladies' cricket. Then a shoulder injury took it all away for six months, and as she puts it, it narrowed her whole life down: the sport, the people, the confidence, all of it.

In this episode Melissa talks about the knock that time out had on her mental health, what it took to get going again (a lecture from her children and a notice in a window), why six months off made...

One in three people over 65 has a fall every year. And yet the message at the heart of this episode is a hopeful one: falls are not an inevitable part of ageing, and there's more in your control than you think.

James is joined by Meghan and Annie from the NHS Falls Assessment and Education Service here in Gloucestershire. They cover why people really fall (it's rarely just bad luck: slippers, medications, eyesight and strength all play a part), the fear-of-falling cycle that quietly does as much damage as falls themselves, the exercises with the strongest evidence...

We live in a world where everything needs to be done yesterday. Izwe Nkosi believes gardening offers something very different: the chance to slow down and move at the pace of nature.
Izwe is the gardener behind For Plants Sake, where well over 100,000 people follow his garden and allotment. He grew up in South Africa surrounded by his father's mangoes, avocados, grapes and roses, worked in garden centres himself, and eventually started sharing his own gardening journey online. Then a simple video about growing potatoes reached millions of views and everything changed.
But this isn't really an...

Jenny has been dancing in shows since she was 16, spent lockdown making scrubs for nurses with her mum and now runs a crafting business making personalised bunting — alongside the slightly less conventional embroidered toilet roll.

In this member episode, James and Jenny talk about her lifelong connection with dance, her route to Jim's Gym and why finding exercise that works around your life can make such a difference.

Jenny also talks openly about her experience of breast cancer, writing a blog about what she went through, and how her relationship with exercise and staying active ha...

Ask a financial planner to name the best investment you can make for later life and you'd expect to hear pensions or ISAs. Dave Southby's answer? Your health. Money buys experiences, time and memories, but only if you're fit enough to enjoy them.

There's plenty of money talk on the way to that answer. James and Dave cover the questions that come up again and again: where to save for the grandchildren, whether to bring old pensions together, coping with the cost of living on a fixed income, how to spot a financial scam, and the inheritance...

Why wait to do something you have always wanted to do?

In this episode of Inspiring Movement, host James Hilton introduces a new kind of conversation for the podcast: the first in a series of real-life stories featuring members of Jim’s Gym.

James is joined by Jayne, who shares the experiences, interests and adventures that have shaped her life, as well as the role movement now plays in helping her continue doing the things she enjoys.

Now retired and living in Wales, Jayne has no intention of slowing down. Her life includes vo...

Getting older might bring a few more aches and pains, but that doesn't mean you simply have to accept them.

Jim sits down with Ed Voss, a chartered physiotherapist based in Stroud with 16 years of experience across the NHS and private practice. Ed has recently opened a new clinic in Stroud and will also be joining the Jim's Gym team from August.

In this practical, no-nonsense conversation, Ed explains what pain actually is, why two people with the same condition can experience it completely differently, and why pain doesn't always mean that further...

This week I'm joined by Virginia Walker, Jim's Gym's resident yoga instructor, and this one goes far deeper than you might expect.

Virginia is a 500-hour trained yoga teacher, a birth doula and a Reiki practitioner. We talk about what yoga actually is, why flexibility is probably the least important thing about it, and how the philosophy behind the practice can change the way you live your life.

We also get into the surprising link between postnatal yoga and yoga for the over 60s, what a birth doula actually does, and what Reiki is and...

It's the conversation most of us avoid. This episode might just change your mind about that.

Jim sits down with Jane Diamond, a death doula and funeral director based in Stroud, Gloucestershire. Jane runs Family Tree Funeral Company and has spent years helping people and families navigate the end of life with dignity and openness. She's also a Jim's Gym member.

This isn't a heavy or morbid conversation. It's warm, honest, and surprisingly uplifting. Jane explains why we've lost our way when it comes to talking about death, why children are often far better at...

So many people say they've always wanted to try tai chi. This episode is your sign to finally do it.

Jim sits down with Andy Yau, Jim's Gym's tai chi instructor, who grew up in Hong Kong where a passion for martial arts took hold at a young age. In his 20s he discovered tai chi and it changed everything. These days he brings all of that experience to the Jim's Gym community every Monday morning.

This is a brilliant conversation about movement, mindfulness, community and why tai chi might be exactly what your body...

What happens when an 82-year-old retired prison chaplain decides to start strength training for the very first time?

In this inspiring episode of Inspiring Movement, Jim sits down with Vernon Lidstone, who began his fitness journey at the age of 70 and is now competing in powerlifting competitions in his 80s.

Recently, Vernon completed “The Chaplain’s Challenge”, lifting a combined total of 200kg at Crazy Strength Gym near Salisbury to help raise £40,000 for essential heating repairs at St Peter’s Church, Framilode. The church’s boiler had failed beyond repair, and the fundraising campaign aims to replace...

What should you actually be eating as you get older? Not the latest trend. Not the stuff your friend read about online. The real, evidence-based answer from someone who genuinely knows.

In this first episode of the new series of Inspiring Movement, Jim sits down with Ian Thomas, Jim's Gym's Resident Registered Dietitian, who leads the monthly Healthy Habits Club nutrition sessions for members. Ian's the kind of expert who tells you the truth even when it's less exciting than the headlines, and in this conversation, he delivers a masterclass in practical nutrition for older adults.

What does it mean to turn personal loss into lasting impact? In this episode of Inspiring Movement, Jim sits down with Julie Kent MBE, the High Sheriff of Gloucestershire, to talk about grief, purpose, and the power of giving back.

Julie shares her journey — from music and education to launching Emily’s Gift and raising £500,000 for children’s mental health. They also chat about the High Sheriff role, local leadership, and why small, heartfelt actions can go a long way.

👉 Learn more or support the High Sheriff’s Fund:
 https://glouc...