Keep you ticking over.
Yeah.
And ticking up.
Dicking over.
Dicking over and dicking up.
Welcome to The Outlifting Lounge, the weekly show saving queer conversation,
news, and no-nonsense fitness for gay, bi, and trans guys.
I'm Alan.
And I'm his husband, Derec.
Coming up today, we discuss the new season of Drag Race
All Stars, celebrate an amazing LGBT victory in the European courts,
talk about reclaiming fitness as a queer adult, and much more.
Let's start the show.
We probably should start off the show by saying
good luck to everybody running the London Marathon today.
I know, I can't believe that's came around again already,
but especially to our two clients, Stuart and Michael.
So Stuart is a marathon runner.
He runs marathons quite often.
He just did Rome a couple of weeks ago.
But this is Michael's first marathon, and I spoke to him during
the week, and he said it's probably his first and his last.
Everybody says that.
I said that before I ran my first marathon.
And you know what?
Once you do it, and you get that high, you just feel absolutely
unstoppable, and you start thinking, oh, maybe I will run another one.
And that's how it happens.
Nah.
I said to Michael during the week that you are the runner out
of the two of us, because I don't even run for a bus.
But it's super exciting that his first marathon is going to be
London, because obviously you ran that a few years ago, and you
said it was the best one that you ever did.
Yeah, yeah, the only thing you run is a bath.
I know, but I don't even do that here, and I love a bath.
I'm raging we don't have a bath in our house.
Yeah, I did the London Marathon in 2019, and you know what?
It's definitely by far my favourite marathon ever.
So many marathons, you get good crowd support during sections of the race, but
London is the only one that I ever ran where I would say 98%
of the race had solid supporters on the sidelines cheering you on.
And do you know what?
It makes a massive difference.
So during the London Marathon, there were a number of factors for me, but I
managed to shave over 20 minutes off my personal best to get a sub 3:30.
Here we go.
Go on.
Hit us with it.
What was your PB?
3:22:30
which is, for me, that's really good because I
had aspirationally hoped to get a sub 3 and a half hour
so to actually get a good bit below that was really good.
And I think a big part of it was all of that support.
It's just, the London Marathon's such a buzz.
The two guys are going to have an amazing
time today, along with everybody else that's running.
Yeah, they're very, very excited, and we're going to be
watching them because we have their bib numbers, so we're
going to be cheering them on from Gran Canaria.
Yes.
Unfortunately, we can't be there in person to cheer them on, but we
will be on the sidelines with the race on our big screen.
Gran Canaria is starting to get really busy now.
We went through a lull after Easter, where we had a couple of quiet weeks.
There maybe weren't as many visitors, but you
can definitely see it's starting to get busier.
There are some people who are already arriving for Maspalomas Pride, which starts in
a couple of weeks, but there are also quite a lot of LGBT folk
who are arriving here to squeeze in a quick holiday before the madness of
Pride, so that they can be away before, because it just gets so busy.
FYI, it's not a couple of weeks, it's a week tomorrow.
So it is.
Oh my God.
It's crept up.
It'll all be over in two weeks, really.
Aye. It's crazy.
My dad arrives a week today.
He's going to be watching Haggis, our dog, because you are
going to be working non-stop, and I'm hopefully going to go
out and enjoy a bit of the Pride while you're working.
Yeah.
We'll manage to squeeze in some fun around that.
We'll go out and socialise, and hopefully, if anybody is listening in, and
you are going to be in Gran Canaria for Pride, get in touch.
We'd love to say hello.
We'd love to meet, catch up for a drink, whatever.
If you're a listener of the show, please, please, please do get in touch.
Yeah, definitely.
We love speaking to everybody that follows us
on social media or listens to the podcast.
So, if you see us, definitely come and say hi.
Derec is obviously going to be working in the Copacabana
bar, which is on the ground floor in the Yumbo.
So, if you're in there, definitely say hi to Derec, and I will
no doubt be, I was going to say hanging about the Yumbo.
That sounds terrible, but...
Yeah, I will be.
I'll be in the Yumbo at some point.
And if you are in Gran Canaria, we do have a little announcement to make.
So if anybody needs this service, we thought it might
be important to talk about it on the podcast, because
this week we went for a checkup at Checkpoint Canarias.
Yes, it's the sexual health charity on the island, and they are located
in the Eurocentre, which is literally a five-minute walk from the Yumbo
Centre, and they do amazing work here on the south of the island.
I go out doing some collecting work for them sometimes
to raise funds because it is such a necessary charity
to get assistance, to get rapid tasting for anything.
It's really, really difficult on the island, especially as
a tourist who isn't in the health system, which
is why Checkpoint Canarias was basically set up.
It's to make sure that there is a service
that provides rapid tasting in a really understanding environment.
If you are in Gran Canaria or you know anybody there and
they do need the service, make sure they are aware of it.
Our experience of going there, getting tested, it's
such a nice, comfortable and friendly service, eh?
Yeah, and they make it so easy as well.
You can book online, you get your reminders.
It's very, very easy to actually book an appointment and
the whole process is super quick and super easy.
And do you know what?
Even if you don't need the service, if you are here and you see
the guys out collecting for Checkpoint Canarias, please do give some money because the
service is just so good and it is invaluable on this island.
Really shocking statistic as well.
So one in four of the tests that the clinic performs comes back positive.
So that could be for any kind of STI or HIV or whatever.
It just really underlines the need for it on the island.
Yeah, and I'm sure during busier times as well, like Prides and things
like that, it's maybe more tests are coming back positive as well.
So it's super important that you get
yourself there and get yourself tested.
And also, you will not miss them out and about
in the Yumbo collecting because normally during Pride Week, they're
walking about with the two guys in amazing costumes.
They're like real carnival costumes, aren't they?
They're huge.
So yeah, you'll definitely see them.
So make a beeline for them and please donate.
Yeah. I think we've talked about Gran Canaria enough.
Let's talk about something even gayer.
Well, here we go.
- Drag Race. - Do you know what?
This is the first time in a long time that we have been without Drag Race.
And I actually thought this week that we weren't
going to speak about it, but no, no.
Drag Race All Stars has been announced and
the cast has been announced as well.
So of course, Derec was like, we need
to keep it in the podcast this week.
Yeah.
So Drag Race All Stars Season 11 is starting soon.
And it is very similar to Season 10, which had the three brackets.
So there's 18 queens in total.
And I think the first nine episodes will be
broken up into those brackets with just those queens.
That's a lot of queens.
It is.
But then they eliminate half of them.
And then they all come together.
You said that was a good thing last week?
Depends who it is.
So yeah, the nine winners of the brackets will all
come together and then compete until they get a winner.
And hopefully there's less controversy.
about the winner this year than last year.
Can't remember.
Honestly, you remember so much and I'm just like, eh?
It was Ginger Minj.
Spoiler if you haven't watched last year's.
Was it?
Yeah, and then there was all the controversy.
The toxic fandom went after Ginger Minj, basically.
It wasn't very nice.
She's nice.
I know, we love Ginger.
But we don't like minge.
I don't like minge, no.
But we do like Ginger Minj.
She was, we thought she was a worthy winner, some people
didn't, and some fans take it a lot more seriously
than just a light entertainment TV show.
- So yeah. - I'm surprised you're not one of them,
actually, because you are a super fan.
Yeah, but I'm nice.
So, do you want to talk about some of the queens that are on?
Who are you excited for?
Hang on, and I'll get my notes.
There's so many of them.
I was just like scrolling and scrolling here.
So, the three brackets are colour-coded.
Bracket one is the orange bracket.
We have got six queens in there.
I think I'm quite looking forward to seeing Lucky
Starzzz, who was from Drag Race 17 last year.
They were really super creative, didn't have much money,
but everything was made from scratch, from really cheap
resources, like recycled materials, craft paper and that.
So, I'm looking forward to seeing them come back.
Hopefully, they've got a bit more finance behind them, because I
think with their creativity, they can just do amazing stuff.
Sorry, I'm just distracted by the pit crew
in the background in all these photos.
I'm going to say Dawn, because I like her little elf ears.
I don't remember who half of these people are.
Also, what I'm going to say about this bracket is we have
got two queens from Drag Race Season 2 all the way back,
one of which is Morgan McMichaels, so we love a Scottish queen.
So yeah, we'll be rooting for her.
Yes.
Right, I'm colourblind, so I'm going to call bracket two the pink bracket.
That may or may not be right.
I'd say it's pinky purple, so let's go pink since it's gay.
Okay, talk to me.
I'm going to say Vivacious because her entrance look from
her original season, season six, was one of the
most iconic things because she fucked it up.
So obviously she did the Ornacia thing with the block head
on top of her head, and then it wouldn't open.
Yes. Totally fucked up.
Have you seen her promo look?
Look at her promo look.
Oh, amazing.
I did say yesterday when we were talking about this that
she definitely needs to bring that back because it's i-con-i-ca!
Yeah.
Ornacia is elevated.
It's like Ornacia 2.0.
I love it.
It's such a good look.
And obviously, it's with the colour theme.
It's a massive pink gown with this beautiful Ornacia headdress in gold.
Very, very good.
I think you're going to say Silky Nutmeg Ganache for yours
because she always brings the drama and you love the drama.
I'm excited for Silky just for the lip syncs because she just is so silly.
She always has ridiculous props.
So I'm looking forward to seeing what she does with that.
But actually, I'm really looking forward to Crystal
Methyd, who again, has an amazing entrance look.
She's weird, wacky, cookie, and I think she's even more elevated this time.
Her makeup is phenomenal.
It's less clown, definitely more polished drag,
but still with what makes her her.
Okay, yeah, I can agree with that.
All right, the purple one, or purple bracket, I should say.
The purple one.
The big purple one.
I'm going to say Joey Jay.
Yeah, because he's the trade.
Because he's the trade of the season out of drag, yeah.
Although Kennedy Davenport, because she is an actual all-star.
Kennedy Davenport is an icon.
There's a few queens that they always do callbacks to, so
like Porkchop, for instance, has achieved immortal iconic status.
But Kennedy Davenport as well, because when they do
the roasts, they always name it the Kennedy C.
Davenport Centre For Kids Who Can't Read Good And Want
To Learn How To Do Other Stuff Good Too.
Do they?
No, that's a Zoolander reference, but I
just can't remember what they call
The Kennedy C.
Davenport Centre.
You're like a deer in the headlights looking at me, and I'm
like, you know more info about Drag Race than I do, so
why don't we just leave that there and move on?
Yeah.
Also, another Kennedy, Jasmine Kennedie, amazing, talented queen,
and beautiful trans icon, stunning trans icon.
Looking forward to seeing what she does.
Yes, very exciting.
Starts on the 8th of May, so Drag Race is
back again in about a week and a half.
Apparently we're finished this section.
Alan just wanted to wrap it up there.
Yes. Okay.
Let's go from talking about fluffy gay stuff to talking
about some more serious but really good gay news.
Yes. Positive gay news.
Because, you know, some weeks we talk about shit gay
news, and sometimes we talk about positive stuff, and this
is actually quite positive coming out of Hungary.
Yeah.
So obviously we got the really amazing news from Hungary earlier
this month that Viktor Orban has been ousted after 16 years.
But now there has been a ruling in the European Court of
Justice, which is the highest court, that a law passed in 2021
that banned the promotion of homosexuality or gender change to minors violates
core EU values, internal market rules, and data protection laws.
Amazing.
And for the first time, the court ruled that
the foundational values of the EU, which is Article 2
are not just aspirational, but are enforceable obligations.
Yeah, so this law, obviously there are echoes of Section 28
in the UK, and just like that law, the
court has found that it stigmatizes and marginalizes LGBTQ plus
people, and wrongly associates us with criminal behaviour, like pedophilia.
And again, that is like a lot of what we saw in the UK in the 80s and 90s.
So it's awful that it's still happening in present day, but once
again, the court systems in Europe are there to protect us.
And obviously, you mentioned that there's a new Prime Minister,
Pęter Magyar, I'm going to say is his name.
Not sure how to pronounce it.
And he's going to take office in mid-May.
And he had a landslide victory, which is amazing.
Although, during his campaign, he was silent on LGBTQ+ rights.
But obviously, with this ruling, it's gonna fall on his shoulders to make
sure that it's, you know, reversed, all the stuff that Viktor Orban did.
Yeah, I think ahead of the election, I remember reading a quote
from him, and he said something along the lines that he wasn't
going to engage in these culture wars, and people just didn't know
how he was going to be on LGBT issues.
However, when he gave his victory speech, he spelled out his vision for
Hungary, and he described it as a country where no one is stigmatized
for thinking differently than the majority, or loving different than the majority.
So very clear intention there that he is
going to go in a different direction.
And hopefully this ruling gives him a bit of power to be able to do that.
And obviously we're hoping that it boosts the activists who are calling for the
Pride ban to be repealed as well, because obviously there was the news, was
it last year I think it was, that the Pride Festival in Budapest was
not to go ahead because Victor Orban said that it's illegal basically.
So hopefully that will be repealed and they can celebrate Pride.
Yeah, and do you know what?
This isn't just good news for Hungary.
This is good news for all of the EU because this ruling
now is a precedent and it applies to the whole bloc.
So we never know how things are going to go in the future.
We don't know which EU countries might elect
somebody who's a bit more extreme or right-wing.
So this ruling is super, super, super important for protecting our rights.
Yes, amazing, good, LGBTQIA+ news for once.
Yeah, if only the UK would rejoin the EU, we
could have all of these benefits for the UK also.
Right, shall we move on to the fitness section?
Yes, let's do it.
Just before we get into the fitness section, remember that we
offer online coaching specifically for gay, bi and trans guys.
If you're ready to reclaim your fitness, stay tuned after this section for details
on how you can book in for a free discovery call with us.
Okay, for today's fitness section, we're going to talk about something that was in
the press in the UK this week, and that is an Age UK campaign.
Now, I know that Age UK is aimed at a bit of an older adult
generation, and maybe not very many of our listeners might fall into that bracket.
However, I think the campaign that this is pushing
is actually really applicable to younger age categories.
Maybe people in their 30s and 40s, possibly even people in
their 20s, want to start thinking about this stuff now.
So it relates to their campaign, which is called Act Now, Age
Better, and it's to encourage people to take up physical exercise as
soon as they can to protect themselves in their older years.
Yeah, I think when we read this article,
it really resonated with us on two points.
The first point, like you just mentioned there to, you know, take
up physical activity as early as you can, so that in your
later years, you're as physically and mentally fit as you can be.
But also the reasons behind why this section of the population
aren't as physically fit or doing any exercise in their later
years goes back to their experience of PE in school.
And that's what really resonated with us,
especially children of the 80s and 90s.
PE for us was, let's just say it, pretty traumatic.
Yeah.
Being a gay young boy.
Yeah.
Yeah. So, some of the headlines around this, it's like, almost
half of midlifers are still haunted by school PE lessons.
Olympians Kelly Holmes and Sally Gunnell are doing
a call-out to middle-aged Brits who hated PE.
And then again, the Age UK headline is, Millions in
Midlife, Put Off Exercise for Life by School PE Lessons.
Now, again, as you've said, there is such an extra dimension to this
that's been missed out, and it's LGBT populations who had, I think, I
think we, it's fair to say, a lot of us experienced additional trauma
from school PE classes that perhaps the general population might not have.
Absolutely.
We are of the generation that PE in school,
basically, the boys were separated from the girls.
The girls played hockey and the boys played football.
Now, I can remember...
This sticks with me.
I mean, I'm 45 now, and this probably happened when I was 12 or 13.
Usually, I would go and play hockey with the girls.
Now, straight away, you're already singled out because
you're the boy playing with the girls.
But this one day, for some reason, I had to go and play
football with the boys, and I remember the football was coming towards me,
and I jumped up with my forearms in front of my chest.
Don't know why.
And the ball hit off of my hands.
So, obviously, it's a handball.
Apparently, that's a thing in football.
And everybody started shouting at me, and it was
just the most traumatic thing ever to experience.
Oh, I can do more traumatic than that.
There's nothing worse than being, well, there is.
It's not competition, Derec.
Don't give me more trauma.
I think most of us have drama from being smacked by a football in
the face, or even worse, being smacked by a football in the balls.
Yeah, that's quite bad.
As well as that, you've got all of that kind of
stuff about being, like, picked last for teams, things like that.
There's just so much to this.
And it almost, like, I think for a lot of us, it can
make it seem like physical activity is not fun because it wasn't fun
in school for a lot of us for what we were doing.
I think I was fortunate that whenever we started doing, like,
track athletics and things like that, I really took to it
because I discovered that I loved sprinting, I loved all of
that kind of stuff, and I was quite good at it.
So I was always one of those those kind of kids that
was the fastest in their class who always did the sprinting and
the 400 metres and things like that at their sports day.
So that was, for me, some alleviation from the other stuff, but that
was only for a short section of the year that we did athletics.
The rest of it was like football and things like that.
And I remember hearing it and just waiting and wishing for
the athletics part of our year to come around quicker.
Yeah, it's funny you should say that because I spoke to someone during the
week on a call that said that he has trauma from PE and that's
one of the reasons why he has a fear of going into the gym.
And I was like, that's so weird because we're
talking about that this week on our podcast.
And I think maybe you were lucky in a sense that you had athletics,
so it meant that you were part of that kind of fitting in crew.
You know, you were seen as one of the boys
because you were able to do your athletics, but a
lot of us didn't, unfortunately, have that during that time.
And again, if you didn't fit in, then you were just targeted, weren't you?
Yeah, and do you know what?
I know I'm going back a bit, and hopefully things are different now, but
I know for some queer kids, they weren't just targeted by their peers.
They were probably targeted by teachers as well in various different ways.
And that, you know, maybe it wasn't overt bullying.
Maybe it was just like little comments or being made to feel like
they were singled out or isolated or not part of the crowd.
Yes, I'm sure a lot of our listeners can relate to that and probably
remember having to run around the track because we did something wrong during PE.
It lives with you, it stays with you, and that is a big reason why
a lot of our rainbow family don't feel comfortable going into the gym environment.
Cos there's that toxic masculinity in there as well.
Yeah, but it is, it's really, really super important to face this.
This is at the crux of what we want to get
to, because it's not just about doing exercise for the sake
of it, it's about for your own personal benefit.
When you're younger, in your 20s, in your 30s, possibly into your
40s, maybe it doesn't seem that important, but it really is.
It's like future-proofing yourself against illness,
injury into your older years.
And I know that it might seem a long way off now, but it really isn't.
We talked earlier, so I also work in
the Copacabana bar in the Yumbo Centre.
I absolutely love that.
I do that just because I love
being out, being social, chatting with people.
That's an outlet for me outside of Outlifting, which is our business.
But that job can be very physical, especially
when we get keg deliveries and things.
I'm in my mid-40s.
I can pick up a keg, no problem.
I can stack kegs.
I can do these things because I've done
years of resistance training and other fitness work.
And do you know what?
There's not a lot of other people in their mid-40s that could probably
lift a full keg, stack kegs, do this without putting their back out.
And I know that's just one example.
You may not have a physical job.
It is all about future-proofing yourself from simple things like
putting your back out, being laid up, not being able
to maybe do things that you want to do.
It's just you're ensuring a better quality of life as you get a bit older
if you just put in a bit of work now and do the exercise.
Think about it as paying into a pension pot or paying into insurance.
The more you put in just now, the more you're going to get out of it.
We sit quite a lot these days.
There are so many jobs that are sedentary, where we sit in
seats at a computer, and that is not good for your body
because there are so many physical effects that it has.
There are muscles that kind of shorten.
They add to problems like, you know, tight
hamstrings, tight back, all that kind of stuff.
And this kind of activity is really important
to strengthen the muscles that support your stability.
And yeah, it's to kind of stave off all
of these issues and protect yourself against them.
Okay, we've talked enough about the problem, so should we talk about
some hints and tips about getting into exercise if it's something that
you don't do as often as you would like to?
Yeah, just before we do, I actually want to talk about
one more benefit, and we have talked about this previously, and
I will not stop talking about it because it's so important.
Sex.
I saw a clip from, I think it was Joe Marler's own podcast,
but Joe Marler, who, rugby player, really amazing guy, who was on the
Celebrity Traitors, was talking about morning erections, and he was asking a medical
professional on the show why he doesn't really get morning erections anymore.
And he's in his mid-thirties, I want to say.
He's not particularly old.
He's a young guy.
Now, there can be a variety of reasons for this.
It could be maybe testosterone levels dropping.
There could be reasons for that.
Maybe it's something that if you've experienced similar,
you might want to see a doctor about.
But one big factor in this is cardiovascular health.
So by, you know, doing some cardiovascular activity regularly,
you are kind of protecting yourself against these things.
So if you are a guy, a cis guy with
a penis, and you basically want to protect your sexual
functions, actually protecting your cardiovascular health is really super important.
And it doesn't have to be hours and hours of cardio either.
I would say two 20 to 40 minute sessions
a week is enough to keep you ticking over.
Yeah.
And ticking up.
Dicking over.
Dicking over and dicking up.
So, not only that as well, there is also the added benefit
of having stamina in the bedroom, being able to last, get into
different positions, having some thrust, being a power bottom, whatever it is
that gets you off in the bedroom, then you get all of
these added benefits from being physically capable and being fit.
And if you just want to be wee spoon as well, it
means that you can get into lovely little positions to get cuddled.
Doesn't have to be about sex and penetration.
That's enough about getting the tip.
Let's actually give some tips.
Loved that segue there.
That was brilliant.
So, yeah, as we've mentioned before, you know, walking
into a gym environment can be quite intimidating.
So, a good way to actually just go into
a gym and enjoy it is group fitness classes.
So, we used to teach quite a few group fitness classes when we
lived in Glasgow, and we loved that for the social aspect of it.
We got to meet people.
We got to see people grow in confidence when they joined the class, and I
don't know if it was just our classes, but it was definitely just a mix
of gays and girls that came to our classes, and whenever somebody came in for
the first time, or maybe a few times, to watch them grow in confidence over
the weeks and change physically was amazing, and they got to meet people.
They made friends in the class as well, and it was just
a really nice environment for specifically gay guys to walk into the
gym and actually take part in something and enjoy it.
So my own introduction to fitness, whenever I was in
my mid-twenties, so I kind of turned my life around.
I was a party monster.
I smoked, I drank, I did everything, worked in nightclubs, just
lived a really unhealthy lifestyle, and I had a bit of
an epiphany in my mid-twenties and decided to get fit.
So I stopped all of the badness and joined
a gym, and it was tough at first.
I found the actual gym environment okay, because it was a small gym.
I went at quiet times, but still, something didn't click
for me until I showed up for my first Bodypump
class, and I just, there's something about it.
It was just such a welcoming environment.
That's not to say it wasn't scary.
I didn't have to work up the courage
to get myself there in the first place.
It's difficult when you feel like you don't know what you're doing, and
everybody else is going to be experienced and know what they're doing.
But to bring myself there, and to have a welcoming instructor, to
have other welcoming participants, and to feel included was really nice.
And I think it goes back to what you say.
A lot of these classes, it is predominantly women who attend, and
there are quite a lot of gay guys who attend as well.
Because it does feel like a much safer space than the gym floor.
Yeah, absolutely.
Another good hint and tip would be home workouts as well.
There's lots of stuff you can find on YouTube to do home workouts.
You could buy some really cheap equipment from places like
Argos, if you're living in the UK, for example.
They have great dumbbell and barbell sets.
And a home workout is a really good way, again, of just
building your confidence in terms of knowing how to use the equipment.
And also as well, you know, exercising makes you sweat.
And, you know, just getting comfortable with being uncomfortable in
that environment as well, and how your body feels.
If you haven't done exercise in a while, you know, doing it in
an environment where you feel really safe and really comfortable is really important.
And then the next step might be, you're like, do you know what?
I feel confident enough now to go into a gym.
So that's another good way of starting off.
Yeah. And what I would say as well, so obviously the group fitness
classes that we taught were Les Mills classes, huge international brand.
That's things like Bodypump, Body Attack, Body Combat.
What we found is, so they have launched
an on-demand portal that you can subscribe to.
They've got lots of class videos online for a subscription fee.
What we found teaching those classes in a live environment
was that quite a lot of people, start their fitness
journey using the on-demand fitness and working out at home.
There was quite a lot of that, specifically
during the pandemic, but it still goes on.
And then, once those people feel that they are more confident
in their fitness, they kind of graduate and start coming to
live classes in the studio, which is really nice.
So you do actually see that in practice.
There's quite a lot of people start with the home
workouts, build their confidence, build their fitness, and then feel
that they can then go into that gym environment.
So again, if that's what you think you might need, definitely do that.
Try it.
And I mean, everybody's situation is different.
So if you're listening to this and you're wondering, do you know what, I
don't know what is right for me, I don't know what my first step
should be, or how I build that confidence, reach out to us.
We love speaking to people.
We love helping people.
We always want to see people, you know, do well and do their best.
So yeah, drop us a message and we can help you get unstuck.
If you're just feeling a bit stuck at the minute.
Yeah, definitely.
What I would also say in terms of finding your fitness, finding
your love for fitness, or just reclaiming your fitness, find something that's fun.
It does not necessarily have to be in a gym.
Quite a lot of what we talk about is gym focused,
but you know, if you like running or you think you
want to get into it, there are lots of running clubs.
There are LGBT specific running clubs, usually the Frontrunners,
and they tend to be in main cities internationally.
There are LGBT rugby clubs, soccer clubs, badminton clubs.
There's so many out there where you can not only get into the sport,
but you have got a safe space with like-minded people of our community.
So whatever gets you moving, obviously, I think
as you get older, resistance training is important.
So it's good to get your fitness levels up, get into
it, gym and do some kind of weight work to protect
your muscle mass and your bones as you grow older.
But to just get yourself moving, to get that cardiovascular health, maybe
things like running or a different sport or whatever it is, badminton,
just to get the heart pumping is good as well.
So hopefully you've got some really good hints and tips there.
But remember, you know, taking the first step is often the hardest, but
it's also the one that changes everything and we totally understand that.
And if you're in the position where you feel like you want to take that
first step, why don't you reach out to us and we can have a chat?
Yeah, look, this is all about being
strong, healthy, capable as you grow older.
I think the one final thought that I would leave you with
is, if you do have that kind of trauma, that hangover from
school, from PE classes, whatever, you know, it's not school anymore.
We own these spaces.
We have our own spaces.
We can reclaim our fitness, and we can be happy.
So, as Alan said, reach out to us.
Either if you just want to ask some questions,
or you're looking for some advice, reach out.
If however you think you might benefit from our help,
obviously, we run Outlifting, which is an online coaching business,
specifically for gay, bi, and trans guys who want to
change their bodies physically, but also grow in amazing confidence.
So if that sounds like the kind of thing that you
might want to help with, you can join the pride.
It's an ever-growing group of gay, bi, and trans guys who
are on their Outlifting journey and achieving absolutely amazing things.
So to do that, just click the link in the show notes to
book in for a free, absolutely no-obligation discovery call with one of us.
You choose your date, your time, we'll meet by video.
You can chat with us about what it is you want to achieve.
We can have a chat with you about how we can
help through bespoke coaching, nutrition, and accountability programming, and then you
can decide if we're a good fit for you.
So click the link, we'd love to meet you.
And why don't you give us a follow?
We are on TikTok and Instagram.
And if you want to contact us, you can send us a DM via Instagram,
or you can send us an email, and the email address is podcast@outlift.ing
Thanks very much for tuning in.
That is us for this week.
We have a new show next Sunday.
Make sure you are subscribed on your podcast platform
of choice to keep up with the conversation.
But for now, over and Outlifting.