This was one of my favourite conversations since starting the podcast! Talking to Ellie was like talking to an old friend. We had so much in common and, despite the differences in our work, we found so many synchronicities!
Our conversation centred mainly on healing physical pain – as this was the subject of Ellie’s choice of life-changing book – we talked a lot about the parallels between the requirements of healing physical pain and healing emotional pain.
After listening to this episode, I’m pretty sure you’ll want to get in touch with Ellie and/or buy the book we spoke about – What the Foot by Gary Ward. All the links you need are listed below.
I hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed talking. If you have questions, comment below and I’ll put your questions to Ellie.
Ellie Williams
Biomechanics and Injury Movement Specialist
In this Episode
2.05 WHAT IS BIOMETRICS?
Ellie explains what she does and how she does it.
3.55 YOUR BODY GIVES YOU CLUES
Getting to the root of your pain is a bit like solving a puzzle. Approaching with curiosity and interest is the key to learning the language of your body.
4.35 WHY THE SITE OF THE PAIN MIGHT NOT BE THE CAUSE OF THE PAIN
Your brain doesn’t like you to be in pain so it compensates as best it can. Ellie explains what that means in terms of how pain might manifest in the body. If you’ve been in pain long enough to ask yourself, “Will this pain ever end?”, you’ll want to listen to this bit – and the next bit!
5.30 IS IT EVER TOO LATE TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT PAIN?
The short answer? No.
8.52 HOW ELLIE GOT INTO THE WORK SHE DOES
Ellie shares the story of her husband’s back pain and how nobody took him seriously. That’s when she found What the Foot and the journey of exploration and healing began for both of them.
11.11 WHAT THE FOOT - THE RANTS
We get into the book, starting with the “rants” – common misconceptions about how the body works and how pain manifests. This part blew my mind!
16.10 WHAT THE FOOT - THE RULES
There are 5 Rules in the book. We discuss two of them here.
19.48 A GREAT LESSON FROM THE BOOK - YOU HAVE THE PERFECT BODY
Everything you need to heal yourself is inside you. It’s a matter of learning how it all works.
21.08 LEARN THE LANGUAGE OF YOUR BODY
Your body is constantly communicating. Taking the time to learn its language is one of the most valuable things you can do because it allows you to start making more informed decisions about what’s best for you and what works for your body.
22.40 GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE
The value of getting out of your comfort zone is no great secret and the lesson pops up here too – although Ellie has a view about how to move out of your comfort zone without freaking your body out…
Spoiler Alert: No Pain No Gain is the opposite of what she recommends.
25.00 MAKING IMPROVEMENTS SHOULD BE ENJOYABLE
Gunning for the goal at the expense of all else is rarely enjoyable. Ellie talks about how to heal from pain in ways that ensure you’ll sustain the great habits you learn along the way.
27.00 CHANGE YOUR PERCEPTION OF PAIN
Making pain your enemy causes you to miss many of the lessons it has to teach. In this part of the conversation, Ellie shares her views on how to think about pain as part of the language of the body so you listen more intently and learn how to make the necessary changes.
29.10 DON'T FORCE OR FIGHT. FLOW
In What the Foot, Gary Ward explains that improvements can and should be made in a state of flow. If your fighting yourself or forcing your body to do things, the changes are unlikely to stick.
30.40 WHO SHOULD READ THE BOOK?
- Anyone who suffers with pain and wants to learn the language of the body.
- Anyone in the fitness industry.
- Anyone who wants to learn the language of the body in order to avoid future injuries or chronic pain conditions.
33.20 WHAT WAS THE MOST SURPRISING OUTCOME FROM READING THIS BOOK?
For Ellie, this book was genuinely life-changing. A sliding doors moment…
Buy the Book
https://www.waterstones.com/book/what-the-foot/gary-ward/9781907261084
£34.99 – Out of Stock at the time of publishing this post but possibly available now.
£89.47 – Pricey, but at what price your vitality and freedom from pain?
Get in touch with Ellie
Website: www.movewellwithelliewilliams.co.uk
Ellie also offers morning and evening workshops between 20 minutes and 45 minutes. There are loads of dates to choose from!
Click here to see the options.
