About

Paul Mealling | Integrative Physio and Running Athlete

I love adventure... the outdoors... the mountains, the trees and fresh air.

And this is what I love about my work: To me, it's not really about injury rehab or physical function and training... It's really about our ability to do get out in the world, do things and progress. To move freely and comfortably and for a long time to come. The tools can be used for rehab or to leap well beyond. I'm passionate about showing people that more is possible with their physical condition and self-care... and about educating people on the damage daily life in our culture can do without us even knowing it's happening. Our bodies are calling us to take action.

Areas of expertise

Paul has done over 15,000 sessions with clients and works with the body, mind and nutrition.

Posture & Muscle Balance - Movement - Running - Functional Fitness - Biomechanics - Manual Bodywork - Exercise Physiology - Coaching - Aspects of Psychology & Psychotherapy

A short Q+A

Tell me about your work

It's about people. It's about progression. It's about personal development and in a very broad sense getting better. I don't think in terms of "rehab" or "athletic training" etc, but in terms of where is someone at, and how can we improve and move towards a new level. As you'll see, I work in a much broader scope than what people think of as 'physio'.

You've said you're not really a 'physio' - what do you mean?

Haha, well I am a physio of course in the sense I'm registered. But what I mean is that it's a good idea to escape from the label because labels can be restricting. To some people I might appear a physio, at other times a running coach or biomechanics specialist or psychologist... but it's all the same thing to me. I could give a metaphor and say that I have tools in a toolbox... and all the tools have something to do with the body, mind and nutrition.. with the things we need for improving wellbeing and ability.

What exercise do you do to keep physically healthy and fit?

That's a big question! In brief, I try to have a good mix of therapeutic exercise sessions (to focus on the very gentle and subtle issues), general conditioning exercise to keep the whole body with a good foundation of 'broad spectrum' fitness, and then more specific running training where I occasionally enjoy competing and especially enjoy running in mountains.

Any specific equipment?

I actually use very little. I have a few kettlebells and dumbbells, a skipping rope, pull-up bar and a nice thick yoga mat! In fact, even with just the yoga mat and a small space there's so much you can do.

Most memorable training experiences?

I have especially fond memories of times in the Swiss Alps both in hot summers and the adventure of snowshoeing in the winter. In the summer of 2016 I discovered a hidden fitness-trail in the woods on the lower slopes of the "Morgenberghorn" which made for fabulous and uplifting training. They even had a set of gymnstics rings!

Do you treat yourself?

Yes! And I try to practice what I teach and notice how it feels to go through the process. I've found there are always insights that I can then integrate back into my work and apply in other ways. One example of treating myself was when I snapped a finger tendon (very important to me as I play the piano and guitar). I decided from the outset that my goal would be to have my finger better than it was before. This aim is something I always encourage to people. I was thorough with my care and rehab, thought creatively and continued long after the injury was healed... progressing to finger exercises on the piano and ultimately being able to use my left hand better than I could before.

What do you consider most important for people in rehab, training or wellbeing?

Structure, patience, commitment. It doesn't matter whether it's playing the piano, rehab for a shoulder, training for a race or yoga. Structure allows patterns to reveal themselves and processes to have their effect. Things take time. I often talk of the Native American proverb: "You can pull the grass but it won't grow faster". Structure also means that you can build progressively and prevent doing too much too soon. In many ways I think structure is more important than the content much of the time. For example, is there a best way to train for a 10k? No. But if you settle into a sensible well thought-out structure, with patience and commitment you'll surely get there.