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How Mr Motivator Helps Cancer Patients Prepare for Treatment


Celebrity Health and Wellbeing Coach, Mr Motivator has filmed videos for the NHS to help cancer patients prepare for surgery through exercising at home.


Derrick Evans MBE, known as Mr Motivator, rose to fame in the 1990s with appearances on breakfast TV show GMTV.


He has now filmed several videos with Lancaster University Medical School where he gives exercise tips to NHS patients to help improve their fitness before undergoing chemotherapy.


Mr Motivator was invited by Dr Chris Gaffney who is a Senior Lecturer in Integrative Physiology, where his work examines the benefits and mechanisms of “prehabilitation” for patients with cancer.


Prehabilitation includes exercise, nutrition and psychological and social interventions to optimise both physical and brain health before surgery or other treatment, such as chemotherapy.


Dr Gaffney said: “Cancer treatment including chemotherapy is a huge stress on the body and brain. Our work in prehabilitation is to protect against this stress and improve outcomes for cancer patients.”


Mr Motivator said: “Health challenges take us on a real journey — the ups, the downs, and everything in between. My videos are here to bring you guidance, information and FUN, all wrapped up


From left: Alastair Richards, CEO of North West Cancer Research, Dr Chris Gaffney, Mrs Motivator, Research Associate Katie Hoad, local MP Cat Smith and Dr Helen Nuttall with Mr Motivator


with great music to get you moving and, most importantly, make you FEEL GOOD. I believe that movement and laughter are the best medicine. Put them into your daily life and you’ll boost your overall sense of wellbeing.”


A World of Difference – School of Global Affairs


From the grounds of Manchester United to the newsroom of ITN and from the Department for Business and Trade to the Federation of Small Businesses, our alumni share their pearls of wisdom on carving a successful career path.


A podcast series celebrates our new School of Global Affairs, home to Global Languages and Cultures, Politics, International Relations, Religion, Philosophy and History, in the Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences.


The series, ‘A World of Difference’, features interviews with four alumni who talk about their diverse career paths together with Professor Caron Gentry, who shares her own her own journey to becoming the Head of our new School of Global Affairs.


We feature:


• Head of Talent Integration at Manchester United, Raisa Richardson


• Former Deputy Director of Communication and Marketing at the Department for Business and Trade, David Watson, now founder of Elementary Communications


KEEP IN TOUCH WWW.LANCASTER.AC.UK/ALUMNI | 17


• Deputy Head of International Affairs at the Federation of Small Businesses, Kate Foster


• ITV international Journalist, Warren Nettleford


• Head of Lancaster University’s School of Global Affairs, Caron Gentry


The aim of the series is to offer inspiration, advice and encouragement to the next generation seeking to make their mark on the world. The ‘This is Lancaster’ podcast series can be found on Spotify and Apple podcasts.


The School of Global Affairs offers a global perspective on the challenges facing the world. Drawing on its core disciplines, the School’s strength comes from its extensive external partnerships, from the local and regional to the national and international. These support innovative research and building students’ career-readiness.


www.lancaster.ac.uk/global-affairs


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