Defying The Odds With James Wells - International Karate Athlete and Two-Time Cancer Survivor

Summary: In this inspirational episode from Enduring Health, Dr Shan Hussain speaks with James Wells about his amazing life journey and the links between his approach to martial arts and dominating cancer. James Wells, international karate athlete and two-time cancer survivor has competed for major titles both domestically and overseas since he was a teenager, winning silverware at world level. Before his exploits in business or his successes as an athlete and fighter, James is proud most of all to call himself a survivor.  James describes how he defied the odds, regaining his physical prowess and representing his country again less than 18 months later.  KEY TAKEAWAYS Karate is a martial art that requires not just physical strength but also emotional and mental strength. The discipline required is huge and demands considerable mental fortitude.   Karate is an individual sport, in a competition fight it’s just you and the man opposite you. There are a number of variables which need to be solved and this requires mental strength.   There’s a lot to gain from winning, a lot to learn from defeat Being taught to review every  performance, look back, evaluate and rectify what you’ve done wrong and make sure it doesn’t happen again is vitally important. There is a stigma attached to failure and defeat and as a result we miss out on learning.   You are influenced by the people that surround you. Character in a person is everything and you need people with strength of character around you when you are going through cancer.   Support from family and friends is essential when fighting cancer and as an athlete support is vital to good performance. The best athletes have amazing support networks and family. Mental fortitude and having something to live for makes a huge difference family and friends provide the strength and make it possible to look forward.   It’s important to set short term and long term goals. Write them down so they are there and can be ticked off clearly showing progress. People can forget how to grow and  don’t acknowledge the stimulus around them or take on board its role in their growth.   Competing with cancer is a movement with the long term goal of implementing exercise structures  for cancer patients. It seeks to include exercise therapy as a treatment for every cancer patient.   The processes that can be used to dominate cancer are essentially the same processes as those used by athletes and can be used by any one.     BEST MOMENTS   “What I did have was tremendous determination.”   “I looked at it (cancer) as a challenge, a fight.”   “I’d go again, I’d keep going and when I failed twice in a row I kept going and went again.”   “Surrounded myself with the right sort of people.”   “Mental fortitude and having something to live for makes a huge difference.”   “I had the mental and emotion strength of  an athlete.”     VALUABLE RESOURCES   The Primal Cure: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Primal-Cure-Avoid-Being-Statistic/dp/1999907132/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1544980820&sr=8-2&keywords=primal+cure   Competing With Cancer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1h97Gz8JOI   ABOUT THE HOST Enduring Health: Our mission is to empower our listeners to learn more about how to easily improve wellbeing, energy, vitality and performance.   GUEST BIOGRAPHY James was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia at the age of 21 and twice battled the disease, first in 2010 and again 2011. He spent a staggering 286 days in hospital in just 15 months as an inpatient and beat the illness when a stem-cell transplant from his younger sister saved his life.  After total body irradiation and 11 courses of chemotherapy, he was told he might never be fit to fight again due to the effects of intensive treatment. Seven years on, James is still competing for England, is an inspiring motivational speaker and is at the forefront of the Primal Cure movement: believing in the power of good exercise and a healthy diet to promote a healthy lifestyle.   CONTACT METHOD HOST – Enduring Health  www.patreon.com/enduringhealth   Dr Shan Hussain interviewer https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-shan-hussain/?originalSubdomain=uk   https://twitter.com/drshanhussain?lang=en   https://en-gb.facebook.com/drshanhussain/   https://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Shan-Hussain/e/B01NBYO8MJ     INTERVIEWEE –James Wells LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-wells-2807/?originalSubdom   Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/JamesWellsKarate/   Twitter: https://twitter.com/JamesCRWells/media?lang=en   Website:www.jameswellsspeaking.com   Follow The Primal Cure movement @theprimalcure and www.primalcure.com  Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/enduringhealth See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.