Jun 24, 2026 · 43 min · 12 segments
What if we stopped viewing surgery as something that passively happens to patients, and instead treated it as an event they can actively train for? In this episode, Dr. Hussain Al-Zubaidi sits down…
Scarlett McNallyGuest
Hussain Al-ZubaidiHost
Callum LeeseHostWelcome to the Movement Prescription Podcast from the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine, the show where we explore how physical activity can be used as a powerful, practical tool in everyday healthcare.
I'm your host, Dr. Seynal Zabedi, and in this episode, we focus on a part of healthcare where we don't always talk about movement enough, the perioperative period.
Surgery is often seen as something that happens to patients, but what if we reframed it as something patients can actively prepare for and recover from, with physical activity as a core part of treatment, not an afterthought? I am delighted to be joined by my friend, Professor Scarlett McNally, orthopedic surgeon, national clinical leader, and a longstanding advocate for making physical activity routine across healthcare systems.
Scarlett has been instrumental in championing prehabilitation, early mobilization, and the idea that movement is not simply safe around surgery.
In this episode, we explore the evidence behind preoperative activity, how much movement really makes a difference, practical behavior change strategies, and what needs to shift at a system level so that movement as medicine becomes standard surgical care rather than the exception.
If you work in primary care, surgery, rehabilitation, or community health, or from the physical activity sector, this one's for you.
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Welcome to the Movement Prescription Podcast from the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine, the show where we explore how physical activity can be used as a powerful, practical tool in everyday healthcare.
I'm your host, Dr. Seynal Zabedi, and in this episode, we focus on a part of healthcare where we don't always talk about movement enough, the perioperative period.
Surgery is often seen as something that happens to patients, but what if we reframed it as something patients can actively prepare for and recover from, with physical activity as a core part of treatment, not an afterthought? I am delighted to be joined by my friend, Professor Scarlett McNally, orthopedic surgeon, national clinical leader, and a longstanding advocate for making physical activity routine across healthcare systems.
Scarlett has been instrumental in championing prehabilitation, early mobilization, and the idea that movement is not simply safe around surgery.
In this episode, we explore the evidence behind preoperative activity, how much movement really makes a difference, practical behavior change strategies, and what needs to shift at a system level so that movement as medicine becomes standard surgical care rather than the exception.
If you work in primary care, surgery, rehabilitation, or community health, or from the physical activity sector, this one's for you.
