The Human Body and the Heating System – A Perfect Mirror Image, Says Plumbing Boss

 

In the latest of our occasional JRSTT case studies, we’ve been catching up with Luke Whitwell, a business owner who became so evangelical about the power of functional rehabilitation, that he decided his staff should all benefit from the JRSTT approach.

 

Tell us about you and your business:

I’m Luke, managing director of both Whitwell Services Ltd (plumbing and heating specialists), and Nevelli Designer Home Heating and Interiors. I have a team of 21 staff and we have customers throughout the East of England, whose homes and businesses we serve with all sorts of plumbing and installation requirements.

The business itself was started by my dad in 1979, and I joined him in 1999.

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What led to you first working with John at JRSTT?

In 2015 I suffered a sporting injury, breaking my collar bone in a biking accident. I was primed to expect long-term limitations to my physical capability in the workplace, which was deeply worrying, given that my entire career centres on being able to be physically active.

The medical prognosis was for six months recovery following surgery, so I began to see John for some rehabilitation work, in the hope he would help speed this process, but also to ensure I could maintain the right positive mindset throughout the frustrating recovery period.

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How did that go?

It was so much quicker and more successful than I could ever have anticipated.

It not only resulted in a miraculously short return to full strength, but it also set the foundations of a new mindset toward the strength, conditioning, and endurance of the human body.

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In fact, you even achieved a pretty impressive milestone quite soon after shoulder reconstruction, didn’t you?

Yes. I was back downhill mountain biking in the Alps just four weeks after shoulder reconstruction, when a metal plate was installed to repair the broken bones.

 

But you’re certainly not complacent now. If anything, you seem to be more aware of the body’s functions, and its limits?

Absolutely. I’m so conscious of the limitations that physical injuries can impose and what it might have meant for me professionally. This has driven me to be more respectful of keeping my mind and body in good condition, as one cannot function without the other.

In fact, we are not too different to an intricate heating system. It only takes one element to cease, to floor the entire system and prevent it from operating! Regular servicing and reacting quickly to changes in performance can enhance the system’s durability. The same is true for our bodies.

 

And this attitude has made you want to provide the JRSTT service to all of your staff?

Definitely. Since 2021 all of my teams have had unlimited access to John’s online Core Club, and the field engineers and office employees have all really embraced the benefits of the ‘move to keep moving’ ethos.

Throughout the period of having this arrangement in place, we’ve seen staff return to optimal health far quicker, and as well as making physical improvements, their mindset has benefited from the work with JRSTT too.

 

What would you say to another employer who is tempted to consider a corporate JRSTT package for their staff?

Don’t even think twice. You have to make a commitment like that for your employees.

We hear so much these days about how the mind and body work hand in hand, and I’ve really seen that myself, but through my colleagues too.

I encourage everyone to learn from John’s expert take on movement and functional strength. I’m absolutely living proof that you can defy a prognosis or an anticipated long-term road to recovery, if you are supported by the right professional approach and if you are committed to doing the homework that’s necessary to get your brain and body working at its best.

 

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**If you’d like to hear more about the JRSTT corporate package approach, or you want to arrange a trial for your small team of colleagues, contact John today.