This week’s Real Health episode is one of my Top 10 Tips episodes, looking at not only how to get yourself motivated, but to stay motivated and keep yourself fit and healthy in the coming weeks, months and years. How to stay focused when times get tough is an important skill to learn and sometimes starting a health kick can be hard while keeping it going can be difficult as well. But after twenty-two years, I’ve learned lots of tips, tricks and tools that work and will help you on your Real Heal...
Mar 25, 2021•22 min
Mental health, self-talk and the voices in our head….it seems these are issues that are gaining prominence in our lives the more the lockdown continues and it’s been a popular issue in recent weeks here on Real Health. And for this week’s episode, I wanted to go in-depth on the topic of the conscious mind and the conversations we have with ourselves which can have such negative effects on our lives and the people around us. But, if harnessed correctly, it can also be a very powerful and positive...
Mar 18, 2021•31 min
Let’s talk about getting older. Of the many changes that Covid and the pandemic has inflicted on society, one thing it has brought into focus is the risks older people face - especially as we’ll all be there someday. And the truth is, for most of us, we don’t want to think about ageing or what it will be like to care for an elderly relative. Well, this week’s Real Health is all about Getting Older (for People Who Don’t want To Talk about it) and it’s also the catchy title of Dr. Lucy Pollock’s n...
Mar 11, 2021•30 min
Never has mental health been as important. Be it mindfulness, meditation, walking…..we’re looking for as much expert information these days on dealing with our mental difficulties of living life in a pandemic. But what about preventative measures? Just as we eat well and exercise to prevent the body getting unhealthy, can you do the same with the brain? My guest on this week’s Real Health is Kimberley Wilson, a psychologist who believes that we need to consider the brain in a more physical way j...
Mar 04, 2021•28 min
We could all do with a bit of therapy right now but although stuck at home, we still seem to be time-poor, so how about some five minute therapy to help us all cope with the stresses and strains of life at the moment? My guest on this week’s Real Health is psychotherapist Sarah Crosby, aka the Mind Geek, who is a bit of an Instagram sensation with her daily bite-sized snippets of mindfulness wisdom and her new book, Five Minute Therapy, is also out now. Sarah has some fascinating insights and ad...
Feb 25, 2021•28 min
In recent weeks, the Real Health show has featured some great food experts from Neven Maguire’s cooking tips to the Happy Pear’s plant-based diet. Food, eating and your diet is one of the best ways to keep healthy and stay in control while so much is going on in the world outside and my guest for this week’s episode is a firm believer in food to help with your mental as well as your physical performance. Daniel Davey first came to prominence as the performance nutritionist with Leinster Rugby an...
Feb 18, 2021•31 min
January 2021 was a tough month, there’s no doubt about that. Continuing on from the previous year it’s been a tough journey for most people to deal with. But, we can still find happiness midst all the turmoil, stress and uncertainty. There are little things you can be doing every day to make sure you’re reaching your happiness quota and I’m delighted to say that my guest on this week’s Real Health, Dr. Clodagh Campbell, is a wellness psychologist who is going to help us all get happier with her ...
Feb 11, 2021•23 min
Neven Maguire is someone whose approach to cooking and food I’ve admired for a long time. From his hugely popular restaurant to his TV shows and books, his focus is all about healthy and wholesome recipes for the entire family. He joins me on this week’s episode of Real Health to talk about life during lockdown, having to close the restaurant and why in his free time he’s rediscovered his love of dance music and DJing! Neven also has some great cooking SOS tips and advice to make sure that you’r...
Feb 04, 2021•24 min
This week’s guests certainly need no introduction, as famous for their morning swims as they are for their healthy produce - and they’re back in January focusing on a Happy Health Plan using a plant-based diet. The Happy Pears, David and Stephen Flynn, join me to explain all the benefits and bust some of the myths about it. They also have some great tips and advice for eating and introducing more healthy foods into your daily routine. “First thing is if you do want to change your habits, get the...
Jan 28, 2021•27 min
If your finances are all over the place and out of control, it’s very difficult to focus on other aspects of your health. You can get tied up in your financial issues letting your health and diet suffer as a result. With that in mind, my annual Financial Real Health episode is back this week and I’m joined by Eoin McGee, the financial advisor, TV presenter and best-selling author of ‘How to be Good with Money’. Eoin explains why, in a time of pandemic and stress, it’s so important to control the...
Jan 21, 2021•31 min
It’s January and with many of you making resolutions for change over the coming weeks and months, one of the most common is around weight loss and looking and feeling better. My guest on this week’s Real Health is Dr. Rangan Chatterjee who is a hugely successful broadcaster, author and influential GP in the UK and Ireland with his Feel Better, Live More podcast a regular chart topper, and he has a new book out called Feel Great, Lose Weight, long term simple habits for lasting and sustainable we...
Jan 14, 2021•30 min
Happy New Year to you all! It’s 2021 and fingers crossed we can all put the tough year that was 2020 behind us with more hope for the year to come. And if you’re thinking of making changes to your life – be it personal, professional, physical or mental, then this week’s Real Health episode will set you on the right path. James Clear is a world-renowned expert on habits and decision making as the author of one of the fastest-growing email newsletters in history and his articles at jamesclear.com ...
Jan 07, 2021•27 min
It’s Christmas Eve! This week’s episode is another in my Life Lessons series and it is with one of my favourite radio presenters and someone I’ve been wanting to interview for a long time. John Creedon has been a mainstay on RTE Radio 1 for the last thirty years with his mix of music and chat and he has also presented TV shows and written books during his long career. He is a favourite of Irish people up and down the country and with his new book called ‘That Place We Call Home’ out now, John jo...
Dec 24, 2020•32 min
So, Christmas has been and gone and I hope you’ve had plenty – but not too much – turkey, ham and stuffing and been able to put your feet up and enjoy some downtime. We’re nearly done with 2020 and can put it all behind us but before we do, I’m joined by someone who has a very particular challenge for 2021., From the Den to TodayFM and back to RTE on the radio and TV on Saturday nights and with a re-launched Den as well, Ray D’Arcy is someone I grew up with and still love watching the Den since ...
Dec 17, 2020•39 min
With a week to go before Christmas, I thought, we could either do a show on fitness tips, getting healthy or how to work on your mental health but then I decided why not just have some craic and enjoy ourselves in the festive run-up? Who better to interview than two Tipp lads who have taken over the Irish podcast charts by storm and with TV shows, books, merchandise and whatever else you’re having, they’ve become something of an Irish institution - Johnny McMahon and Johnny O’Brien, aka the huge...
Dec 17, 2020•25 min
Between Covid, lockdowns, Christmas and what 2021 has in store for us all, it can be hard to keep your spirits up and focus on the positive that is still out there. In the same way that you have to build good exercise habits and good food habits, you also need to build a positive mindset habit as well. Just how can you do this and how will it expand and benefit your life even more? Well, this week’s guest on Real Health, Fiona Brennan, is a clinical hypnotherapist, a best-selling author, TedX sp...
Dec 10, 2020•26 min
He’s the world’s fastest-growing online, personal trainer, is a global fitness sensation known for his no-nonsense approach to health and fitness training and I’m delighted to say that James Smith is this week’s guest on Real Health. His book in 2019, Not a Diet Book, was a huge best-seller and James is back with another hit called Not a Life Coach in which he challenges everything you thought you knew about the path to fulfilment and happiness. James is honest, unapologetic and outspoken and sh...
Dec 03, 2020•25 min
This week’s guest is maybe not one you would normally associate with Real Health, but I’m delighted to be joined by Lyra, the Cork singer-songwriter who is making serious waves in Ireland, the UK, and America. Lyra’s song Falling was featured in Grey’s Anatomy and nominated for Single of the Year at the RTE Choice Music Awards, while her hit single Mother featured on Spotify’s Viral Daily 50. Her new song is called New Day and for anyone that saw her perform it on the Late, Late Show a few weeks...
Nov 26, 2020•22 min
For this week’s show I wanted to focus on your gut. Not your gut instinct or going with your gut, but gut health. It’s a topic I’ve covered before on Real Health but for this episode I wanted to focus the 10 myths around gut health. There are a lot of misconceptions and misinformation around the issue, so to find out more and to get some advice on how to best deal with your gut health, I spoke to Lorraine Maher a Specialist Gastroenterology Dietitian with the Blackrock Clinic. Lorraine gives som...
Nov 19, 2020•26 min
For this week’s episode of Real Health I’m delighted to welcome Dr. Jason Fung back to the show. Dr. Fung is a Toronto-based nephrologist and a world leading expert in intermittent fasting and low-carb diets and when he spoke to me a few weeks ago his insights into the truth about calories in-calories out were a huge hit with our listeners and so he agreed to come back on to really delve into the details and benefits of intermittent fasting. Dr Fung explains what intermittent fasting is, why our...
Nov 12, 2020•30 min
For this week’s Real Health I’m joined by gym owner and fitness instructor Leeanne Moore to get some winter fitness tips to help in the coming weeks and months. The cold, dark evenings can make it hard to get motivated to go for a run or work out, but by keeping active in some small way every day, it will do wonders for your physical and mental well-being. Leeanne also talks about diet and nutrition and the food choices she believes we should make. “I personally don't count calories and I don't ...
Nov 05, 2020•25 min
With the clocks going back, winter and the dark nights are closing in, and as we prepare for six weeks of Level 5 lockdown, I thought this would be a good time to find out how we can help boost our immunity and increase Vitamin D levels or the ‘sunshine vitamin’ as we spend more time indoors. This week’s guest is Helena Scully a registered nutritionist and first author of a five year study from Trinity College and the MISA Unit at St. James’s Hospital that has looked into vitamin D deficiencies ...
Oct 29, 2020•21 min
This week’s show is part of a series I like to call ‘Life Lessons’ with some of Ireland’s most respected and most famous personalities and my guest, Francis Brennan, is certainly no stranger to Irish television screens having shot to fame on the RTE series At Your Service and of course Francis Brennan’s Grand Tour. Francis is also co-owner of the Park Hotel in Kenmare and author of best-selling books on home management and travel and his latest is his Homekeeper’s Diary for 2021. Francis has an ...
Oct 22, 2020•29 min
This week’s Real Health is focusing on healthy eating and healthy living with one of Ireland’s leading fitness experts, Derval O’Rourke. Derval is a three-time Irish Olympian and former World Indoor Champion and after retiring from athletics she has become a best-selling author and also developed her own digital platform on health, nutrition and self-care at Derval.ie. Empowering people to live well, in body and mind, is what she aims to do and she explains to me how she has done it for herself,...
Oct 15, 2020•26 min
This week’s Real Health guest needs no introduction to TV viewers having graced Irish and international TV for more than two decades from Ireland AM to the Big Breakfast, the Swan and Dancing with the Stars. But, as a former model and TV presenter, that brought with it its own difficulties and pressures to look ‘perfect’ on screen. Now aged 47, Amanda Byram has opened up about her darkest moments and how she turned her life around in her debut book, ‘The Switch – the secret to overcoming the pre...
Oct 08, 2020•34 min
It’s fair to say that weight loss tips and weight loss interviews are some of the most popular episodes we have done on Real Health over the course of our three years. People are constantly struggling with their weight, lifestyle and exercise. Continuing my international masterclass series, the guest for this week’s show is Dr. Jason Fung who is a world-leading expert on intermittent fasting and low carb diet. He has also written three best-selling health books and he co-founded the Intensive Di...
Oct 01, 2020•32 min
Since the Covid lockdown have you been one of the many, many people who have taken up bread making and are spending more and more time in the kitchen? Healthy cooking and healthy eating are a key mantra of mine here on Real Health and for this week’s show, since you’re getting to do more home cooking, why not find out how to do some healthy cooking that doesn’t have to be time-consuming or boring? Nicola Halloran runs the hugely popular food blog, The Wonky Spatula, and has just released her fir...
Sep 24, 2020•22 min
My guest for this week’s Real Health wants to help you with what’s holding you back in life. Owen O’Kane is a psychotherapist, former NHS Clinical Lead and best-selling author who takes me through the ten tips that he says will not just make you happier, but ten times happier in yourself. From letting go of the past, having no regrets and stopping over-thinking, Owen explains that, ‘it’s about being comfortable in your own skin, being comfortable with your life. The more you can be present and i...
Sep 17, 2020•30 min
As we deal with a lot of uncertainty with regards to the future, it’s important to learn more about our minds and how to keep them fit and healthy and so for this week’s Real Health I’m focusing on the importance of mind over matter and why having the right mindset really can make all the difference in living a healthy life. Cognitive Behavioural Therapist, Niamh Connolly, of TheMindGym.ie, joins me with some invaluable insights and advice on dealing with uncertainty, developing your mind proper...
Sep 10, 2020•28 min
What if being lucky was a skill you could master? Can you create smart luck and even make ‘accidents’ more meaningful? Wouldn’t this be something that you’d try and develop to enrich your life? This week’s Real Health episode finds out about how you can develop this skill with Christian Busch, Director of the Global Economy programme at NYU and author of ‘The Serendipity Mindset: The Art & Science of Creating Good Luck’. Christian explains exactly what serendipity is and why some people seem...
Sep 03, 2020•25 min
