Our feet are integral to how we move and therefore to our overall health and wellbeing. Often, it is not until something goes wrong with our feet that we pay them the attention they deserve. In this episode, podiatrist Tom May, shares his knowledge and experience working in foot, ankle and lower limb health. Tom gives us an insight into what podiatrists actually do - it is more than providing orthotics - and often includes in depth analysis of biomechanics, one of Tom’a areas of special interest...
Mar 08, 2021•59 min
Magnesium is essential to our health and our bodies need it to function. Listen to this Five Minute Food Facts episode to find out what magnesium is, all the amazing things is does in our bodies, where we find magnesium in our food supply and how much we need.
Mar 02, 2021•10 min
In this episode Scientific Researcher and PhD candidate, Sarah Gauci, shares what she has been learning about the relationship between different dietary patterns and cognitive performance in older adults. This is important information to understand because Australia’s population (like many Western countries) is ageing and the more we understand about how certain lifestyle factors can attenuate the risk of cognitive decline the better for individuals and for society as a whole. We discuss risk fa...
Feb 22, 2021•44 min
In this episode I welcome back Lara Casanova to discuss her most recent book, “Loss, Love and Lessons: Healing pet loss and grief”. Lara is well placed to discuss this topic as a professional counsellor specialising in grief and loss, a yoga teacher, life coach and, of course, an animal lover. Pet loss is a form of disenfranchised grief which means it is often underplayed or dismissed by society yet it is very real, as all pet lovers know. Lara talks about how to navigate this sad time in our li...
Feb 15, 2021•51 min
Hello 2021! Hello new look podcast, Vibrant Lives Podcast! This week, I have an enlightening discussion about self confidence with Mind Coach, David Rahman. David shares his story about his move from optometry to becoming a Life Coach, specialising in helping people feel comfortable in their own skin. David explains how our past impacts our future; the way we think is moulded by our past, by how our brain remembers and interprets things, our patterns of thinking affect our future and therefore, ...
Feb 08, 2021•43 min
Thank you to all of you who have taken the time to listen to my podcast this year. I hope you found something of value or interest. This episode is a brief wrap up of some of the interesting things I have learned this year and a sneak preview of what's in store for 2021. EPISODES MENTIONED Dr Tim Crowe: https://amandaswellbeingpodcast.com/tim-crowe/ Dr Emma Beckett: https://amandaswellbeingpodcast.com/emma-beckett/ Olivia Swann: https://amandaswellbeingpodcast.com/olivia-swann/ Anna Howard: http...
Dec 20, 2020•13 min
This week, body image expert, Dr Zali Yager, shares her considerable knowledge and insights into the often thorny and always complex issue of body image in adolescence. Zali is an Associate Professor in health and physical education at the Victoria University, Melbourne. Her research interests and expertise lie in the promotion of positive body image and prevention of eating disorders, especially in adolescence. Zali and I discuss the factors that influence body image in adolescence, including s...
Dec 07, 2020•54 min
We hear a lot about our gut microbiome and the links between our gut health, mental health and general health - what does this mean in practical terms and how does it apply to you? To help explain the complex interplay between our microbiome, our genes, the food we eat and how this can impact our health and our predisposition towards certain diseases is nutrition dynamo, molecule nutritionist Dr Emma Beckett. Emma’s enthusiasm for her subject matter is contagious and our conversation wanders ove...
Dec 01, 2020•1 hr 11 min
This is the last of my four part series all about the huge and fascinating topic of protein. In this episode I discuss how protein irequirements change as we age. Ageing is associated with loss of muscle mass and strength which can impact our quality of life. To help attenuate this, we need to consume adequate protein as we age but at the same time overall energy requirements and often also appetite declines so it can be a conundrum. Finally, I briefly discuss the important role of protein in wo...
Nov 23, 2020•11 min
This week Olivia Swann shares the results of her PhD where she looked at dietary fibre intake and its association with inflammation and depression in adolescents. This is important work because, according to the Black Dog Institute, one in four young people aged 16-24 are living with a mental disorder. Most research about diet and mental health has focussed on adults; Olivia was keen to conduct research on this topic in adolescents and see if what they eat, in this case, dietary fibre, impacts d...
Nov 16, 2020•44 min
This discussion with Dr Carolyn Berryman, although focused on fibromyalgia, is relevant for anyone living with, or interested in what it is like to live with, a chronic condition. Carolyn brings her considerable expertise as a physiotherapy clinician, teacher and researcher to the discussion. We begin our chat by describing the symptoms of fibromyalgia that can include widespread, persistent pain, sleep disturbances, fatigue and sensitivity to sensory events, like smells. The causes of fibromyal...
Nov 09, 2020•58 min
This week I chat with Japanese wellness blogger, Kaki Okumura. Kaki shares her story of growing up between the US and Japan and how each culture has informed her approach to health and wellbeing. Kaki is an astute observer of culture and she articulates for us why Japan has the lowest obesity rates of the OECD countries. Spoiler alert - the Japanese are not all following a popular diet! Their health comes from a culture of respect for food, traditions around the way food is prepared, presented a...
Nov 02, 2020•50 min
There is so much to know about protein! This episode is the third in a four part series all about protein. In this episode I discuss protein intake for vegetarians and vegans. I look at sources of plant protein, how to ensure vegetarians and vegans get all the essential amino acids they need, nutrients like B12 to be mindful of, the health benefits of plant based eating and more. Other Five Minute Food Facts episodes mentioned in the podcast: Protein overview: https://amandaswellbeingpodcast.com...
Oct 26, 2020•10 min
This week I discuss the placebo effect and the use of placebos in clinical trials with Dr Felicity Braithwaite, physiotherapist and scientific researcher at the University of South Australia. Clinical trials are used to assess whether an active ingredient or treatment is having a real health outcome. (In very lay terms) one method of achieving this is to take two groups of similar people, administer one group the active ingredient or treatment in question and the other group a sham, or placebo, ...
Oct 19, 2020•43 min
This week I chat with the inspiring, talented and speedy Jessica Trengove OLY about all things running, especially marathon running, and so much more. Jess grew up in country South Australia where she thrived in the sporty culture and excelled in several sports, including netball. Ultimately, inspired by the likes of Benita Willis and Usain Bolt, Jess chose running (and aren’t we Aussies happy about that)! We talk about Jess' break through race in Nagoya, Japan (2012) to qualify for the London O...
Oct 12, 2020•1 hr 3 min
This week, I have an instructive and interesting discussion with Dr Brenton Hordacre about stroke and neuroplasticity, that is, the ability of the brain to change. Brenton is a physiotherapist and Senior Research Fellow at the Body in Mind Research Group, University of South Australia where he focusses on recovery following neurological injury, including treatment selection and understanding responses to therapy. Motivated by helping improve people’s quality of life, Brenton works to ensure rese...
Oct 05, 2020•55 min
Brendan Mouatt is an Exercise Physiologist and researcher into chronic pain at The Body in Mind Research Group, UniSA. He is also a director at The Biomechanics clinical practice and an educator and director at The Knowledge Exchange. Brendan explains that the way our society talks about pain is ingrained with a lot of tradition and belief that is quite dogmatic. His research into pain has led him to question many of these beliefs and challenge his own practice and understanding of pain. The mos...
Sep 28, 2020•54 min
You’ve either heard of Wim Hof (AKA The Iceman) or, like me, when you do hear about him, you wonder how on earth you had not heard about him sooner! Today I chat with Kym Burls, Certified Wim Hof Method (WHM) Instructor based in Adelaide, all about the WHM. Kym starts with a potted biography of Wim - he’s a fascinating man - and tells us about his own journey to discovering the WHM. In a nutshell, the WHM consists of three pillars, that when practiced together, result in an array of health benef...
Sep 21, 2020•1 hr 4 min
In today’s episode of Amanda’s Wellbeing Podcast, I have an entertaining and lively chat with physiotherapist Brad Beer about bone stress injury (BSI) and much more. We discuss some of the main causes of BSI including biomechanical factors such as training errors (too much too soon) and biological factors such as bone health. It turns out, Brad is a dedicated advocate of promoting awareness around bone health and thinks it is a major public health burden not spoken about enough. Brad goes throug...
Sep 14, 2020•56 min
In this episode I discuss protein requirements for athletes (including amateur athletes, like me, who train for ten or more hours per week). I explain why athletes need more protein than sedentary people and I look into some of the latest research about protein requirements for strength athletes and endurance athletes. I also mention sources of protein and suggest good post-exercise snacks, the optimal timing for protein intake, and I give a brief overview of obtaining protein from food versus s...
Sep 07, 2020•17 min
Today I chat with veterinarian and fellow animal lover, Dr Chris McComiskie, about pets. Australians love their pets; 61% of households own at least one pet, 40% of households include a dog, making them Australia’s most popular pet, followed by cats. Chris and I discuss all the ways pets can enhance your wellbeing from providing companionship and routine to improving your mental health. Scientific studies have even shown that children growing up in households with dogs can positively impact thei...
Aug 31, 2020•44 min
Today registered nurse, Meg Paech, and I discuss caring for others, especially our elderly population. After two decades of interesting and varied experience ranging from ICU to community care that has taken her all over the world, Meg has established Yellow Door, a company that provides tailored in home care. Many of Yellow Door's clients are elderly, people who want to maintain their independence and live at home. Some of them need a little help e.g. personal grooming and companionship whereas...
Aug 24, 2020•41 min
In today’s episode I chat with triple Olympian, Jaime Fernandez OLY, about the twists and turns in his journey from remote Arnhem Land to the Australian Institute of Sport where he trained in rowing. Jaime acknowledges all those people who, during his sporting career, showed him care and concern from footy peers to teachers and coaches and helped propel him along the path of sporting excellence. Jaime paints a vivid picture of what it felt like to represent Australia at the 2000 Olympic games in...
Aug 17, 2020•1 hr 9 min
In today’s episode, I chat with passionate and involved supporter of the music and arts industries, Anne Wiberg. Anne has extensive experience in the arts festival space including Director of the Adelaide Fringe Gala, Music Programmer at the Darwin Festival, Programming Director for the Ruby Awards and the list goes on. These days, Anne has her own consulting business, Wiberg, where the focus of her work is on music programming, program producing and event management. Anne is also the Chair of t...
Aug 10, 2020•46 min
Today’s episode is a timely one in light of the stresses most of us are facing during the Coronavirus pandemic. I chat with Pamela Chimenti about meditation, mindfulness and being present. Pamela is a yoga and meditation instructor with the International Yoga Alliance. She is also co-founder of The Mindfulness Group, an organisation that aims to improve health and wellbeing through mindfulness, and she’s the author of "The Language of the Soul: Mindfulness from A to Z, Your Roadmap Within". Pame...
Jul 20, 2020•48 min
This week I chat with Accredited Sports Dietitian and researcher, Alan McCubbin, all about hydration and sodium status of endurance athletes. Even if you’re not an endurance athlete, Alan is a very interesting person to listen to for an insight into how scientific research works, for example, how do you study cramp when people cannot simply cramp on demand? How do you recruit people to run on a treadmill for 5 hours? During our discussion, Alan delivers some fascinating facts about sweat, we tal...
Jul 13, 2020•1 hr 4 min
In this episode I give a general overview of protein - what it is, some of the important roles it has in our bodies, how much we need and which foods contain protein. Did you know that protein forms the building blocks of our immune system and that most enzymes, that aid in the thousands of biochemical reactions in our bodies, are proteins? There is so much to know about protein! This episode is the first in a four part series. Keep an eye out for my next three Five Minute Food Facts episodes ab...
Jul 06, 2020•12 min
In this episode of Amanda’s Wellbeing Podcast I chat with Advanced Accredited Sport Dietician Stephanie Gaskell who is currently working on her PhD about exercised-induced gastrointestinal syndrome at Monash University. Sports nutrition is a vast area and one where our knowledge is expanding all the time. Today, Steph and I focus on how to fuel for endurance events or long training sets. Steph explains the physiological reasons why it is beneficial to take carbohydrate on board when we are exerc...
Jun 29, 2020•48 min
Today I have an entertaining chat with Lyndall Vandenberg, South Australian State Manager of OzHarvest. OzHarvest, an organisation founded by Ronni Kahn AO, collects quality excess food from commercial outlets, like supermarkets, hotels and restaurants, and delivers the rescued food directly to more than 1,300 charities across Australia. Each week OzHarvest rescues 180 tonnes of food from over 3,500 food donors. You might be surprised to hear some of the statistics surrounding food waste in Aust...
Jun 22, 2020•33 min
Today I had the genuine pleasure of interviewing Farrah Furtado. I can truly say Farrah is one of the most inspiring people I have met; when it comes to wellbeing, she walks the talk. Farrah is deeply immersed in yoga, yoga teaching, meditation, fasting and breath-work plus she shares her knowledge with students from all over the world at her yoga school in Portugal, Bend It Like Buddha, and online. She also nourishes her creative side by writing and film production. Farrah has written several b...
Jun 15, 2020•1 hr 1 min
