My guest today believes that the decisions we make every day about what to eat have a huge influence on our health. Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body, and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests. Today’s clip is from episode 234 of the podcast with medical doctor and author of international bestseller ‘Eat to Beat Disease’, Dr William Li. In this clip, he shares how specific foods can strength...
Jan 05, 2024•19 min•Ep 415•Transcript available on Metacast Why do we all eat stuff that isn’t food and why can’t we stop? In this episode, Dr Chris van Tulleken, author of Ultra-Processed People explains all. As well as being one of the UK’s leading science broadcasters, Chris is a practising infectious diseases doctor in the NHS. He gained his medical degree at Oxford University and his PhD in molecular virology from University College London, where he is an associate professor. He works closely with the World Health Organization and UNICEF, and his re...
Jan 03, 2024•2 hr 29 min•Ep 414•Transcript available on Metacast Today’s episode is a special episode that I have recorded all about the transformative power of journalling. Journalling is a practice that I’ve been recommending for many years. Doing it regularly can help improve sleep, lead to better decision making and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. It has also been shown to decrease emotional stress, make it easier to turn new behaviours into long term habits, improve the quality of our relationships and, ultimately, help us lead more mindful an...
Dec 31, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep 413•Transcript available on Metacast This podcast will change your mind! Today’s episode is another brilliant compilation, this time on the theme of mindset – how changing your thinking can change your life. The team and I have selected some of the most practical, inspiring and can-do clips. Each one is filled with hope and potential, guaranteed to get you into a positive frame of mind. It’s a fantastic episode to help you begin 2024 as you mean to go on. The idea behind this theme was to collect all the best tips, tricks and evide...
Dec 27, 2023•2 hr 26 min•Ep 412•Transcript available on Metacast CAUTION: This episode contains swearing. What’s the collective noun for a group of wellbeing podcasters? It’s got to be a community, hasn’t it! I usually release a Bitesize episode every Friday, but today I have something a little different to share with you. In today’s episode, I sit down with some of my friends - other podcasters in the UK who are also trying to use their platforms to help people live better and feel better. You are going to be hearing from Fearne Cotton from Happy Place, Dami...
Dec 15, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep 411•Transcript available on Metacast Today’s episode is a life-affirming compilation on the theme of community and connection. I chose it because it’s a subject that comes up in one way or another in almost every podcast conversation I have. Researchers, thinkers, and experts alike are concluding that one of the most significant contributing factors to our mental, physical and emotional health is our interactions with other human beings. Our ancestors evolved as a collective – ancient humans thrived in tribes. From keeping safe at ...
Dec 13, 2023•2 hr 11 min•Ep 410•Transcript available on Metacast Sleep is not just important for our physical health but for our mental and emotional health too. The brain can literally re-wire negative memories when we sleep. Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body, and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests. Today’s clip is from episode 147 of the podcast with world-leading sleep researcher Professor Matthew Walker. In this clip, Matthew explains why sleep can...
Dec 08, 2023•16 min•Ep 409•Transcript available on Metacast “It’s not that exercise is an antidepressant, it’s that not exercising is a depressant.” So says this week’s guest – and he’s redefining youth mental health education for the 21st century in line with this powerful belief. David Bidler is a social entrepreneur dedicated to reinventing education for the 21st century. In 2019, he founded Physiology First University a non-profit education centre, which teaches the latest science of the brain and body by offering classes - in neuroscience, exercise ...
Dec 06, 2023•2 hr 9 min•Ep 408•Transcript available on Metacast If you ever feel anxious, whether that’s a low-level worry, a sudden fear, or full-on panic, can you sense where it’s coming from in your body? Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body, and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests. Today’s clip is from episode 370 of the podcast with medical doctor and neuroscientist, Dr Russell Kennedy. Russell’s core message is that it’s more effective to use the bo...
Dec 01, 2023•17 min•Ep 407•Transcript available on Metacast We live in a world that celebrates and rewards talent. Whether it’s gifted students, outstanding athletes or born musicians, we applaud those who get there effortlessly, instead of those who travel furthest to reach the same place. In doing so, my guest today believes we also overlook our own potential to do great things. Adam Grant is an organisational psychologist, University of Pennsylvania professor, podcaster, and the bestselling author of multiple books. His latest book, Hidden Potential: ...
Nov 29, 2023•2 hr 53 min•Ep 406•Transcript available on Metacast Today’s guest proposes that awe is an emotion that’s all around us, waiting to be discovered – and in doing so, we can transform our health and lives for the better. Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body, and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests. Today’s clip is from episode 340 of the podcast professor of psychology and author of the book The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Trans...
Nov 24, 2023•15 min•Ep 405•Transcript available on Metacast This extra special – and slightly different – episode of the podcast is for anyone who’s ever felt confused about best practice for good health. If you’ve wondered which diet is the best one for your health, or if you are confused about how much protein you should be consuming - or whether a little bit of alcohol has any health benefit at all - then I have just the guest for you. Dr Tommy Wood is Assistant Professor of Paediatrics and Neuroscience at the University of Washington, US. He holds a ...
Nov 22, 2023•2 hr 3 min•Ep 404•Transcript available on Metacast Procrastination is a common form of self-sabotage, resulting in many of us feeling stuck. Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body, and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests. Today’s clip is from episode 332 of the podcast with clinical psychologist, Dr Ramani Durvasula. In this clip, Dr Ramani explains how procrastination can be linked to anxiety and she share some practical ways to help overcome ...
Nov 17, 2023•13 min•Ep 403•Transcript available on Metacast How would you like to think with greater clarity, feel confident in your choices, and finally be capable of sticking to good habits? Today’s guest might just show you how. Shane Parrish is the entrepreneur and wisdom seeker behind Farnham Street and The Knowledge Project podcast, where he focuses on mastering the best of what other people have figured out. He is also the author of the wonderful new book, Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments Into Extraordinary Results, in which he shares time...
Nov 15, 2023•2 hr 2 min•Ep 402•Transcript available on Metacast There’s a simple, free habit that you can do every morning to improve your health, boost your productivity and improve your sleep. Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body, and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests. Today’s clip is from episode 242 of the podcast with California based medical doctor, Roger Seheult. In this clip, he shares why getting the right light at the right times is so importa...
Nov 10, 2023•14 min•Ep 401•Transcript available on Metacast Longevity is a hot topic these days. We’re obsessed with anti-ageing as if getting older should be avoided or even reversed at all costs! Of course, we can’t do that and I’m not sure we’d really want to. But today’s guest brings valuable insights about what we can do, to make sure we age healthily and happily. Professor Rose Anne Kenny is a medical gerontologist, Regius Professor of Physic and Chair of Medical Gerontology at Trinity College Dublin. She’s the Founding Principal Investigator of Ir...
Nov 08, 2023•2 hr 16 min•Ep 400•Transcript available on Metacast Have you ever felt held back by a habit or pattern of thinking that you feel powerless to break? Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body, and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests. Today's clip is from episode 308 of the podcast with Dr Bruce Lipton. In childhood our subconscious minds can take on unhelpful beliefs that drive our habits and thinking throughout our lives. In this clip, Bruce shares...
Nov 03, 2023•18 min•Ep 399•Transcript available on Metacast Could you live out of a single backpack? Not for a few weeks or months, but as a lifestyle choice? Well, five years ago, today’s guest gave up his luxury apartment, its contents, his cars and all his possessions – apart from those that fit into his trusty backpack. Light Watkins has been practising daily meditation for 20 years and teaching it for 15. He’s a mindfulness expert and the bestselling author of four books. His latest book, Travel Light: Spiritual Minimalism to Live a More Fulfilled L...
Nov 01, 2023•2 hr 11 min•Ep 398•Transcript available on Metacast My guest today believes that if we start to focus and prioritise our largest organ – our muscle – we can burn more fat, improve our body composition, decrease our risk of disease, and increase our energy levels. Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body, and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests. Today's clip is from episode 296 of the podcast with Dr Gabrielle Lyon – an osteopathic doctor who is bo...
Oct 26, 2023•19 min•Ep 397•Transcript available on Metacast My guest today has spent his entire career, trying to understand mental illness. What’s really causing it – and how can we better manage it. Dr Chris Palmer is Director of the Department of Postgraduate and Continuing Education at McLean Hospital, Massachusetts and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. In today’s episode, he shares some of the profound insights he's gained over almost 30 years as an academic psychiatrist. He combines years of clinical, neuroscience and ...
Oct 24, 2023•3 hr 56 min•Ep 396•Transcript available on Metacast Finding your purpose in life can have a positive impact on your health and wellbeing. So how can you start finding yours? Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body, and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests. Today's clip is from episode 334 of the podcast with Jay Shetty - a former monk and one of the world’s most influential modern self-help gurus. He’s also a bestselling author, host of the podcas...
Oct 19, 2023•12 min•Ep 395•Transcript available on Metacast Aged 102 (and a half!) years, today’s guest is the oldest person I’ve welcomed onto the show. Dr Gladys McGarey is co-founder of the American Holistic Medical Association and author of the fantastic new book, The Well-Lived Life: A 102-year-old Doctor’s Secrets to Health and Happiness at Every Age. Many people consider Gladys to be the ‘mother of holistic medicine’. For years now, she has been trying to spread the message that health is not just physical – it involves mental, emotional and spiri...
Oct 17, 2023•1 hr 27 min•Ep 394•Transcript available on Metacast CAUTION ADVISED: this podcast contains swearing. For the past few decades, almost every year, levels of depression and anxiety have increased across the Western world. But why? Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body, and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests. Today’s clip is from episode 94 of the podcast with the brilliant Johann Hari. Johann went on a forty-thousand-mile journey around the worl...
Oct 12, 2023•14 min•Ep 393•Transcript available on Metacast CAUTION: This podcast discusses fasting, and its advice may not be suitable for anyone with an eating disorder. If you have an existing health condition or are taking medication, always consult your healthcare practitioner before going for prolonged periods without eating. I first spoke to today’s guest on Episode 342 - and that episode has become one of the most downloaded episodes of the year - it has transformed the lives of many women - and men and I think this conversation will do the same....
Oct 10, 2023•2 hr 21 min•Ep 392•Transcript available on Metacast Today’s episode is a re-release of a conversation I had just over 2 years ago, a few weeks after completing the London marathon for the very first time. I have decided to re-release it because I am seeing so much online about people being injured, struggling with their running, their walking or their sport. I believe that this conversation - and my wonderful guest - can help. My guest is my dear friend, Helen Hall. Helen is a movement therapist, she's a running coach, a pain expert…in fact, to b...
Oct 07, 2023•2 hr 2 min•Ep 391•Transcript available on Metacast In the UK, one in 14 people over 65 will develop dementia, with that figure rising to one in six once we’re over 80. But there are plenty of simple, enjoyable things that we can all start doing right now to improve our brain health and stave off age-related dementia. Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body, and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests. Today’s clip is from episode 316 of the podcast ...
Oct 05, 2023•15 min•Ep 390•Transcript available on Metacast Imagine yourself in the last decade of your life. What would you like to be able to do? I’m talking about the simple stuff, such as walking up a flight of stairs without losing your breath or picking up your grandchild. How about being able to stand up unaided, after sitting comfortably on the floor? Or simply being able to get yourself on and off the toilet with ease? It’s so easy to assume these everyday movements will still be easy when we’re old. But my guest this week wants us to get real t...
Oct 03, 2023•2 hr 15 min•Ep 389•Transcript available on Metacast CAUTION: This podcast discusses fasting and its advice may not be suitable for anyone with an eating disorder. If you have an existing health condition or are taking medication, always consult your healthcare practitioner before going for prolonged periods without eating. Research has shown that around 50 percent of us currently spread our meals and snacks across 15 or more hours of the day. But having periods of time in every 24 hours where we are not eating is essential for repairing, resettin...
Sep 28, 2023•14 min•Ep 388•Transcript available on Metacast What if the most courageous, compassionate thing you could do in life, was to learn how to be with yourself? It’s a powerful, perhaps surprising idea put forward by this week’s guest, the Buddhist monk, meditation teacher and author Gelong Thubten. Thubten became a monk back in 1993 after suffering from severe physical and mental burnout whilst following his dream of becoming an actor in New York City. His new book, A Handbook for Hard Times: A Monk’s Guide to Fearless Living, draws on what he’s...
Sep 26, 2023•2 hr 5 min•Ep 387•Transcript available on Metacast What do you regret in your life? Are there things you wish you’d done – or not done? Society tells us not to look back and instead to focus on the positive, but could sitting with the discomfort of a regret allow us to grow? Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body, and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests. Today's clip is from episode 248 of the podcast with author and expert in human behaviour, ...
Sep 21, 2023•17 min•Ep 386•Transcript available on Metacast