Real Health with Karl Henry

On this week's episode of Real Health, I'm bringing you my top tips for weight loss. Weight loss is about more than simply wanting to change how you look. We know weight is one of the big predictors of health-related issues as we get older. By carrying more of it on our bodies, you are putting pressure on your joints and aging the body quicker. So, wanting to lose some excess fat is a great thing to do for your health. Now that we're coming into the summer, it's the perfect time to try and make some positive changes, both with your movement and your diet. While many people might think the focus should be on upping the amount of exercise, diet is arguably more important. Making changes to what you eat, contributes to about 60pc to 70pc of the results that you will experience. One of the easiest changes you can make to your diet, is ensuring you leave twelve hours between dinner and your breakfast the next morning. By doing this, it gives your body time to digest the food you've eaten. If for example, you have your breakfast at 7am, aim to finish eating by 7pm that evening. Not only does this ensure you are leaving a good amount of time before you start eating again, it also helps stop you snacking late into the night too. I also give you tips for tracking your food, how to incorporate movement into your day and how intense your exercises should be, so you achieve the results you want. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

On this week's show, we are tackling the issue of burnout. It is something that we've all become more aware of, especially over the course of the pandemic. While hopefully the stresses of lockdowns, home schooling and working at the kitchen table are behind us, life post Covid is bringing its own strains. Some people may be thriving with the new hybrid work life, but it might not be for everyone. So, with Workplace Wellbeing Day tomorrow, it is the perfect time to take a look at what can be done to beat burnout. I'm joined by burnout expert and psychotherapist, Siobhan Murray. Over three years ago, Siobhan joined me on the podcast to chat about her newly released book, The Burnout Solution. A lot has happened in those three years, and burnout has never been more topical. Siobhan says while burnout is commonly associated with work, she says it can be caused by many different situations: “A term I much prefer using which is; Burnout is emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion brought on by emotionally demanding situations...That emotionally demanding situation could be work, it could be family, it could be extended family...so it's not just work.” We also discuss what some of the common symptoms of burnout are, what you can do if you think a loved one might have burnout and what workplaces should do in order to mind their employees. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

We've all either heard it before or offered it as advice; “It could be worse” or “Everything happens for a reason.” And while people might mean well, sometimes it's the last thing you want to hear when you are having a tough time. Is there an obsession with looking at the bright side of things? Well, our guest on Real Health this week certainly thinks so. I'm joined by psychotherapist Whitney Goodman to discuss how too much positivity can turn negative. Her new book, Toxic Positivity: Keeping It Real in a World Obsessed with Being Happy, looks at exactly that. Whitney explains that timing is important in determining when positivity will turn toxic: “I think timing is one of the biggest factors that brings positivity from being helpful or healthy into the relm of being toxic. When we use it at a time when someone is struggling and looking for a different type of support, that is when we can really see it go wrong.” Even aspiring to be happy all the time is not something Whitney believes we should be aiming for: “This goal that we are striving towards is actually going to make us more miserable because we are missing out on so much good data and information and experiences when we try to avoid everything in life that isn't happiness or positivity.” We also discuss positive affirmations and what advice we should give when someone needs help or support. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

The area of diet supplements can be a confusing one to navigate. You have to think about what vitamins you should be taking, what form they should come in and if they are worth the money. On this week's episode of Real Health, I'm taking you through everything you need to know about supplements, with dietitian and sports nutritionist Kathryn Stewart. Kathryn says you only have to look to the name to know what supplements are meant to do. “You shouldn't be using them as a replacement or a substitution. They are always in addition to what you are eating already. You want to think, can I get this from a certain food [and] am I getting enough from food? If that's a no and something is low previously, then maybe you require supplements” she says. We also talk about some of the supplements that people should be taking all the time. Many of us have heard the advice from professionals about Vitamin D, but Kathryn also thinks omegas are something people need to consider. “If people do eat fish it tends to be the less offensive ones or the less smelly ones...but salmon, trout, mackerel sardines, the oily fish, they're the ones where you'll get the omegas from.” As omegas are crucial for brain and heart health, Kathryn recommends having two portions of these types of fish a week and if you can't, then you should consider taking a supplement. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

On this week's episode of Real Health, we are talking about the negative impact a more sedentary life can have on our health. With remote working a major part of our lives now, it means the way we move has totally changed. Less running for the bus, shorter distances to make tea or coffee, even the toilet is not as far away as it might have been in the office. All this means we can fall into the habit of sitting more. But could small changes to our daily lives help us improve our health and wellness? Joining me to discuss this is Suzy Reading, chartered psychologist and qualified yoga teacher and personal trainer, specialising in wellbeing. Her new book Sit to get Fit, gives readers a practical guide to changing the way we sit for our health, energy and longevity. Suzy says while sitting can be unhealthy for our physical health, it can also cause problems for our mental health too: “Really interestingly, research has shown that our posture has an impact on our mood, specifically that round posture that we end up in on the sofa. Especially if you couple that with a screen. Research is showing that in that round spine, downcast gaze position, it lowers your mood and it lowers your subjective energy levels.” We also chat through some simple and quick movements that you can add into your day, that could offset some of the harms done by sitting for extended periods of time. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

On this week's episode, I'm bringing you my top tips for getting started with resistance training. I'll be telling you all you need to know about introducing weight bearing exercises into your routine. From home workouts to choosing the right amount of weight for you, I'm covering it all. While cardio exercise like running, walking or swimming can be great for our health, resistance training is crucial for longevity. As we age, we begin to lose muscle mass and gain fat. So, training our bodies to be able to lift weights is really important to preserve the muscles we have. In turn it allows us to continue doing even the most basic of movements, like carrying the food shop in from the car or lifting our kids. I also have some great tips for making progress, perfect for those who have already introduced resistance training into their fitness schedule. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

Since we were young, many of us have been taught that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”. But what if what we believe about breakfast or food more generally is wrong? On this week's episode of Real Health, I'm joined by author and Professor of genetic epidemiology, Tim Spector. Tim is one of the world's leading scientists in food and nutrition. His book Spoon-Fed: Why almost everything we've been told about food is wrong, looks to bust the myths and rules surrounding food that have been accepted in society for decades. Tim says even as people got older, the idea that breakfast was the meal that couldn't be missed continued. We were told skipping breakfast could lead to weight gain and over eating. This Tim says, is completely wrong: “There is no evidence that skipping breakfast is bad for you. There is increasingly good evidence that for many people, not everybody but for many people (sic), skipping breakfast is a way of losing weight and improving metabolism. We also know that it can help your gut microbes as well.” We also chat about obesity as well as fasting, something Tim says he does about twice a week. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast.   And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and realhealth@independent.ie.  Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from.  The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

This week on Real Health it's all about giving you the knowledge and the tools on how to not only live healthier, but longer too. While many of you will have read or been told what you need to do to live longer, it's as important to understand why making certain changes can have such a positive impact on longevity. From mindset to exercise and fasting, we are taking a look at the best changes you can make to your daily lives, with Professor Rose Anne Kenny. Rose Anne's new book Age Proof, The New Science of Living a Longer and Healthier Life looks at the latest research behind why we age and how a lot of it is within our control. While diet and exercise are important for staying healthy as you age, Rose Anne says it's also about your attitude to aging: “How you perceive yourself to aging, actually seems to influence your physical aging going forward [as well as] cognitive brain health.” In other words, you are as old as you feel. We also discuss how sitting for long periods of time can be toxic to our cells and what type of movement Rose Anne says is the best to keep you feeling young. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast.   And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and realhealth@independent.ie.  Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from.  The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

This week on Real Health we're discussing eating disorders, what they are and how they impact on the health of somebody suffering from them. Eating disorders are complex and affect both the mental and physical health of the person with one. So, when someone gets help, it's often from a team of people with different expertise. Today I'm joined by Aveen Bannon, Dietitian at the Dublin Nutrition Centre who specialises in eating disorders, to tell us more about them and her role in treatment. Aveen says for many people who decide to seek help for an eating disorder, contacting someone like a GP can be difficult: “Sometimes you might go straight to a psychologist, or sometimes you will go to a dietician. The first thing is to make one appointment. It might feel very overwhelming when you feel you have to suddenly do all of this...Once the journey starts it can be a little bit scary, but it will be worth it.” Aveen also talks through the different types of eating disorders there are and from her experience what some of the causes can be. If you have been impacted by the content in this week's episode of Real Heal or would like to get some more information, go to www.bodywhys.ie For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

With International Women's Day coming up, we have decided to dedicate a whole episode to female health. Joining me this week is nutritionist and founder of The Fit Clinic, Dr Michelle Hone. We will be discussing everything from hormones and fertility to the importance of carbs in a woman's diet. Michelle says women need to be treating their health and fitness differently to the way men do. She explains that a lot of the health and performance related research to date has been done in men. But with female hormones being very different, Michelle says it is not enough to simply take that information and apply it to women. “If you look at something like the fasting research or the low carbohydrate research, most of [that] has been done in men. “[Women] are not just shrunk down versions of the male physiology. Our female physiology is completely different, and we need to really honour our hormones” she says. We also chat about the impact overexercising can have on a woman's body. “When we are over exercising or undereating, we are constantly sitting in this fight or flight response state. That is what is detrimental for our hormones. That is what switches off the interaction between the ovaries and the hypothalamic amenorrhea” Michelle says. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/  And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and realhealth@independent.ie.  Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from.  The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

It's the body's largest organ, but how much do we really know about our skin? Chances are, most of you have had some type skin concern, be it acne or rosace or a mole that didn't look quite right. On this week's show I'm joined by Consultant Dermatologist, Professor Nicola Ralph to discuss skin health as well as some of the most common skin concerns people have. Acne for example affects millions of people around the world. Professor Ralph says when chronic, it can have a negative impact on an individual's life: “If you do somebody's quality of life index, it's basically a questionnaire of seeing how much the skin condition impacts on [a person]. It's [acne] just as significant as having diabetes or asthma or epilepsy.” We also talk about what people can expect when getting a mole checked, what it really means for your skin's health when you tan and how much SPF we should be wearing. Dr Ralph says we should be wearing SPF every day of the year. If we're on holidays or even on a sunny day in Ireland, we need to be topping up every two hours: “Most of us underuse sunscreen. We tend to bring that one bottle [of SPF] on holidays and it seems to go on everyone, and we still bring that same bottle home. But really a full shot glass is what an application should be for the full body and that should be reapplied every two hours or so.” For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast. And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and realhealth@independent.ie.  Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from.  The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

With life returning to some kind of normality and restrictions easing despite Covid-19 still circulating, many of us may be feeling lots of different emotions around the change to our daily lives. Now that we're transitioning back to the way we used to live, some might feel apprehensive about the change, stress about the virus and maybe even anxiety at the thought socialising again. Joining me today to help navigate through all those emotions about life after lockdown is Louize Carroll, consultant psychologist and co-founder of PRISM Therapy Online. In this episode, Louize breaks down some of the long-term psychological effects of the pandemic. “We've had two years to try and integrate and navigate the new feelings of anxiety that came with what we were experiencing” she says. However, Louize reminds us that, “Just as long as it took us to adapt our way into the pandemic, we will have to gently adapt our way out of it too.” Louize also gives some tips on how to deal with overstimulation. She says taking time out of the day to focus on yourself, recognising triggers and limiting social media use are some great places to start. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/  And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and realhealth@independent.ie.  Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from.  The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

On this week's show, we're taking a look at how to improve our mental strength, by challenging our inner critic, understanding what drives our behaviors and how we can successfully hit our goals by focusing on the journey and not the end result. To discuss this, I'm joined by health and wellness coach, Pat Divilly, who's written a book all about this. Fit Mind: 8 Weeks to Change Your Inner Soundtrack and Tune Into Your Greatness aims to help readers examine and master their inner voice and find self-confidence. Pat says many people look for confidence in the wrong place. They focus on a future goal or point in time they believe will change their attitude. However, confidence is something that comes from feeling certain. While looking to the future can be a positive thing, the future can be unpredictable. “Most people look for their confidence in the future. They think, when I get somewhere, I'll be confident. But the future is uncertain. So, what that tells us is we can only find confidence in the past where we have certainty” he says. We also discuss setting goals, how to avoid feeling defeated when we miss them and finding the small wins in our daily lives that will keep us motivated. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

On this week's show, it's all about mindset. Why it's important and how having the right mindset can be the key to unlocking your health goals. Joining me to chat about this, is sports nutritionist and strength and conditioning coach, Brian Keane. His new book, The Keane Edge looks to help you find the right mindset and motivation so you can stick to your fitness journey. Brian says for many people, knowing what you need to do to get healthy is not always enough to keep you on track. “You can know that you need to get into a calorie deficit but that doesn't stop people going off plan” he says. Things like emotional eating or self-sabotage are things people can struggle to overcome. That is where mindset comes in. Instead of looking at these things as failures, Brian says we should change our view on them and turn them into a positive. “With self-sabotage, identifying the failure as feedback is the first thing. So, every failed diet, every failed exercise programme, every failed thing you've done within health, fitness and nutrition that hasn't worked for you is feedback on what not to do in the future” he says. While it can be easy to lump all that failure together, Brian says reflecting on your past experiences is the key to finding what will work for you going forward. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

Setting resolutions to be healthier and focus on wellness can be a great way to kick off the new year. That, however, does not mean it is an easy change to make. While many will embrace a new way of living at, it is common for some to find themselves struggling to keep the motivation going as the months go on. That's why on this week's episode, I thought it was the perfect time to chat through some of the top ten reasons why people struggle with their fitness goals and give you my tips to help you get back on track. From overcoming the dreaded progress plateau to fighting off workout boredom, I have it all covered.  Even if you find you have been able to stick to your resolutions, you'll pick up some great advice on how to ensure you keep hitting your wellness goals throughout the year.  For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

While exercise, hydration and diet are all important aspects of health, it can be difficult to hit our goals if we are worried about money. It is something that can cause stress and anxiety to many people, which can impact on our sleep and motivation. With our wallets exhausted from the December spending, this week on Real Health we are looking at how we can get our finances back on track. I'm joined money coach and author, Mrs Smart Money, Kel Galavan. Tackling our spending habits can be really daunting but Kel says this time of year can be the perfect time to decide to take back control: “You have the head space in the first couple of months of the year to get the good systems in place and good habits in place when it comes to money. I think the start of the year to set yourself for the rest of year and going forward, is probably one of the best times to do it.” From facing the money conversation with a partner to “no spend days”, Kel has loads of great tips on how we can all improve our financial health and achieve financial security in 2022. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

While many of us have decided to kick off the new year determined to improve our health and fitness, it is important that we also look at the other ways to improve our overall wellbeing. That is why on this week's show, we will be looking at just that. I'm joined by Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Trinity College Dublin, Jim Lucey. We discuss how to build resilience, manage stress and how to make wellness obtainable. His book A Whole New Plan for Living, gives readers ten steps to show us how, by maintaining balance and wellness every day, we can achieve overall wellbeing. Jim says wellness is about more than just the absence of disease or illness, it is a more holistic and inclusive approach to health: “The best definition I use [in the book] is called the eight dimensions of wellness in which wellness is seen as having physical, occupational, environmental, intellectual, social, emotional, spiritual and financial aspects.” By breaking up wellness into parts, Jim says it is easier to apply positive changes in our lives: “Wellness is such a huge thing on its own. When you break it up, you can then say ‘well I can do a small thing'.” It's important not to make these new plans too difficult or dramatic though. In order to try and implement some change in your life, Jim says you should make the goal small enough, so you know you can achieve it every day. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and follow on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

Happy New Year everyone! On this week's show, we are kicking off 2022 with a top tips episode. Rather than focusing on new year's resolutions, this time it's all about giving you small but achievable goals that will get you on track to lifelong health. Joining me to bring you his tips for getting your new year off to a great start, is fitness coach and nutritionist Shane Walsh. Shane's advice is to keep it simple. Instead of trying to overhaul your diet or cutting out food groups entirely, Shane says it's important not to overlook the basics, like having regular meals: “What happens with a lot of people is that they don't eat regularly throughout the day. Then in the evenings we're really tired and really hungry and we get emotional or bored and that's when the eating happens.” This is where the three meals a day and two or three snacks come in. By making sure you aren't skipping meals, Shane says your blood sugars remain steady, you won't be as hungry, your attention span will improve and you'll probably be a nicer person to yourself too. But it's not all about food! We also chat about ways to curb screen time, the importance of staying in touch with friends and how we need to schedule in the time for movement, in whatever format we like. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

For the last episode of Real Health for 2021, I'm bringing you an inspirational weight loss story. I'm joined by Leah Punch, who's here to tell us about her incredible journey after getting a gastric by-pass. From being her heaviest at almost 22 stone, Leah has managed to lose a whopping 160 pounds. Leah says she has struggled with her weight since the age of six. After years of dieting, it was in 2017 she decided to put her name down for a gastric bypass in Ireland. However, she was told it could be up to eight years before she would be offered the surgery, which Leah says was too long to wait. “I was thinking to myself first of all, I probably won't be alive in six to eight years and second of all, I want to change now.” That was when she decided to look abroad for the surgery, finally settling on a clinic in Lithuania. Despite losing 9 stone in the first year alone after the bypass, Leah says it wasn't easy those few months after the operation: “It was intense going from being able to eat all this food to barely eating anything.” Now two years post op, Leah says it's all about having a balanced diet: “It's like something is after rearranging in my body. I now eat and I feel full. I never felt full before. I could always eat and eat and eat. It's just life changing.” For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

On this week's episode of Real Health, we thought we'd change it up and bring you an episode that is a little different to what we usually do. This week, I'm delighted to be joined by the Investigations Editor of the Sunday World, Nicola Tallant to talk all thing's journalism, how the world of crime has changed and how she copes with the pressures of her job. Nicola says being a journalist was something she knew she wanted to do from a young age, although the drive to be a crime journalist came later: “I don't think I was totally focused on crime journalism. That came when I started working and I started being posted onto jobs involving crime stories. I realised that I really enjoyed them and found them fascinating.” We also discuss her take on how, as a country we need to look at dealing with crime in a new way: “Policing is just one aspect of dealing with crime, and it's probably not actually the best one...there's been studies across the States and particularly in Baltimore that would suggest that properly funding community organizations equaling the amount of funding that goes in to policing and education...can have even more benefits than cracking down harder on crime.” For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

On this week's show, we are keeping on the Christmas theme, but it's a slightly different approach than usual. While many of us are looking forward to the Christmas season, for some it's a time of year that can be really challenging. From staying with family, to avoiding challenging conversations around the dinner table it's not always the picture-perfect time it's made out to be. Here to help us navigate some of the more complicated sides of Christmas is Psychotherapist and owner of Maynooth Counselling, Helen Vaughen. Helen says people can come under serious pressure to make Christmas like that in the TV ads. Instead, she says you need to focus on what you want out of the holidays: “One of the things I generally say to people around Christmas is try not to pressure yourself to do things you don't want to do or buy things you don't want to buy...don't be afraid to change traditions.” The extra time with family over the holidays can be a great way to catch up. However, spending lots of extra time with relatives can test your patience. Helen's advice for getting through what can be an intense time is to make sure you try and be as mature as possible: “If somebody is trying to parent you or give out to you about something, try and act like an adult and either agree with it or disagree with it...Try not to slip into child mode subconsciously and start giving out.” For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

Christmas is fast approaching and many of us are looking forward to some time off work, eating our favourite festive foods and indulging a little more than usual. With that in mind, I thought this week is the best time to bring you some of my top tips to surviving the season. I'm going to teach you all the tips and tools that I can, to get you through the festive period in the healthiest way possible while also enjoying yourselves. Staying healthy over Christmas does not mean you have to be the Grinch! You can absolutely have a drink and go back for a second round of Christmas dinner. Instead, my tips will help you keep that balance between staying on track and having fun. It means that by the New Year, you won't feel exhausted by all the socialising and the dinners that people normally do. So get your pen and paper out, don your Christmas jumper and join me as I take you through my 10 top tips for surviving the Christmas season. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

With Black Friday and Cyber Monday over and done with, Christmas is well and truly underway. So, this week we're going festive bringing you a Real Health Christmas gift guide. Struggling to find the perfect gift for your fitness fanatic friend or family member? Well, we have everything you need right here. From recovery boots to fitness wearables, we have presents at all price points. It's not all about fitness though. This gift guide will give you some great suggestions for the best tech presents and perfect stocking fillers. There's something here for everyone. Joining me to bring you their top suggestions are Adrian Weckler, Irish Independent's Technology Editor and Suzie O'Neill, owner of Irish cosmetics company Ayu. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

This week on Real Health, I'm doing a follow on from last week's show, where I gave you top tips to measure your health. For this episode, I'm looking at the best tests and screenings you should be getting that will tell you where your health is at. From skin checks to diabetes screenings, we have it all here. Joining me to take us through his top health checks that could save your life is Professor Carl Vaughan, Consultant Cardiologist at CUH, Mercy Hospital and Bons Secours. Professor Vaughan says health checks are important because we can't always rely on symptoms to tell us something might be wrong: “I think symptoms are very important and they are a great driver...but a lot of what we screen for are for things that won't present with symptoms until late.” Professor Vaughan says scheduling a health screening is something people can do, to ensure they stay well: “it's not necessarily just a search for diseases. It is a search for wellness as well as disease. You can identify something that may be incubating in your body for the future and head it off before it becomes an advanced disease or does damage that cannot be subsequently fixed in future years.” One of Carl's top health screenings is a blood pressure check, something he says is important to have tested: “Blood pressure has no symptoms. You can't guess what it is. You have to measure it and it can be done in five minutes. It's an example of a simple health check that can be done by anyone themselves or in a doctor's surgery, pharmacy or clinic.” For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

On this week's show, I'm bringing you the best ways to measure your health. It's possibly the most overlooked aspect of health and wellness. In this politically correct age, measuring your health in some respects has become a bit of a taboo topic. Some people recommend that you don't do it at all. However, it's something I feel very strongly about. Having worked in the fitness industry for over twenty years, working with people on all aspects of health, I genuinely believe the most important thing for life long health is to measure some aspect of it. By measuring something, you can see progress. Even if you don't improve, being aware of it means you are already that little bit healthier. So, get your pen and your paper out, because this week's top tips episode is possibly the most important one, we've done to date. I'll be going through things like resting heart rate, measuring your waistline and the best ways to determine body fat and muscle. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

On this week's Real Health episode, we're going back to basics bringing you the best tips and tricks you need to make cooking at home hassle-free.   To chat us through her top tips for making cooking as easy as possible, I'm joined by food influencer Sarah Butler. Her new book, Home Cooking, Simple Food For Busy Lives is about helping people get out of their food rut and develop cooking skills, all while covering the basics.   Sarah says during lockdown, lots of people chose to move away from ready meals and opted for cooking from scratch. “People learnt how to cook through lock down because they had time. They grew their confidence. I think confidence was a big issue with people, they feel like they can't cook or don't know how to do it. So, with that little break in lockdown...they really learnt to cook.”  While recipes and techniques are crucial to making a great meal, Sarah says getting the right preparation done is as important for making cooking easy. “Your food shop is a massive thing...Don't just go in and buy a random food shop. Have a plan, make a list of your dinners and then do your shop based on the ingredients you need.”  We also talk about how to change up your old reliable dinners, the best ways to use up leftovers and improve lunch time favourites like sandwiches.   For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/    And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie.    Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from.    The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

With lockdowns behind us and life returning to some form of normality, many of us have found we are carrying a little extra fat than we'd like. So, for this week's Real Health episode I'm bringing you the top things you'll need to help you lose fat.  I'm delighted to be joined by former Munster and Ireland rugby player Peter Stringer. Now a certified personal trainer, Peter takes me through his top tips for fat loss. This includes things like water intake, how sleep is crucial, and why we need to make sure we have enough protein in our diet, so we achieve the change we want.   Peter says being in a calorie deficit is hugely important to shifting excess fat, as is an understanding of how much we're eating every day: “The number one thing for fat loss, you need to be eating less than you are burning off...pick two days during the week and one day at the weekend, set those days out to take a look and tot up those calories – so you have an idea of what you're eating.”  He also says while cardio exercises will put you into that all important calorie deficit, we need to make sure that weight training forms part of our workout routine for fat loss: “Ultimately you want to preserve that lean muscle mass when you are dieting. One of the ways to help that is to lift weights. In combination with a high protein diet the idea is to lose as much fat as possible while trying to maintain muscle mass. By doing resistance training, that'll certainly help.”    For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/  And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie.  Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from.  The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

On this week's Real Health episode, I'm delighted to be joined by hotelier John Brennan to discuss lessons he's learned throughout his life and how he overcame obstacles along the way; from struggling in school to finding his passion for hospitality.   In his new book, My name is Jhon, John writes about his battle with dyslexia, life as an entrepreneur and how a cancer diagnosis wasn't going to stop him making a new business opportunity a success.    John says being told he had dyslexia when he was younger, wasn't something that upset him. Instead, he was thrilled with it:  It's a beautiful word, its exotic and its different. And I'm thinking wow I have that, that's really great. It was nice to be labelled with something other than stupidity.”  We also discuss John's diagnoses with stage four Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a treatable but not curable form of cancer. Although being told he had cancer wasn't the only big news he received that afternoon: “At five o'clock that evening I got a phone call from the auctioneer to say we've bought Dromquinna, that the bank had accepted our offer. So that's how you deal with a diagnosis like that.”  While some might think the news couldn't have come at a more stressful time, John says it was the best thing that could have happened: “It focused my brain for the year I was having treatment. I was doing Dromquinna Manor up which was basically an abandoned site for 12 years...that kept the brain focused. You can become very demoralised with a diagnosis like that.”     For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to:  www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/    And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and  realhealth@independent.ie.    Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or  wherever you get your podcasts from.    The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

On this week's show I'll be looking at how you can achieve your best potential for a healthy lifestyle in your 40s.    I'm joined by Dr Marc Bubbs, naturopathic doctor and performance nutrition lead for Canada Basketball. His new book, Peak 40 looks to give you all the tools you need to reignite your energy and passion at any age, but particularly in your 40s.      Marc says between the age of 41 to 48 many of us hit a low period when it comes to happiness: “There's that idea that our mindset is being impacted…we know if we are lacking sleep, the kids are at home, work is busy, we might be taking care of ageing parents, there's a lot going on. That can make it a little more challenging. It might be why we are holding onto a little more weight and the aches and pains begin to act up.”     We also discuss how beneficial exercise and resistance training is for maintaining muscle mass as we get older. Marc says including exercise in your day doesn't have to mean spending an hour in the gym.     Instead, Marc advises we try fit in “exercise snacks” in our schedules, which he says can make all the difference: “We know we don't have a lot of time in the busyness of midlife, so let's find 10-minute or 20-minute blocks where we can get that movement in.”      For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to:  www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/      And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie.      Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from.      The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

On this week's show I'll be talking about sleep, something so many people are interested in - probably because we feel we aren't getting enough. With many workers having returned to the office, how will this impact our sleep?    
  I'm joined by Professor Andrew Coogan, behavioural neuroscientist who specialises in sleep. He is also the director of the Chronobiology and Sleep Research Laboratory at Maynooth University.   
  Andrew says there are many reasons why we need sleep, including for learning and memory: “Our brains replay the information we have acquired during the day while we sleep. That helps strengthen our memory for the things we want to remember.”    
  We discuss how much sleep we should be getting. While eight hours is often suggested to be the right amount of sleep each night, Andrew says it's not that simple: “The amount of sleep we need changes with what stage of life we're at...then within that, we are all different as people.  There are probably some people out there that five hours of sleep is enough for them.”

On this week's Real Health episode, I'm bringing you the top ten tips you'll need to overhaul your diet.     No fads, no gimmicks, just easy things you can do to improve your health. I'll be looking at why we shouldn't skip meals, the importance of hydration and why incorporating colour into every meal can be a simple yet effective way to improve what you eat.     To discuss all this, I'm joined by Dietitian with the Dublin Nutrition Centre, Aveen Bannon.      Aveen says we can over complicate health. She says we need to get back to basics and should be inclusive rather than exclusive when it comes to food: “It's as unhealthy to focus on the health of the food as it is the  “unhealthiness” of a food. You want to have a relationship where you are still enjoying food but are still getting the nutrients you need.”     We also talk about how fibre has become the forgotten nutrient and why it's so important to shake oat or almond milk in the carton, every time we have it.   For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to:  www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/    And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and  realhealth@independent.ie.    Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or  wherever you get your podcasts from.    The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

On this week's show I'm talking about sex, the importance of communication and the stigma around seeking help for sexual issues. My guest is sex and relationship educator Grace Alice O'Shea. Grace has a qualification in Occupational Therapy and a master's in Health Promotion, specialising in sexual health. She says she is passionate about making Ireland a more sex-positive country, where people can talk about all aspects of sexuality, without feeling a sense of shame or stigma. Grace says while sex education in Ireland has come a long way, there is still room for improvement. She believes sex education should start from a young age, addressing age-appropriate topics like consent and making sure to use the correct names for body parts: “Its madness we don't have more education and more honest conversations with young people. It really does young people an injustice not to given them proper fact-based, sex positive, comprehensive education.” We also discuss how people can address sexual problems they're having with their partner. Grace says it's important not to have conversations about sex when the situation is already emotionally charged. Instead, she suggests avoiding these kinds of discussions about sex when in the bedroom. Grace says just because a couple is experiencing problems with sex, doesn't mean it's the end of the relationship: “There is this stereotype that couples who are having problems with sex, are doomed. That's not the case at all. Most couples will have issues at some point. It absolutely isn't the end of the world. There is help.” For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie.

On this week's show, how to get motivated and how to stay motivated. Many people feel they put on weight over the summer with a change in routine and increased alcohol consumption. This is totally normal. We've all been through a tough year and a half, and we've had the chance to enjoy a slice of normality over the summer so don't beat yourself up. Get a pen and paper out when you're listening and take note of the tips that you think will work for you. Give it a little bit of time. One, two or three weeks following these tips will deliver massive results. These tips are not rocket science, but after 22 years as a personal trainer I know they are effective. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to follow and like on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

On this week's show, I'll be talking about the menstrual cycle. For far too long periods have been a taboo subject. Each month many women are faced with bleeding, severe pain and a litany of menstrual problems. However, with new attitudes, treatments and technological developments things are changing. Joining me to talk about periods, pain and irregular cycles is leading expert Dr. Caoimhe Hartley, GP & Menopause Specialist. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

On this week's show, I'll be talking about Suicide Awareness in Ireland. Every year suicide accounts for over 800,000 deaths globally. Even though attitudes have changed in recent years, there is still a stigma surrounding suicide. We can all play a role in reaching out to someone we think in is in need – no one should suffer in silence. Last month Pieta House launch their: ‘Know the Signs Campaign', which aims to help people recognise suicide warning signs and what someone can do to help. Joining me to discuss suicide awareness in Ireland is Leigh Kenny, Qualified Therapist & Pieta House Regional Manager for the Greater Dublin Region. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

On this week's show I'll be talking about the prevalence of smoking in Ireland. Ireland is recognised as a global leader in tobacco control having developed extensive treatment programmes for those struggling with tobacco and nicotine dependence. But can the country reach its goal of becoming tobacco free by 2025? Joining me on this week's podcast is Dr Damien Lowry, Senior Counselling Psychologist and chartered member of the Psychological Society of Ireland. Damien has lot of really good advice on how to quit smoking. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

On this week's show I'll be talking about pelvic floor physiotherapy. One in three women leak urine – it is a massive problem in this country. Some women will have a severe urge to pee, which can happen very often, hourly, or more and it can have them up several times at night. These women though they are not leaking, their lives are ruled by their bladders. It is also an issue for many men. But there is help out there. Joining me on this week's podcast to discuss the pelvic floor and the treatments that are available is Aoife Ni Eochaidh, Chartered Physiotherapist and Clinical Specialist Women's & Men's Health & Continence. Aoife has lots of expert advice on how to prevent pelvic floor issues as well as manage them. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

On this week's episode of the Real Health podcast, I'll be discussing anxiety, what it is and how we can offer support to someone who has it. I'm joined by Counselling Psychologist and anxiety expert Dr Rachel Allan, to talk about how we can help somebody with anxiety, by becoming better listeners, supporting them when they try to make a change and how to look after our own mental health in the process. Rachel's new book, How to Help Someone With Anxiety, looks at just that. It's a practical guide to help you be there for a loved one, while giving you confidence to assist them in navigating their journey with anxiety. “Really anxiety is partly a mental response but it's so much in our bodies. Anxiety has one purpose and one purpose only and that is to keep us safe - to protect us, to tune us into a threat that might be in our environment.” Rachel says the pandemic has undoubtedly made people more anxious. “We like a sense of predictability. The pandemic has really played to our vulnerabilities in terms of anxiety. On the one hand, we've got the illness itself...in addition to that, we have all the stuff that's happened around the pandemic; lockdowns, change in employment, massive changes in how we live our lives, distance from loved ones. With all that comes a sense of unpredictability.” We also discuss how to help someone we know who has anxiety. Rachel says oftentimes, we think the best way to tackle anxiety is to remove the cause or to completely avoid certain situations. Instead, Rachel believes this can prolong the problem: “When someone close to us is suffering the most natural response is to want to make it go away. We want to make them feel better...One of the really important steps to supporting someone to live better with anxiety, is to get a little bit of an understanding of what anxiety is but also what keeps it going. And often the one thing that keeps anxiety going is the stuff we try to do to not feel anxious.” Rachel also gives us great tips on how to be better listeners, what the right questions to ask are and how to resist the urge to fix the problem. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

This week's Real Health episode is all about pain. Chronic pain is something that impacts many in Ireland, with chronic back pain one of the most common forms that people suffer from. On the show, I'll be talking about what pain really is, our understanding of it and how some pain can be contagious. I'm joined by doctor and clinical fellow at Oxford University, Monty Lyman, who is an expert in pain. Monty's new book, The Painful Truth explores the world of pain. It looks at cutting-edge research, how our emotions impact the pain we experience and how hypnotherapy and virtual reality can play a role in pain relief. Monty believes that most of us don't fully understand pain and its purpose. He says we need to acknowledge the role of pain and by properly understanding it's function, he says it can help in dealing with chronic, persistent cases: “Understanding that pain is trying to be a guardian angel...that it's trying to protect you, even if it is completely ruining your life...is the first step to understanding how to live with, reduce and even eliminate persistent pain.” Apart from studying pain itself, Monty has also looked at pain relief. Not just the traditional forms of painkillers, but alternatives, like the use of virtual reality and hypnotherapy. The latter is something he says helped him with persistent pain he was suffering from: “I was very skeptical about hypnotherapy. I had never been taught about it during medical school. I had seen some really good evidence [of] hypnotherapy [used] for a number of pain conditions. I have suffered with occasionally really bad irritable bowel syndrome since I was fifteen. I interviewed a hypnotherapist for the book who offered me a session and my IBS was completely cured...it was near miraculous.” Monty has also examined how we can feel others' pain and how we've developed this ability in order to protect ourselves from experiencing the same hurt: “Research shows we're all mirrors. If you see someone hurt whether it's in real life or in an action movie or rugby match - you see these hits and you flinch. That's because the same areas in the brain that are activated when you experience pain yourself, are being activated.” For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from.

On this week's show, I'll be talking about cocaine addiction in Ireland. The latest figures released by the Health Research Board, shows the number of people seeking treatment for problem cocaine use has increased, with the number of crack cocaine cases increasing by 400 per cent in recent years. The HRB says last year, cocaine was the only substance where they saw an increase in those entering treatment for. To discuss cocaine use in Ireland, I'm joined by Consultant Psychiatrist, Professor Colin O'Gara. Colin is the head of addiction services at St John of God Hospital in Dublin, where they provide specialist services in substance misuse. Colin says all the indicators are pointing to a rise in cocaine use in Ireland, which he says is a result of the drug becoming normalised as well as widely available: “There's probably been two peaks [in cocaine use]. The first was around the Celtic Tiger and with the economic crash, it almost disappeared. Then as the economy improved from 2013 onwards, we saw on the clinical frontline, reports of cocaine increasing quite substantially and up to recent years it's been quite dramatic. It's really become very normalised from our point of view, and the availability is huge. So when you have normalisation and strong availability you have serious problems.” Colin says cocaine impacts all parts of the body when taken: “Cocaine is a stimulant that affects all systems of the body...the heart, the lungs, the brain, everything. All of the above is affected by cocaine. It's a very potent stimulant that initially leads to a massive release of dopamine...The problem with stimulants as opposed to opioids like heroin, is they tend to create a very edgy experience...it can create a lot of anxiety and paranoia.” We also discuss what somebody should do if they feel they need to seek help for cocaine addiction, as well as all the different types of addiction services that are available. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

On this week's show, I'm talking all about healthy aging, the myths around it, and why it's important to keep exercising as we get older. I'm joined by personal trainer and fitness expert Jacqueline Hooton, who specialises in how to stay active in your 50s and 60s. She's all about promoting active ageing, while helping to avoid physical decline in midlife. Jacqueline is an expert on knowing the importance of exercise, especially for women after menopause: “Bone health can massively decrease because of the menopause. Weight training and loading the bones can improve their strength, helping to avoid osteoporosis.” Jacqueline says it's not just about keeping fit, but making sure we retain as much movement as possible, so we can do the basics when we're older, like brushing our hair or putting something in the kitchen press: “We do lose muscle mass with each decade. If we don't promote the retention of muscle mass with movement through exercise, we'll lose it.” Even if you haven't exercised properly in years, Jacqueline says it's never too late to start: “You are never too old and you never have too many underlying medical conditions or injuries, that you can do nothing. There is always a work around. We need to challenge the idea that you can be too old. We know we can get stronger at any age.” We also talk about motivation and goals, and Jacqueline gives loads of great tips on how to start your fitness journey at any age. You can find Jacqueline on instagram at @hergardengym For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

This week we're going to talk about running injuries and how to avoid them. Running has become one of the most popular ways to improve fitness, and to stay in shape. Especially during lockdown when gyms, team sports and swimming pools were off limits. But most runners must deal with injury at some point. Most injuries are caused by repetitive stress, but sudden injuries like a sprained ankle or a torn muscle can happen, too. I'm joined by Peter Francis author of Running From Injury. Why Runners Get Injured And How To Stop It. “Put simply, runners get injured when they change anything too quickly. Changes in running distance or speed, surface, footwear, stress levels, environment and non-running activity can all precede a running injury.” “Humans are born to run. Your achilles tendon (the cord at the back of your heel) is around 10 times longer than that of our ape-like cousins and combined with the arch in our feet, it means our feet and ankles can act like springs. We have big bum muscles on the side of our hips that stop us falling over and we have a big ligament that runs down the back of our neck that keeps our head still as we bop along (watch a ponytail swinging to see this ligament in action while restraining the head).” This episode is jam-packed full of tips from Peter on avoiding injury and maintaining longevity in your running career. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

We all know drinking plenty of water is good for us. But how else can water improve our health and well being? On this week's show, I'm talking about how we can embrace water, from the sea to the shower - looking at the other ways it can help us. I'm joined by Dr Catherine Kelly, geography academic and Director of the Wild Beach School in Brighton. She's the author of the new book Blue Spaces: How and Why Water Can Make You Feel Better. Catherine believes water can be beneficial to our mental as well as our physical well being: “We feel relief when we see water. When we are in or near water our troubles and busy thoughts often quieten.” She says more than ever, experts are looking at how water can have a positive impact on our mood: “While the connection between ‘green' landscapes and mental health is well documented, researchers are increasingly intrigued by our psychological response to oceans, rivers, lakes, canals and waterfalls – and how they can induce a positive mood, reduce negative feelings while helping us to be present.” For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

This week, I'm joined by one of the world's leading brain surgeons and neuroscientists, Dr Rahul Jandial. We discuss how our brains process stress and how to enhance its performance so we can work better under pressure. Dr Jandial says the brain needs stress to be able to cope with future challenges, but too much can be detrimental: “We need stress in life. If we don't have enough stress, we become brittle. Too much, and we break. This is true at the cellular level, too. Not enough stress and stem cells in the brain won't release new brain cells.” We also talk about the importance of controlled breathing in order to focus when working under pressure, something he uses all the time in his work: “Hyperventilation makes fright worse and leaves you jittery, twitchy, off your game. That's why controlling your breathing is step one of crisis management.” For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

This week it's all about wellness and I'm giving you my top ten tips for increasing your wellbeing. This episode is jam packed with lots of helpful ideas to improve your health and happiness. Firstly, it's important to decide what wellness means to you and what exactly you'd like to change. I'll take you through strategies for achieving your goals, eating well, sleeping well and reducing your stress levels. I don't know about you, but I often have so many thoughts running through my head that it can seem overwhelming, so I use a ‘brain-dump diary'. I simply take those thoughts, put them down on paper, organise myself and close it off. And that's a really useful way to manage stress. Structure is very helpful for maintaining wellness especially when working from home where the work-life balance can blur easily. I'm a fan of a ‘virtual commute' to get me into the work frame of mind. So, for 15 or 20 minutes at the start of my day I walk about my estate. And at the end of the day I leave the house to do the same thing. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

This week we're talking about CPR after Danish mid-fielder Christian Eriksen received emergency medical treatment on the pitch when he collapsed recently because of a cardiac arrest during the first half of the Euros clash with Finland in Copenhagen. Thankfully Erikson is recovering and he will have a heart-starter device implanted so he doesn't suffer further arrests. I'm joined by Galway GP Dr Brian Higgins to talk us through CPR. Brian explains the difference between cardiac arrest and heart attack and how and when defibrillators should be used. He also plenty of tips on the basics of CPR. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcar

This week I'm talking about confidence, why it's important and how we can stay confident in the face of failure. I'm joined by clinical psychologist and neuroscientist Ian Robertson, who has written the new book ‘How Confidence Works: The new science of self belief, why some people learn it and others don't'. Ian says having confidence can empower us to reach heights never thought possible: ‘It could make us healthier, live longer, happier and more motivated. But if you don't have confidence, it can have a devastating effect on your future. Confidence lies at the core of what makes things happen.' According to Ian, confidence isn't necessarily something we are born with, but it is something we can learn. He says it can even change our brain's physiology: ‘Feeling confident about being able to face up to something you are frightened of actually boosts your immune system, despite the fear you feel.' And Ian has some really great tips on how to turn your nerves on their head and use that energy to build your confidence. We also talk about things like Imposter Syndrome, what it is, how somebody can recognise it in themselves and what we can do to put a stop to it. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

On this week's show, I'm talking about weight loss, how to build a strong plan and what to do if you hit challenges along the way. I'm joined by Trisha Lewis, of Trisha's Transformation who has been incredibly honest about her weight loss journey so far. ‘I don't know how I didn't cop it already Karl but I had an eating disorder…I have a binge eating disorder and from there I went to therapy and I realised I needed a bit of help with my head and from the first session everything made sense to me.' Trisha tells me how the pandemic impacted her weight loss plan and how she has gotten back on track and finally found balance in her life. Like many of us, Trisha has found therapy helpful in learning to set boundaries and say ‘no'. ‘If you feel that you don't have boundaries and you're that person that says yes the whole time chance the ‘no' every so often because it's actually so refreshing and you realise how much time you actually have and when you say ‘yes' it's because you actually want to. Trisha has written a new book, Trisha's 21 Day Reset which gives you the foundations of a resilient weight-loss plan, so that when you fall off the wagon you don't have to beat yourself up – you simply reset. Trisha, who is best known for documenting her weight loss experience on her instagram, says it hasn't been easy: “Failures, setbacks and curveballs have all been part of the journey, but I want to spread the message that weight loss doesn't have to be about constant deprivation and self-punishment.” As a chef, she also gives top tips on how to eat better: “I believe it's important for people losing weight that they don't lose out on flavour as well.” For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I'm @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

This week’s Real Health episode is all about gut health. Irritable bowel syndrome is a bit of a taboo subject but it is estimated to effect one in ten people. It impacts two and half times more women than men and can have a significant impact on a person’s sex life, relationships, work and social activities. But it doesn’t have to be that way! I’m joined by is a consultant gastroenterologist Professor Barbara Ryan and registered dietician Elaine McGowan AKA The Gut Experts to talk about managing and living with IBS. According to the Gut Experts “Many of those with IBS feel dismissed by family, friends and even healthcare professionals and unfortunately there is no cure for IBS but there is hope. With dietary and lifestyle modifications, and sometimes medication it can be managed. Finding the right diet, managing stress and getting good sleep are key. It is a holistic approach.” “Every person has different triggers. Sometimes people are eating too ‘healthy’ and aren’t actually getting enough fiber in their diet.” “A dietician will examine a client’s pattern of eating, the fluids they are consuming (too much coffee), are the eating on the hoof. All these things impact IBS.” “We ask people to keep a food diary and then we produce a dietary strategy for people which involved reducing the amount of certain foods for 4-6 weeks and then reintroducing them slowly.” For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I’m @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

This week’s show is all about the menopause. Although it directly affects half the population, the menopause has remained a stubbornly taboo topic. 80% of women who reach menopause suffer symptoms but are often misdiagnosed. Now the shroud of secrecy has finally started to lift. British TV presenter Davina McCall has made a documentary on the topic and shared her own HRT journey. And here in Ireland, Joe Duffy’s Liveline was kept going for over a week with listeners sharing their menopause story. Today I’m joined by Dr Deirdre Lundy a specialist in Women’s Health who explains everything there is to know about the menopause – what it is, when it starts, what the symptoms are and how to treat it. Dr Lundy is one of only four doctors in Ireland who is accredited by the British Menopause Society. She breaks down the myths surrounding hormone replacement therapy. “The original HRT products were gathered from the urine of pregnant horses. These versions of HRT raised concerns about the welfare of the pregnant mares as well as the impact an equine hormone might have on a woman.” She also explains that a flawed 2002 study from the US created concern about a possible link between using HRT and breast cancer. “So, during the last 20 years GPs became deskilled in its use.” This episode is packed full of great tips and practical advice on how to deal with symptoms of the menopause. And for more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I’m @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

This week I break down the six foundations of fat loss with personal trainer and podcast host Larry Doyle. Larry has some great simple tips to boost your fat loss and improve your mood, energy and sex life too! According to Larry food isn’t as important as you might think. It’s all about sleep, stress management, digestion, exercise, and mental wellbeing. Only when you have looked at all those things is it time to examine your food intake. Larry is all about sustainable progress and making small changes: ‘The World Health Organisation recommend 150-300 minutes per week of exercise, of ANY exercise that involves getting your hearth-rate up for a sustained period, it doesn’t need to be heavy or hard training.’ We also talk about the importance of proper digestion. As Larry says ‘poop right, feel great. It’s important to have a good environment and remember to chew sufficiently and avoid eating while you are stressed.’ For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I’m @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.