BITESIZE | How to Improve Your Gut Health, Your Immunity and How You Age | Dr Jenna Macciochi #249

One of the positives I’m seeing during the current lockdown is many people’s renewed appreciation for getting out, active and connected. Having to stay home is making us really value that small window in our days when we can step outside to exercise, interact with nature and say a (distanced) hello to people we pass on the street or in the park. For that reason, I think you’re going to love listening to my guest on this week’s podcast. Kelly McGonigal is a US research psychologist, a lecturer at Stanford University and an author. Kelly and I talk about the importance of music for movement, and how moving with others can improve social connections and foster a sense of support and community. We discuss how going beyond what you think you’re capable of – whether that’s an endurance event, lifting heavy weights or taking on an epic hike in nature – can provide a spiritual experience that changes the brain in positive ways. If doesn’t have to be hard, though. Kelly explains how even the simplest of movements provide an immediate reset for your mood and brain chemistry. And she shares ground-breaking new research that shows how repeatedly contracting any muscles, through continuous exercise, releases antidepressant substances called myokines that scientists have dubbed ‘hope molecules’. Whether you’re someone who wants to move more but isn’t sure where to start – or you’re already a confirmed fitness fanatic – I think you’ll find this conversation uplifting. Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/109 Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee/ Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee/ Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

21 Apr 20201h 49min

How can we create new habits – and stick to them? Is it really a case of will power, motivation, then repetition? Or could there be a simpler approach? This week, I talk to world leading expert in behaviour change, Professor BJ Fogg, who has spent 20 years researching and teaching insights about human behaviour. BJ and I discuss why, if you haven’t been successful when trying to change in the past, IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT. Poorly designed behaviour-change programmes, from diets to fitness regimes to alcohol-reduction plans, set people up to fail. Motivation wanes, bars are set too high, you are not made to feel successful. We delve into why it doesn’t take a certain amount of hours or days to establish a new habit. In fact, repetition has nothing to do with it. Instead, evidence shows that it is all about emotion and feeling successful. When you do something and feel successful, that behaviour becomes more automatic. In this conversation, we discuss exactly how you can do this by scaling it down and making a small change that’s super easy to succeed at. Facilitating healthy, positive change is at the core of everything I do. So it was amazing to hear from BJ that the methods that have come out of his decades of research very closely match those that I’ve seen to work in practise with my patients and have written about in my new book, ‘Feel Better in 5’. Listen in to find out how they can help you, too! Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/108 Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee/ Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee/ Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

14 Apr 20201h 27min

Many of us are struggling to adjust to this new way of life. Having spent 24 hours a day in a 12ft by 8ft prison cell for a whole year, my guest on this week’s podcast knows more about isolation than most of us. You may remember John McAvoy from episode 91 of the podcast, where he shared his inspirational story of going from serving two life sentences to breaking British and World sporting records whilst in prison. Now a free man, he is Nike sponsored athlete and gives talks to schoolchildren and has spoken at 10 Downing Street. On this podcast, John shares what he learnt from his time in isolation – lessons which we can all apply in our lives, especially now. He explains how he maintained a sense of control over his life by keeping himself mentally and physically fit and why keeping a routine, staying active and keeping ourselves present in the moment are more important now, than ever. John invites us to think of our current situation as an amazing opportunity to re-evaluate our lives and explore new things with the new found extra time. If we look at what John achieved whilst in a small isolated prison, imagine what we can all achieve in our own lives right now. As John says, this could be your moment of growth. Finally, John shares his invaluable top tips that I know will help many of you bring a sense of calm and control into your lives. Whenever I speak to John, I come out of the conversation a better and more enlightened person than I was when we started, after listening to this, I hope you do too.  Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/107 Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee/ Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee/ Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

10 Apr 20201h 23min

Think back four or five weeks ago. How much of what you were engaged in then seems relatively trivial now? How much has the experience of coronavirus already clarified what your values really are? When you see people standing in the street, clapping for their healthcare workers; or Europeans on their balconies, serenading each other through lockdown, how does that make you feel? For this week’s podcast, I was honoured to welcome back Dr Gabor Maté, one of the most important voices globally on health, compassion and addiction, to discuss the life lessons that might emerge from this pandemic. This podcast contains tremendous insights on the value of sitting with our feelings; how we can avoid passing our anxieties on to our kids; as well as why some of us can be so judgemental of others during a crisis. Whilst we both fully endorse the medical advice on staying at home, we discuss the social and economic damage that is arising from this essential policy. What will the consequences of isolation be on our mental health? And afterwards – will we be so grateful to go back to our lives that we’ll forget the lessons we’ve learned? Or, could this challenge be the biggest opportunity for growth we’ve ever lived through, personally and as a society? Listen now to find out.  Show notes available at: https://drchatterjee.com/106 Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee/ Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee/ Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

7 Apr 20201h 24min

CAUTION ADVISED: this podcast contains swearing and themes of an adult nature. Having written a book about the importance of connections, Johann Hari was the obvious choice to help me shed light on how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting this key human need. In this podcast, his work on how loneliness affects depression and anxiety provides insight, understanding and practical solutions to help us through. We start by talking about what Johann says is the biggest cause of emotional difficulties – financial insecurity. Of course, things are moving fast and since this podcast was recorded, the UK government has announced support for the self-employed, too. But people are understandably worried how they’ll cope until help filters through. A YouGov survey suggests many are already borrowing money only one week into the current UK lockdown. Johann believes that asking our political representatives to address this is a vital way to feel connected, value our key workers and safeguard our mental health. We also discuss how shared experience and meaning can be a way out of loneliness. Johann gives some extraordinary examples of people who’ve managed to find meaning and affect positive change in the face of huge adversity. We’re all familiar with post-traumatic stress, but there’s emerging evidence that more people actually experience growth as a result of trauma. They re-evaluate, reset their values, life in many ways gets better for them. Could this be the way we all move through – and beyond – this global crisis? It’s a lot to get your head around, but it’s a powerful message to hear. Take care, stay safe and be kind.  Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/105 Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee/ Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee/ Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

1 Apr 20201h 13min

The world is changing and people are feeling scared. What we regard as normal has been completely flipped on its head. What we need now more than ever is kindness. When you’re kind to someone, it’s not just that person who benefits. Kindness makes you happier. It’s good for your heart. It helps support your immune system. It slows ageing. It improves relationships. And it’s contagious – any small act of kindness you might perform is proven to have a ripple effect that reaches over 100 more people and I can’t think of a better message to put out there in these unique and uncertain times. My guest this week is David Hamilton, a pharmacist-turned-author with a special interest in how the mind affects the body, and vice versa. We chat about his fascination with the placebo effect and the many studies that demonstrate how the brain actually changes – and the body heals – in response to certain information. We talk at length about oxytocin, which David calls ‘the kindness hormone’, and how it’s the main contributor to heart health outside exercise. And he explains why kindness is the opposite of – and antidote to – stress. If you’re feeling powerless, or that any efforts you make at the moment are insignificant, I really hope that listening to this podcast will help. It was recorded back in February, before the scale of this pandemic could be known. And yet it feels timely to release it now, as a reminder of what is within our control, when so many other factors aren’t.  Show notes available at drchatterjee.com/104 Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee/ Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee/ Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

25 Mars 20201h 50min

CAUTION ADVISED: this podcast contains swearing. As the world goes into lockdown to help manage the global pandemic of Coronavirus, many people are feeling anxious. This is a bonus conversation that I have recorded to help people deal with the anxiety that they are currently experiencing. Many people feel scared and helpless, which is completely understandable. In this episode, I speak to the behavioural neuroscientist and psychiatrist, Judson Brewer, who will help you understand how to keep your cool in these stressful times. We discuss what exactly fear and anxiety is, what happens in the brain when you start to feel anxious and, importantly, how you can break the anxiety cycle with some simple, practical exercises. We discuss breathing, physical activity, creative pursuits and much more, as well as how calmness is a skill that you can get better at, if you take the time to practice it. I think you will find this an incredibly useful podcast to help navigate the crazy world we are living in at the moment. Show notes available at drchatterjee.com/103 Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee/ Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee/ Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

22 Mars 20201h 15min

Is it time we relearned to live in sync with the natural world? My guest this week asserts that, instead of sticking to the same habits and behaviours, year round, we should change with the seasons, as our ancestors did. Dallas Hartwig, co-author of The Whole-30 and nutritionist explains that how we eat, sleep, exercise and connect to the world in January should be different to how we do those things in July. It makes sense, doesn’t it? Intuitively, that sounds right. Yet how many of us consciously live by this, and allow ourselves to feel differently and act differently according to the season? In his new book, The Four Season Solution, Dallas theorises that our disconnection from our natural cycles is at the core of the modern-day stress epidemic and most chronic disease. We wake before dawn, stay up long after dusk, live with artificial lighting, heating and air con. We eat unseasonal food, flown across the globe, and use stimulants like sugar, caffeine and alcohol, which further disrupt our circadian rhythms. During our chat, Dallas shares some game-changing ideas that I think explain lots of the current debates in nutrition, fitness and wellness – especially when it comes to explaining why different diets work for different people, and at different times. This is an eye-opening conversation that will really make you re-assess your lifestyle – I hope you enjoy it! Show notes available at drchatterjee.com/102 Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee/ Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee/ Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

18 Mars 20202h 10min