Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee

The start of a new year is the time many of us look to make changes in our lives, incorporating healthy habits and removing unhelpful ones. Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my new weekly podcast for your mind, body and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests. This week’s guest is Professor BJ Fogg, a leading expert in behaviour change Methods for building habits have often focussed on repetition, willpower and motivation. BJ believes there’s a simpler approach. Habit formation is linked to our emotions and by creating a feeling of success we can wire in a habit. We discuss my own experience with patients as well as the results he has seen with his own program. Finally, BJ reveals how easy it is to form new habits by using his 3-step method. When you do something and feel successful, that behaviour becomes more automatic. Feeling good can be the key to forming new healthy habits that last a lifetime. Show notes and the full podcast are available at 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.

8 Jan 202113min

Do you believe habits are ‘good’ or ‘bad’? Are you constantly trying to create better habits and quit those that don’t serve you? Today’s guest has insights that will help get your 2021 off to a great start by truly understanding what habits are – and how to optimise them. James Clear is an entrepreneur and New York Times best-selling author of Atomic Habits a handbook for anyone who wants to finally get to grips with successful behaviour change. He shares his learnings via his hugely popular newsletters, to help people use the psychology of habit formation to live healthier, fuller lives. We talk about ‘designing your environment’, building a tribe around you who support what you want to achieve and finding the path of least resistance to what you want to do. When it comes to good versus bad habits, James says it’s more about which are effective – are they serving you? We also discuss how true behaviour change is really identity change. Every action you take towards your goal is a vote for the person you wish to become. You’re no longer that someone who tries to go for a run three times a week, you’re a runner. James says we can all begin by asking ourselves ‘Who do I want to become?’ then looking at what habits we might need to build that identity. This is such a useful conversation, packed with practical tips, and I think it’s a great way to kick off the year. I know you’re going to feel fired up to seek out your new identity once you listen.  Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/145 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.

6 Jan 20211h 39min

Today’s conversation will stop you in your tracks. It’s powerful, confronting and challenging and I am so grateful for my guest’s honesty, empathy and willingness to share the wisdom of her 93 years. Dr Edith Eger is a Holocaust survivor, psychologist and expert in the treatment of post-traumatic stress but above all, she’s an incredible human being with an extraordinary story to share. Her latest book, The Gift: 12 Lessons to Save Your Life, is quite simply a phenomenal read and in my view a must-read for all of us. As a Jew living in Eastern Europe under Nazi occupation, Edith was taken to Auschwitz concentration camp with her parents and sister, at the age of 16. She explains how she found her inner resources, how she came to view her guards as the real prisoners, turn hate into pity and, incredibly, she even describes her horrific experience as ‘an opportunity’. She has liberated herself from the prison of her past through forgiveness. I’m acutely aware that for many of us listening, myself included, it’s hard to put our own problems alongside anything Edith has faced. Which makes her teaching that, ‘There’s no hierarchy in trauma’ all the more beautiful. Edith is not here to make us put our own suffering into perspective and overcome it. Rather, she explains, we can learn to come to terms with pain, reframe it and become stronger. We cover so many different topics in this conversation, from parenting and relationship wisdom to insights on semantics and depression. Edith’s message to us is that we can change the thoughts and behaviours that are keeping us imprisoned in the past. I felt grateful and humbled to have had the opportunity to speak to Edith and the conversation really changed me. I hope you get as much out of it as I did. Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/144 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 Jan 20211h 40min

CAUTION ADVISED: this podcast contains mild swearing and themes of an adult nature. Final episode of 2020 - It’s that time of the year again when the mics are turned and it’s me in the hot seat. Today, I sit down with colleague and close friend, Dr Ayan Panja and reflect on the past year. For me, 2020 has been a year of great introspection during which I have reflected upon my values and the definition of success – what does success really mean? We discuss how I believe that one of the most important things we can all do, is find out what success means to us. Otherwise, we can end up rushing around, trying to do more in order to live up to an idea of success that society has defined for us. Authenticity is a topic that has been spoken about a lot on the podcast this year and has been at the forefront of my mind and we discuss how I have been striving to put this at the heart of everything I do both personally and professionally. A huge part of my working week is dedicated to this podcast and we chat about some of my favourite and most impactful episodes of the year. As you may know, I have also spent a large part of this year writing my brand-new book, Feel Great, Lose Weight and we talk about why I decided to write this book and how I hope that it will help me in my mission to improve the lives of 100 million people. This is such a wide-ranging conversation, but at its core this is simply a raw and authentic interaction between two very good friends. I hope you enjoy it. Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/143 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.

28 Dec 20201h 42min

This is a very special end of year episode that I hope serves as a celebration of the conversations I have had on the podcast this year. My team and I have put together some of the very best ideas shared on my show which I believe, if you start implementing, will immediately start to transform your health and happiness. The central theme is looking after our minds, which has never been more important. Whether it be controlling our reaction to stressors, managing anxiety, spending time alone with our thoughts OR cultivating resilience and learning to be more present: this special episode will help you on your journey to become your true, authentic self. We’ll hear: Rich Roll on the importance of having time alone with our thoughts and why we need discomfort in order to grow. Jay Shetty explaining why so many of us these days are not living lives that are truly ours. Tom Bilyeu discusses identity, how to become resilient and how to view criticism as a gift. England Football Team Psychologist Pippa Grange shares her belief that most of us are performing at life not living it. She explains why we should stop holding back, put fear aside and allow ourselves to live the life we want to live. Brian MacKenzie reveals how we can use the power of our breath to become more present and help counteract the constant stimulus of modern-day life. James Nestor explains why the way we breathe is so important for the health of our body and for the health of our mind. Psychotherapist Julia Samuel talks about the many ‘living losses’ we are experiencing through the pandemic and that how we respond to change, in many ways, determines how our lives will unfold. And finally Peter Crone - AKA The Mind Architect - explains why we all need to slow down in order to find true happiness in our lives. This is a powerful episode that I really enjoyed listening back to - I think you will too! Show notes and the full podcasts are available at drchatterjee.com/142 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.

23 Dec 202052min

Sleep is one of the most important pillars of health. Our bodies and our brains are designed to function during the day and rest at night. Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my new weekly podcast for your mind, body and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests. This week’s guest is award-winning journalist, Linda Geddes. Circadian rhythms are 24-hour cycles that are kept in time by light and dark cycles. These rhythms can become disrupted by changing our exposure to light which can affect our sleep and make us feel sluggish during the day. Exposure to bright light after sunset is a modern phenomenon. Darkness is a signal to our bodies that it’s time to rest and access to bright light and screens at night disrupts these signals. There are simple things that we can do to help reset our circadian rhythms. Linda shares the findings of her own experiment of getting rid of light at night in her own home. Finally, she gives her tips on what we can all do to get more light into our days and darken our nights. Access to sunlight, even in winter, is crucial for living a happy and fulfilling life. I hope you feel inspired to get outside! Show notes and the full podcast are available at drchatterjee.com/77 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 Dec 20208min

Today’s guest joins me fresh from a run of autumn camps with the England football team. He’s their manager, Gareth Southgate OBE, and I speak to him about his new book, Anything Is Possible. It’s not really a football memoir, but more a guide to life and there are brilliant lessons for all of us in there – non-football fans included! Gareth had an illustrious career as a professional football player in the 1990s and as England manager, took the England team to the semi-finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup for the first time in 28 years. We discuss how Gareth achieved this by employing psychologists (such as my former guest Pippa Grange), modelling emotional intelligence and communicating with each player as an individual. He promotes a mindset of positive drivers not negative drivers: focusing on what players might achieve, rather than what might go wrong. Most importantly, he reinstated a sense of fun. I love his humble, warm, inclusive approach. Under his watch, footballers have started to look more like role models again. Gareth explains how he used to be a shy teenage player and with his book, he aims to help youngsters get over self-limiting beliefs, nerves and anxieties and learn to be brave – and he shares some great dressing-room stories with me as examples. It may be written for children and young people, with Gareth’s role as ambassador for The Prince’s Trust in mind, but it contains universal wisdom for all ages. I had so much to ask him, and we managed to cover topics from how players cope without a crowd, to how he breaks the news when someone’s not made the team and the real meaning of bravery. We talk about the pressures on players from social media but also how it can be a force for good, helping Raheem Stirling and Marcus Rashford change attitudes and lives through their respective campaigns against racism and childhood hunger. I can’t emphasise enough that you don’t need to be into football to appreciate this conversation. It’s about having confidence, working hard, taking responsibility and being authentic. It was such an honour to speak with Gareth and he’s certainly reignited my love of the beautiful game. I can’t help but agree with him that when we come together in a positive way over sport, it has the potential to change the world. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/140 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.

16 Dec 20201h 39min

CAUTION ADVISED: this podcast contains swearing. Our subconscious mind can control our behaviours and thoughts, creating negative thought patterns and limiting beliefs. This week’s Feel Better Live More Bitesize guest is writer, speaker and thought leader in human potential, Peter Crone, a.k.a The Mind Architect. Peter explains that we can’t create the life of someone that we don’t yet believe ourselves to be and in order to do this we need to stop looking back at history we can’t change and start looking forwards. We all have the power to break free from the limitations of our subconscious in order to free our mind and start living the life we were born to live. Peter believes that with the right mindset and approach to life we can start to experience true freedom and happiness. And who wouldn’t want that? Show notes and the full podcast are available at drchatterjee.com/82 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.

11 Dec 20207min