Health Unwrapped

Festive Greetings and Welcome to this is the final episode in the wonderful Health Unwrapped series that I’ve been running with Bioglan for the last year. We’re welcoming Ebony Rainford-Brent, former international England cricketer who now works as a broadcaster and commentator. This is a brilliant conversation to end our inspirational series and we hope you enjoy it.  What we discussed:  The transition from pro athlete to commentator and how that process was for her. How active she is now compared to how she was previously.How she has waves of motivation and managing her time with a busy workout schedule.  Ebony works out 3/4 times a week - twice a dayHow she got into cricket aged 10 with a dream to play for her country which she did within a decade.  The highs and lows of injury. Her experience of the world cup and The Ashes.What it was like to sign with Sky in 2020 as the only woman working on the Men’s Series.Her favourite place to travel. Her toughest opponent and how much she learnt from her, especially regarding work ethic. Her charity work as Chair of The ACE Programme, supporting British talent from the Black community. Coping with the body as it ages and whether Ebony gets frustrated by not being able to do what she previously could.The difference between high and low-intensity exercise. Joint stress and the benefits of Magnesium. How diet and supplements have changed since her pro career - and how she would have liked to have taken more than she did, but was unable to due to restrictions.The importance of routine and how they set you up. How she uses music as an anchor. Why discipline is so hard. The power of small habits. Ebony recommends Atomic Habits by James Clear.  SOCIAL:Ebony Jewel Rainford BrentBioglan on Twitter Bioglan on Facebook Bioglan on Instagram Full product details can be found via our website 

Welcome to Health UnWrapped, we’re speaking with Health and Wellness columnist Susannah Taylor about how she has been looking after her gut health, during the last 18 months and what she has learned from the conversations she’s been having for her column in You Magazine.  What we discussed: How her working life has changed over the last year, Susannah has three children between age 14 to 3 so she was confronted with the challenge of work and homeschooling. How shift-work was key between her and her husband as they juggled work and childcare.A big thing to come out of lockdown has been the time the family was able to spend together. How being immersed in nature has been her saving grace and how it took on the healing power of its own that Susannah will never forget. The importance of celebrating the simple things and the joy and meaning of them. Wellness trends during a lockdown: The growth of home exercise eg. Peloton, People have focused on looking after themselves more, living more sustainably, and how every brand should be incorporating sustainability and environmental consciousness into what they do.  The severity of our mental health and her fears about the people's mental health suffering after lockdown. How there is now a new term ‘Post Pandemic Stress disorder’The best technology for mental health. The impact of Prince Harry’s conversation with Bryony Gordon and how it really escalated the mental health conversation.The link between gut health and immunity and the link with mental health. How the changes she made helped her anxiety. How many people realized the link between the gut and immunity and the importance of the microbiome. How the conversation about our microbiome is becoming more and more normalized. How everyday cookbooks are talking about the gut.Susannah discusses Immunology and conversations she has had with Dr. Jenny Machiotchi.The impact of sleep on our immunity and how a bad night's sleep can lower your immunity by 60%.How our gut and head are linked to our body as a whole and how we need to put it all together in our body. It’s all one incredible system. We mentioned a previous episode of Health Unwrapped with Dr. Zoe Williams Why it is so important that we cook our own food and staying away from processed food.The dangers of sugar.The supplements that are recommended such as Vitamins D3, Zinc, and Vitamin C - but should be able to get enough Vitamin C from a reasonably healthy diet. How that helps your gut to thrive.Why you should look at your alcohol intake. SOCIAL:Susannah TaylorBioglan on Twitter Bioglan on Facebook Bioglan on Instagram Full product details can be found via our website 

Welcome back to Health Unwrapped, where we are speaking to Jess Cunningham,  former Apprentice and Big Brother contestant, business and transformation coach, and mother of five, to talk about all things related to children’s health. Jess and I spoke when her youngest son was just a few weeks old and he was good as gold!>  What we discussed: What it was like during the lockdown and how her excitement of homeschooling waned. How they managed during the 2nd lockdown, homeschooling with a toddler, being heavily pregnant, and having just launched a new business. How her stress levels were heightened during the lockdown and how it made her feel. How she works as a Business and Transformation coach and the tools she teaches to help people feel less anxious and fearful. How there aren’t many people on social media who are raw and authentic when talking about their anxieties. Why we aren’t taught this at school. How feelings are triggered by ‘in the now moments’. How she went through her mid-teens to her early 30’s thinking she was an anxious person. The modalities she is trained in. (All of these pieces of training are needing more evidence-based research) How vulnerable she was when she went on The Apprentice and then Big Brother. The importance of self-development. The importance of eating well and the effect it has on her family and their foodHer experience of being dyslexic and how she admits she is now a course junkie. How she feeds her kids with wholesome foods and how that helps their immune system. The difference you notice in children when you cut out processed food. How she uses EFT with her children.The importance of finding 20 minutes for your mental health.  SOCIAL:The Prodigal FoxBioglan on Twitter Bioglan on Facebook Bioglan on Instagram Full product details can be found via our website 

Welcome to another episode of Health Unwrapped and today I’m talking with Scola Dondo - YouTuber, TV Presenter, and Personal Trainer about the challenges she has overcome having been sharing her story online since she was 11.  What we discussed: The rollercoaster of emotions during the lockdown.How she found the toughest thing to be the lack of social interactions - which surprised her as she has always worked from home.How much she missed working in a coffee shop, work events and really missed being around people. How her FOMO changed from before lockdown. How she has been spending more time focusing on her mind - although she does still spend more time on her physical wellbeing How she makes a point of journaling and how listening to really positive things have helped herHow her workouts have 90% been more for her mental health during the lockdown. The different benefits of low and high-intensity mind workouts. Her diagnosis of Hyperthyroidism in her early 20’s and it's impact on her life. How talking about it on her socials how her followers have related to her experienceHow Scola set up her YouTube at aged 11. How she reacts to comments about her changing appearance. How social media has changed. How she deals with negative comments on her appearance. How her physical and mental health routines as well as research have helped her with her Hyperthyroidism and listening to her body with research and listening to her body.How she has a better understanding of what exercise works for her how certain foods make her feel worse and how others make her feel amazing.  SOCIAL:Scola DondoBioglan on Twitter Bioglan on Facebook Bioglan on Instagram Full product details can be found via our website 

Welcome to the seventh episode in the Health Unwrapped series and we are in conversation with  Adrienne Herbert. Adrienne runs her own fabulous Power Hour podcast which is all about reclaiming your mornings and getting the most out of every day. She’s also a TEDxspeaker, author, and athlete.What we discussed:  Connectivity and how the pandemic showed us how connected we could be. The challenges of home schooling whilst Adrienne was still trying to train and get over races, such as the London Marathon being cancelled.  Adrienne believes everyone has something they want to improve in and describes herself as a ‘Professional Encourager.’ She admits to always trying to encourage people to pursue what it is they want.  How she uses her non-negotiable habits when she is struggling with her motivation e.g. when she has a long to do list. Adrienne explains how she priorities her energies e.g. with her son and his schoolwork, with her, running, or when her menstrual cycle is affecting her energies.  What is a non-negotiable? Adrienne talks about examples, such as going to bed early and how she prepares herself by going to bed at 10 pm ready to wake at 5.30 am.  The importance of a routine that you can always come back to. How our circadian rhythms and our internal body clock are so distracted by all the technology around us, yet our bodies have not evolved at the same pace as technology.  The importance of ‘White Space’ and how she has this during her day or week. It is time in your schedule where nothing is planned.  The reason Adrienne started the Power Hour Podcast and how she wanted to be ‘in the conversation’ and how she felt there was a gap in the personal development podcast space. She wanted to highlight the female point of view.  In the Power Hour book, Adrienne explains how she started the book after experiencing secondary infertility and having to deal with recurrent miscarriage and how everyone must overcome adversity in their own way. She describes the relentlessness of IVF treatment.  The Power Hour is the first hour of your day and Adrienne describes how to reclaim it.  The importance of mobility exercises post-exercises and how it helps the active recovery as it speeds up the lactic acid coming out of your muscles.  How to use magnesium and its benefits, plus how magnesium deficiency can present itself. The importance of sleep and why you should try to make your sleep environment the best you can, calm and decluttered and not too much the in the bedroom. Building a routine can be overwhelming so you need to start with the basics, which Adrienne talks about as movement. Not exercise, but movement. Trial and error is the best way to start and how you can’t force yourself to do something you don’t enjoy. The importance of letting your body rest and digest. SOCIALS Adrienne Herbet on InstagramBioglan on TwitterBioglan on FacebookBioglan on Instagram Full product details can be found via our website 

Welcome to Health Unwrapped and a fab chat with Jules Von Hep, who is a huge advocate of self-love, optimism, and body acceptance. He founded the cult and global self-tan brand The Isle of Paradise and helps thousands of people every day learn to love themselves and see the joy in life’s wonders via his Insta which we chat all about. What we discussed: The challenges during the pandemic and the mental issues that arose, despite having the advantages of technology on our side. The importance of human connection. How his job massively changed and how he didn’t know how to help his clients at first as there were no red carpets for him to help his clients prepare for. How he put his efforts into Instagram and social media. How this time has given us the opportunity to discuss topics that were previously really hard to speak aboutThe mental strain Jules felt when lockdown happened as he had been on his fitness plan for about 18 months and had to change it. How he tried all the zoom workouts but couldn’t work out in his kitchen as for him exercise is a side step out of reality and needed to find another way to do it.His body confidence took a real hit as he couldn’t work out how he wanted to and he wasn’t being honest on his socials, and how he then came forward and opened up about it. How once he could train outside it made all the difference.Why we are addicted to endorphins and Jules recommends Alice Living about her addiction to endorphins and gym culture. How he is very aware of what is going on in his body. The significance of your genetics and accepting your body for what it is.Why Jules uses Endorphins to clear the fog in his brain.How we perceive positivity and the importance of awareness in what we are telling ourselves and how we can work on changing our internal dialogue. Why exercise has never been marketed for the mental health benefits.The conversation he had with his first PT about what he wanted to achieve. How society has a long way to go in accurately portraying people's wellbeing and how airbrushing and apps aren’t doing us any favours and are incredibly toxic. How we see ourselves now is so important, as we are conditioned early on to not like what we see. You have to be strict with yourself and reflect on how beneficial social media is - if social media is making you feel bad, come off it. Putting time aside for your exercise in your diary to make sure you do it. How cooking brings him joy. The importance of goal setting - and using long term language like ‘I will’ How he learned to implement supplements into his daily routine. How he tries to meditate and get better at having downtime and reminding himself how doing nothing is OK.   SOCIAL:Jules Von Hep Bioglan on Twitter Bioglan on Facebook Bioglan on Instagram Full product details can be found via our website 

Welcome to another episode of Health Unwrapped, we are in conversation with Alex Marks. Alex is a personal trainer, with 10 year’s experience in the health and fitness industry. He’s an online coach and Founder of On Your Marks personal training studio in southwest London, and a previous contestant on the UK’s version of The Bachelor!!  What we discussed:The challenges of lockdown. Alex described a rollercoaster of emotions and how important his exercise has been as it’s one thing he’s been able to have control over. How there are always things you can do to scale yourself forward and back in terms of exercise,  regardless of your current position - whether you are recovering from an injury needing to reach out to a Physio, a seasoned athlete, or someone who loves HIT training, running or walking your dog. How fitness is more accessible yet it can still be intimidating as social media does feed our anxieties - people comparing where they are to people they see online such as Emily Ratakowski.The importance of managing expectations and knocking down ‘perceived boundaries’ unless they are physical ones.  Why Alex feels there aren’t many boundaries that can prevent you from doing something in the exercise realm. The importance of good communication in Personal Training.How by reminding yourself that you control the steps or the seconds in front of you when exercising. The power of connecting with your breathing and your heart rate.How you are anchoring yourself into a position of freedom simply by connecting with movement. How much fun it is to create playlists and how music can impact your exercise and your motivation. How shared moments with a stranger can lift his mood and improve his day. Why you shouldn’t hide your energy. How exercise can help trauma by centering. How you can get confidence from resistance training.Why seeing your progress in the numbers can be a good thing as it is a quantifiable way to measure. The challenges of working with Post Partum mums.Why expectations of what can be achieved are so important. The importance of Magnesium  - how it aids recovery and sleep.Alex talks about ‘keeping the furnace burning’ eat meals earlier in the day so you won’t have a full belly in the evening which can lead to a disrupted night's sleep. The importance of stretching. SOCIAL:Alex MarksBioglan on Twitter Bioglan on Facebook Bioglan on Instagram Full product details can be found via our website 

Welcome back to Health Unwrapped, we join Ercan Ramadan to discuss how he kept his focus during the lockdown and about his new personal training business.  What we discussed: How he was keeping active during the lockdown and his routine whilst living in a flat without a garden. How he has had to come out of his comfort zone and adjust to what he has available. When lockdown first happened he embraced the opportunity to rest and how it gave him the chance to recharge and start his PT course.How lockdown then got frustrating. How lockdown impacted his sleep and started to make him question his purpose. His experience of Covid and how he thought he wouldn’t get it as he was young, fit, and healthy and how he got back to normality after being ill. Eye health and how Ercan has always had poor eyesight and how much time he has spent on screens during the lockdown. How he and Vicky have one hour a day without phones. The benefits of Krill Oil. How he works out with Vicky. What life is like being in the public eye and the pressures of social media?  SOCIAL:https://www.instagram.com/ercan_ram/ Bioglan on Twitter Bioglan on Facebook Bioglan on Instagram Full product details can be found via our website 

Welcome to Health Unwrapped, in conversation with Vicky Pattinson about her about her beauty regime, body positivity and her experience of being in the public eye for over a decade, riding the highs and the lows of celebrity.  What we discussed: Her realisation on the impact her job has in defining her as a person and how the pandemic has been a real learning curve.The importance of realising the small things as well as acknowledging the down days and how whilst she missed the fancy showbiz lifestyle, what she missed most was her family.Her and Ercan’s experience having Covid- the sheer exhaustion of how the virus affected them was a real shock as they were in bed for a good two weeks. How her sense of self has changed over the year. How her 30’s have been a significant time of self acceptance. How and why in her 20’s she was perceived to be really angryThe difficult side of reality TV in terms of the restrictions on her personal life. How as you get older you feel less need to be what everyone else wants you to be.How she feels the public perception of beauty has changed.How we should all strive to accept images of all body types. How beauty starts from within.The importance of sleep.What advice she’d give her 23-year-old self and how she really wasn’t given much guidance in the early days.The explosion of reality TV and social media.How she feels about parents having to navigate their children’s exposure to social media.How she feels about the influence of social media.How social media helped her continue to make an income during the pandemic.Why she feels trolls should be named and shamed  - how she is getting better at dealing with them. How she embraced the ‘stay at home’ clothes trend during the lockdown and enjoyed not having the pressures of having to look good… at least for a while. How she is naturally lazy and how her and Ercan have been training for their PT certification and how it’s helped their mental health. How Ercan helped her feel more motivated to train. How exercise is the most under utilised anti-depressant on the planet.How she loves a life hack - so taking her supplements is something she is all over.How her doctor told her about the amount that collagen in your skin drops after 30.How healthy her hair and nails are, especially having gone from brunette to blondeSOCIAL: Vicky Pattinson Bioglan on Twitter Bioglan on Facebook Bioglan on Instagram Full product details can be found via our website 

Welcome back to Health Unwrapped and this is episode 3 of Series 3. We'll be speaking once again to  Dr. Zoe Williams, who is expecting her first child. In this episode, Zoe explains how we should look after our gut health and shares her experiences of what she has learned about her body during her pregnancy. What we discussed: How the gut brain and gut microbiome are connected.The chemicals and hormones your gut produces and how it communicates with the brain to turn on and off our hunger hormones or regulate our mood. How your gut microbiome influences your brain and how your brain influences your gut via the nervous system.What state we need to be in, for digestion to occur. How the importance of the microbiome is getting more and more robust. Dietary changes which can help your gut.The importance of fibre.How 70-80% of our immune functions reside in our gut.The complexity of the immune system.How well our immunity system is functioning has been a hot topic during the pandemic as we want to ensure it is functioning properly and working optimally - not boosted. The danger of ‘boosting’  our immunity system and how it could lead to autoimmune conditions such as celiac disease. How the pandemic has given us more time to be aware of what is going on with our body and recognise patterns.  Zoe chatted with Alieash from Strictly and has identified which foods triggers his psoriasis.How eating slowly and taking time to chew our food is really important for digestive health  Each bite should be chewed 25 times.How we can maintain the good habits we’ve developed during lockdown - such as having porridge for breakfast. How to feed your gut microbiome on a budget.Being pregnant during the pandemic and coping with the stress and anxiety.How the body changes when pregnant and its impact on the gut as your bowel ‘forgets its purpose’ which is part of why pregnant women suffer constipation. Foods you should avoid during pregnancy  - and how to deal with gut issues when you are pregnant. Understanding supplements, what you need to consider and how everyone is different. Think about your gut like a garden in how you can support it. What you can do to maintain your wellbeing and gut health once you have your baby - by getting support. SOCIAL:Dr Zoe Williams on Instagram Bioglan on TwitterBioglan on FacebookBioglan on Instagram Full product details can be found via our website