Real Health with Karl Henry

We all want to live our best lives, get as much out of our time as possible. That, however, can be easier said than done.  Life can sometimes get in the way, from work to finances and everything in between. But what if you were told you had a life limiting illness? What would you do differently?  This week, I’m delighted to be joined by John Wall, who was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer in 2017.  While he had to come to terms with this, his approach to life is all about seizing the day. As part of palliative care week that is taking place this week, John tells me about his experience with palliative care. It can be a scary thing to talk about, but for John it helped him gain back a quality of life he never thought he’d get back.  “Palliative for me at the time was pain control...One introduction to a palliative consultant changed everything. [They] found a drug that worked for me, that is still working for me and given me a quality of life that I once thought was gone.” We also talk about how to live life to the full and not sweat the small stuff, something John decided to do when he was diagnosed with cancer.  “To put it very simply, the day I was told I was going to die was the day I started to live...you only get one shot at life and that’s applicable to all of us. Whether you’re in good health or not, we get one life.”  We also chat about the role genetics play when it comes to coronary heart disease and links abdominal obesity has to it too.  For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just click here. 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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Paddy Barrett, a preventative cardiologist at the BlackRock Clinic, shares insightful strategies to maintain cardiovascular health. He highlights the critical need for proactive measures against heart disease, especially given its high prevalence in Ireland. The discussion touches on the influence of lifestyle choices over genetics, the risks of abdominal obesity, and the cardiovascular impacts of sleep quality. Dr. Barrett also emphasizes the connection between body fat distribution, physical activity, and overall heart health.

It’s September, which means back to school and a return to our routines. It’s the perfect time to embrace those healthier habits you’ve wanted to have, by making them a part of your day now that summer is behind us. This week, I’m bringing you my top tips on how to reset. From exercise to diet, I’m taking you through it all. Summer can cause havoc on our normal routines. There’s more food, more relaxing and this year we were able to go abroad, which for many people was the first time in a couple of years. While we’ve all enjoyed the great weather the last few months have brought, it can leave some people feeling guilty for not being as healthy as they may have wanted. This brings me to my number one tip and I think the best place to start when looking to reset. Drawing a line in the sand, accepting we can’t change what we did is a must if you are going to form new habits. Life is for living and being hard on yourself will get you nowhere. So, accept that you enjoyed your summer, but decide that now is the time to get out of holiday mode and into September mode. I also discuss how to get your eating back on track. There’s no need to go on fad diets or juice cleanses. Instead, make sure you are eating regularly, keeping your blood sugar nice and stable. 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 follow on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from.The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Breathing is something we do automatically and take little notice of throughout our day. In moments when you’re under pressure, you’ve probably told yourself to ‘just breathe’. We know in theory that breathing can control how we feel, but how much do we really understand about the power of breathwork? This weel I’m joined by breathing expert, peak performance coach and host of BBC Radio 1’s Decompression Session, Stuart Sandeman. Stuart’s new book Breathe In, Breathe Out, gives readers simple yet effective exercises that are guaranteed to charge you up, help you relax and improve your performance. Stuart says people often say they are too busy to improve their breathing, but he believes it is something we should make time for. “If you are doing something 20,000 times a day, would you not want to know if you’re doing it right? If you’re doing any other task that many times, surely, you’d like to know a bit more about that task Especially when it is linked to our energy levels, our stress levels, how we sleep, how we digest our food. All these things that are so important day to day.” Knowing how to breathe properly can also improve our fitness levels. Learning some good techniques isn’t just for Olympic athletes. Stuart says it can also help those trying to get into a new fitness regime but always find themselves breathless. “Our breathing has a direct correlation to our fitness levels. The two reasons you may not be able to go that extra round or extra mile would be either because you have muscle pain, lactic acid has built up, which is to do with breathing. Or, you have a feeling of breathlessness so much so you can’t carry on... Both of those are things we can fine tune and improve quite dramatically.” We also discuss if hormonal contraception can impact women when training and how female body composition differs from men. 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 follow on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here on Real Health, we have looked at the topic of female health, why women are different to men and how understanding those difference can help boost wellness. But when it comes specifically to exercise, should women train differently to men, to maximize performance and results? This week I’m delighted to be joined by sports scientist David Nolan to take us through what women should consider when exercising. David is a PhD Researcher at DCU and looks at sex differences in exercise. So, we thought he’d be the perfect person to bust some myths and tell us what we really need to know. David says while women may feel their menstrual cycle impacts their performance or how they feel when exercising, research doesn’t suggest women need to train differently, depending on where stage of their cycle they’re at. “We can’t give blanket recommendations. Anyone who says that you should train this way in the follicular phase and [another] in the luteal, you can’t say that. We don’t have the evidence in science to say that.” Instead, David says it's important for women to monitor how they are feeling, which can help them maximise their workouts. “The best thing you can do is track your menstrual cycle, preferably over a long period of time, three to six months minimum and try to identify patterns...then implement individual coping strategies.” We also discuss if hormonal contraception can impact women when training and how female body composition differs from men. 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 follow on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How much do you know about the relationship between our brains and our gut? While many of us may think we decide when and how much we eat, research now tells us that our brains have far more control over our eating habits than we might realise. So, what does this mean for our understanding obesity and what treatment is the best for those with the disease? Well, this week I’m delighted to be joined by Carel La Roux, an expert in metabolic medicine and Professor of Experimental Pathology, University College Dublin. Carel explains that when it comes to losing weight, it takes more than just willpower to help people to reach their goals. The main reason for this, is the power of the brain and its role in trying to retain bodyfat. “Anybody who has been on a diet will tell you that they’ve never been as obsessed with food as when they were on a diet. That is normal physiology. That’s exactly what the brain needs to do...that is normal.” Carel says that for people to lose weight, in particular those with obesity, the brain needs to be made feel comfortable at a lower weight. That, Carel says is where modern treatments like medicines and diets come in. We also discuss the signals that the gut sends to the brain and how some people find it easier to keep their bodyweight lower than others. 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 follow on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Real Health, we’re bringing you something a little different than usual, with another life lessons episode. I’m delighted to be joined by dairy farmer Louise Crowley, to tell us what life as a young farmer is like in Ireland and being a woman in the job. I have been following Louise on Instagram for a long time now and am excited she was able to take time out of her busy day to join me on the podcast. Ireland as we know has a long history with farming but how much do we know about the people who look after the farms that supply us with the food we eat every day? For Louise, no two days on the farm are the same but something that makes her standout, is her social media presence. Louise says she didn’t make a decision to document her life on her platform, but instead it grew from people’s curiosity about her life and how she does things. “People were asking me questions about my farm, how many cows, what do we do...and after a few messages I thought maybe there was a few more that were interested so I started posting the answers publicly. Then it spiralled from there.” We also chat about what a typical day in Louise’s life is like, her relationship with the animals on her farm and what challenges are facing farmers right now. 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 follow on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Now that we are half way through the summer and the weather (for the most part) has improved, it’s the perfect time to give running a try. It can be a daunting hobby to pick up, with many people wishing they could run but feel they aren’t fit enough to get involved. So, this week on Real Health, I’m bringing you my top tips for running. I have advice for everyone, from complete beginners to those looking to improve their technique and make it more challenging. One of the first things I advise people to do before they get started is to go and get a gait analysis. That might sound complicated, but it's not. It is simply a check to see how your foot hits the ground when running. When you go to buy shoes, it's no longer about the look and colour. It’s about supporting your feet as you run. When you get your gait checked, it will be easier to select the right footwear for you. For beginners, I often have people telling me they get panicked while running. They’re out of breath and just can’t figure out that aspect of it. My advice, for the first two minutes of the run, slow the pace right down and focus on your breathing. Giving your body that time to adjust, will help you become more accustomed to the technique and you will settle into the pace in no time. I also talk about the importance of changing your route, how to prevent injury and the best way to track your process. 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 follow on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from.The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Real Health, we’re discussing female health, not just the aspects traditionally associated with the topic, like reproductive health, but everything from sleep to mood and movement. I’m delighted to be joined on the podcast again by Dr Hazel Wallace, founder of The Food Medic and author to her latest (and third) book, The Female Factor. In it, Dr Hazel takes a deep dive into women’s health with this comprehensive guide that looks at every aspect of wellness for every stage of a woman’s life. Hazel says that most of the clinical research up until now has predominately been done in men and while there are similarities to the male physiology, women also have significant differences. “There are really important differences that mean that women are not being treated as well as they could be. The fluctuating hormones is one point of difference...and if we aren’t accounting for those differences then we’re missing a huge piece of the puzzle” she explains. When it comes to mood, those hormones can get blamed for a lot, but Hazel says there are other factors aside from hormones that can impact how a woman is feeling. “I think it's very easy to assume it’s because it's your time of the month, or you’re pregnant or going through the menopause, that must be why you’re feeling upset or angry or whatever. Actually, a lot of the research shows the most important thing when it comes to determining your mood and your mental health is your social support.” We also discuss some of the dietary requirements specific to women and how important body fat is to overall health. 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 follow on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many of us will have heard or be familiar with self-love. In theory we know what it is, but how hard is it to put it into practice and make it part of daily life? This week I’m delighted to be joined by Fiona Brennan, Clinical Hypnotherapist and author of the book The Self-Love habit, to tell us why we need to love ourselves a bit more and how it can improve so many aspects of our lives. Fiona explains that self-love isn’t the same as being cocky or overconfident, instead it is about self-acceptance. “Especially in Ireland we’re almost taught...that it is a negative thing to love yourself. This idea is that you could eat yourself if you were a bar of chocolate. “When you look at love, whether it's for yourself or for anybody else in this world, your family, any other creature or being, it is actually about compassion and compassion is love in action.” We also chat about negativity bias and how damaging a negative inner voice can be to your overall wellbeing. 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 follow on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.