Introducing Health or Hype, my brand-new podcast with Bupa

I’m so excited to finally share a huge project I’ve been working on this year – my brand-new podcast, Health or Hype in partnership Bupa.

There’s so much health advice out there now. Every day we see new trends, tips and hacks telling us what we should be eating, how we should be exercising and what we should be doing to live a healthier life. It can be hard to know what actually works and what’s just hype.

I’ve been on a mission to separate the viral health trends we see on social media from advice that’s actually backed by science.

In this series, I’ve spoken to world-leading experts to find out what can genuinely make a difference to our health and the simple things we can all do to live longer, healthier, happier lives.

I’ve also been putting my own body and mind to the test to learn more about movement, nature, food, sleep and anxiety. And when I say putting myself to the test, I mean it – from spending 24 hours alone in a forest cabin without any tech to cutting fibre from my diet and facing one of my biggest fears.

I’ve learned so much along the way – how birdsong can help reduce stress, why boredom can actually be good for us, what five hours of sleep a night does to your body and brain, and whether we can learn to make friends with anxiety rather than always trying to get rid of it.

Here’s a sneak peek of what’s to come:

Episode 1: Movement – What happens when I drastically reduce my movement? With GB Paralympian Richard Whitehead and movement coach Darryl Edwards.

Episode 2: Nature – What happens when I spend 24 hours alone in the woods? With neuroscientist Katherine Templar Lewis and wildlife activist Nadeem Perera.

Episode 3: Nutrition – What happens when I go on a fibre fast? With Dr Megan Rossi, The Gut Health Doctor.

Episode 4: Sleep – What happens when I reduce my sleep? With sleep scientist Dr Sophie Bostock.

Episode 5: Anxiety – Can you befriend anxiety? I face my worst fear with psychotherapist Owen O'Kane, breathwork expert Liza Al Sady and rugby union player Ruby Tui.

Some of the experiments were tough and a few of the results genuinely surprised me, but there are definitely things I’ll be taking into my own life.

I really loved making this series and I hope you enjoy it.

The first two episodes of Health or Hype are now live, watch them here.