You might be surprised to learn that how we use our electric devices can make real changes to our energy consumption and our bills. So here are some simple tips to help you change your habits and save on your energy bills. 

Many appliances use energy even when they are on standby. Chargers still draw power even if the device is not connected, media players, Phones with displays that show when not in active use, like cordless phones and smart home appliances like refrigerators, washer and dryers that have always-on displays and many more. This energy consumption is often referred to as standby but also other names like phantom load, shadow loads, idle current or even vampire power. So, instead of leaving things you do not need plugged in, or on standby, unplug them. A simple action can make a big difference. and if getting to the plug is tricky consider using a power bar with an off-switch to make it easier. This could save an estimated £65 a year according to the energy savings trust. That might not seem much but multiplied out across a city the size of London, the annual savings exceed £580 million. 

What if I need to leave things on standby? How can I save money by changing the way I use appliances? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

What is a transference in psychiatry?

Does cold weather really make us sick?

How to save money on your heating bill this winter?

A podcast written and realised by Amber Minogue.

In partnership with upday UK.

First broadcast: 05/01/2023

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Have you ever seen the Black Mirror episode called "Be right back"? It aired back in February 2013 and sees a character called Ash die in a car accident, leaving behind his pregnant wife Martha. During Ash's funeral, Martha’s friend Sarah tells her about a company which creates AI versions of dead people, by using personal data they had shared online. Initially reluctant, Martha eventually caves in and tries the service. As a result, she’s able to chat with an Android Ash as if he was alive.

Now, Black Mirror is well known for delving into possible future technological developments, which are sometimes purely the stuff of fantasy. But the scenario portrayed in that particular episode may become widespread in the near future.

Are we saying this may actually be possible then? Do businesses see a lot of potential in deadbots? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

Why is climbing stairs so good for you?

Am I in a situationship?

Which foods are best for burning fat?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

In partnership with upday UK.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You might try to avoid them whenever you can, opting for the lift or the escalator instead. But did you know that stairs can actually super-charge your fitness in seconds? In fact, climbing stairs has so many benefits for your health and well-being that you might want to rethink your attitude towards them. 

Climbing stairs is a vigorous-intensity physical activity that increases your heart rate and oxygen consumption. This boosts your cardio-respiratory fitness, which is a measure of how well your heart and lungs can deliver oxygen to your muscles. 

What else? And can stair climbing boost my mental health? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

What is a transference in psychiatry?

Does cold weather really make us sick?

How to save money on your heating bill this winter?

A podcast written and realised by Amber Minogue.

In partnership with upday UK.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sometimes there’s a very thin line between friendship and love. You spend time with someone, you’ve got things in common, you make each other laugh.Things can easily get blurry. Imagine you’ve recently met someone and really hit it off; you’re at each other’s places all the time, maybe you’ve even kissed once or twice on a night out. Maybe it’s gone further than that.

A Define the Relationship conversation or DTR for short, is a useful, if sometimes awkward chat that many people have when in a blossoming relationship. Without having a DTR, it can be difficult to put a label on it. But one has emerged which might fit the bill. The notion of a “situationship” has become more and more widespread, with the hashtag having recorded over 350 million views on Tiktok for example.

What are the telltale signs? Why are more and more people winding up in situationships? How can I avoid a situationship? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

Which foods are best for burning fat?

What is intuitive eating?

Are you a time optimist?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

In partnership with upday UK.

First broadcast 08/08/22

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An IPSOS study from late 2020 found that 45% of people across the world were trying to lose weight at the time. In many cases, losing weight is beneficial for health, but a lot of the time, people want to achieve unrealistic body images which are projected by the media as being ideal.

Of course, a popular way of doing so is by dieting, but the subject of today’s episode is pretty much the opposite of a traditional diet. Advocates of intuitive eating say that not only are diets not necessarily effective, but they also promote a complex and sometimes unhealthy relationship with food. That’s particularly true when it comes to extreme diets, like the Paleo diet or a juice diet. 

Where does the term come from? Isn't it normal to eat when hungry? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

What is a transference in psychiatry?

Does cold weather really make us sick?

How to save money on your heating bill this winter?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

In partnership with upday UK.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s common knowledge that autumn often sees people put on weight. But if you’re looking to shed a few pounds, there are some foods you can rely on to boost metabolism and thereby improve calorie burning. That’s because they increase thermogenesis, which is the production of heat in the body. That in turn stimulants our metabolism, forcing the body to use energy from its fat reserves.

There are three main types of fat burning food. Firstly, those which see our bodies burn more calories digesting them than they actually contain. Then you’ve got those which are rich in fibre or protein and therefore make you feel full quickly. Finally there are those which possess active ingredients which boost your metabolism, causing you to burn calories.

What are some examples then? What about other types of food apart from vegetables? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

What is a transference in psychiatry?

Does cold weather really make us sick?

How to save money on your heating bill this winter?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

In partnership with upday UK.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A time optimist is someone who is overly optimistic about how much time they have to do something, and therefore often ends up being late or missing deadlines. They tend to underestimate how long tasks will take, overestimate how much they can accomplish in a given period, and ignore potential delays or interruptions. They may also have a distorted perception of time, losing track of how fast it passes or how much is left.

Time optimists are not necessarily lazy or irresponsible. They may have good intentions and high ambitions, but they lack realistic planning and prioritisation skills. They may also suffer from procrastination, perfectionism, or fear of failure, which prevent them from starting or finishing tasks on time. 

Are there any benefits to being a time optimist? And how can you become more punctual and productive if you are a time optimist? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

What is a transference in psychiatry?

Does cold weather really make us sick?

How to save money on your heating bill this winter?

A podcast written and realised by Amber Minogue.

In partnership with upday UK.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nitrous oxide, which is also known as laughing gas, is sold in metal canisters and is one of the most commonly used drugs by teenagers and young people. However, heavy use can lead to a host of problems.

Prof Alastair Noyce, a consultant neurologist at Queen Mary University of London, told BBC News: "These are young people we are seeing - teenagers and people in their 20s. What's striking now is the severity. We've seen that increase over the last 12 months or so." Nitrous oxide is a gas that can be used for medical purposes, as an anaesthetic, and in the food industry.

Why do people use Nitrous oxide? What are the dangers? What is being done about this? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

What is a transference in psychiatry?

Does cold weather really make us sick?

How to save money on your heating bill this winter?

A Bababam Originals podcast, written and produced by Amber Minogue.

In partnership with upday UK.

First broadcast: 21/03/2023

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever found yourself experiencing emotions like anger, frustration, or even affection towards your therapist? On the surface, it may seem like a surprising thing to happen. After all, you don't know much about their personal life, and there's no obvious reason for having such feelings.

Fear not though; this happens more frequently than you might think; it’s actually pretty common. When you go to see a therapist, you're not a blank slate – you bring along your emotional baggage and it's not unusual to project those emotions onto the person across from you, who’s serving as a mediator. This is known as transference.

Why does it happen? Can the reverse ever happen, with a therapist having feelings toward a patient? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

Why does cooking benefit our mental health?

What happens to your online life after you die?

How can I limit the effects of sugar on my health?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

In partnership with upday UK.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Wrap up warm, or you'll catch a cold!" No doubt you heard that advice a lot as a child, and you may well still hear it as an adult. For a long time, scientists were skeptical about the idea that simply being exposed to the cold could make a person sick. After all, to get sick, you need to actually come into contact with a microbe, like a virus. And cold weather itself isn't a disease.

But recent developments suggest there may actually be some truth to the idea. In December 2022, The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology published a study by a team of American researchers, who had looked into how cold weather affected immunity in the nose. The researchers explained that our nasal mucous membranes, and in particular the extracellular vesicles, act as the first line of defense in our immune system against viral attacks.

What do we know now that we didn’t before? But is the cold the sole culprit? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

How can I limit the effects of sugar on my health?

What happens to your online life after you die?

Why does cooking benefit our mental health?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

In partnership with upday UK.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices