👉 Join thousands in exploring actionable insights that prioritise compassion, clarity, and real-life impact. https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

Longevity is everywhere right now, but has it become a trend instead of a truth?

In a world overflowing with health hacks, supplements, and promises of a longer life, it has never been harder to know what actually works. Beneath the noise, there is a clear science to living well for longer, but only if we learn to tune out the hype and return to what our biology has been asking of us all along.

Today I am joined by Dr. Darshan Shah, medical doctor, longevity expert, and founder of Next Health. Dr. Shah became a doctor at 21 and has since guided thousands of patients through metabolic healing, functional medicine, and evidence-based longevity. Together, we explore what truly extends your healthspan and what does not.

This conversation is a practical and compassionate look at longevity, what it means, where to begin, and why most people focus on the wrong things. Dr. Shah breaks longevity into a simple health pyramid, starting with foundational habits, then biomarkers, hormones, detoxification, brain health, and emerging therapies such as peptides.

Here’s What We Dive Into:

- What longevity truly means, and why adding years is different from adding healthy years.

- Why metabolic health is the most important predictor of long term wellbeing.

- How simple habits before and after meals support better blood sugar regulation.

- Why quarterly biomarker testing may be the most effective prevention tool we have.

- What optimal blood ranges look like, and why normal ranges are not always healthy.

- How functional medicine identifies the eight root causes behind most chronic disease.

- Why toxins, microplastics, and everyday chemicals affect long term health.

- How women’s hormones, menopause, and brain health relate to Alzheimer’s risk.

- What creatine offers for muscles, cognition, and healthy aging.

- Why peptides are rising in popularity, and how to approach them with safety and clarity.

Love,

Sarah Ann 💛

***

This episode is sponsored by:

NOWATCH: The compassionate health tracker

Connecting body and mind with unique stress recovery insights so you can live fully today

15% off with code LWBW15 at nowatch.com

***

Let’s be friends!

📷 Instagram:  / sarahannmacklin

📹 Subscribe:   / @livewellbewellsarah  

🐦 Twitter:  / sarahannmacklin  

📱 TikTok:  / sarahannnutrition  

💌 Newsletter: https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

***

If You Enjoyed This Episode, You Might Also Like:

Improve Your Health With Biohacking: Expert Tips From Dr Molly Maloof

No.1 Gut Scientist: Insane Fiber Benefits to HEAL YOUR GUT & Beat Disease | Dr Will Bulsiewicz

***

Sign up to Sarah’s Compassionate Cure newsletter:

Science Simplified, Health Humanised. Join thousands in exploring actionable insights that prioritise compassion, clarity, and real-life impact. https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

***

Highlights

What real longevity means and why it matters (00:00:00)

The rise of chronic illness and metabolic decline (00:03:12)

The eight root causes behind most modern diseases (00:06:58)

How continuous glucose monitors reshape daily habits (00:09:41)

Using data without falling into overwhelm (00:13:28)

The biomarkers that matter most for preventive health (00:16:44)

Why normal blood sugar is not always optimal (00:20:26)

Muscle mass and metabolism across the ageing process (00:20:26)

Creatine for strength, cognition, and longevity (00:28:14)

Toxins, microplastics, and their impact on long-term health (00:32:48)

Alzheimer’s risk and the role of women’s hormonal health (00:38:07)

Peptides, benefits, and precautions for safe use (00:47:22)

***

Love what you’re hearing?

My small ask is to please rate and review Live Well Be Well. This helps the show expand and allows me to keep producing these with the best quality guests. It means a huge amount to me, so thank you.

Watch the FULL podcast here: https://youtu.be/7kfykswH6Io

Are you getting the balance between Zone 2 and HIIT right? I’m exploring how an 80/20 split by sessions, with most training at lower intensity and select high-intensity work, supports results without burning you out.

This clip explores why all-HIIT programs often feel unsustainable and can lead to fatigue or injuries, what 80/20 really means when you count sessions rather than minutes, and why only about 5 to 10 percent of total minutes across a season tend to be truly high intensity in athletic programs. We discuss how Zone 2 should be harder than easy cruising to drive mitochondrial adaptations, practical ways for busy people to blend mostly Zone 2 with a small dose of intensity toward the end of some sessions, and why complete off days can be more restorative than so-called active recovery. I also share my experience of feeling awful doing fasted HIIT, and we touch on how women may find certain efforts tougher due to muscle fibre differences related to ATP production. As a nutritionist and health communicator, I connect the training plan with recovery needs, including the role of rest for immune health.

***

This episode is sponsored by:

NOWATCH: Health tracking reimagined

Know your body, trust yourself.15% off with code LWBW15 at nowatch.com

***

Sign up to Sarah’s Compassionate Cure newsletter: Science Simplified, Health Humanised. Join thousands in exploring actionable insights that prioritise compassion, clarity, and real-life impact. https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

***

Let’s be friends!

📷 Instagram: / sarahannmacklin

📹 Subscribe: / @livewellbewellsarah

🐦 Twitter: / sarahannmacklin

📱 TikTok: / sarahannnutrition

💌 Newsletter: https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

Watch the FULL podcast here: https://youtu.be/IIenBH9xAEk

Are wearables helping you understand your health or making you feel more stressed?

This clip explores how our relationship with daily health scores can shape how we feel and why long term trends matter more than single-day data.

This discussion focuses on the mindset behind using wearables, why subjective sleep quality often predicts wellbeing better than objective scores, and how even small changes in reported data can alter mood. Sarah reflects on her own experience of becoming overly focused on sleep scores and explores how relying too heavily on metrics can distance us from our internal signals.

***

This episode is sponsored by:

NOWATCH: Health tracking reimagined

Know your body, trust yourself.15% off with code LWBW15 at nowatch.com

***

Sign up to Sarah’s Compassionate Cure newsletter: Science Simplified, Health Humanised. Join thousands in exploring actionable insights that prioritise compassion, clarity, and real-life impact. https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

***

Let’s be friends!

📷 Instagram: / sarahannmacklin

📹 Subscribe: / @livewellbewellsarah

🐦 Twitter: / sarahannmacklin

📱 TikTok: / sarahannnutrition

💌 Newsletter: https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

👉 Join thousands in exploring actionable insights that prioritise compassion, clarity, and real-life impact. https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

What if everything you’ve believed about “fast” and “slow” metabolism has quietly been steering you off course? And what if the real barriers to sustainable fat loss have less to do with willpower, and far more to do with how your body protects you when it senses scarcity?

This week on Live Well Be Well, I’m joined once again by Dr. Andy Galpin, professor of kinesiology and one of the world’s leading experts on human performance and metabolism. Together, we explore the truths behind fat loss, metabolic rate, weight cycling, and the misunderstandings that keep so many people stuck in frustration.

Here’s What We Dive Into:

- Why the idea of “fast versus slow metabolism” misleads us and what metabolic rate actually reflects.

- How fat oxidation differs from real fat loss and why marketing often blurs the line.

- What boosts metabolism acutely versus chronically and why most fat burners rarely matter.

- How basal metabolic rate, thermal effect of food, exercise and NEAT interact to shape long-term weight outcomes.

- Why sustainability is the strongest predictor of successful and lasting fat loss.

- How the body adapts to caloric deficit and why NEAT drops more than most people realise.

- What strategic refeeds can support and when they matter most for mood, hormones and motivation.

- Why GLP-1 medications are reshaping obesity treatment and what gaps still concern experts.

- How food confusion, ultra-processed marketing and seed oil panic distract from the fundamentals.

- What whole food patterns, education and self-awareness offer that shortcuts cannot replicate.

Love,

Sarah Ann 💛

***

This episode is sponsored by:

NOWATCH: The compassionate health tracker

Connecting body and mind with unique stress recovery insights so you can live fully today

15% off with code LWBW15 at nowatch.com

***

Let’s be friends!

📷 Instagram:  / sarahannmacklin

📹 Subscribe:   / @livewellbewellsarah  

🐦 Twitter:  / sarahannmacklin  

📱 TikTok:  / sarahannnutrition  

💌 Newsletter: https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

***

If You Enjoyed This Episode, You Might Also Like:How HRV, Sleep & Hydrogen Water Impact Longevity | Dr Andy GalpinHow HRV, Sleep & Hydrogen Water Impact Longevity | Dr Andy Galpin

Your “Healthy” Food Is the Problem | How Ultra-Processed Foods Affect Women’s Hormones & Gut HealthYour “Healthy” Food Is the Problem | How Ultra-Processed Foods Affect Women’s Hormones & Gut Health

***

Sign up to Sarah’s Compassionate Cure newsletter: 

Science Simplified, Health Humanised. Join thousands in exploring actionable insights that prioritise compassion, clarity, and real-life impact. https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

***

Highlights:

The myth of fast and slow metabolism (00:00:00)

Fat oxidation versus real fat loss (00:04:12)

Why most metabolism boosters fall short (00:06:45)

Thermal effect of food and what it contributes (00:10:21)

Why exercise alone often does not result in expected fat loss (00:13:47)

NEAT and the invisible drop that happens during dieting (00:16:30)

Strategic refeeds and how they support hormones and motivation (00:19:48)

Healing disordered eating patterns through flexibility (00:25:12)

The obesity epidemic and the role of metabolic health (00:31:03)

GLP-1 medications and the future of weight loss treatment (00:33:42)

Seed oil panic and why it misses the point (00:38:01)

Navigating whole foods and processing confusion (00:55:27)

The problem with choosing the least bad option (01:03:10)

***

Love what you’re hearing?

My small ask is to please rate and review Live Well Be Well. This helps the show expand and allows me to keep producing these with the best quality guests. It means a huge amount to me, so thank you.

Watch the FULL podcast here: https://youtu.be/HQepDqbCIyI

How can changes in fascia and daily movement influence the face and overall wellbeing? This clip explores a four-year journey shown through photos, highlighting shifts in facial alignment, skin tone and emotional expression as he adjusted lifestyle habits. This discussion focuses on reducing everyday chemical exposure, addressing past injuries, and using rotational fascia movements to ease tension and restore flow. He also explains how posture, breathing and restricted fascia can affect the eyes, jaw, and complexion.

***

This episode is sponsored by:

NOWATCH: Health tracking reimaginedKnow your body, trust yourself.

15% off with code LWBW15 at nowatch.com

***

Sign up to Sarah’s Compassionate Cure newsletter: Science Simplified, Health Humanised. Join thousands in exploring actionable insights that prioritise compassion, clarity, and real-life impact. https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

***

Let’s be friends!

📷 Instagram: / sarahannmacklin

📹 Subscribe: / @livewellbewellsarah

🐦 Twitter: / sarahannmacklin

📱 TikTok: / sarahannnutrition

💌 Newsletter: https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

Watch the FULL podcast here: https://youtu.be/7kfykswH6Io

This clip explores why VO2 max, despite being a long-standing marker of fitness, does not capture the full picture of our metabolic and longevity potential. We take a closer look at how oxygen is actually used at the cellular level and why mitochondrial function is emerging as the next frontier in understanding performance and healthy ageing.

The discussion moves into how mitochondrial health can be assessed in a practical, non-invasive way, including the use of gas exchange measures and lactate as proxies for cellular efficiency.

***

This episode is sponsored by:

NOWATCH: Health tracking reimaginedKnow your body, trust yourself.

15% off with code LWBW15 at nowatch.com

***

Sign up to Sarah’s Compassionate Cure newsletter:

Science Simplified, Health Humanised. Join thousands in exploring actionable insights that prioritise compassion, clarity, and real-life impact.

https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

***

Let’s be friends!

📷 Instagram: / sarahannmacklin

📹 Subscribe: / @livewellbewellsarah

🐦 Twitter: / sarahannmacklin

📱 TikTok: / sarahannnutrition

💌 Newsletter: https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

👉 Join thousands in exploring actionable insights that prioritise compassion, clarity, and real-life impact. https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

Here's the thing about stress that nobody tells you: it's not actually happening to you. You're actively participating in creating it.

That sounds provocative, maybe even annoying if you're genuinely stressed right now. But stay with me, because what Dr. Joana de Calheiros Velozo reveals in this conversation genuinely changed how I think about stress—and it might do the same for you.

Joana is a researcher in biomedical science who specialises in stress and mental health. But here's what makes her perspective unique: she's not just studying this from an ivory tower. She personally experienced panic disorder so severe that she couldn't leave her house. Agoraphobia. Panic attacks. The full experience of feeling like your body has completely betrayed you.

We go deep on why daily micro-stressors (spilling coffee, traffic, emails) matter more than occasional crises. Why recovery is more important than the stress itself. Why most people can't even identify how they're feeling (seriously—emotional granularity is a genuine skill most of us lack). And why wearables, despite being everywhere, often make our relationship with stress worse by creating dependency on scores instead of a connection to our bodies.

Here’s what we dive into:

- What stress truly is, and why perception shapes biology.

- Why two people experience the same event but respond so differently.

- How upbringing and genetics influence stress sensitivity from birth.

- Why emotional vocabulary is essential for stress regulation and mental health.

- How daily micro-awareness can reshape the stress system.

- What resilience means scientifically, and why it is not just pushing through.

- How the body warns us before burnout, and when to listen.

- Why letting go, not control, may support recovery.

- How technology can help or harm our relationship to stress.

- What just-in-time interventions are, and how timing shapes healing.

Love,

Sarah Ann 💛

***

This episode is sponsored by:

NOWATCH: The compassionate health tracker

Connecting body and mind with unique stress recovery insights so you can live fully today

15% off with code LWBW15 at nowatch.com

***

Let’s be friends!

📷 Instagram:  / sarahannmacklin

📹 Subscribe:   / @livewellbewellsarah  

🐦 Twitter:  / sarahannmacklin  

📱 TikTok:  / sarahannnutrition  

💌 Newsletter: https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

***

If You Enjoyed This Episode, You Might Also Like:Why Being ‘Strong’ Is Making You Weak | Sophie ScottSophie Scott on Breaking Free from Anxiety: Practical Strategies That Work

4 Types of Stress: How To Manage Each One | Mo Gawdat & Alice LawWhat's the REAL Reason Stress is Making You Sick? | Mo Gwadat

***

Sign up to Sarah’s Compassionate Cure newsletter:

Sign up to Sarah’s Compassionate Cure newsletter: 

Science Simplified, Health Humanised. Join thousands in exploring actionable insights that prioritise compassion, clarity, and real-life impact. https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

***

Highlights:

The Stress Question That Changes Everything (00:00:00)

Why Stress Feels So Different for Everyone (00:06:55)

When Stress Becomes Too Much (00:15:18)

The Emotions We Forgot How to Name (00:23:03)

Her Story: Panic, Fear… and a Turning Point (00:31:13)

What Your Body Is Really Doing Under Stress (00:37:59)

How Two People Live the Same Day… Differently (00:42:06)

The Mindset Shift That Alters Your Stress Response (00:49:30)

Technology That Knows When You're Stressed (00:55:31)

A New Kind of Wearable: Compassion in Tech (01:02:50)

A Different Way to Live With Stress (01:13:33)

***

Love what you’re hearing?

My small ask is to please rate and review Live Well Be Well. This helps the show expand and allows me to keep producing these with the best quality guests. It means a huge amount to me, so thank you.

Watch the FULL podcast here: https://youtu.be/KO_kNTtWahU

Do you want to feel more alive without having to earn it by ticking everything off first? I’m exploring how the natural drive to improve is healthy, but using it to reach a standard so you can finally relax keeps you gripping for certainty you can’t get.

This clip explores the relief of seeing that the future can’t be made certain, why “getting everything done” is impossible, and how simple permission slips can loosen that grip. I’m exploring with my guest practical ways to regain perspective during the day: step away, move your body, change your physical context, and then ask, as Jung put it, “What is the next most necessary thing?” We also look at mindfulness as presence of mind in everyday life — repeatedly calling yourself back, noticing when you’ve drifted into control-seeking, and returning without self-criticism. As a nutritionist and health communicator, I connect these ideas to sustainable wellbeing habits that fit busy days: short breathers, physical movement, and realistic self-permission that supports focus and energy.

***

This episode is sponsored by: NOWATCH: Health tracking reimaginedKnow your body, trust yourself.15% off with code LWBW15 at nowatch.com

***

Sign up to Sarah’s Compassionate Cure newsletter: Science Simplified, Health Humanised. Join thousands in exploring actionable insights that prioritise compassion, clarity, and real-life impact.

https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

***

Let’s be friends!

📷 Instagram: / sarahannmacklin

📹 Subscribe: / @livewellbewellsarah

🐦 Twitter: / sarahannmacklin

📱 TikTok: / sarahannnutrition

💌 Newsletter: https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

Watch the FULL podcast here: https://youtu.be/XXwgXDeOYJIIs

hydrogen water worth the hype? I look at what it is, how it differs from alkaline water, the simple chemistry behind it, and what early human research does and does not show. This clip examines how hydrogen water is not the same as alkaline water, why changing pH via drinking water is unlikely to matter, and the proposed mechanism where added hydrogen could help neutralize excess oxidative stress by forming water.

I’m exploring with my guest the limited but emerging human evidence suggesting possible antioxidant or anti-inflammatory effects, alongside many open questions on performance outcomes, dosing, timing after activation, acute versus chronic use, who might benefit most, and how it compares with vitamin C or antioxidant-rich foods. We also note a clear conflict of interest, since my guest’s lab is running an ongoing study funded by a hydrogen water company, and he does not recommend routine use until better data are available. As a nutritionist and health communicator, I aim to keep this balanced, practical, and evidence-led.

***

This episode is sponsored by:

NOWATCH: Health tracking reimaginedKnow your body, trust yourself.15% off with code LWBW15 at nowatch.com

***

Sign up to Sarah’s Compassionate Cure newsletter: Science Simplified, Health Humanised. Join thousands in exploring actionable insights that prioritise compassion, clarity, and real-life impact. https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

***

Let’s be friends!

📷 Instagram: / sarahannmacklin

📹 Subscribe: / @livewellbewellsarah

🐦 Twitter: / sarahannmacklin

📱 TikTok: / sarahannnutrition

💌 Newsletter: https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

We often think fitness is about pushing harder. More miles. More sweat. More effort.

But what if the real secret to lifelong performance and metabolic health lies not in intensity, but in understanding the quiet signals your body sends every day?

This week on Live Well Be Well, I’m joined by world renowned physiologist Dr. Iñigo San Millán, director of performance for UAE Team Emirates and one of the leading experts in mitochondrial health, endurance physiology, and chronic metabolic disease. Iñigo has spent decades studying elite athletes and everyday patients, and his work reveals a striking truth. The systems that help world champions thrive are the same systems that protect us from illness, fatigue, and burnout.

We explore the science behind training zones, lactate, and metabolic flexibility, but also the human side of energy, longevity, and self trust. Because understanding your physiology is not only about performance. It is about reclaiming your capacity to feel strong, stable, and well in your own life.

Here’s What We Dive Into:

- How mitochondria underpin long-term health and signal metabolic resilience.

- Why Zone 2 training improves energy stability and protects against chronic disease.

- What lactate truly reveals about your physiology beyond exercise performance.

- How elite athletes teach us about metabolic dysfunction and adaptation.

- Why nutrition shapes mitochondrial function and insulin sensitivity.

- What drives burnout and fatigue at the cellular level and how to reverse it.

- How to train smarter by listening to heart rate, breath, and internal cues.

- Why most people are unintentionally overtraining or undertraining and how to find balance.

Love,

Sarah Ann 💛

***

This episode is sponsored by:

NOWATCH: The compassionate health tracker

Connecting body and mind with unique stress recovery insights so you can live fully today

15% off with code LWBW15 at nowatch.com

***

Let’s be friends!

📷 Instagram:  / sarahannmacklin

📹 Subscribe:   / @livewellbewellsarah  

🐦 Twitter:  / sarahannmacklin  

📱 TikTok:  / sarahannnutrition  

💌 Newsletter: https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

***

If You Enjoyed This Episode, You Might Also Like:

Exercise, Nutrition & Women’s Health | Dr. Stacy Sims

Dr. Stacy Sims EXPOSES the Myths Hurting Women's Health | Fasting, Protein & Exercise

5 Nutrients That Supercharge Your Cells | Dr. Casey MeansStanford-trained physician: 5 Nutrients That SUPERCHARGE Your Cells (And Why It Matters)

Build Muscle to Lose Weight? This Will Burn Fat, Increase Longevity & Heal The Body | Dr Gabrielle LyonWant to Live Longer? EAT THIS and Keep Your Brain Young | Dr Gabrielle Lyon

***

Sign up to Sarah’s Compassionate Cure newsletter:

Sign up to Sarah’s Compassionate Cure newsletter: 

Science Simplified, Health Humanised. Join thousands in exploring actionable insights that prioritise compassion, clarity, and real-life impact. https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

***

Highlights:

Quick fire questions and opening reflections (00:00:00)Why VO2 Max is useful but incomplete (00:01:23)

A new frontier in understanding health (00:04:34)

Can we measure cell health without being invasive (00:05:05)

Rethinking what lactate really tells us (00:07:41)

Exercise as a tool for cellular repair (00:12:57)What zone training actually looks like (00:19:39)

Finding balance between intensity and endurance (00:25:37)

Simple ways to train with more purpose (00:39:23)

The role recovery plays in long term health (00:59:34)

What metabolic flexibility means for everyday life (01:03:48)

Looking ahead to the future of disease prevention (01:17:20)

***

Love what you’re hearing?

My small ask is to please rate and review Live Well Be Well. This helps the show expand and allows me to keep producing these with the best quality guests. It means a huge amount to me, so thank you.