Hi. Hey and hello.

This is series eleven, episode nine of the Lifestyle First podcast and today is all about emotions and I come to you with mixed emotions, a touch of sadness mixed with the taste of excitement. So let me explain. Come back with me to December 2019. The air is crisp, the sky is blue. There's frost on the windows and as I look out over the fields at the back of the house, I hear myself say out loud, I'm launching a podcast. I'm not sure who I'm saying that to. There is no one else in the room with me. No one's listening but now I've said it out loud, it feels like a declaration, a slightly crazy one, because the voice of doubt quickly creeps in. What do you know about podcasting? You don't know anything about mics or lighting or editing. There is no way you're going to get to grips with the tech and who's going to listen anyway? Now, maybe I don't know any of this, but what I do know is that there are messages of health that feel so important to share that I can't keep them to myself. Rock on three weeks later. It's the first Sunday in January. I master the tech, and the Lifestyle First Podcast hits the airways. 

Podcasting and YouTubing is hard work and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Yes, it's fun and it's interesting, but there is more to it than meets the eye. I call it a labor of love, and because I love it, I keep doing it and now rock on exactly two years after I made the declaration, 'I'm launching a podcast' and the podcast has now traveled around the world. There are thousands of you listening from everywhere. The UK. The US. Slovenia, India, the Philippines, Vietnam, Poland, Spain, Greece, Portugal, China, South Africa, even New Zealand. Wow and the Lifestyle First Podcast is now ranked in the top 5% of all global podcasts and think about it, with over 2 million podcasts worldwide, that is also a wow and look, I've been touched by so many messages that you sent me, telling me of the difference the show has made, the small things that have resulted in you thinking differently or doing something different that's then had big effects and the reviews have been just amazing.

I'm so grateful and after reading all your comments and talking to you, so many of you, I'm sure you can understand why I feel sad telling you that today is the last episode of The Lifestyle First podcast. As you know, it. Series eleven, episode nine, the end. 117 episodes. It's a wrap!

Find Out More/Contact/Follow:

You can discover more & connect with Dr. Alka at the links below:

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DISCLAIMER: This content does not constitute or substitute personal one-to-one professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or health care professional with questions about your health.

Episode 8 of season 11 of The Lifestyle First Podcast is centred around the L in the Lifestyle First Method.

LEARNING HABITS: ARE YOU REINFORCING HABIT LOOPS THAT HELP YOU REACH YOUR GOALS?

This is the bedrock of change. Habits are behaviours you do with automaticity. Are your current habits serving a useful purpose?

* * * * *

In this episode I explore how to form positive habits around movement & incorporate exercise into your day to day life with the founder of Slope Health, Andrew Lecocq.

We discuss the difference between exercise & movement & question whether there is a difference at all. This concept of removing the cognitive divide between exercise & movement lies at the heart of Slope Health. Slope health is an app focused on creating habits related to exercise and physical activity. And Andrew is focused on changing how we think about exercise so that physical activity becomes a habit and a core component of preventative medicine.

The two research studies we reference in our conversation are:

Definition of exercise:

We follow the advice of Dr. Jack Berryman's perspective: “Mowing the grass, raking leaves, washing the car–all that’s exercise...Physical activity includes all movement, not just throwing a ball through a basket.” -

https://time.com/4475628/the-new-science-of-exercise.

Motivation:

This is one of the most important drivers for long-term success. There are many types of motivations- weight, mental health,etc.

https://ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/1479-5868-8-94.pdf

* * * * *

As always we give you three actions to take away from the episode which are:

1. Do something every day. Whatever that may be. The best exercise is the one you are willing to do.

2. No stress or pressure to make purchases or big changes. Start wherever you are & organically build better but sustainable habits.

3. Let get of ego & truly consider 'why' you want to build better habits connected with movement.

* * * * *

Find Out More/Contact/Follow:

You can find out more about Andrew & his work at:

www.slopehealth.co

https://www.linkedin.com/company/slopehealth

https://www.instagram.com/slopehealth

https://twitter.com/slopehealth

You can discover more & connect with Dr. Alka at the links below:

Newsletter: https://dralkapatel.com/mailinglist

Website: https://dralkapatel.com/

Socials: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dralkapat... https://www.facebook.com/dralkapateluk https://www.instagram.com/dralkapateluk https://twitter.com/dralkapateluk

* * * * *

DISCLAIMER: This content does not constitute or substitute personal one-to-one professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or health care professional with questions about your health.

Episode 6 of season 11 of The Lifestyle First Podcast is centred around the T in the Lifestyle First Method.

TIME OUT: WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU TAKE TIME OUT FROM YOUR BUSY SCHEDULE?

It’s so important to have some reflective space in your day, some “me” time. Focus on enjoying the moment – be mindful. Do you have space in your day to slow down your breathing? Do you journal to write down ideas, thoughts, feelings, goals and affirmations?

* * * * *

In this episode I explore the nature of rest & recuperation & answer the question what constitutes a true restorative behaviour?

I explore 7 types of ‘rest’, many of which may challenge our traditional idea of what constitutes taking time out.

* * * * *

The two references I explore are:

1. The real reason why we are tired and what to do about it (TedX with Saundra Dalton-Smith - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGNN4EPJzGk

2. Sacred Rest by Saundra Dalton-Smith - https://www.drdaltonsmith.com/publications

•••••

As always I give you three actions to take away from the episode which are:

1. Step outside every day & connect with nature to get your creative rest.

2. Reduce sensory overload by limiting your exposure to notifications, screens & sources of information.

3. Do something for someone else with no expected reward to support your spiritual rest.

* * * * *

Find Out More/Contact/Follow:

You can discover more & connect with Dr. Alka at the links below:

Newsletter: https://dralkapatel.com/mailinglist

Website: https://dralkapatel.com/

Socials: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dralkapat... https://www.facebook.com/dralkapateluk https://www.instagram.com/dralkapateluk https://twitter.com/dralkapateluk

* * * * *

DISCLAIMER: This content does not constitute or substitute personal one-to-one professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or health care professional with questions about your health.

Episode 5 of season 11 of The Lifestyle First Podcast is centred around the S in the Lifestyle First Method.

SLEEP: WHICH SLEEP ACTIONS CAN YOU COMMIT TO?

Sleep is absolutely critical to health. Sleeping better for a healthier life can be achieved through simple, regular modifications to allow yourself to tune in to your natural sleep rhythms.

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In this episode, to help me explore the 'Which spices can help me to sleep better?' I invited along Anna Wood.

Anna Wood is the founder of JUX food, a startup on a mission to redefine sustainable super-seasonings.

Anna has worked in the music industry for 8 years & recently completed an MBA at Cambridge University before founding her startup seasoning business JUX.

* * * * *

The two references Anna & I explore are:

1. Chamomile: A herbal medicine of the past with bright future - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2995283/

2. Effects of saffron on sleep quality in healthy adults with self-reported poor sleep: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32056539/

•••••

As always we give you three actions to take away from the episode which are:

1. Fit herbs & spices into your weekly Veg target. Make one addition of a herb or spice into your daily routine. Use creative methods such as including saffron in your mash or peppermint leaves in your tea. As a top tip if you are using dried herbs in your cooking, cook for about 20 minutes to allow them to rehydrate to get the full flavour & nutritional benefits.

2. Erase one of your food waste habits. For example chopping parsley & popping it in a container with some oil, makes a tasty salad dressing that will last an additional week.

3. 1 in 4 of us in the UK have herbs & spices that are over 5 years old. When recycling the packaging of these date expired herbs & spices consider whether your local council can recycle that packaging or does it need to be taken to different facility.

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Find Out More/Contact/Follow:

https://juxfood.com

Socials

https://www.linkedin.com/company/juxfood/about/

https://www.instagram.com/juxfood/

https://www.facebook.com/JUXfood/

https://twitter.com/juxfood

Contact Anna at [email protected]

You can discover more & connect with Dr. Alka at the links below:

Newsletter: https://dralkapatel.com/mailinglist

Website: https://dralkapatel.com/

Socials: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dralkapat... https://www.facebook.com/dralkapateluk https://www.instagram.com/dralkapateluk https://twitter.com/dralkapateluk

* * * * *

DISCLAIMER: This content does not constitute or substitute personal one-to-one professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or health care professional with questions about your health.

Episode 4 of season 11 of The Lifestyle First Podcast is centred around the E in the Lifestyle First Method.

EXERCISE: HOW OFTEN DO YOU INTEGRATE EXERCISE INTO YOUR DAY?

Exercise is key to health. Our bodies are designed to move and we’re getting too comfortable being comfortable. If there’s an opportunity to move, seize it, and remind yourself of the basics – balance, agility, strength, intensity, cardio and stamina.

* * * * *

In this episode, to help me explore the subject of exercise & how to develop sustainable lifestyle change I invited along Scott Harrison.

Scott Harrison is a fitness and nutrition Expert, life Coach, motivational speaker, black belt karate instructor, chef, author, founder of The Six Pack Revolution and SPR Juniors, Scott has helped hundreds of thousands of people all over the world.

***

In the episode Scott & I discuss the question “how do you sustainably integrate exercise into our lives?”

The two references Scott & I explore are:

1. Healthy body fat percentages - The Journal of Exercise Rehabiltation

2. The effect of acute exercise on serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels and cognitive function

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17414812/

•••••

As always we give you three actions to take away from the episode which are:

1. Drink more water.

2. Find a physical activity that you enjoy and initially start with just 20 minutes. Make your changes sustainable.

3. Focus on what you want, not what you don't want. Negative self talk can have a detrimental impact on our ability to achieve our goals.

* * * * *

Find Out More/Contact/Follow:

https://thesixpackrevolution.com

Socials

https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-harrison-founder-six-pack-revolution/

https://www.instagram.com/thesixpackrevolution/

https://www.facebook.com/TheSixPackRevolution/

Contact Scott at https://www.instagram.com/iamscottharrison/

You can discover more & connect with Dr. Alka at the links below:

Newsletter: https://dralkapatel.com/mailinglist

Website: https://dralkapatel.com/

Socials: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dralkapat... https://www.facebook.com/dralkapateluk https://www.instagram.com/dralkapateluk https://twitter.com/dralkapateluk

* * * * *

DISCLAIMER: This content does not constitute or substitute personal one-to-one professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or health care professional with questions about your health.

Episode 3 of season 11 of The Lifestyle First Podcast is centred around the F in the Lifestyle First Method.

F is for FOOD: WHAT FOOD CHOICES MATCH YOUR NEEDS?

The big questions I get asked all the time are “What’s the best diet?” and “What should(n’t) I eat?” It's complex, there’s no perfect diet. There’s always so much emotion associated with eating, and what you need to do is give yourself unconditional permission to eat and to see food as your life source and energy source. Talking about food as carbohydrates, proteins or fats is not talking about real food. Food is a package, not an isolated nutrient – food is packed with nutrients, flavours, smells, textures, colours – all of which add to the sensory and nutritional input of your food experiences.

* * * * *

In this episode, to help me explore the subject of food & in particular the subject of sugar I invited along MasalaBody.com founder Nagina Abdullah.

Nagina Abdullah is on a mission to help ambitious women lose weight sustainably without sacrifice through her coaching business https://masalabody.com

Nagina was 40 Pounds Overweight with an incredibly demanding career and two small kids and went from feeling tired, sluggish, and frustrated to melting off 40 lbs in 9 months and her sustainable approach has helped keep the weight off for years.

***

In the episode Nagina & I discuss the question “how do you get rid of sugar cravings?”

The two references we explore are:

Robert Lustig . Metabolical: The truth about processed food and how it poisons people and the planet

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Metabolical-processed-poisons-people-planet/dp/1529350077

Sweetening of the global diet, particularly beverages: patterns, trends, and policy responses by Prof Barry M Popkin, PhD & Corinna Hawkes, PhD

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(15)00419-2/fulltext

•••••

As always we give you three actions to take away from the episode which are:

1. Focus on what you can add to your diet to satiate your craving for the sweet rather than focusing on what you have to remove. Spices such as cinnamon can be a great place to start & can give a 'sweet' flavour whilst actually reducing your blood sugar.

2. Focus on a 'Protein More' approach. Protein creates satiety & a full feeling that can help keep cravings at bay.

3. Drink 'de-bloating' water. Add 2 lemons, 1 cucumber & 10-12 mint leaves to a 6 glass pitcher of water & allow them to steep over night in your fridge. This is not only a great tasting drink but can also help avoid that need for a sweet fix.

* * * * *

Find Out More/Contact/Follow:

https://masalabody.com

Get your copy of the 'SWEET SPICE CHEAT SHEET' for free at https://masalabody.com/sweetspicepdf/

Socials

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nagina-abdullah/

https://www.instagram.com/masalabody/

https://www.facebook.com/masalabody

Contact Nagina at [email protected]

You can discover more & connect with Dr. Alka at the links below:

Newsletter: https://dralkapatel.com/mailinglist

Website: https://dralkapatel.com/

Socials: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dralkapat... https://www.facebook.com/dralkapateluk https://www.instagram.com/dralkapateluk https://twitter.com/dralkapateluk

* * * * *

DISCLAIMER: This content does not constitute or substitute personal one-to-one professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or health care professional with questions about your health.

Episode 2 of our brand new season of The Lifestyle First Podcast is centred around the I in the Lifestyle First Method.

I is for IDENTITY: WHAT IS YOUR DAILY AFFIRMATION THAT ENFORCES YOUR IDENTITY? Having a strong sense of identity links very closely with your behaviours. Simply put, you act out our beliefs. These are often negative beliefs – I’m so disorganised, I’m terrible at art, I can’t sing. But the brain is a very clever piece of kit! By creating a positive identity with regular positive mental affirmations, you can reprogram your thinking patterns so that over time you think and act differently.

* * * * *

In this episode to help me explore the subject of identity I invited along the incredible Adele Hartshorn.

Adele is a Mindful Leadership Coach, a clinical hypnotherapist , an NLP Master Coach, a Mindful Leadership coach, a Yoga Teacher and a Professional Speaker. Adele has so much expertise in so many areas.

*****

In the episode Adele & I discuss the question “how does your identity affect your success?”

The two references Adele we explore are:

Gordon Livingstone . Too soon old. Too late smart. 2006. Hodder Paperbacks.

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Too-Soon-Old-Late-Smart/dp/0340839368/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2ULXRSBAHNV7B&keywords=too+soon+old+gordon&qid=1663687819&sprefix=too+soon+old+gordon%2Caps%2C53&sr=8-1

Dan Gilbert TED 2014. The Psychology of Your future self

https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_the_psychology_of_your_future_self?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare

•••••

As always we give you three actions to take away from the episode which are:

1. Start journaling – committing to 63 days can have a powerful & transformative impact.

2. Create 5 daily desires and ask what do I need to believe about myself to create my desire?

3. Be grateful

* * * * *

Find Out More/Contact/Follow:

You can discover more about Adele at

https://www.adele-marie.co.uk/

Socials

https://www.linkedin.com/in/adelemariehartshorn/

https://www.instagram.com/adelemariecoach/

https://www.facebook.com/adelemariecoach

You can discover more & connect with Dr. Alka at the links below:

Newsletter: https://dralkapatel.com/mailinglist Website: https://dralkapatel.com/

Socials: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dralkapateluk/ https://www.facebook.com/dralkapateluk https://www.instagram.com/dralkapateluk https://twitter.com/dralkapateluk

* * * * *

DISCLAIMER: This content does not constitute or substitute personal one-to-one professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or health care professional with questions about your health.

Episode 1 of our brand new season of The Lifestyle First Podcast is centred around the L in the Lifestyle First Method.

L is for LIFE'S PURPOSE: WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE IN LIFE? Your life’s purpose is the central motivating aim of your life – the reason you get up in the morning. Purpose can guide life decisions, influence behaviour, shape goals, offer a sense of direction and create meaning. Defining what your purpose is in life is important to leave a legacy and live a legacy.

 * * * * *

 In this episode to help me explore the subject of Life's Purpose I invited along the inspirational Keely Woolley.

For Keely, there is nothing better, than seeing the shine in someone’s eyes, when that light-bulb moment occurs and they re-discover their “Why”. Keely, is an Executive Leadership Coach, Mentor & Trainer, International Speaker & #1 International Best Selling Author and a Business Strategy & Programme Delivery Executive. After 23 years’ experience within a global manufacturing environment, Keely decided take a leap of faith and step away from the corporate world, so that she could help to inspire other Female Executives and Leaders to live and love their WHY, with Passion and Purpose and be even more fulfilled & successful in their lives, personally & professionally. Keely is a proud nan, mum and wife of 30 years, living in Kent, U.K.. With two extremely cuddly German Shepherds and an independent cat.

*****

In the episode we discuss how finding your purpose or your 'WHY' is integral to your growth, development & success in every aspect of your life. From the personal to the professional if our true purpose is not clear to us we can often find ourselves busy, burnt out & feeling rudderless. Keely & I discuss how to find your 'why' and identify what it is that truly ignites the passion within so that all aspects of our lives contribute to our greater purpose.

* * * * 

As always we give you three actions to take away from the episode which are: 

1. Monitor your stress and anxiety levels. Notice and record when you feel stress, unease and anxiety. 

2. Consider what are the triggers for you to feel stress and anxiety. When do they occur? Who are you with when you feel these feelings surface and what activities are you undertaking in those moments? 

3. Having monitored your stress levels over a sustained period and considered the causes, the third action is to identify the pattern of behaviour that underpins the stress in your life. So often we find that the aspects of our lives that are causing us the most stress are those that are barriers to us working towards our purpose. These three steps will therefore help us get closer to finding our 'why' as we identify and remove the barriers to living a purpose driven life. 

* * * * * 

Find Out More/Contact/Follow: 

You can discover more about Keely at https://www.metamorforsuccess.com https://metamorforsuccess.newzenler.com/f/daily-stress-monitor-tracker https://www.linkedin.com/in/keely-woolley-leadership-trainer-coach-uk/ 

You can discover more & connect with Dr. Alka at the links below: 

Newsletter: https://dralkapatel.com/mailinglist Website: https://dralkapatel.com/ 

Socials: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dralkapateluk/ https://www.facebook.com/dralkapateluk https://www.instagram.com/dralkapateluk https://twitter.com/dralkapateluk 

* * * * * 

DISCLAIMER: This content does not constitute or substitute personal one-to-one professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or health care professional with questions about your health.

#10.09: E: Emotions: “How can you find joy?”

“Joy is something you find within yourself.”

Take the LQ test: https://dralkapatel.com/lq-test/

My guest on this week’s episode of The Lifestyle First Podcast isKath Wynne-Jones, who is a TEDx speaker with her talk, “The 3 F’s of resilience,”and author of the book “Finding Joy Within.”

In this episode we:

· Deconstruct the meaning of joy

· Highlight inner peace and inner centredness

· Explore joy in the big things and the small things

· Explore words for joy in different languages – shinrin yoku, fjaka

· Consider happiness dependent on external factors and joy dependent on internal factors

· Discuss meditation and the awareness it gives you about yourself

· Explore creating time to do nothing and having both scheduled and unscheduled time

· Consider the human need for certainty and variety

· Highlight the need for joy to have intentionality

· Consider the question – how do I intend to feel today?

1. The one question we discuss is “: “How can I find more joy?”

2. The two references we look at are

· Tim Lomas et al. Happiness – Found in Translation. 2019

· Kath Wyyne-Jones. Finding Joy Within. 2022

3. The three actions to take are:

· Connect with self- notice what you’re feeling and how can you change or maintain your emotional state

· Create a ritual to start the day

· Do what you love for 30 minutes a day.

Which of these 3 actionable tips will you implement?

Leave your comments below.

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DISCLAIMER: This content does not constitute or substitute personal one-to-one professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or health care professional with questions about your health.

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Find Out More/Contact/Follow:

Guest:

Socials

www.workwithkath.co.uk

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kath-wynne-jones-leader-coach-tedx-speaker-7a828859/

Host

Newsletter:

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Website:

https://dralkapatel.com/

Socials:

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https://www.facebook.com/dralkapateluk

https://www.instagram.com/dralkapateluk

https://twitter.com/dralkapateluk

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaQrM4ryE0a38zqsednEppQ

Podcast:

https://anchor.fm/dr-alka-patel