The Wellness Breakdown

We are back! And we have a big topic to start the season. This week we are talking around fertility including how to check your stats, the hormonal caveats of stress, sharing our own personal experiences including egg freezing, sperm donation and young parenthood, and of course our thoughts on nutrition, lifestyle factors and supplementation. Whether you are just embarking on your fertility journey or have been on this for some time we think you will find something that resonates and may help to empower you along the way.

This podcast is sponsored by Ancient & Brave.

People mentioned include Emma Cannon https://www.emmacannon.co.uk/ and Ross J Barr https://www.rossbarr.com/

This podcast is produced by Elisa Kennedy 

And don’t forget to follow the show so you don't miss an episode. Thank you! 

Thank you for listening and if you like the show please give us a good review and follow us so you don’t miss an episode - just click on the show page and press the plus sign.
 
We also love hearing from you, so if you have a story you want to share or a suggestion or question you can email us at [email protected] or contact us on Instagram @the_wellnessbreakdown @rosemaryferguson_ and @evekalinik

We're also over on You Tube - youtube.com/@thewellnessbreakdownpod 

DISCLAIMER: All the advice and recommendations in this podcast is  given generally.  If you feel like you have any contraindications to anything we recommend please check with your healthcare provider first. 

For our special Christmas episode we invited our wonderful mums onto the pod to talk all around the festive holidays including food, booze and the emotions that can often come with this time of year. Expect funny anecdotes, shared wisdom and a few tips to help you navigate and celebrate the Christmas spirit without pressing the f&*k it button. 

Listen in to find out!

This season is kindly sponsored by Ancient and Brave. Head to https://ancientandbrave.earth

This podcast is produced by Elisa Kennedy

Thank you for listening and if you like the show please give us a good review and follow us so you don’t miss an episode - just click on the show page and press the plus sign.
 
We also love hearing from you, so if you have a story you want to share or a suggestion or question you can email us at [email protected] or contact us on Instagram @the_wellnessbreakdown @rosemaryferguson_ and @evekalinik

We're also over on You Tube - youtube.com/@thewellnessbreakdownpod 

DISCLAIMER: All the advice and recommendations in this podcast is  given generally.  If you feel like you have any contraindications to anything we recommend please check with your healthcare provider first. 

Circadian rhythm essentially refers to our biological internal clock and has a vital role in regulating our sleep-wake cycle. There has been a huge increase in studying this in relation to our overall health and well-being, most notably sleep.

We wanted to investigate further and see if light exposure and working in conjunction with our circadian rhythms can really get us better in bed!

For this episode we have asked our very special guest Sadie Frost to take on the challenge with the guidance of meditation teacher and founder of OPO app, Chris Connors.

Can working with the light and timing get Sadie into more of a circadian flow and can it help address her long-standing sleep problems?

Listen in to find out!


This season is kindly sponsored by Ancient and Brave. Head to https://ancientandbrave.earth

For more info on OPO head to @opo.app


This podcast is produced by Elisa Kennedy

Thank you for listening and if you like the show please give us a good review and follow us so you don’t miss an episode - just click on the show page and press the plus sign.
 
We also love hearing from you, so if you have a story you want to share or a suggestion or question you can email us at [email protected] or contact us on Instagram @the_wellnessbreakdown @rosemaryferguson_ and @evekalinik

We're also over on You Tube - youtube.com/@thewellnessbreakdownpod 

DISCLAIMER: All the advice and recommendations in this podcast is  given generally.  If you feel like you have any contraindications to anything we recommend please check with your healthcare provider first. 

Infrared saunas seem to be increasing in popularity with advocates championing their wide ranging benefits from better sleep, improved circulation, increased detoxification and relief from muscular pain.

Unlike a traditional sauna, infrared saunas don’t heat the air around you. Instead, they use infrared lamps (that use electromagnetic radiation) to warm your body directly.

While there are several studies and research on traditional saunas, there aren’t as many studies that look specifically at infrared saunas so this is where we come in to test it on this weeks episode and it’s Eve going under the lamps.

Can infrared saunas help improve Eve’s circulation or is it just a lot of hot air?

Listen in to find out!

This season is kindly sponsored by Ancient and Brave. Head to https://ancientandbrave.earth

This podcast is produced by Elisa Kennedy

Thank you for listening and if you like the show please give us a good review and follow us so you don’t miss an episode - just click on the show page and press the plus sign.
 
We also love hearing from you, so if you have a story you want to share or a suggestion or question you can email us at [email protected] or contact us on Instagram @the_wellnessbreakdown @rosemaryferguson_ and @evekalinik

We're also over on You Tube - youtube.com/@thewellnessbreakdownpod 

DISCLAIMER: All the advice and recommendations in this podcast is  given generally.  If you feel like you have any contraindications to anything we recommend please check with your healthcare provider first. 

Despite having its first wave of celebrity endorsement in the 90’s, pilates has been around since the 1920’s.  It was created by Joseph Pilates who famously said “in 10 sessions you feel better, in 20 sessions you look better, 30 sessions you have a completely new body”. The main premise being on strengthening core muscles around the spine and the pelvic floor with a focus on strategic working of the muscles rather than exhaustion to create length and strength alongside its signature breathing. Pilates can be done on a mat or using a reformer machine which uses springs, ropes and pulleys. Research shows that pilates can help with recovery and certain injuries, increase strength and endurance as well as improving flexibility, balance and posture.

We wanted to put it to the test and for this challenge we have literally ‘roped in’ our first guest of the season, the amazing author, integrated health practitioner and founder of her eponymous chai brand, Mira Manek to see if she found any benefits from it.

Does Mira find more flexibly, mobility and strength in her core? Or does she just want to get back to being her usual gym bunny self?

Listen in to find out!

This season is kindly sponsored by Ancient and Brave. Head to https://ancientandbrave.earth

With special thanks to @moveyourframe 

Other pilates apps mentioned in the podcast are:

• The Pilates Class by Jacqui Kingswell 
• Pilates By Bryony
• Chloe's Pilates by Chloe Hodgson 

This podcast is produced by Elisa Kennedy

Thank you for listening and if you like the show please give us a good review and follow us so you don’t miss an episode - just click on the show page and press the plus sign.
 
We also love hearing from you, so if you have a story you want to share or a suggestion or question you can email us at [email protected] or contact us on Instagram @the_wellnessbreakdown @rosemaryferguson_ and @evekalinik

We're also over on You Tube - youtube.com/@thewellnessbreakdownpod 

DISCLAIMER: All the advice and recommendations in this podcast is  given generally.  If you feel like you have any contraindications to anything we recommend please check with your healthcare provider first. 

Rebounding requires using a trampoline or trampette to essentially jump up and down as a way to improve our fitness levels -  it certainly can elevate our heart rate! Fans of this type of exercise famously include Goldie Hawn who streamed her rebounding during the lock down days. However many proponents of rebounding also claim it may help to increase endorphins that may heighten our mood and potentially help to alleviate stress.

We wanted to find out if its worth the hype so this week Eve challenges Rose to get bouncing for a week and report back. Can it give Rose a lift physically and mentally? 

Listen in to the episode to find out! 

This season is kindly sponsored by Ancient and Brave. Head to https://ancientandbrave.earth

This podcast is produced by Elisa Kennedy

Thank you for listening and if you like the show please give us a good review and follow us so you don’t miss an episode - just click on the show page and press the plus sign.
 
We also love hearing from you, so if you have a story you want to share or a suggestion or question you can email us at [email protected] or contact us on Instagram @the_wellnessbreakdown @rosemaryferguson_ and @evekalinik

We're also over on You Tube - youtube.com/@thewellnessbreakdownpod 

DISCLAIMER: All the advice and recommendations in this podcast is  given generally.  If you feel like you have any contraindications to anything we recommend please check with your healthcare provider first. 

The term ’nootropic’ is really an umbrella term for supplements (and certain meds) which can supposedly help to boost the brain’s performance and enhance cognitive functions. These may include specific vitamins, minerals, fatty acids or derived from plants, while others can be made from novel synthetic compounds in the case of prescription meds. Despite the soaring rise in popularity for these ’smarter’ supplements, it is mostly small studies that show that they can positively affect the brain and not so much in way of large controlled data. We wanted to put them to our own test and for this one Rose is setting Eve the challenge and putting her on the path to being potentially more cognitively enhanced. 

Do they actually make Eve more focused and brain sharp or is it just placebo?

Listen in to the episode to find out! 

This season is kindly sponsored by Ancient and Brave. Head to https://ancientandbrave.earth


This podcast is produced by Elisa Kennedy

Thank you for listening and if you like the show please give us a good review and follow us so you don’t miss an episode - just click on the show page and press the plus sign.
 
We also love hearing from you, so if you have a story you want to share or a suggestion or question you can email us at [email protected] or contact us on Instagram @the_wellnessbreakdown @rosemaryferguson_ and @evekalinik

We're also over on You Tube - youtube.com/@thewellnessbreakdownpod 

DISCLAIMER: All the advice and recommendations in this podcast is  given generally.  If you feel like you have any contraindications to anything we recommend please check with your healthcare provider first. 

TRIGGER WARNING: Eating disorders are discussed in this episode 

Calories are universally recognised as a means to measure the amount of energy in foods that are present on the pack of every food we buy. This has been used as a way to monitor the amount of energy we take in through our food and implemented in certain weight loss programmes. In more recent years it has gained a lot more popularity through certain apps. However whilst calories can give some indication of the units of energy in food they do not give any data on the nutritional value and quality of food which is why this method has come under more scrutiny. So much so that the phrase “calories in, calories out” for weight loss is really not that straight forward at all and has been refuted by many. We want to see if calorie counting has any validity or use in helping us to support our health and wellbeing or is it just a total waste of time?

The rules:
Rose has to count calories for a week using an app which will have been calculated according to her age/height/weight and meet the target amount over the course of the week. She has to upload everything she eats and drinks for the duration of the week and note how she is feeling throughout the week both physically and mentally.

Does she find this useful or just a way to feed into a dysfunctional relationship with our food?

Listen in to find out!

This season is kindly sponsored by Ancient and Brave. Head to https://ancientandbrave.earth


This podcast is produced by Elisa Kennedy

Thank you for listening and if you like the show please give us a good review and follow us so you don’t miss an episode - just click on the show page and press the plus sign.
 
We also love hearing from you, so if you have a story you want to share or a suggestion or question you can email us at [email protected] or contact us on Instagram @the_wellnessbreakdown @rosemaryferguson_ and @evekalinik

We're also over on You Tube - youtube.com/@thewellnessbreakdownpod 

DISCLAIMER: All the advice and recommendations in this podcast is  given generally.  If you feel like you have any contraindications to anything we recommend please check with your healthcare provider first. 

Liver cleanses and detoxes can be big business in the wellness industry. Essentially these various programmes or protocols are based around the notion that they promise to 'rid the body of various toxins’. Despite some quite bold claims there is virtually no scientific evidence to back this up. There are many different interpretations of what these cleanses look like including the ‘liver flush’ which includes drinking a cocktail of ingredients designed to do just that. However pseudoscience a lot of these are, is there a bigger question of looking to support our liver health more generally? We wanted to dig into this. So in this episode Rose challenges Eve to follow a 3 day protocol including an…erm…delicious drink?!

The rules: For 3 days Eve has to cut out all caffeine, alcohol and sugar and eat vegetables, wholegrain, fruit, nuts & seeds and protein in the form of chicken, fish and pulses. She also has to have a daily 'liver flush’ drink.

Does Eve notice any benefits at all or is it just another ridiculous fad? 

Listen in to find out!

This season is kindly sponsored by Ancient and Brave. Head to https://ancientandbrave.earth

This podcast is produced by Elisa Kennedy

Thank you for listening and if you like the show please give us a good review and follow us so you don’t miss an episode - just click on the show page and press the plus sign.
 
We also love hearing from you, so if you have a story you want to share or a suggestion or question you can email us at [email protected] or contact us on Instagram @the_wellnessbreakdown @rosemaryferguson_ and @evekalinik

We're also over on You Tube - youtube.com/@thewellnessbreakdownpod 

DISCLAIMER: All the advice and recommendations in this podcast is  given generally.  If you feel like you have any contraindications to anything we recommend please check with your healthcare provider first. 

Acupuncture is based on an ancient Chinese medicine philosophy using needles to trigger specific points in order to influence areas of the body and to bring into alignment ‘qi’ which refers to the body’s life-giving force. Despite this sounding a little woo woo to some people the anecdotal evidence is vast and there are more and more scientific studies to demonstrate its effects on chronic pain, hormone balancing and reducing stress. 

So with this in mind we wanted to see if it can be a point in the right direction and this is the challenge for this week’s episode. 

The rules: Rose has to go for 1 acupuncture session every week for 4 weeks.

Can this help address Rose’s longstanding shoulder injury and help balance some of the stressors in her life? Or does it live up to her rather sceptical expectations? 


Listen in to find out!

This season is kindly sponsored by Ancient and Brave. Head to https://ancientandbrave.earth


Acupuncture name checks:

Rose visited her local acupuncturist Richard Agnew - https://richardagnew.co.uk/

People and practises also mentioned in the show @rossjbarrclinic @kookantherapy 

This podcast is produced by Elisa Kennedy

Thank you for listening and if you like the show please give us a good review and follow us so you don’t miss an episode - just click on the show page and press the plus sign.
 
We also love hearing from you, so if you have a story you want to share or a suggestion or question you can email us at [email protected] or contact us on Instagram @the_wellnessbreakdown @rosemaryferguson_ and @evekalinik

We're also over on You Tube - youtube.com/@thewellnessbreakdownpod 

DISCLAIMER: All the advice and recommendations in this podcast is  given generally.  If you feel like you have any contraindications to anything we recommend please check with your healthcare provider first.