There’s nothing like those positive health podcasts to keep you company when you’re commuting to work, cooking dinner and enduring a long solo car journey. It may feature an interview with your favourite celebrity or give you handy tips on how to nix anxieties should they arise.
If you’re wondering where to find good podcasts for women, that’s fair enough, but just know that there are plenty of topics that don’t just apply to females – whether it be a sleep podcast, women’s health podcast, or meditation podcast – anyone can enjoy tuning into a subject they want to know more about.
And it’s not just us who like to plug in and take a few moments for ourselves. Our columnist Andrea McLean listens to them to encourage her to exercise: “Find a podcast you enjoy, then you’ll have something to look forward to while you’re exercising.”
Ferne Cotton: Her happy place
Former cover star and Happy Place podcast host Fearne Cotton says recording her episodes are a great way to open up the wider conversation around mental health, which has resulted in her guests, often high-profile themselves, feeling comfortable in sharing their own difficulties with addiction, self-esteem and the pressures social media can sometimes bring.
Celebrity health podcasts don’t get much better than this, and it was even nominated in the ‘Acast moment of the year’ category in the podcast awards 2020, we’ll have you know.
“Often, if I know that person then I’ll speak to them beforehand, like James Bay for instance. He came to my house before the recording and we decided on what would be good to talk about because I’d never spoken to him about his private life,” says Fearne.
“Before we start recording, I always tell the guest that they have full editorial control. It’s a collaboration. I don’t want to interview my guests and make them feel that they have to tell me the stuff I ask. If they want something to be chopped out, then we can go back and edit.
“But weirdly, because I’ve set that precedent, no one has ever asked to have anything removed. I just want people to feel comfortable, and because I’m pretty open, they’re willing to be as well.”
Health podcasts: What you can learn
Not only do they help us to learn something new, starting a podcast can be a great way of dealing with loneliness that a lot of us are experiencing at the moment due to the onset of the pandemic, as Dr Roopak Khara explains: “Despite the popularity of social media, loneliness remains a significant problem which has been exacerbated by the restrictions of the pandemic. Consider listening to a podcast – there are many different varieties and can help pass the time. You never know, you may learn something new.”
What podcasts should I listen to?
On that note, we’ve rounded up the best motivational podcasts that’ll keep your brain occupied and your ears will enjoy in the process.
Walk To Wellbeing
Call us bias, but we couldn’t not include our very own podcast from Health & Wellbeing magazine. In each of our episodes, you’ll join one of our celebrity friends who will take you with them on one of their favourite walks, sharing their wellness journeys as they go.
Expect to hear about little tricks, big life lessons and perhaps a few secrets that have made all the difference to their health and happiness.
We’ve created this podcast so that every episode is perfectly shaped for you to listen to whenever you step out your front door. So wherever you are in the world, or whatever headspace you’re in, someone is always waiting to head out on a gentle stroll with you. Our goal is to inspire you to pull on those trainers, soak up the benefits of getting active outside, and learn a few tips to help you feel great every single day.
Giovanna Fletcher and Amanda Wakeley kicked off season 3 – listen here.
Postcards from the Edge
Ayda Williams returns to podcasting with season two of her hilarious series Postcards From The Edge. This series will see Ayda and her guests explore what pushes you to the edge while, as Ayda says, “having a good old natter”.
Ayda – actress, mother, TV personality and wife of Robbie Williams – launched her podcast in 2020 for a light-hearted look at the cultural differences between the US and UK.
This season sees Ayda chat with several health, fitness and wellness experts including Wim Hof, Ella Woodward (Deliciously Ella), and American personal trainer and fitness expert, Jillian Michaels.
Listen to the first episode here.
Calmer You
This is a great downtime as far as health podcasts go. It’s hosted by anxiety expert Chloe Brotheridge, author of The Anxiety Solution, and gives guidance and inspiration on how to be your calmest, happiest and most confident self.
The topics range from overcoming imposter syndrome to body image, body confidence as a woman, and mindfulness, and it features top guests and leading experts, including our columnist Dr Megan Rossi, Madeleine Shaw and Melissa Hemsley.
You can expect practical tools, expert interviews, encouragement and a reminder that you’re not alone. Visit calmer-you.com to find out more.
Run Pod
This podcast tops the best running podcasts out there. Jenni Falconer has recorded episodes with brilliant guests, including Dame Kelly Holmes and Jason Flemyng, who told her what it was like to run the London Marathon with Jason Statham, who turned up having done no training!
Thanks A Million
It turns out that when we really look inside of ourselves, there’s a lot to be thankful for, which former cover star Angela Scanlon champions by chatting to the famous faces we know and love, including Fearne Cotton, Joe Lycett and Jameela Jamil.
Katie Piper’s Extraordinary People
Our former cover star interviews inspirational people who have turned incredible adversity into powerful positivity.
The Deliciously Ella Podcast
It’s no surprise that this tops the podcast charts. Following the success of the Deliciously Ella empire, it covers a wealth of subjects, including plant-based nutrition, sleep and wellbeing.
The Power of 10
Decathlon’s new podcast has recently hosted the likes of Aljaz Skorjanec, Colin Jackson and Kirsty Gallacher, and features how fitness has played a huge role in their wellbeing.
Living Life Well
So many of Simone Thomas’s patients have suffered for years with various health concerns. This podcast addresses all of your health concerns in a fun, engaging and personal way, taking the stigma out of those often taboo health topics.
It’s Complicated: Untangling the Relationship with our Phones
Digital detox expert Tanya Goodin’s podcast, launched in 2019, features one-to-one interviews with high-profile individuals from the worlds of health, media, business and art, who spend most of their working lives online.
The guests talk candidly about their phone habits and share tips and tricks that have worked for them.
Bites of Nature
Hosted by Jasmine Hemsley – a nutrition expert turned podcast producer – this podcast offers mindful bite-sized moments of nature to increase happiness, wellbeing and decrease stress. Help yourself be inspired by botanists, windsurfers and rock climbers too.
Sounds a Bit Woo Woo To Me
This psychology podcast takes a deep-dive look into alternative therapies, spiritual practices and holistic wellbeing approaches. Hosted by yoga teacher Becky Taylor, each week she explores a topic that might be considered ‘a bit woo woo’.
How To Fail by Elizabeth Day
This Elizabeth Day podcast celebrates the things that haven’t gone right, joined by special guests who candidly share their biggest failures and how they ultimately make us stronger.
The Food Medic podcast
Our columnist Dr Hazel Wallace has sourced the best expert guests in the world to help cut through the noise of all the pseudoscience that’s out there today to help listeners live a healthier, happier lifestyle – it’s definitely one of our favourite health podcasts.
Food for Thought podcast
Hosted by Rhiannon Lambert, this podcast is in its tenth season, and for good reason. On a mission to simplify wellness, this leading nutritionist explores a variety of health topics. We can learn fact from fiction and feel empowered by the choices we make around food for a healthier plate; whether that’s for weight loss, a healthier immune system, or to improve chronic illness and gut health, diabetes or other aspects of health care.
