Zestology: Live Life with Energy, Vitality, Motivation, Health, Confidence, Great Sleep, Biohacking ...

Should you call a Christmas podcast 'Best Bits'? My decision - yes. So take a listen and see if you agree that these are Zestology 'Best Bits', or maybe you'll just think they're Zestology Average Bits! Coming up. Best bits 2017 Some extra bits recorded for this podcast 2018 sneak preview, guests lined up A few thank yous I've really enjoyed this year - doing my podcast Zestology as well as my telly work with Sky. So I've compiled a review of the year. Call it Best Bits if you like. Three of my favourite Zest moments were chatting with Dave Asprey on injecting stem cells into your unmentionables!, Meghan Currie on switching off, and getting away from screens. And interviewing the author of Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus, John Gray on his trip to London. They're in here, as are many more personal highlights.

This week, a slightly different format on Zestology, it's my first ever 'Zestology Stories' podcast. And it includes Julia Immonen, a friend of mine and colleague at Sky Sports. How to deal with fear (from someone who knows) Getting outside your comfort zone An incredible breakthrough in treating migraines More great stories Having known Julia for many years, I was astonished when one day she casually announced, "I'm going to row the Atlantic". Astonished because she'd never before mentioned rowing, and you'll hear in this interview how in fact, she'd never even rowed on open water before. Genuinely crazy. We recorded the interview in our lunch break at Sky, and she told me about some terrifying moments in the middle of the Atlantic. Talk about dealing with fear. It is alongside a couple of other good stories on Zestology podcast this week featuring other short interviews that I've recorded recently.

I have given this a lot of thought recently... Is it a good idea to occasionally switch off? Obviously I work as a sports journo for Sky Sports News, and I love that. I love sport, love reading about sport, love watching sport and so on. I'm also bit of a news junkie as well, often taking part in shows on Sky News and being a pretty avid watcher when not at work. But as well as being a news junkie, I recognise the value of occasionally switching off. Getting home and stepping away from the TV and my phone. Some stories leave me feeling pretty alarmed at the moment, the state of the world I care about and it worries me. So is it ever a good idea to switch off a little? Look, I don't want news which is solely stories of cats that were lost and found. I want to be well informed and make a difference, so I'm looking for the right balance. I recorded a podcast where we explored these themes of leadership and whether we can make a difference by switching off. Tayo Rockson was on Zestology (his stuff on mentorship

I've been trying to get world tapping expert Nick Ortner on my podcast for ages. It's taken a while to persuade him! When I recorded a show with Ashley Meyer of the Energy Therapy Centre, it was one of the most popular. It's no lie to say that when I took 3 months off work because of illness, tapping was the thing that got me back on track. Now Nick has come on to give us the full tapping low down. Let's do tapping again. Importantly, in this particular podcast, we have a full tapping demo. It's great! (NB - do not drive while listening to the demo itself or operate heavy machinery.) Enjoy - and hope you feel good after!

The last of my LA podcasts is out today. Ah, LA. It seems quite a long time ago now, that Californian heat and the sunny places, people and personalities.  They include Dr. Dan Pompa. He coaches many from around the world with what are considered unexplainable illnesses back to health. And he does this, by helping you to detox. In today's podcast we cover loads of stuff, but the bits about tap water are particularly illuminating. Let me know what you think about that. And for more on whether tap water is good for you or not (clue: it's not), here's Dr. Pompa's article on tap water. We also covered...  Vaccines Glyphosate - ugh Kids on autism spectrum Detoxing lead / mercury  

A couple of weeks ago I was in LA for the Bulletproof Biohacking Conference. You've probably seen various selfies on social media. I went over there to write a piece for Balance magazine and record for Zestology on going Back To The Future, with the world's most famous biohacker Dave Asprey. How does this guy do it?  Dave sat across from me, and he looked healthier and younger – way younger – than the last time I saw him ten months ago. He’s more toned, his guns are bigger than mine – I’m especially unhappy about that - the lines on his face are smoother, and hang on, he appears to have youthful dimples in his cheeks. Like a 20-something. Where did the dimples come from? He definitely didn’t have them at the start of the year. Ordinarily the first thing that would spring to mind is botox. But this is the man with a stated aim of living to the age of 180. And in his words, he’s not into sticking rat poison into his face. There is no beating around the bush. I need to know. We’re starting with the dimples. Firs

I love a walking meditation. Even if you are just fully present while walking it makes such a difference. Today's podcast is with a returning Strictly winner who's now all about meditation. And we walked and talked in this podcast. Camilla Dallerup won Strictly Come Dancing after six series with Tom Chambers in 2008. She's now an author and meditation teacher living in LA, and when she was in London recently she came on Zestology. We agreed to do a return version in LA while we walked... so here it is, recorded walking along the seafront in Santa Monica, and popping onto the pier at the same time. 

I'm back from LA now. What a trip. The Bulletproof Conference was a chance to reconnect with friends and meet some new ones too.  Many of the recommendations at the conference are pretty much the complete opposite of what we are taught growing up about wellness. It can seem overwhelming. Butter is okay, nicotine’s okay too (but certainly not smoking), and so on. But many other hacks seem to be a mixture of the futuristic and the primal. As well as eating plenty of veggies, most of those gathered in LA are big fans of meditation and getting some natural sunlight in the morning. Hardly anything particularly revolutionary about that. Light is a drug - eh? Light is a big theme at the conference. Some speakers talk about how light affects your brain like a drug. Experts and exhibitors alike look at adapting your environment so that the lights help you to perform at your best, especially if you live somewhere cold, damp and grey, (sound familiar?). As well as our dearth of natural sunlight in a northern hemisphere

Dom D'Agostino on Ketosis - the most googled diet of this year #140 This podcast is with the world's biggest expert in Ketosis - Dom D'Agostino. He's an absolute legend and I'm thrilled to be able to chat to him about so many important aspects of Keto, how to get into it, the benefits and the pitfalls and so on. Thanks Dom! I've been in ketosis for many months. My reasons: Well not weight loss (although I've toned up - he says modestly), but for decreased inflammation, better digestion, improved skin and sharp thinking, And all that is working quite well. I'm really enjoying it, but it takes a month of feeling a little tired (they call it the Keto Flu) when you first get into it. At least that's what happened to me. Want more details? Check out today's podcast. 

If magnesium is so good for us, why don’t we ever hear about it from our doctors? Why your daily routine should include magnesium instead of 5 cups of coffee. Don't have a socially awks moment by buying the wrong kind of magnesium! Why is magnesium supplementation so important? It can help with Anxiety and depression, sleep, energy levels, stomach problems, nerve problems and heart issues. And apparently almost all of us are deficient in it. So why aren't we all supplementing with magnesium? Well if you've had problems like the ones mentioned, you might want to listen in. Today's Zestology expert is Dr. Carolyn Dean, the world's foremost expert on magnesium supplementation. She'll explain how magnesium can help with all of the above, and most importantly, what supplements to take and what NOT to take. (Clue: if you go to the store and buy basic magnesium tablets, they may well have an unwanted and socially awks effect. You need the right kind.)

This is ZestHacks - the new mini Zestology midweek podcast. If you are interested in stuff that will make you feel more energised, motivated and awesome - then you'll enjoy these gadgets/supplements/lifestyle hacks for more energy. The Human Charger is a revolutionary device is for your well-being and channels bright light directly to the light-sensitive regions of the brain, right where it is needed the most. Namely, your lug holes. So what happened when I used it on my 'Go West' round the world trip... always travelling west? Listen for more...

Ketosis - I'm not going to lie, it's not easy. It took me a good 6 weeks to feel comfortable with the diet. But now I'm feeling sharp, enjoying not feeling bloated after meals, and even have got rid of the love handles. So I've done a podcast on how to get into keto quickly with an absolute expert in his field - Dr Anthony Gustin. PS - I'm not doing this diet to lose weight. I'm doing it to increase energy, decrease inflammation, and generally feel awesome. But weight loss and toning up has come too. (He says modestly.) Always consult your practitioner before embarking on a new diet - especially ketosis which does require some adjustments in terms of supplements.

New Stuff Friday has been renamed! Thanks for all the feedback and suggestions. It's now ZestHacks. If you are interested in stuff that will make you feel more energised, motivated and awesome - then you'll enjoy these gadgets/supplements/lifestyle hacks for more energy. I've been recording one of my new Friday podcasts on Blue Blocking glasses. They're effective for helping you to produce melatonin at night, sleep better and so on. Problem is - some of the blue-blocking glasses around aren't exactly stylish. Wearing stupid glasses in the name of bringing you this information. I'm so good to you. ps - check instagram.com/tonywrighton for just how hideous blue-blockers can be!

Question - what is the first thing you do when you wake up? If you're like the majority of people, it may well be checking your phone. Okay, okay, I'm happy to admit occasionally that's me too. Thing is, it turns out that filling your brain with your Facebook feed/emails/pictures of fluffy dogs on instagram isn't necessarily the best thing for your brain. Jeff Sanders is the author of a bestselling book called 'The 5am Miracle'. And he reckons that if we get up at 5am (whoaa), we'll all be properly on it and achieve more, be happier, and so on.  It sounds like a kind of hell to me, but I'm keeping an open mind in the interview. He someone who massively values energy, so I'm willing to listen to what he has got to say. Listen now, ready for your 5am alarm call tomorrow. Hmmm, maybe.

I love a gadget. And I've invested in quite a few to help me measure my ketone levels. So... (drumroll) NEW STUFF FRIDAY (working title - still) is back. And here is the second one. If you've ever been interested in some new stuff that helps you live with more energy, vitality and motivation, have a listen. If you have any thoughts on it, then message me in the usual places.

Biohacking what is it? Why do I bang on about biohacking What I've been up to recently and my latest obsession My mates sometimes take the mickey out of me for using the word biohacking. That's okay. I am quite easy to take the mickey out of! But Biohacking can be quite an interesting way of improving your energy, wellness, performance and athletic levels. What is biohacking? There are probably plenty of fancy explanations for what biohacking is. Let me try a simpler one. Biohacking is about tweaking your diet and lifestyle to be the best version of yourself. Here's a good article about biohacking. I've used biohacking to get healthier, focus more effectively and lots more stuff. So I wanted to do a podcast about it with this fella. A former fitness model, Ryan Munsey has created and sold a performance training facility (House of Strength), written for leading fitness publications (Men’s Fitness, T-Nation, EliteFTS) is a member of the Men’s Health Fitness Council, and spends his days as the Chief Optimizer

I've been mulling doing a new Friday feature called (drumroll)  NEW STUFF FRIDAY Where I try out new stuff that helps you to live with more energy and motivation. It's a name that does what it says on the tin, if you've got a better one though, feel free to send it over! So here it is, the first NSF (catchy eh!), it might be shortlived, but let's see :)

He's back. Friend of the show and full of wisdom - Dr. Stephen Simpson is today on Zestology and we are talking the surprising effects of music, and how it can help you to chill, and feel happier. You'll want to fire up a new Spotify playlist after listening to this. Dr. Stephen Simpson is an Elite Performance Coach, medical doctor, and NLP expert who specialises in a fascinating field. He's developed the niche of helping poker players win more money. He also has released his own music with a twist... 

This week's podcast is with the awesome Drew Canole. It was a simple green juice from a friend on a particularly stressful afternoon at work (he used to be in finance) that changed his life entirely. He is now a rockstar in the world of fitness, nutrition, and mindset, with a huge heart for others and doing his part to transform the world, one person at a time. We talk...  The best way to eat healthy on the road The humble weed that could change your life What happens when you go on a six month meditation retreat?

The cool thing about functional health solutions is that sometimes they can provide you some answers when a visit to a conventional doctor leaves you scratching your head. I found that out a few years ago when I got sick, and so did my friend Celest who I've interviewed this week. This week's podcast