The Wellness Scoop - How to Feel Happier at Work, Age Better & Rethink Protein

Episode Date: July 20, 2026

Can a five-minute walk every hour really make you happier and more productive? Why are scientists warning that today's under-50s may be ageing faster than previous generations? And have we finally reached peak protein? This week, we unpack the latest research on movement, biological ageing and early-onset cancer, explore the Dutch tradition helping raise some of the happiest children in the world, and ask whether the protein obsession has gone too far—from "protein washing" to a global whey shortage. To get 30-days free on The Way App, head to ⁠thewayapp.com/wellnessscoop⁠ Send your questions for our weekly Q&A to ⁠⁠⁠[e-mail]⁠⁠⁠ For more from Rhi and Ella:  Order your copy of Ella's new book: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Quick Wins: Healthy Cooking for Busy Lives⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Order your copy of Rhi's new book: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Fibre Formula⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sign up to ⁠⁠Rhitrition+⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Hulu original series Furious is coming to Disney Plus, starring Emmy Rossum. Furious follows FBI agent Alice Black on the hunt for a mysterious and calculating serial killer. Both walk their own paths toward justice, and as their lives start to intertwine, the line between right and wrong begins to blur. Don't miss the three-episode premiere of the Hulu original series Furious on July 27th, only on Hulu on Disney Plus. This episode is brought to you by Accenture. When your advertising operations fall out of sync, everything else follows.

Spotify and Accenture are working together to reinvent the rhythm of ad sales, using automation, analytics, and smarter workflows to simplify campaign delivery and access better data across the business. The result? Less time spent on operations, more time connecting brands with the moments and fandoms that matter most. Learn more at Accenture.com slash Spotify. genuinely so excited about today's sponsor because it's the way. Honestly, if you have listened to me any time over the last few months, you know I've become a little bit evangelical about this app and I honestly recommend it to everyone. My friends, my family, people on Instagram, everyone. And she recommended it to me so it's true. I've heard so much about it. It's just because it has

had such a big impact on me. I've meditated on and off for 15 years or so now, but using the way it's honestly the first time we've become so consistent with this daily practice. And I've just seen the most unbelievable results as a result of that. The app is just incredible. And what I love is every day you open it and there's a meditation waiting for you. So you don't scroll that you don't have to choose between hundreds of options. There's no wondering what to do. It just takes you on a path.

Well, I think that's why it works so well because, you know, most of us just don't need more big decisions every day to make, Ella. No, exactly that. We've got decision fatigue, haven't we? So this is so nice because you just follow this path of meditation, which is led by Henry, the founder, who's just the most amazing teacher. And he makes it seem somehow just incredibly simple, but exceptionally profound at the same time, which is a very rare skill. And I've been using it too. Yes, I've now finally begun a meditation journey.

And I've been doing some of the shorter practices on busy days because I completely understand why you talk about it so much, Ella. It really is a nice intro in for me. Yeah, it is. so glad. Anyway, it's helped me feel so much calmer, less reactive, more present. It all sounds like huge claims, but I just say, please, please, please try it if you're struggling with stress or overwhelm. You just got to give it a go. And the lovely thing is that everyone listening can definitely try it themselves. Exactly. So you can get a 30-day free trial, so just try it every day for a month. It'll change your life. All you do is head to thewayapp.com forward slash wellness scoop.

Yeah, that's thewayapp.com. forward slash wellness scoop welcome to the wellness scoop your weekly dose of health and wellness inspiration and as always we're both here as your host today i'm lmels and i'm ryanne and lambert and after a decade in the wellness industry we know that it can be incredibly overwhelming and confusing and that's why we're here with our podcast to cut through the noise and make healthier living simple fun and personal so welcome guys we have got such a jam-pack show as i'm Unbelievable. Marie, will you run us through quickly what is coming up today? I definitely can. Jam-packed is the right word for today. We have got the five-minute walk that

could boost your mood and productivity. And then why scientists think that today's under 50s are aging faster, then the Dutch tradition that's helping raise happier and healthier children. And have we reached peak protein? I cannot wait to delve into this one and what protein washing actually really means. And then the wellness trend that's become trademarked, Ella. So we have got a big one. And I believe you've got a pickup, first of all, from our conversation on meta glasses. Yes, we have, you know, if you were listening a few weeks ago, Ria and I were talking about the kind of dystopian black mirror, quite nerve-wracking element of these new meta glasses that Kylie Jenner, amongst others, is advertising where you can kind of walk down the street and take photos of people. but really important that we had two listeners who emailed in about this and it feels incredibly important.

Sophia said that I totally agree that those that are cited, it doesn't make a lot of sense to me. However, I work for the charity guide dogs for New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory. And our clients use those glasses as a mobility aid. Think about it like this. The glasses can describe what's in front of a person. So let's say they're looking for the eggs in the supermarket. the glasses can read out what's in front of them. Or they want to know what date their food expires.

For example, with their chicken, the glasses can help them there too. They also help the person wearing them, let them know that there's a person with a dog walking towards them so they can prepare if that's a problem. Assistive technology is an area that's growing for people who are blind or have low vision. So more things might come out that benefit blind people, but sighted people, I agree, should be marketed for different uses. I thought that's really, really cool. And sometimes with these technologies, it's easy to see.

it one way, but actually being reminded of the other ways it's so important. He had a very similar message from another listener who said, I totally agree they can seem troubling or kind of black mirror, but I wanted to give you a positive example. My dad is legally blind due to a genetic condition. He's been losing his eyesight gradually since I was very young and he was in his mid-30s. My siblings and I gave him a pair of thematic glasses for his last birthday and they've allowed him not to rely on others to read things like a menu for him when out for dinner. It'll tell him what he's looking at when he's unable to tell, has read books and documents to him and so on.

They've really given him a huge jolt of hope. Anyway, I love that. It just shows everything has a positive. It's made me really happy and warm and fuzzy, is that type of feeling because what would be incredible meta is if you then worked with some particular charities or associations to make these glasses available for everybody, that is living with sight loss or a condition like this,

wouldn't that be a remarkable thing for META to do, Ella, because it sounds like that is a massive positive for that particular community. So thank you for sharing that. But yeah, for the rest of us, it does freak me out still ever so slightly. But for that, very, very lovely to hear. What a wonderful invention for that purpose. I totally agree. We also had a funny message from Andy.

We've been talking, obviously, about maxing. and I think I was pretty clear that I'm a bit fed out with maxing. And he said, isn't that alleged you suggesting average maxing? I was like, well, maybe I am. You know, it's that whole good enough idea. And so maybe I am advocating for good enough maxing. I love the concept of average maxing. Can we make the word average just sound a bit more less average?

Do you know what I mean? Can we really big up this word? Do you know what? I so agree. Being average is so great. Like, isn't it's normal. It's like run of the mill. It's just like good enough.

I think good enough is such an important thing. People talk about it a lot in parenting, but I think it goes so far beyond that. And on that, good enough, really cool. As you guys know, if you've been listening, we're working with the app, the way, which I'm obsessed with. You guys know, I'm about to hit 2,000 minutes

of meditation through the app, which I'm really proud of. But I had a look at the dashboard and our wellness scupers over the last couple of weeks have spent about 30,000 minutes meditating, which is so cool. I just wanted to shout that out. Well done, guys. I love it.

That is incredible, everybody. I was also at Happy Place of Fern Cosses Day and had someone mentioned this app as well at the book signing and we had lots of wellness scupers saying thank you for the podcast and we're really enjoying the recommendations. So that is a fantastic achievement, everybody. Well done. Ella, how has your week been? Yeah, do you know what? Quickly though, actually, if you want to do it and try it for 30 days for free, it's just the way app.com slash wellness scoop 10 out of 10 recommend but um my week has been so good weird actually are very anxious today about a whole manner of different things like I think it's that whole thing that so many of us myself very much included a terrible with uncertainty and not knowing what's happening

with our lives and I feel like personally professionally just on lots of different levels I've got that today and I actually feel completely all over the shop and do you know what I think it's okay to acknowledge it and sometimes realize that that's the different place we can sit within and live within. Otherwise, you know, no one's in a constant state of being okay. We all fluctuate and go up and down. But you really start to realize different things. You know, health is wealth as a saying I really like as you know, you get older and you think about that more. You know, the word average, once again, our average maxing, you know, the stability and the normality of life is something we can just take for granted, I think, sometimes.

And then when it's there, we just don't notice, do it? It's like when you have a poorly tummy, you know, when you've got a sickness bug, and then you're so relieved the day it passes, and then you remember what it's like to feel normal, and you appreciate it. Yeah, no, it really is. My husband had a bit of a health care, and we ended up in the hospital on Friday. Anyway, I met him there from work, and he was just like, God, just really, like, remind you.

It's really the only thing they're at is the end of the day. Anyway, it is. And you know what, Ella deals with everything so phenomenally incredibly well. It must be also, I think it must be the meditation as well as everything else being level-headed. But it makes a big difference. I had a very, I don't know how to describe it. An interesting week, Ella, with this talk that I attended that I remember discussing with you before I went. Because I was on Ming and Airing. I was invited to a Guardian roundtable event that you probably can all read now in the paper actually, but, the time this episode has aired on children's nutrition. And it was a very intimate roundtable with some key players in the children nutrition sphere. We both have a mutual friend there, didn't we, Ella, as well. We had the CEO of Tesco, obviously the hero group, the vice president of Donon in Europe, British Nutrition Foundation CEO, Elaine, who I know well, the MDB of Nestle, We had charities there like Byback, who we've mentioned before that had more of an activation charity, kids food and drink collective, diabetes UK, Nesta, British Heart Fund, Ocean Cancer Research, you name it. We were all there. And I felt very honoured to be there to have this conversation. But what really dawned on me, Ella, from it is that everybody does genuinely want to achieve the same collective goal of improving nutrition in this country for children.

So in the UK, it's acknowledged that once a child hits the age of three, there's kind of no guidance, especially when it comes to supermarket navigation, packaging, advice for parents, how to progress out of that stage of toddlerhood into school-aged children up to teens throughout the entire spectrum. And I was chatting to Ashwin, who's the CEO of Tesco, about various different roles that they want to. try and adapt to make a change in this area. But what was very clear that really saddened me, Ella, is that with all these incredible voices in the room, there was no one that owns this area in this country. I know that's what's so interesting. So speaking to my colleague who runs the Hero Group in the UK,

their business, which is who knows, Deliciousiella. And I've worked with her since she joined us the very beginning of the Deliciousielder journey in 2016. And this is exactly what she was saying. And it's so true, which is that like there's no, place in British supermarkets where you would go. I mean, we have similar age children. And if you're doing lunch boxes and things like that, they're all scattered in different bits of the supermarket. And the problem, you know, I always find when I go into them, the supermarket with the kids,

is then they see all the Harry Bow and they see all the like adults crisps and then they want them. And so I end up trying to shepherd my kids into like the baby and toddler area where I'm like, guys, you can choose anything. Because I'm like, you know, whether they're perfect or not, it's one question, but like, they're not loaded with like insane amounts of UPFs or insane amounts of sugar. So I'm like, I would rather, anyway, so they end up eating like toddler snacks. Often, I mean, not always, but like often, because I'm like, at least then you have the sense of choice. Whereas otherwise, if you go down all these main aisles, all they want is complete junk.

It's a real conundrum that I feel on one end, you've got massive companies. like Donon that say, well, we've met 90% of our high fat salt sugar targets. And we're just waiting to be told now by a government, what do you want us to do next? You know, just tell us, we'll jump, how high we'll do it. Then you've got other companies that are much more reserved, I would say, the Nestle's and sorts of things. And then you had the suggestion of the, how do we navigate the supermarket aisles. And one of the good examples that Ashwin used from Tesco, and this was chair by Rosamondine, who's an incredible journalist at The Guardian, and he raised the whole when

confection we used to be at Tills. And he said, what we didn't like for our customers was that we were almost causing these awful situations between moms and children. And he did generalize and say it's a mum. Of course, it could be a dad. It could be a caregiver. But, you know, either way, he said the minute we saw the impact, this was happening, you know, to families that are coming in, the peer pressure, the constant arguments, the horrendous situation to the till. And once we'd remove that policy, of course, which was one positive thing in the UK, wasn't it? Do you remember when that confectionery went from the end? I'm not saying it's perfect now.

We know there's so many issues. But he admitted the choices we make as retailers as people in charge really filtrate all the way down to the very bottom of anybody that shops here. We can influence and we have the power to influence positive nutrition. That was interesting. But then the conversation from the Tony Blair Institute, so we had a representative from there, really went back to GLP-1s. And it was quite quick Ella,

and it was quite interesting how, also none of them knew the stats that I'd reeled off about, you know, 8 to 6% of kids don't get enough fiber, how much UPF is being consumed. That seemed to be quite a shocking revelation when I shared them around the table. And the rollout of NHS GLP-1s has been so shockingly bad that I feel that was also a major part of the conversation

because of how shopping baskets are changing when you're on JLP ones and they think that could be a positive way of changing the structure of the supermarket. Anyway, it was a humongous discussion and you will read a far more eloquent write-up of that by Rosamond in The Guardian, I'm sure. And then when we get it,

we can also perhaps feature again what Ella and I, what our views are within it. But what I really had hoped was that there'd be someone kind of guiding this conversation that I'm campaigning for, you know, better children's nutrition. And I've realized very much that it does take a few voices to stand up to try and shift a movement. And it's a sad realization, actually, when you think about it. I also do agree that it's likely that the GLP ones will shift the supermarkets,

because ultimately they need to have consumer spending power move. And the more, you know, like we said how meal deal is then the hard-boiled eggs are out-selling McCoys, the more that's happening, the more space they'll be able to give to hard-billed X, essentially, this crisp. So, yeah, it's going to be so interesting. Obviously, they've just come out in pill form as we speak only a few days ago. So this will be really interesting to see. Anyway, so much to talk about at the moment. It's insane. I'm going to just recap you on one thing from my side, which, as I told you, I was struggling with the kids and screens and watched it in the summer. So we are having, It's probably a little bit, not entirely accurate, but I'm going to call it a screen-free summer, essentially.

So we're like week two now. Oh, my gosh, it's amazing. So I put up about it on Instagram. I had so many people say, either give great advice or say, like, I need to do this as well. I just found everyone is so different. Look, I've spent so many of the last few years trying to regulate my own emotions and limit my own screen time with my children, and what I see is the issue is not sitting down and watching Zootropolis or, you know, like Madagascar. Those are not the issues. Those are great. I think they're really great. They're

amazing movies. We sit as a family. We watch them. They have a beginning and an end. You're at home all day. That's great. And we're going to continue to do that. But we keep the controller. So like we actually sit down and you have the attention span and you watch the plot unfold and then it ends. The TV's off. and we go back to our day. And what we're not going to do is this like, you know, the Netflix issue of like it's just you can change shows every four minutes. So it's no unstructured TV time. A couple of times a week we will sit down and watch a movie together.

We keep the controller. But otherwise, no screens. And as I said, a couple of weeks in their personalities are so different. The amount of creative play that's happening. And to start with, it felt like such a huge effort on our part. And this morning, it's a. Sunday, we looked at each other. It's like 11 a.m. And I was like, I literally haven't parented today. Like, giving them some pancakes, that is it. I can hear them in the background, but I literally

haven't seen them. They were doing dance routines. They were doing this. They were doing that. They're like, they've made up shops. They've done so many things. And they're like, can't which TV? It's like, no, and they just go away. And for two hours, they completely seem to entertain themselves. It's like magic. I mean, I'm delighted for you because I feel like it really does ring true to that saying that children in today's generation don't know how to be bored. And from boredom stems creativity and fluidity for children. It helps them learn how to be flexible. It is amazing how when you leave them to get on with it sometimes that they've got, oh,

you know, I've got no choice. Well, let's just go play with this. Let's, let's do this. They will find a way. But I imagine if you're someone listening and your children are very addicted to the iPad, that you're thinking, oh my gosh, how do I do it? But I'm glad you shared it, Alex. I think it gives a lot of people hope that they can do that too.

All the advice I was given was you need to wait sort of four or five days. During that time, it can be quite painful. I mean, my children told me I was like the worst mom ever many times because they just, you know, they want to do something and you're saying no. And they were like, you're so strict, you're so boring and that sort of thing. But then it lessened and it lessened and it lessened. And I think the other advice was like, try and be. for part of it, like a bit more hands-on in terms of doing crafts or things that,

you know, if they're a certain age, they need a little bit more help with. Be really patient, but also empower them, you know? I know that you're creative. Like, I know you have great ideas. Go and execute them. So kind of you're, like, you trust them, you believe in them. And I think that was good advice.

And then we like bought some of those, you know, very inexpensive from Flying Tiger, like drawing boards, you know, where you can draw and then delete it. That's been great. Because they're doing like nauts and crosses and hangman, except for, I don't know if we should call it hang anymore. Been doing those of drawings, guys have been writing songs and notebooks.

Just so creative, I know. I thought you'd love that. Anyway, it's really cool. And as I said, two and a half weeks in, they're like really different children. I love that. So if you are someone listening with young children and you haven't started an iPad yet, don't do it.

I was also on the cusp. So I've only ever used it for like the film purpose for travel. And I'm really glad I hadn't introduced it yet. My kids are just a year younger than Ella's. each of them. And I was thinking, am I going to cause my boys to be behind because they don't know how to navigate screens? But my goodness me, when you even give them a phone to take a picture, they pick it up so quickly. So I'm starting to realize from hearing what Ella is sharing, what other parents are sharing. It's just not worth introducing it if you haven't done it yet.

So that is amazing how our brain can adapt. We also have, in our health headlines that matter today, quite a big pick-up, Ella, that links to how we started discussing the show back at the very beginning, actually. This is a really interesting one to talk about. And Ria and I have been chatting about this over the last few days. But obviously, you know, we want to bring you everything that you're seeing, hearing and kind of dissect it and chat about it. But it is an interesting one.

So you guys probably remember, if you've been listening for a while, us talking about or you would have seen more about him, Brian Johnson, who is this? American entrepreneur, extraordinarily successful and therefore very wealthy. And he is spending about $2 million a year on this blueprint of, I think, I mean, it's anti-aging in the most literal sense. Like he's trying to completely reverse and also uphold his biological aging and try and live forever. And there's a Netflix documentary on him and he did so much press around him.

And this all came out about 18 months ago. And he takes something wild like 200 supplements. day, as I said, he spends $2 million a year on these protocols. He's had his blood, his son's blood and like stem cells. Yeah, he's had a stem cell transplant. Very experimental to say the least. Anyway, he's been back in the headlines. Yes, he has. Now, I think what's really sad here is that it's not for positive reasons. And Ella and I do not at all take any joy in sharing anyone's negative news. I think that's really important to lay out, first of all. But it is a really important reminder for us that nobody is invincible, that we are all

human beings and we can experiment as much as we like with the world of wellness and all these new gadgets and injections and things that we discuss on this podcast all the time. But it doesn't create an invincible human being. Now, he's just been diagnosed with an autoimmune condition, autoimmune gastritis, known as AIG, which is a chronic. inflammatory condition where the immune system mistakenly attacks acid-producing cells in the stomach lining. This happened in May 2026. He was undergoing, you know, extensive testing at the time. His blood work, doing endoscopies, biopsies to try and find out what was potentially leading to low iron levels that he had. And of course, then it would have been malabsorption in the gut, which was found. And there's actually no cure for this disease, Ella.

There's no cure and he has started treatments, you know, for iron drips and B12 therapies. Of course, they're both linked to anemia and these side effects. He'll have now of this autoimmune gastritis. So I think it's just such a reminder that no matter how much money you have, wellness actually still is down to your biology, your genetics. But lifestyle, of course, plays a huge role. but how far do we go? Because no one is invincible.

I know. And it's such an important message because we were saying to each other, like there's headlines everywhere. But what should we say about it? Because I think I would say maybe wrongly. I don't know what you think we think. But I think some people are kind of like, ha. They are.

That's what the press have been responding with. I have noticed that tone. A bit like, ha ha, like, you know, sucks for you. And as you said at the beginning, it's very odd to take place. pleasure in somebody else's misery and I really like fundamentally, unsurprisingly, morally against that. So I'm really sorry for him and I don't believe by any means, you know, and I also people will be like, oh, he's caused it by it being so extreme. I've seen people, for example, say maybe it's because he's so stressed by how much he's doing

that he's caused it. I mean, look, who knows, not our role to speculate. Suffice to say, I think it is a great illustration in the fact that like you can be quote and quote perfect and you can spend your life chasing perfection. I would say, and I know you would say really, like huge cost. You know, in this documentary, he had a Netflix. He was saying like how he can't date, really, because, you know, he can't go on dates because he doesn't eat after. I can't remember what it was, but like lunchtime or so.

So he can't go on a date because he can't eat, you know, a dinner day, which is a conventional day or like a drink. So, you know, he obviously wouldn't drink anything. And so, you know, his life was sort of, you know, it was limited to a degree in terms of what you could and couldn't do by this wellness protocol. And it doesn't protect you at all costs. And I just think it is interesting in this pursuit of perfection. It doesn't make you infallible.

And that's not to take an ounce of pleasure in his pain. I'm genuinely really sorry for him. I just think that, as you said, it's a really great example of, like, you know, health and the foundations of our health are really important. And we, you know, this isn't an example of a reason. not to try and look after yourself. But I think it's also an example of like,

don't do it to the point in which, like, you don't enjoy your life anymore and you don't go out with your friends on a Friday evening and stay up late, having so much fun, because life is a balancing act and wellness shouldn't be at the expense of everything else. It's definitely something that we want to remind ourselves it's okay to be average, I think,

like we said at the very beginning, that links nicely back to let's appreciate those moments where we feel well, where we feel okay. And, you know, we can't buy our way out of certain situations with health either. And I think, I think that's really, really important that that free walk that we can do, that interaction with our friends, all the things we discuss on the Wellness Scoop is important. So it leads us on to our first headline, Ella, in a really lovely way. Do you know what, Realtea something?

It's so interesting. Last week, we were away for a few nights with Matt, my husband's best friend from when he in America, they've been friends for almost 30 years now. And he has children, he has got three children similar age to ours. Anyways, we had so much fun together, you know, but it was so interesting for those five, six days, whatever it was that we were there. You know, I was having cocktails every day, mango margaritas. You know, it was all about just being super present with our families, with the kids,

with them, you know, we don't see them very often. Lots of pizza and fries. and just, you know, staying up later. And I felt so good. And I'm not like advocate. Obviously, you know, that's not the right protocol for 365 days a year. But I do just think it's so interesting because you're so relaxed, right? You're just like so present, so there.

It's that sense of kind of connection and love for other people. And actually those are like paramount pillars of wellness. And as I said, I'm definitely not advocating like cocktails, pizzas and fries as a daily, diet, just to be clear. But it's just this interesting thing of like, you know, we can spend so much time trying to be perfect at the expense of just having a really nice time. We have to have fun. And I think as adults, you sometimes think when do I laugh? How often do I laugh? And I was like, I feel so well. And I think I feel so well because I'm so here. And I'm just having such a nice time and I'm feeling really connected to people. I couldn't agree more. Ella. I'm really, really glad that you

had a lovely holiday because I feel like we just need to remind ourselves, let's go make some more actual physical, like, in-person conversation connections because the first headline that we've got today is want to feel happier at work. You know, we're seeking this now. And the answer to this, they've said, is take a five-minute walk. And it was from the BBC, a headline that was absolutely everywhere this week that Ella found that it does sound a bit too good to be true. Yes, I love this. This is the most wellness scoop headline you could ever have, isn't it? This was in the the BBC, you know, those, that wording, but it was everywhere. And it's just so great, isn't it? Which is that most people, most adults, you know, and actually children out of school spend

so much of their day at a desk. And the advice is so straightforward. Essentially, we need to take a five-minute walk every hour. So this is from new research from a study that was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, from researchers at Columbia University and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. And this five minutes per hour was basically the sweet spot for improving mood, reducing fatigue and also helping us stay productive. Now it's a large sample size. So 19,000 adults took part in what's called a workplace movement challenge. And over 11,000 people completed the full three week study. So I would love that personally. Can I just say when I'm set down for long periods of time, I always feel so much better of once I get up or I just go for

toilet break and then I come back. Now participants first carried on with their normal routine for a week and so that would be measured before trying one of the three schedules for the following two weeks. So either a five minute walk break every 30 minutes, every hour or every two hours. And what they found was that the every 30 minutes gave the biggest improvements in mood and fatigue. Now I don't know if all of you can leave you. It's unlikely you could just leave a meeting room half an hour in when you're in a conference school or something like that. But most people found that walking every two hours was way more easier, you know, to fit into your everyday life. But it didn't have the same benefits. And I think it does just go to show when we've got, we're looking at workplace productivity

and our mental health. Oh, we just live in a society that doesn't make it easy for us to achieve being optimally happy. And also that's good for our digestion. I actually spoke about that today when I gave a talk that we sat down for too long and our poor digestive system needs to be stretched out. Yeah, exactly. And that's why this hour, like the five minutes every hour, was the winner because 30 minutes, biggest impact, but way too disruptive. And every two hours, not enough impact. And I think the idea was five minutes sweet spot has a great impact, but it's plausible, it's realistic, easy to maintain and still delivers meaningful improvements in mood, alertness and energy, and no evidence they have reduced productivity.

And you were reducing productivity at 30 minutes, as you said, it's quite hard to walk around every 30 minutes, five minutes. Anyway, I just think it's so interesting, you know, not to be too doom and gloom, but spending loads of time being very sedatory, we know it's not good for us to think to a higher risk of heart disease, type two diabetes, obesity, even some cancers. So don't like panic. It's very normal to have to sit down. But these, I think, are the little things we could try and build into our day.

Yeah, I completely agree, so I love that headline. When West Jet first took flight in 1996, the vibes were a bit different. People thought denim on denim was peak fashion, inline skates were everywhere, and two out of three women rocked, the Rachel. While those things stayed in the 90s, one thing that hasn't is that fuzzy feeling you get when WestJet welcomes you on board. Here's to Westjetting since 96. Travel back in time with us and actually travel with us at westjet.com slash 30 years.

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generation and we are seeing a decline in health. But this was one of the most interesting health stories at LRA this week as well. And a major new study was funded by Cancer Research UK and it was published in nature medicine. Now, that's an incredible, huge outlet for the most amazing research that we get today. And it did suggest that younger adults are just aging faster. Now, I wonder, Ella, with today's lifestyle, obviously, we know it doesn't support biological aging actually, because we do feel I work up against it. But it was a humongous sample, Ella, 164,000 adults in the UK and the US. And blood samples were taken from all of them. So we have to take this seriously, I think. Yeah. And it's also interesting because it follows on from

humongous headlines you will have all seen, I'm sure, and that we've talked about on this show, which is this alarming reality that more people than ever under 50 are being diagnosed with cancer. So this question of ageing comes as part of scientists racing to start to understand why is that what an earth is happening. Rather than looking at chronological aging, in this study, the research is looking at biological age, which is essentially how much wear and tear the body has accused. accumulated at a cellular, molecular level. And that includes things like chronic inflammation, DNA damage, changes to the immune system, and the body's ability to repair itself. So unlike your actual age, your biological age reflects how well your body is functioning and how much it's

influenced by factors like diet, ex-slose sleep, environmental exposure and our overall health. Gosh, when we look at this, so people who are now in their 50s showed 23% faster rate of biological or aging. And that's compared to when they were younger adults than people who are now in their 70s. So it's just significant when you think about the fact that we refer back to, I looked at a picture, for instance, the other day of I lost my grandparents when I was a teenager on my mum's side, but they looked very different to grandparents

today. You know, the hair, the dress, everything appeared like they were older, but actually in terms, internally, they may have well been biologically younger, but they weren't trying to ante-h. I mean, my grandma was definitely not trying to do it. No, it's such an interesting point where I hadn't thought about this. It's so true, which is like if you, you know, it's like I used to think when, you know, people would be like full 50s old. And now it's like, oh my God, 50's like the prime of your life.

Like a J-Lo. And exactly. And the way that I think that we collectively now dress and work and which I'm a huge advocate for and live our lives, you know, you are going, you are not old and retired. As you said, like, look at Jaila. I mean, my gosh. Anyways. And so we see much younger, I think, but that's not necessarily reflective always of what's

happening internally. And that's what's so interesting that what they found the researchers here is that the adults whose biological age was older than the actual age had a significantly high risk of developing cancer before the age of 55. and the strongest links for this specifically were early onset lung, colorectal, which we obviously know has been increasing exponentially and also uterine cancers. And that's why the authors of this study are looking at this accelerated biological aging

believe that this could help explain this global rise in early onset cancers. Now, there are many reasons where, you know, straight where my head goes to, you know, poor diets, global system, polluted air, you know, all the factors. We live in a very, very different world today to the one our grandparents did. But there's also, of course, there'll be unexplained factors that scientists are trying to pick apart. It's not black and white. And I think that's what we really need to address here as well is that since the early 1990s, cancer rates have been increasing around twice as fast in people under 50. Like we discussed with bowel cancer in the headlines in breast cancer.

And it's a trend that's also seen across the world. Now, one of the researchers said something really important, and she explained that biological aging isn't just about the number of birthdays that, you know, you've had, like we just said, it reflects the wear and tear that's happening in your body. And chronic inflammation over a prolonged period of time. So we talk about stress. You know, that is, stress is a killer, is the phrase. And it is true because, you know, chronic inflammation can weaken our immune system gradually and

that builds up in our cells. And, you know, she also stressed that the reason. Research doesn't prove that ageing alone causes cancer. Of course, it increases your risk factor. It doesn't mean that as you get older every year that you're, you know, going to suddenly develop cancer. We're just really fascinated by the fact that cancers that used to be screened for an older age, we're now campaigning to have screened for in younger ages because incident rates are so high. Yeah, exactly.

there was the former head of the World Health Organization's Cancer Program, Professor Sikora, actually said something very similar earlier in the year that I thought would be worth just adding in here because he basically pointed out that obviously our genetics haven't changed and that therefore can't explain this trend that we're seeing in terms of these huge rise in cancers under 50. Our genes haven't changed. What has changed is our lifestyles and our environment, the way that we eat, the way that we move, the exposure to pollutants, the way that we work. A whole society has changed

dramatically over the last 50 years. Anyway, it's so interesting and it's not to scare everyone, but I think it's, you know, as we were just saying, it's this delicate balance because first of all, wellness is not green powders and supplements. Wellness is, as we know, stress management, moving your body, spending time in nature, being connected to your friends and family, feeling purposeful, and eating a kind of generally healthy Mediterranean-ish style diet. That's what health is, just to be super, super clear. But equally, as we said, like, it is being connected to your friends and your family and feeling part of something. And so, you know, you don't have to be perfect. But all of the things that we talk about on here,

you know, they really matter. They really matter, everybody. Honestly, if you go back to some episodes we were streaming last summer on the ultra-process food conversation we discussed as massively that we collectively do need to address how we live our lives. There are of course massive things we can do and should do. And I do feel like as a society we have, we've lost touch of all the things that make us laugh, that make us wonderfully average, that, you know, all the things that Ella and I try and discuss on here. So it's just a nice reminder that it doesn't need, you don't need a health app or tech.

It's just those basic things once again that could help. you not become part of this statistic that's in the headlines today. I mean, sleep is often mentioned and, God, I panic about that because I just know, I don't get it. So just do what you can do, I think, Ella, in that one. Exactly that. Okay, we know we have talked a lot today, so we have a short and snappy third headline for you today. But this was just fun and cute, and we love all inspiration from a different place in the world. Dutch children are the happiest in the world, is this one traditional.

part of that this was in The Guardian. I love it because you hear so much about different places in Europe and happier nations. And we've talked before about, of course, the three-course seasonal school lunches in France and the nutritionist in Japan. But this week, this country has made the headlines because children are unusually happy and healthy. I mean, it's sad that we even have to write that, Ella, because that's honestly how, obviously, we want children to be.

but is it because of a walking ritual that they have over there. So every year in the Netherlands, around half a million people take part in the Avondavir de Saj. How would you say that, Ella? You know what? I was really glad that you took that on it. It really has a challenge. I'm not even going to try.

I loved your one. Apparently it means the four-day evening walk. And basically one week each summer, children, parents, teachers head out together over four consecutive evenings to walk either five kilometres or 10 kilometres around their local neighbourhoods. It's not a race. It's like a fun celebration of being together and being outside. Everyone apparently who completes all four walks.

Get to medal, flowers, maybe a couple of sweets at the finish. And the event takes place in over 700 communities. Anyway, I think it's so interesting because obviously it's not like, you know, it's not a race. It's not, it's about being outside as opposed to kind of structured, hardcore exercise. But it just seems like, and I think that's what the article is trying to say, and anyone listening who is based in the Netherlands or has done this, please let us know. Because I think it read to us, like, actually you're kind of just underpinning and making normal this culture where movement is fun, it's social, you know, it's way more exciting than screens. And researchers were adding in here that, you know, helps children build resilience. Obviously believing they can do hard things, creates positive association with the activity. and movement, strengthens friendship, you know, it's great quality time. Anyway, I just thought, you know, that in and of itself obviously isn't going to fundamentally change everything, but it feels indicative and reflective of a culture that's very positive

for children's health. It's a culture that I don't think exists here. It's very wholesome. It's almost got that sort of Disney-esque film, let's as a community go for a walk. You know, something that I don't feel that we have that, maybe. in some smaller villages in the UK, but most definitely not in inner city vibes. We don't seem to have that set up for families. We've got park runs and we've got park yoga as we discovered the other week.

But this wider data comes from UNICEF's latest child well-being report that did rank Dutch children as number one across all the wealthy countries anyway and number one for mental well-being. And we know very sadly in the UK that we have very poor statistics for mental health and time spent outdoors, all sorts of things. I mean, the UK ranked 21st out of 36, out of all the high-income countries. And that's for overall well-being and 27th for children's mental health. And British teenagers were joined second from bottom for life satisfaction.

Turkey, unfortunately, would blow us, but that was it. So, you know, I think inspo in many forms from many countries is clearly what we need. obviously I was talking at the beginning about trying to, yeah, get the kids off screen and, you know, do bike rides and stuff instead. But it's really hard. It feels like a bit of an uphill battle, if I'm honest. Well, it's because it's just the way society is built here. I completely agree. It's not really, I mean, there are cycle paths, but, you know, you worry about safety cycling. You worry about safety as a woman going for a walk alone at different periods of any time in the day now. you're thrown into screens.

It's just we don't seem to have that cultural aspect that some countries in Europe have really kept traditions and going strong. You know, we seem to have lost that hit. I mean, I'm going off on a whole different tangent here that could lead in a place we don't want to go. So I think we should move on to our trend today, which is an interesting one again based on walking,

but has the hot girl walk, Ella, gone too far? Has it indeed. I mean, it's funny. I feel like, which is hopefully I think, it's certainly what I think we both enjoy. Hopefully it's what you enjoy listening to. It's the kind of high brow to low brow and oscillation of everything in between where we're talking about some of the most important things in the world,

like the rise of cancer in under 50s and this huge shift we've had in our collective health. But then we're also talking about much more lighthearted things. We're in lighthearted territory here. So you guys probably remember very early on, amongus trend, the Hot Girl Walk. We loved it. We talked about it loads. And then I was listening to Reno's. I love this podcast called Shameless, in which these two brilliant Australian journalists and it's about pop culture, anyway, love it. But they, I learned about this here, which is that the Hot Girl Walk has been trademarked and apparently is sending out loads of cease and desist legal letters to

various different people, community walking groups using similar names. Anyway, it's such an interesting one because Hot Girl Walk went so viral because it was so positive. So the person that has trademarked it who created it was this American, I think she was on TikTok initially, but kind of creator on social media called Mia. And she created it, as I understand, in the pandemic, is a way to get people to get outside, to walk about four miles. And as they walked, focus on gratitude, confidence, their own goals. We, like, celebrated it as being the best wellness trend ever. And then loads of people have jumped on it being like, this is a trend, how cool we can

get community moving together. But now they're not allowed to do that because it's her trademark. And it's such an interesting balance because on a business perspective, I do understand, obviously, the need sometimes to trademark things. But equally, this just feels like one of, like, oh, I'm not sure because I'm not sure about stopping people. How can you trademark a movement? It's almost like saying I'm trademarking the squat. Do you know what I mean? It just does it doesn't feel you're not trademarking a product or a particular program or anything. Your trademarking a slogan or a saying for a movement,

an activity base, which how enough do you quantify that? I find this really, really bizarre and I actually think the actions of trademarking detract from what a wonderful movement it was and could have been. Because the reason you trademark stuff is to protect your commercial entity in order not to basically is to stop confusion for consumers, right? So obviously like Deliciousiella is trademarked so that, you know, we couldn't have deliciously Ellie selling similar snack products on the same shelf because how would consumers know, you know, which brand is which, essentially.

That's what it's meant to stop, which I do think is logical and correct, and generally speaking. But I think in this instance, I'm not sure she would argue that she's kind of protecting her income because it's, you know, got walks in lots of cities and ambassadors and a book. But you should be known enough by that point, if that's the case,

to not have to trademark an action. That's know what you think. I also have seen that Hot Girls Read has also being trademarked for things like notebooks, clothing and bookmarks. I also don't, do you know what, as much as we like the trend, I'm still not 100% down with the hot girl saying to begin with, to be honest. Can we be average girls, wall? Yeah, should we do a trademark, Hella?

Let's want a scoop. Let's do our community event and call it the average girl war. Average women do average things? Yes. Doesn't have the same ring to it, does it? It doesn't. But do you know what? I think all of your scoopers might actually quite enjoy that one.

You also have another fantastic trend that I've been really dying to delve into here, which is have we reached peak protein, Ella? Yeah, I mean, again, this was just every year, but this was funny. Obviously, you know, we know protein, protein, protein, protein. But because of that, way protein, which is one of the most popular forms and is being used in everything from like bagels and tortillas, popcorn, donuts, even Starbucks drinks. I mean, weird. But apparently in the US, supermarket's now stock almost 40,000 products and make protein claim.

So I think that explains the peak protein. But basically now the industry can't keep up. So way, which is, if you aren't sure, is this like protein-rich liquid that's left over when cheese is made, is so sought after because of this peak protein that there's global shortages experts. For me, it's another massive environmental issue as well. Sorry, you know, I'll always bring it because I just don't think it's right for the industry itself. Remember, Way comes from cows. We have such an issue for supply and demand and how we fund and fuel things. I actually got sent, Ella, this is slightly a topic and I'll go back to this discussion on Way.

Protein powders are now putting fibre and protein on their packs. So we knew it was coming, obviously. We've seen the drinks and the beverages and it is beginning as predicted. But across North West Europe, the food-grade way powder has reached around, oh my gosh, 1,469 pounds per ton, which is the highest price ever recorded after rising more than 50% since the start of this year. I mean, they've sold out for the rest of 2026. I'm honestly just absolutely dumbfounded. There's also so many other ways of adding protein to foods.

and it seems to be that way is to such a versatile ingredient. It's more palatable, of course. It's been heavily researched. It's gold standard for sports nutrition industry as a protein source in itself. So that perhaps could be why. But one founder of a UK protein brand said the cost of buying way had doubled in a single quarter. They're absorbing the cost for now because they obviously know that they're going to pass it on to their customers. Yeah.

So expect, I think, lots of. protein claim products to have big price increases coming up. And I think that probably rounds us up for today's episode where I think we really have covered every level of the spectrum of wellness. We really have. And just quickly on the protein trends, I raised protein as a distraction from national nutritional health in the roundtable event with The Guardian last week. But it does sell. And what's so interesting is if it can draw people into an aisle that is full of a nutrient dense range or something that's more balanced. That's still how supermarkets are seeing the way they have to target their consumers.

And people that don't know what health is, they say, well, if we just say protein, most people have a generic understanding that protein means it must be good for me. So it's an interesting conversation, but protein washing is going to be everywhere. There we go. What an episode, Ella. What an episode, guys. We will be back on Thursday. We'll be here.

We're going to be talking about better digestion, some diet trends. We're going to be diving a bit more into inflammation. as by your questions and also the episode today. We have some nice pickups on lots of things, some great wrecks from you, including how to make your own amazing sounding ginger drinks. So yeah, see you on Thursday. See you then.

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