The Wellness Scoop - Sugar Cravings, Protein Shakes & The Secret to Better Sleep

Episode Date: December 15, 2025

This week we’re diving into the health stories you’ll actually want to know about as we head into mid-December. We’re unpacking why sugar cravings are so common and what’s really happening in your brain and body when they strike, plus the small, practical shifts that genuinely help. We look at the wild rise of protein shakes, from beef-sludge origins to celebrity smoothies and Michelin-styled blends, and what you actually need to know about protein for real-world health. We also explore the science of better sleep. A new wave of research is showing just how much gentle, consistent mind–body movement regulates cortisol, supports the nervous system and improves sleep quality over time. We break down what really makes the difference and how to build habits that help you sleep more deeply and wake up feeling human again. Ella’s book signing on the 16th: https://www.bookbaruk.com/event-details/meet-ella-mills-exclusive-pre-publication-signing-and-meet-greet 50% off code for Quick Wins with ⁠Waterstones⁠ - ‘QUICKWINS50’ (enter the code at checkout) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to the Wellness Scoop, your weekly dose of health and wellness inspiration. And as always we are here. It's your host, but it's our last week of the year. I'm Ella Mills. And I'm Rihanna Lambert. And after a decade in this industry, we know that the wellness industry can be so overwhelming and confusing. And it's a pleasure to be here to cut through the noise and make healthier living simple fun and personal for you all. not to become like really gushy and sentimental although I feel it and I definitely felt it while I was writing the script but the Wellness Cube has truly been the highlight of my year from a kind of professional perspective by such a long way I have loved it and we had our kind of Spotify unwrapped

data come through a few days ago and it's unbelievable so 36.3 million minutes of people spent listening to the Wellness Scoop we had this year, 36.3 million minutes. That is a lot. I can't. I'm just welling up, even with you just saying it's been the highlight of your year. I'm very emotional anyway. Ella got me an early Christmas present

because she's organised like that, but you won't believe it's a hoodie that says the Wellness Scoop, we've got matching jumpers. Yeah, we're here in our Wellness Scoop Grey sweatshairs today, which I'm just absolutely loving. Exactly. It's just been amazing. Hundreds of thousands of you listening.

in 150 countries, we just appreciate it so much. I know, 150 countries was definitely many more than I was expecting. Could you name 150 countries? It's quite a test on a Monday morning, Ruth. I don't know if I could. But, Reid, there was one other thing when I was going through the Unwrapped that made me laugh so much, was that our top fans' other favourite listen was Taylor Swift's new album, and I was like, I feel so seen.

Well, I'm on the TikTok dancers of Taylor Swift now, Ella, so you've introduced me more so than ever to Taylor Swift. I think that's a marriage made in heaven, isn't it? It really is, yeah. So clearly we are a like-minded community here, guys. But one of the other things I just wanted to say, which I think meant so much to us, actually, was that you guys, generally speaking,

listened for longer, commented more on our show than 99% of other podcasts. 99? Yeah. So it means a lot because I think for us this has been such a kind of personal project and something we both feel so passionate about and like genuinely feel kind of quite emotional or, you know, very much on our soapbox about. But like this is not something that's just lighthearted. Like it really, really means a lot to the both of us for so many different reasons. And so knowing that that seems to be the same for you guys, just the most enormous thank you in the world. What a year. It's been an incredible year. Just to echo what Ella's said, you know, I feel like I've really found my purpose as well this year. And alongside Ella, we can actually make a difference in a world that it does sometimes feel really disheartening that you can't. So to know that we're all in it together, thank you for all of the shares of the top percentage of, you know, listens or what percentage you are as a fan to the wellness scoop. So many of you shared that with us. I was overwhelmed on one day. hundreds of DMs of just this percentage, and some people were in like the 0.5% of fans. I know. It's absolutely amazing. So just thank you. Anyway, we've got two episodes left in 2025 and 26. It's going to be even better, of course. I feel like we've really found our stride.

But anyway, Ree, what are we talking about today? Okay, so today we have why sugar cravings are so common. And what your brain is actually doing when they hit, then the real history behind protein shakes, from beef sludge to make. Which glamour. I did not write that. I did. Yeah. I want to say that came straight from an article. But that's the origins of protein shakes. We're going to go into it. Oh, gosh. And the simple science back shifts that genuinely improved sleep, why phone sober walks are the reset your nervous system might be craving.

And finally, the rise of AI women in beauty campaigns. And why it matters for body image. Yeah, I'm really excited about that one. Rie, how are you? Yes. Well, this week, thank you. like the Christmas countdown is on. Like, I really feel like I just wrapped what was probably one of the busiest working weeks I was doing terribly with my wellness. I was up from the cracker door and working, working, working, working until midnight, like losing sleep over it. But now

I feel very excited to rest and we've got new clinicians in the Retrition Clinic. So it's like a fresh end to the year. I love it. How about you? I feel like I'm the Grinch in the good way this time, which is I've never liked Christmas. But it's your first winter one, and the weather sucks. No, I mean, I'm a good Grinch. You know when I watched The Grinch yesterday with the kids? My heart has grown three tises. Yay.

Because they say in the Grinch that he has no, his heart's small. His heart's so small and then it grows three sizes. I like to think generally my heart's not small, but with Christmas, I think it was. My heart's grown three sizes. I'm like Mrs. Festive this year. Oh, yeah, I'm so excited. Elf on the shelf. We went to see Father Christmas at Lapland yesterday in the UK.

Bought jumpers for re. Oh yeah. I've got like matching Christmas pyjamas coming along. I'm literally Mrs. Claus these days. And you've got book events. Your Mrs. Claus and delivering book events. So yes, I know Quick Wins is out on Thursday on the 18th of December. It's still half price on Amazon.

No way. That's been amazing. I know. So Go Go Goose. It's just 12 pounds 50. Best Christmas present ever guys. But I'm really excited about it as well because it has meal plans in. and we've never done that before.

And I know that for so many of us, the mental load is enormous. And these are very light touch meal plants. It's basically your dinners for the week mapped out. So you've got your shopping list. You know you'll get your 30 plants. And then you can get home from work and you've got a one pan supper or a fridge raid

or something nice and easy that's delicious. You know it's nutritious. And it's sorted and you don't even have to think about it. So quick wins is out on Thursday. And I can't wait. And then on 16th, on Tuesday, I will be doing a signing at 630 at book. bar in Chelsea. I'll put the details in the show notes. But come, I would love to see you guys.

Oh, it's going to be incredible. And then it truly is Christmas. You'll have your book and then it's a matter of days. And before we move on to our health headlines, I just want to say a huge thank you for all the incredible charity recommendations you've shared with us. And I can see you interacting over them as well on the comments, all the wonderful things you're doing. I actually picked up some requests from the little gym this week, some more food bank requests and baby banks, all those sorts of things. I just wanted to say thank you because I feel like we do have the most genuine, generous community. Yeah, we really do. I love how everyone wants to help each other. And Bree and I have that in mind for how we can kind of keep this going

next year with the Wellness Scoop. Okay, so into our last headlines of 2025. These are the ones that have mattered recently. Okay, headline number one, I saw, I just thought it was a very relevant wellness topic. This was in The Times. How can I curb my sugar cravings, dietitians and doctors explain why your body craves a sweet fix and how to stop it? I mean, it's a good one to start with because Ella, I do feel like everybody this time of year is going to be really concerned because the media also makes you concerned about the sugar intake. We don't have a very good society that doesn't delve into all or nothing, we always like to pin on people that it's either good or bad. It's so true. And the other thing I think that's also worth so noting,

before we delve into this and talk about sugar cravings, is over the festive period, let's call it. Obviously, there's so much more sugar quality streets and celebrations and all the rest of it. Gingerbread. I've had so much gingerbread and icing. Gingerbread and icing, exactly. Christmas cake, you know, you name it. That's great. I think what's also so important to say is like there's been so much negative talk about ultra-process food this year. Not rowing back on that, don't worry. Not causing confusion. But it's important to say one of the fundamental challenges with UPFs is just that we eat way too many of them.

And it replaces as a result. Main meals. Exactly. And all the nutrition and fiber and vitamins and minerals that you'll find in healthy, normal meals. You can add your sweets onto it. So you don't get stressed about that. I would say keep up your fibre and your goodness where you can. But then enjoy those quality streets.

I think it's remembering just don't replace good food with UPFs. Just you can have them on the top. Yeah, because over 90% of people experience cravings and yet we often frame them, I think, as like this personal way of failing. So Ella, do you want to dive into the piece a little bit? Because I think it unpacks just, you know, how common they are, that we shouldn't be talking about good or bad willpower and the patterns behind them, which I know that I spend my life talking about in the Retrition Clinic, the cycle.

Yes, I thought you might. and I know one of the clinicians you work with was the first person quoted and it's all going to that in a sec. But that's exactly why I really wanted to include this was I really, really liked that. And I think it's such an important topic as we, yeah, at any time of the year, which is that I think we frame so much when it comes to our nutrition choices as I have good willpower or I have bad willpower. And it's so bad for our self-esteem to be saying, oh, I have bad willpower. Like I'm just not good enough to not be able to do it. And those labels. and it doesn't set us up for success in any shape or form.

And I think what all the dietitians and the doctors and nutritionists quoted in this piece were all saying is like fundamentally it actually has nothing to do with willpower whatsoever. It's such a misnomer. We're talking actually about stress and sleep and emotional triggers and that being such a bigger factor of sugar cravings and whether you have good or bad willpower. And I think it's not therefore about personal failings and that is so important. Agree. So we're looking here at, and this is how I'd explain.

it to a client in clinic. If you're sat with me one to one, there's extrinsic and intrinsic factors that contribute to how we feel about food, how we view food, and what our brain also says about it. Now, there's the biological reaction, of course, if we have a surplus of anything, you know, you get used to it. I think we do as human nature. You know, you get taste, your taste bells get used to the amount of sugar. There's also several reward systems in our brain that are working as well. And our cravings, our brain's kind of seeking rewards a lot of the time. We're tired this time of year. I mean, wow, the load I felt it last week, the overwhelm. I was so overwhelmed. I felt so stressed. And actually all I did want was my bag of sweets and my gingerbread

icing house. I was so tempted to eat the children's gingerbread houseella. It took willpower not to like break it and eat it. Because the wrath you would have phased if you've done it is just so high. No, I just couldn't do it. I may have just taken a tiny icing ball ball off of it. But we won't go there. But cravings are triggered by so many factors. So the smell of the bakery, you're walking down the road, and it's there. Every time you get to the train station, it's the same kind of things that you see. Every time you go for a coffee, I mean, I was looking at it this morning, those delicious gingerbread, icings with the marshmallow noses. They literally are everywhere. Then we've got the emotional stress. And I think it's really important to remember that

during acute stress, our brain's energy needs go up to around 12%. So we're actively wanting more blood flow in that area. And our brain is 60% fat, but the main preferred source of fuel is glucose. And we've got this sort of blood-brain barrier where only carbohydrates get through really effectively and proteins and fats just don't quite hit the spot for faster energy release. Also true for our muscles and glycogen stores. So you just don't crave broccoli. No. And so therefore when you're stressed, you are biologically, physiologically programmed to want easy to digest carbohydrates, which is sugar, to give you. that fuel to sort the stress because it's a kind of cliche but it's true your body and your

brain don't know the difference between being chased by a tiger and the mental overload of this time of year or any time any moment and so you are literally wired to want to eat your children's gingerbread house. Yeah, to want to eat your kids gingerbread. I always used the example that I remember at university one of my lecturers Colette would say an evolution and adaption module. She'd say humans would always climb that tree and get stung by the bee hundreds of times just to get a bit of their honey. And that's so true because we're just so driven to it. And they've seen that in studies, haven't they?

Like people under higher stress can be twice as likely to report stronger cravings and reach for sugary food. Because you want that dopamine and that serotonin. And they're also neurotransmitters and pathways that, you know, can enhance the sense of calm or relief. But, you know, you are more likely to crave it. Exactly. And again, I think that just shows it's got nothing to do with willpower, has it?

What you've got here is this, again, very, very clever cycle that you're body is programmed with where you're stressed, you're overwhelmed, you start craving that easy carbohydrate, that sugar, and then you get your release of dopamine, your serotonin, these kind of feel better hormones, giving you, as you said, that kind of temporary sense of calm relief. And you start to create this pattern. And so then your body thinks, oh, that will help me. That's not willpower. No. And that's what really frustrates me in the media. I think it gets really confused a lot of the time. And you will see some influences or loud voices telling you've got no will power to sell their own agendas. And I think it's really important to remember those

biological triggers and the environmental ones. Because remember, there's studies that say when a food is in sight, you're more likely to reach for it, which is why I always put a fruit bowl in the kitchen. But if in sight is always bags of crisps and sugar candy bowls, you are more likely to eat them. But there's also other areas. So let's discuss sleep deprivation because that impacts our hunger hormones massively. Gosh, I mean, being so sleep deprived, Ella, which we've all experience. This is a personal experience right here as well. Personal right now. Not just the gingerbread house. Maybe I'll just tell you my week and then you can link it back to sugar cravings. But you know, your hunger hormone ghrelin is raised massively when you're sleep deprived because you also experience

more cortisol release, which is our stress hormone, which also increases appetite when we're sleep deprived. And then it lowers our leptin, which is our fullness hormone. And essentially it makes our brain just want something simple and easy, which is fast releasing, which is like I said before, the glucose, which comes from the sugar on the shop shelves, not the pepper sticks and the carrot sticks and the hummus. So we know, psychologically speaking, it's not simple. Blood sugar fluctuations when we start this cycle, Ella, so if you start to reach for these foods, before you know it, you've got crashes in your blood sugar levels, spikes crashes. I call it a roller coaster. You're going up, down, up down. And, oh, and then there's the psychological

component of feeling guilt or shame, which can also lead to overeating. Everybody, It is just hard and I also think, Ella, personality traits have a huge impact here and having worked with clients that are all or nothing. And I know some of us describe ourselves that way as well, it can be more of a challenge to regulate over this time of year. A hundred percent. I think it's also worth always noting again, if you're under-eating or in a very, very restrictive diet, your body again will often naturally crave high-energy foods just as a kind of protective mechanism. So I think the key thing here, and I know, we've got a voicemont coming to add to this as well. It's just a reminder that sugar cravings,

A, are completely normal, as we said at the top, 90% of people get cravings, food cravings is kind of a normal part of the world. But it's really important to remember, like, you're not failing because you're craving it. You're probably, A, maybe it just looks delicious, but maybe you're also really stressed, really overwhelmed, really tired. And therefore, it's harder to just have a little bit and move on. And it's just to kind of normalise that. And don't to chastise yourself. You don't have bad willpower. A hundred percent, Ella, I completely agree. There's so many factors involved. And, you know, if you want to go check out this article, the first contributor was Catherine Rebess, who's a registered dietitian who works for me in the Retrition Clinic. She's fantastic.

So I asked her for a little bit more information from her directly because, guys, you get the inside scoop on the Wana scoop. If you're experiencing sugar cravings, it could be a sign that your blood sugars are dipping. And did you know that fibre is one of the simplest ways to study that? It slows digestion so glucose energy is released gradually instead of any sharp rises and drops. And adding fibre to your meals you already eat is a quick win. Think porridge in the morning as your whole grains or brown rice and pasta. You could add beans to your shoes and different sauces, but also adding a side of vegetables and pairing with fruit with certain dishes. along with protein or fats and this helps you feel fuller for longer and keeps cravings in check

and remember regular balanced meals is just as important too and then headline two so the protein shape boom from meaty sludge to michelin stars this one just really made me laugh it's just some light entertainment guys we didn't want go really heavy i know you have everyone's got lots going on it's the visualization of the meaty sludge oh my gosh so this was in the guardian and the piece was called the perplexing rise of protein shakes, how a meaty sludge became a billion dollar industry, which really caught my eye. And it was just a kind of funny, amazing detail

of the sort of strange, fascinating trajectory of protein shakes. And like obviously today they come in every flavour under the sun, moucher, biscoff, pistachio, birthday cake. Lavender I've seen recently. Oh, yeah. I mean, you name it, it exists. But we've got a little history courtesy of this article, which I thought you might find interesting too.

Oh, I can't wait. So it really does go to show that it's been a journey of invention, I suppose, like a Willy Wonka protein industry invention. 100%. Okay, so you had the very first sort of protein supplement comes back from 1865, and you had a German scientist who created something called extract of meat, and it was literally jars of melted down beef hides and carcasses. So it's like salty, meaty sludge you were supposed to drink

two or three times a day. Really looks so shocked. Apparently from little wine glasses, which I really just appreciate that detail, if anyone wants a new Christmas snack. But it was sold as a protein-rich tonic for people recovering from illness. So that is the beginning of the protein shake industry.

But it makes sense because we know in a hospital-based environment that you need to up your protein for recovery. We know that that does help speed up recovery, there's literature to support that. So I can understand from a medical's perspective how that came in. 100% it makes so much sense but isn't it interesting it's 150 years ago but as you said it was actually a very like it was just cooked meat brown down yeah and it ended up that i think the same sort of premise um was then turned into oxo cubes so apparently according to the food historian or one of the food historians who were interviewed actually was quite low in protein like i think people who love protein shakes would not be obsessed with this maybe flavor wise but it's essentially the invention of the oxo cube and then it wasn't for like a hundred years

years later in the 50s and 60s, then coming into the 90s, that they protein powders went big when you had the kind of 90s weight loss boom gym culture in the early 2000. And I think the reason they were exploring this was actually because the journalists had gone to try a new Michelin starred protein shake. Well, sorry, the protein shake itself doesn't have Michelin Star, but the protein shake was created by a Michelin Star chef. Right. So it's not anymore just like banana, blueberries, armor milk, protein powder. What clever marketing? Oh my gosh, it's so genius.

Okay, so it's a collaboration between a Michelin-star chef called Miller Prada with a protein powder brand called Hamosa or Hamosa. I think it's one they use in Barry's Boot Camp. And it's basically the journalist described it as an edible art project with fresh Guanabana. I've never tried that fruit. Vanilla protein powder, armor milk, blue spirulina, wait for it, layer of mood-enhancing saffron foam

and a spritz of coffee aroma on the lid and then the way you drink it is then specific again like eating Michelin-style kind of food so you have to place your straw in the middle not at the bottom to unlock the ice cream flavour before you plunge it down to get the saffron hit and the founder described it as the same as Van Gogh's starry night

painting in a cup I thought you'd really like this one This is art, not wellness. This is art. Anyway, and then we've also seen, obviously, at the same time, Air One, that very kind of bougie, which I have been to in it is extraordinary shop in California, or a couple of shops in California, where they've got like the biggest stars in the world, Sabrina Carpeter, Olivia Rodrigo, Bella Hadid, Kardashians, all fronting their own, like, limited edition

Air One Protein or Shake. I mean, how much would they pay to do that? Do you see it's so amazing. 15, 20 pounds or so? Oh, sorry, per smoothie and you've got cues around the block. Anyway, I just thought this was to end the year on, like an interesting insight into how we started off with ground down sludge and we ended up with something that's had kind of A-list, Michelin Star, treatment. I think it goes to show what a big marketing budget can do and achieve. And also, I am actually quite liking the idea of a saffron foam, although spritz of coffee mixed with that fruity flavour I'm not so sure about.

But the growth, do you like the, but you love the spice in the coffee. I know you do. Do you know, I've got a coffee this morning because I'm so tired. I'm so sleep deprived. I don't normally do it, but I had to get one this morning. I nearly got my third on my way in and then I remembered her judgment. You gently were with me the other day when I fessed up to not having had any water and having had three coffees and we record at 10. I know, I know. Yeah, but we all have weeks like that as long as it's not every day. So anyway, let's not do it. Let's not do it. You'll love to hear that the grocer, which is, um, the kind of big trade press for in the food industry reported last year that 77% of people in the UK are actively trying to eat more protein more than any other nutrient anyway. And they added that influences are cashing in on the anxiety.

Yeah, yeah, it was very much part of it. So just remember everyone that people do get enough protein. We're not dismissing that protein is not important. We're just remarking upon how interesting the world of wellness can be, you know, when you chuck a marketing budget behind it, you get arty with it. You know, you can do a lot of things. But if you're eating yoghurt beans, tofu, lentils, eggs, nuts, fish, whole grains, you are meeting your needs. And shakes can be helpful.

You know, we have some clients in the nutrition clinic, especially when we work on sports, nutrition. They're really important. Some other areas of the community that do really require these inventions to be healthy and fit. But I think we just have to remember the marketing story. 100%. I also think it's quite an interesting thing where I was reflecting on it on my way in this morning, which is like it's I've just realized

the beginning of next year it'll be 14 years since I started delicious yellow which feels like a long time I feel quite old but I just remember how niche everything was

and you know new and exciting and now suddenly it's like protein powders are a collaboration with the Michelin Star Chef I don't know I just didn't see

the world of wellness being so big but I think you know when you first started out we didn't really have Instagram I mean, you've got to remember that everything now is just completely different. I remember just doing static images, like three a day. And then suddenly you had to make a video and I guide.

All overhead with your shoes poking out of the bottom. Yeah. Well, what's worse is the feet? A valencia or sepia filter. Yeah. But I bet you would now have a wiki feet page too. Oh, I do think I do. No, I'm sure you do.

Do you know what I mean? When you're holding the bowl. Yeah. And it was overhead. And then you could always just see like a little bit of shoe at the bottom. Same. Yeah. And or be like, yeah, in the gym and smoothie bowl. anyway. It was rustic. It was rustic everybody. But the UK's appetite for protein is obviously not going

anywhere, even though you're all getting enough. And we still have a huge nutrient gap, which is called fiber and vitamins and minerals to achieve. Build, play and display with the 3-1 megablocks preschool sets. The Build and Go race car revamps into a pickup truck and hot ride. And the build and enchant unicorn transforms into a puppy and Pegasus. Each easy-to-build set comes with rolling wheels, 26 blocks and easy-to-read building steps, compatible with other megablocks sets

for endless big building fun. Shop 3-1 megablocks at Walmart for Ages 3 Plus. But it moves us on to headline number three, which is really different. Now, Ella found this, and I quite liked it. Tai Chi can help to combat insomnia. I loved this one. As our closing headline of the year, as I said, I think we both felt this last episode should be gentle and fun and uplifting. Well, we've gone from Van Gogh's, you know, protein shakes to Tai Chi.

I do really want to try the Van Gogh protein shake. I now want to try Tai Chi. Well, we're going to do Tai Chi and then get a Van Gogh protein shake as a day. This is just, there were lots of headlines picked up funny enough about this. Obviously, sleep is such a big challenge with so many people and so many are so common. And there was a new study published in the British Medical Journal, which was, um, was, looking at Tai Chi, the slow meditative martial art, but also cognitive behaviour therapy, which is the gold standard treatment for chronic insomnia. And, you know, that's a structural, evident-based

program that helps people change the thoughts and behaviours that disrupt their sleep. So CBT for insomnia might include things like sleep scheduling, stimulus control, relaxation training, working on healthier sleep habits, lots and lots of evidence behind this very clinically proven an approach. And until now, was always seen as the most reliable non-medication approach. But here comes Tai Chi. So researchers took 200 adults all over 50, all of whom had long-term insomnia and split them into two groups, one doing the cognitive behaviour therapy for insomnia and the other one doing Tai Chi. And they all had one hour sessions twice a week for 12 weeks, so 24 sessions of whichever of the two that group they were in over that time. Yes. And what's so interesting

is that at the six-week point, the CBT, so the cognitive behavioural therapy, was working faster. And I think people are just falling asleep more easily and waking less during the night. But what we really observed, or the researchers rather, was by 12 weeks, the Tai Chi group had caught up. So showing similar improvements in sleep quality, sleep efficiency and total sleep time. I think, Ella, it really is that we need to move a lot more and be more mindful as well here. And when researchers followed these participants, so it's long term for another. 15 months. The benefits of the CBT leveled off, but the Tai Chi group still maintained or even strengthened their improvements. So they just kept on going. And for so many people, it became

like a long-term hobby, habit. Yeah, it turned out to be quite a sustainable long-term option. And I think it was so interesting anyway. Surprise, surprise. It kind of took me on a bit of a deep dive as well. We'll come back to the link between stress and sleep in a minute because I think it's quite interesting. There we've obviously just talked about stress and sugar. But actually when you look it up, I was like, oh, is Tai Chi alone in this? But actually it's not. I think obviously it's very different from yoga, but lots of kind of similarities in terms of really mindful, often very gentle movement. And there was a wider review published in the British Medical Journal looking at yoga, Tai Chi walking for insomnia. And that found, for example, that yoga

increased total sleep time and improved sleep efficiency by nearly 15%. Walking, running significantly reduced insomnia severity. Tai Chi could increase total sleep. sleep time by more than 50 minutes. So huge things. Anyway, so it's, you know, you don't have to go and do Tai Chi to necessarily get, which is obviously, it's amazing, but it's not so necessarily widely available for people. But slow, gentle yoga, mindful walking. We're going to get into that in a sec in our trends. All really super, super, super, super beneficial for sleep. But really you'll be able to tell us why, because they all help dial down stress, don't they? It's all about that stress hormone cortisol, isn't it? Because, you know, you want it to be high.

when you wake up, not when you're going to sleep at night, so anything you can do to take that out. And they actually say for young children, the reason why it's so important they exercise is because they often have a buildup of cortisol. They can't explain to anybody, you know, like a biological, they get stressed out, just like we do as adults, but they can't communicate it. And they often say that's why they need break time, they need lunchtime, they need to move, they need to run around. Because biologically speaking, we need to shift this cortisol somehow. And when you have elevated cortisol at nighttime, it does interfere with your body. ability to fall and stay asleep. And when you don't sleep, it stays high the next day too. So it doesn't

naturally peter off throughout the day, which affects the way we're able to regulate our emotional resilience. And it kind of drives those racing thoughts and heart rate can increase. And that's often key as well. I think there's also a link between sleep and blood pressure long term. And sleep deprivation definitely impairs cognitive function. I mean, I can speak for that. I think everybody can. And there are some weeks where I feel like I can't even speak on this podcast when I've had a serious bout of no sleep from the children. But it does become a vicious cycle in a loop, which is why I think just having this kind of physiological movement, Ella, makes such a difference in people's lives. It's another reminder that we just need to move and get away from our screens a bit more. But also that movement can be really gentle.

And sometimes that really gentle movement that's really brilliant at lowering your stress is the most effective thing you can do. as opposed to feeling like you've got to do something hardcore. What's so amazing is that Tai Chi might sound like something that, you know, it's not common here in the UK at all, although our producer will has just said that his mum does it in a small village in North Yorkshire. Wow, isn't that amazing? Because it's a martial art. Exactly.

And it's that slow, gentle, mindful movement where you're really connecting mind, body, kind of that sense of embodiment in yourself. Deep breathing, all of it. Exactly. Mindful walking, gentle, yoga, you know, as we said, it doesn't have to be Tai Chi, but that mind, body, breath, calm. Just remember, it can have such huge benefits. Sometimes for so many of us who already may be a little bit stressed already, actually possibly much more beneficial than a hit exercise program.

Not dissing that, there's lots of benefit of that. But if you're stressed and you've already got high cortisol, you probably want to be doing exercise that takes your cortisol down, not pushes it up. Because it's not just about the body aesthetics. It's like, You said it's the sleep that we're discussing here. It's the mental health. There's so many other elements. And what's harder is when you don't visually see the end goal. You can forget, can't you, that it is just about a bit of extra sleep.

Yeah, exactly. You don't have that metrics. Anyways, so I think what we've learned today is be gentle on yourself. Exactly. And we now move on to what's trending in wellness. Oh, this is such a nice trend. Okay. we have the rise of the phone sober walk while leaving your phone at home might be the reset that we all need

I love this Ella because you know we've gone from fart walks hot girl walks now the phone sober walk I know my mum actually sent me this headline and I just thought it was such a nice one and really leads on quite nicely from what we were just talking about from Tai Chi so can we just thank Camilla for all the headlines this year I know shout out because you've provided us with some gold for a whole year I know keep going keep going so this trend is interestingly took off after a journalist for women's health ran a piece titled, I walked for an hour without my phone every morning for a week, and the results surprised me. So a journalist called Serene Medani wrote really honestly, basically, about how she had become very, very overstimulated against something I'm sure lots of people can relate to, how she felt very on edge. She was struggling to regulate her nervous system and find that sense of kind of peace, calm, that perisynthetic state.

and she was losing a lot of time to scrolling. She said she hadn't felt properly calm in months. She tried lots of other things, but she decided to try these phones sober walks. So she laughed her phone at home and walked for an hour without any technology every single morning. And she didn't check her phone first. She didn't take it just in case nothing.

And she said the change was really immediate. The first couple of days genuinely felt uncomfortable, like her brain didn't know what to do, how to be without the distraction. But by day three, she was already feeling lighter, clearer, noticeably more grounded. And then when she was finding it difficult, she said she took another trend, which was a colour walks. So you choose a colour for the day and then you kind of spot as many things as you can in that shade. So again, it's just a very simple trick of, you know, being mindful, essentially, that pulls you into the moment.

And when your brain is wanting to jump around and finding uncomfortable being still, you're finding games in a way that keep you super present. and, you know, in nature and noticing what's around you, but also in a positive way, distract your brain so you get more comfortable with the uncomfortableness of it. I think it's a real challenge, actually, when you're describing that doing it by yourself on your own, to me, also as a woman, there's so many things that were going through my head. I thought, I did this last night with the children.

It was dark, and I just thought, I mean, it wasn't too dangerous. They had glow-up items of clothing on, but we went round the block for a walk, because I thought we have to get out. It's been raining all day. We need some fresh air. and I didn't take a phone and we just went around the corner. But if I'm a woman on my own without a phone or some element of feeling safe,

I think there's another layer to it. We need to be able to feel comfortable again. And that's a whole other tangent that I've just taken this discussion on. But I do feel like, oh, I've not got earpods in my ears. Like I have to just be comfortable with myself. That's hard. It's really hard. And I think that's why this piece went quite viral because so much of what she describes is so

relatable. Well, it's because you're actually present with nature, right? So passive exposure isn't enough, I guess. We need to be physically and mentally outside away. So the inbox doesn't move the needle. Your nervous system needs space. I think that's the real thing, is that what we're so used to being overstimulated, like you're watching TV, you're on your phone, you're, you know, you're in a meeting, you're also checking your emails. You're constantly doing so many different things. And your brain is kind of ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. You know, it's incredibly overwhelming. And I think when none of us are really used to just being. Just think 30 years ago, everyone used to just do this.

There were no ear pods. I know. One brief, you sent me that piece, I think, that last week didn't you, about, like, how much everyone just takes their phone to the toilet? I know. You can't even set in the toilet without your phone anymore. It was actually quite gross because it mentioned all the bacteria, obviously, as well, all the bad side effects of it.

But I sent that to Ella, and I was just thinking it really lines here with our trends. So the latest data from a 2024 published study in the Journal of Environmental Psychology said that Britain is one of the least nature-connected nations in the world, and I can well believe it, ranking 55th out of 61 countries. And the nature-connectedness isn't a fluffy concept. You know, this is strongly linked to improve well-being, lower stress, better mood, greater resilience. And I reflect on my time when I was at university, I went to Norway with one of my Norwegian friends on the course Henny, and I stayed of her family for a long weekend. And it was part at their family and their culture to do these kind of hikes and walks and they don't have phones

with them. They just go as a family unit and they just hike up a hill. I know. It's amazing. We just don't do this. No. So I think it's interesting. Anyway, it's a really nice trend. And I would say if it's something you're comfortable with or can get comfortable with depending where you live and as you said really like how comfortable you feel from a safety perspective, you know, I know like where I live, I live near, you know, an area where there's lots and lots of dog walkers. Well, you sing at the top of your voice down the field, Taylor Swift. She's on it. Yeah, guys, you can't hide.

But, you know, I'd feel really comfortable walking there by myself. So why do I always feel like I need my phone in my pocket? You know, actually, I think I'm going to try. I'm actually, no, I'm committing to. I'm going to try this over the Christmas holidays. And I will report back because it is always that like just in case. And it shows, again, this like edge that we all live on. Like, just in case what?

I know. And everyone takes a break from podcasts anyway over Christmas. but it's like we're going to be off for two weeks. No one's going to be listening over the Christmas period. So let's use this time to all test ourselves, see if we can go without a phone. Try it. Or it doesn't have to be a phone sober walk. It could be not taking your phone to the toilet anymore.

It could be, you know, just doing something quietly without a phone, be that reading and, you know, put your phone in another room on airplane mode for half an hour. That's really difficult to do because there was that study we looked at before where people picked up their phone every three minutes or something. I mean, it's all like have a problem. bath if you have a bath and you like doing that and keep your phone away so maybe just try some phone sober tasks of what walking could be one let's see how we get on we can regroup yeah let's ease our anxiety symptoms and let's regulate more and do that and it does lead us on to our last trend oh ella AI women in beauty campaign I know I'm just thinking I feel like we got these the

wrong way around on the script because I really wanted to end on a high but we will find a way to end on a high okay I just actually this came from one of our listeners who sent me this real and I was honestly really shocked it's basically a photographer whose account is kate allow k a i t allow who basically filmed herself she picked up a beauty magazine in an airport and she's a photographer so she really loved and appreciated the images and being a photographer she then wanted to know the credits of this image because she was genuinely very interested to see who shot them and the photo credit of this very very beautiful woman said AI prompt

And so here you are looking at Beauty Magazine And selling you products For your face, your skin, your beauty regime that's not even real It's not photoshopped It's just not even real It's like

Anyway and so she was just Was filming this and then she was saying Why are we using fake women to talk about real women's bodies Why are we using AI generated procedures Because it was talking about some like Tweakments and things like that What is this doing for everyone?

Anyway, I just watched it, and I thought we won't dwell on it for too long, but I just thought it was really important to, A, remind people that this is happening. And there was actually a bit of a backlash earlier this year, Ria. I don't know if you saw it, but guess, you know, the brand, clothing brand, had a backlash because they had an AI-generated woman in an ad in vogue. I didn't see that. Yeah, that was, I think, springtime. Anyway, so this is clearly starting to happen.

And I think in a world where we collectively struggle with our self-esteem, we collectively struggle with body image. You know, we've always had unrealistic beauty standards, but like impossible nature of a beauty standard where you're not even comparing yourself to a model or a Photoshop model, you're comparing yourself to an entirely AI-generated, not-real person. We have to highlight it.

It's so important, like you said, because it can be demoralising. I also find that, you know, after I was deepfake last year, it's escalated to you can't even tell now what's real and what's not real on social media. It's very, very difficult, like you have to look. And I have to always check myself. Oh, I saw the same supplement that I was deep faked for on a real,

by pure coincidence yesterday with a man selling the same product. And I just commented underneath because I saw always, I said, AI, this isn't real. And all the people that had purchased this product, it's insane. But it's a huge. It's why you need a phone sober walk. We need a phone, get out. We need a phone sober walk. But to buy your magazine should be a safe space.

And it almost takes you back to the airbrushing industry that Ella and I grew up in or looking at that kind of 90s, noughties era where there was like the Circle of Shame and all those sorts of things in magazines. Or when Victoria Beckham was Wade on TV. Wade on National TV, which she discussed in her documentary and spoke out about in a podcast recently. It does bring me back to, oh, this is just the new crisis of women's beauty ideals and judgment for women. Let's just use fake women that look perfect. But I think it's even worse because it's like it's so far from possible because it's not even real. There's no skin texture, but I think I'm really glad you raised it, Ella, because, you know, I think as women, we need to really fight to be authentically ourselves, all shape, sizes, skin textures, tones, colors, everything.

100%. And honestly, again, not to like end on a cheesy no. It is why I am so appreciative of this community, of all of you that listen, because, you know, we do live in this very weird clickbait well now and algorithms are really odd. I mean, I keep seeing it on my, feed where I would say, I don't want to say nice creators, but I would say like quite genuine creators who share, be it food or kind of interiors or nature and things like that. I've been on platforms like Instagram for a long time saying like, why does no one see my content anymore? This is happening to me. No one's seeing my rails that follows me. Because the way that the algorithms work, like it's just clickbait now and you've got to delve into that. And for everyone who doesn't want to, it's really hard to have kind of community nuanced conversation and share hopefully what is genuinely used for advice and save spaces for want to a better term.

And so having this community and having this podcast where we can have genuine debates, you know, we always have slightly different opinions on things sometimes where you can have, yeah, long-form discussions, hopefully you feel you have like genuine nuanced advice. You get the sense that it's not, there's no shortcuts, there's no kind of like easy dogmatic answers. And it's not prescriptive. It's not prescriptive. It's just an opinion look at the world in general. take what you like. For sure and generally be kinder to yourself. Like give yourself more space

for long walks and baths and reading and cooking and slowing down where you can. Don't push yourself like probably most people's course is higher. It's not that you probably just need more gentle. Exactly. And you know we have one last episode coming up this Thursday and then we are going to be back on the 5th of Jam but this Thursday I'm excited because we share our highlights of this year so far. So what we have actually tried Ella and I that work. Yes, our favourite wellness things, our favourite trends, the things we've put into our lives. So it'll be a really lovely episode. And if you have enjoyed it this year, please do comment.

Let us know what you've enjoyed. We would really, really love to hear from you as we close out the year. Getting chilly now. I'm putting on my wellness scoop jumper, everybody. We're wrapping up the year in matching jumpers. Who would have thought it? Guys, thank you for listening. Have a lovely, lovely day.

Bye. Thank you.