I was inspired to write this week’s blog after I had an email from a regular reader who is a physiotherapist-turned yoga instructor, and who wanted to know how I’m finding time to take care of my physical body whilst juggling full-time work, parenting, wife-ing, whole-food cooking, and all the mindfulness meditating that I’m committed to as part of my new film project. As a health journalist who lives with an autoimmune disease (the most recent diagnosis is Sjogren’s disease) I’m all-too aware of the importance of moving my body regularly. I’ve interviewed leading experts, written a ton of blogs,... Read full article »

In my 37 years of living as a human being I’ve noticed a very distinct pattern which goes something like this: I throw myself into life with gusto and enthusiasm, be it with work or home life commitments A trigger wakes me up to the fact that I’m neglecting my health. For example, I’ve had one too many sleepless nights in a row or I “suddenly” can’t fit into my skinny jeans. The trigger causes me to identity the “problem” and I sign up to a program that promises a fix. This week I was prompted to do a little... Read full article »

If you’re a friend or relative of mine, the chances are that I drive you nuts. I know this because I see your furtive glances when you give my kids lollies, I see you sneaking away at family events to eat your ice-cream out of my eye-sight, and I know that when you invite me around for dinner you’re worried that I’ll critique your chosen menu.The truth is, being close to an investigative health journalist must suck. You probably think that I’m constantly analysing your stress levels, your exercise routine (or lack of one) and your sleeping habits. You probably... Read full article »

A leading health researcher recently told me a provocative definition of the word “addiction.” He defined it as “continued use, despite adverse consequences.” In other words, you’re addicted to something if you keep doing it, despite the fact that it’s bad for you. If he’s right, then I may be in trouble. It means that, among other things, I’m possibly addicted to… filmmaking.Ever since my husband (and co producer), Jules, and I decided to make another film, life has been mad. Despite the glamorous reputation that the movie industry has, the reality is far from it. We’re independent filmmakers, which... Read full article »

In the last five years, in my work as a health journalist, I estimate that I’ve read at least 2000 scientific studies. In all that time, with all that reading, there is one study that has left me utterly gobsmacked. The study involved more than 3000 people and looked at how they used their smartphones. It found that if partipcants didn’t have a wrist watch or an alarm clock, they had significantly less time in their lives to spend on non-smartphone leisure activities. In the study, people who reported using both a wristwatch and an alarm clock had an average... Read full article »

One of my favourite writers, A.J Jacobs once confessed to having a weakness for dried mangos. He was worried that his daily habit of eating the delicious delicacies was injecting the equivalent of 15 teaspoons of white sugar into his system. In his efforts to dedicate a year of his life to getting healthy, he knew he needed to ditch the sweet treats. He tried several strategies to kick the habit including hiding them, repacking them into individual bags, and staring at a digitally aged picture of himself to make him stop and think, “Should I do this to him?” But... Read full article »