Real Health with Karl Henry

Many of you will know that I’m a big of walking as a great exercise for both physical and mental well-being and this week’s guest has certainly taken walking even further with her #100daysofwalking, encouraging anyone that can, to do thirty minutes of walking every day for the first 100 days of the year. Dr. Ciara Kelly, Newstalk’s Lunchtime presenter and walking aficionado, joined me on this week...

There are so many myths and misconceptions around health and fitness at this time of year that I decided, for this week’s episode of the Real Health podcast, to call out the BS around many of the gimmicks and quick fixes being pedalled. They don’t work, they’re not good for your health in the long term and I hope that, through my podcast, people will start understand the truth behind what’s actual...

I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and New Year and you’re all set and ready for your resolutions to get healthier in 2020? On this week’s episode I bring you 10 Real Resolutions for 2020 to get healthier this year. Normally people set goals and ambitions that are too big and after just a few weeks they fade away and give up on what they had wanted to achieve. Instead, let’s avoid that by ge...

Christmas is over and I hope you all had a wonderful time with friends and family and didn’t go over-board on the turkey, ham and wine?! The days between Christmas and New Year are a great time to take stock, look back and reflect on the year and life in general, and so for this week’s Real Health podcast, I sit down with one of Ireland’s most famous and controversial journalists who is now the ho...

She may have had to move on from RTE after reaching retirement age, but for presenter Mary Kennedy, her career is anything but over – starting with Dancing with the Stars to look forward to. Before Mary started her rehearsals, she joined me on this week’s Real Health podcast for this week’s ‘Life Lessons’ episode looking back on her career and life, what she learned and would do differently. Plus...

Christmas is just around the corner and the party season is in full swing, but have you been over-indulging and enjoying yourself a bit too much? Have you been hit with the dreaded hangover yet or perhaps not looking forward to it happening? On this week's Real Health I've got the answers for you with Ireland's favourite GP, Dr. Sumi Dunne. Sumi explains what a hangover is, what happens to your bo...

Celebrating ten years presenting Operation Transformation, Kathryn Thomas joins me on this week's Real Health podcast to look ahead to the new series in January. She also tells me what it was like stepping into Gerry Ryan's shoes, why acting was her first love and how she got her break into TV. We discuss the importance of balance and positivity in her life and why finding the thing that you love...

Between Black Friday and the Toy Show, present buying for Christmas is first and foremost on a lot of people’s minds, and on this week’s Real Health, I thought, why not ask two of Ireland’s leading personal trainers what their wish list for Christmas would be? John Belton of No. 17 Personal Training and Paul Moran from BodyRock Performance joined me with their recommendations for training-related...

The next few weeks are going to be busy. Between office parties and family and friend get-togethers, there will be plenty of socialising, eating and drinking over the Christmas period. But, how to make sure all the work you’ve done on your health and fitness throughout the year doesn’t go to waste over the next few weeks? This week’s Real Health episode will help solve that problem. I give you my...

This week I’m finding out all about pilates and yoga, the difference between them, the importance of movement, and the massive benefits that can be had from their practice. To give me insights, tips and advice, I speak to two of Ireland’s leading experts and practitioners, Annie Kirwan and Lee Tracey, who are co-founders of Reformation, a Dublin-based studio. Annie and Lee also reveal how and why...

Unless you've been living under a rock in 2019, my guest on this week's Real Health podcast is known to pretty much everyone in Ireland after winning ITV's Love Island. He was a hugely popular winner and not only is he a proud Limerick man, he is also a very talented international athlete in rugby and athletics. Greg O'Shea joins me on this week's episode to tell me about his Love Island experienc...

In his work with Leinster Rugby and Dublin GAA, elite performance nutritionist, Daniel Davey, has seen how consistently eating good food can help you perform at your highest level. But it’s not just in elite sport that this is true either. Anyone can feel and perform better with the right food choices. A healthy diet with appropriate energy and nutrients will make you feel energetic, positive, hea...

It’s the 40th anniversary of the Dublin Marathon and is the biggest one yet. So, if you’re one of the 22,500 runners taking part – or if you’re just into any kind of running – on this week’s Real Health, I wanted to bring you some race tips and advice from one of Ireland’s greatest ever runners, Catherina McKiernan. Catherina has been an Olympian, European cross-country champion, four-time, World...

It’s cold, damp and dark, the fire is looking more inviting each evening and it is becoming more and more difficult to train. Yes winter is arriving, so how to make sure you stay on track during these next few months? For this week’s Real Health podcast I’ve got my top ten tips for winter training success. The key is to set yourself up for success. Write them down and put them into action so you d...

It massively impacts you in terms of running, training and everyday life and yet it’s not an area of health and fitness that people pay much attention to. What am I talking about? Your mobility, and on this week’s Real Health podcast, I speak to Brian O’Loughlin of Movement101 and find out why movement and mobility are the real secrets to Real Health. “It’s not about stretching or foam rolling,” e...

I've covered nutrition before on the Real Health podcast from performance to healthy eating and this week I'm discussing fuelling your life with nutrition advice and tips from Danny Lennon of Sigma Nutrition. Danny is the founder of Sigma Nutrition and has a master’s degree (MSc.) in Nutritional Sciences from University College Cork, during which time he completed his research thesis directly unde...

Aoibhín Garrihy, entrepreneur, former Fair City Actress and former Dancing with the Stars finalist, joined me on this week’s Real Health podcast to talk about family, career and health. Aoibhín gave up acting and headed west to Clare, where, she says, she has found happiness. “Every time I headed to the west I felt a weight lift off me, felt happier and at ease. The outdoors is my happy place. Whe...

“I didn’t really know who I was and most of us aren’t really comfortable with who we are.” Alison Canavan, the personal wellness coach and former model, has been through her own struggles and now wants to bring self-empowerment and awareness to more people. Joining me on this week’s Real Health podcast, Alison opens up about her journey, dealing with insecurities and how mindfulness has helped her...

In a special bonus episode live from the 2019 Ploughing Championships in Carlow, the Real Health podcast finds out about the health of the nation from Kate O’Flaherty, Director of Healthy Ireland, and Conor Owens, Child Psychologist with the HSE. We’re living longer, and slowly but surely, as a country, we're eating healthier and getting fitter, but there is still a lot more to do with obesity a m...

It’s September, the summer is over, schools are back, the nights are drawing in and life is going back to its familiar routine. What better time then to get your fitness – physical and mental – back on track? After all, September is the new January… This week’s Real Health podcast is dedicated to re-establishing your fitness routine and to help you through it with some great tips and advice, I’m j...

This week’s episode is about mental health but it’s also a raw story of dark depths, attempted suicide and the ability to overcome and deal with the thoughts inside your head. Graham McCormack is a former MMA fighter who in recent years has been very open about his battles with anxiety, depression and mental health. It’s perhaps the last thing you would expect to hear from a combatant in the ultra...

Sleep is an area we don’t pay enough attention to yet it’s when our body recovers the most and it is vital for our mental and physical health. It is one of the most neglected areas of health but one of the most important. For this week's episode I give you my top 10 tips for sleep optimisation that you can put into practise starting today. From your sleep environment to eating, and movement to vis...

Nutrition and food has become a crucial component in the GAA in terms of performance and preparation and this week I wanted to find out more and to get some tips and advice from someone who is not only a nutritionist but an inter-county GAA footballer. Mayo's Evan Regan joined me on this week's Real Health podcast to discuss all things GAA, food and nutrition. He explains how more and more nutriti...

Steroids. It's a topic I've been wanting to cover since the Real Health first started. Just how much is it on the increase, especially for gym users and the younger generation of men who are under pressure to look a 'certain way'? Over half a million doses of steroids are being confiscated by the Gardaí every year and it is on the rise. To find out more, this week I’m joined by David Nolan of Syna...

“It’s the biggest health problem this country has.” These are the stark words from Professor Donal O’Shea, the HSE’s Clinical Lead on Obesity, who joins me on this week’s Real Health podcast to talk about the obesity epidemic that is affecting Ireland. Did you know that a report by the European Commission on Obesity found that obesity levels in Ireland are far higher than the EU average? Not only...