Whatever version of wellness you’re seeking, there’s a show to get you in better physical and emotional shape.
Now that we’re a month into the new year, it’s statistically likely that whatever health resolutions you set for 2020 have already lost their luster. Luckily for those in need of some straightforward training tips and expert motivation to help get back on track, plenty of coaches and nutritionists are available in audio form. Other shows explore health through individual stories of survival, endurance and transformation, or through candid interviews in which guests reflect on their psychological struggles. Whatever version of wellness you’re seeking, here are seven podcasts to get you in better physical and emotional shape.
‘Hurdle’
Every fitness guru needs an origin story — often one of emotional transformation through exercise — and Emily Abbate, the “Hurdle” host, — is no exception. Now a health writer and coach, Abbate was “dramatically overweight” as a college student and redirected her life after discovering running. In her addictive twice-weekly podcast, Abbate shares fitness tips from her own life and interviews people who have overcome hurdles through healthy living. Though many guests are from the fitness world, including the trainer Jillian Michaels and the soccer player Alex Morgan, others are simply successful people for whom fitness is an essential tool, and their stories offer plenty of useful lessons for everyday life.
Starter episode: “How To Start (and Stay) Running”
‘Mental Illness Happy Hour’
Though mental health is still too often neglected in the cultural conversation around “wellness,” that is slowly changing as stigma around the subject recedes. The comedian Paul Gilmartin has been chipping away at the taboo for years with this weekly “hour of honesty about all the battles in our heads,” a show that makes you feel as if you’re part of a very articulate support group. Gilmartin leads sprawling, intimate conversations with guests primarily in the creative arts, who share raw admissions about their deepest fears, compulsive behaviors and traumatic histories. Though the show can be heavy listening, it’s also laced with irreverent humor and hope.
Starter episode: “Best Of: Rob Delaney (2011)”
‘The Nutrition Diva’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Eating Well and Feeling Fabulous’
The Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network offers a variety of bite-size service shows with advice on topics like grammar, parenting and productivity. The nutritionist Monica Reinagel, known as the Nutrition Diva, takes a “sane, scientific” approach to dietary advice that cuts through the onslaught of often-conflicting information and offers deceptively simple lessons — all in the time of a short commute. Whether you’re trying to pick a nondairy milk alternative or curious about intermittent fasting, Reinagel is will likely have an episode on the subject, and her levelheaded delivery will leave you feeling calmer as well as better informed.