Health Up

Are you spending more energy stressing about your health than actually enjoying your life?
In this episode of the Health Up Podcast, clinical nutritionist and lifestyle medicine specialist Anthony Hartcher tackles one of the most overlooked wellness traps — health obsessiveness, also known as orthorexia. If you've ever felt guilty for missing a workout, competitive about how long you fasted, or overwhelmed by conflicting health advice, this episode is your permission slip to breathe.
Anthony explores why the relentless pursuit of "doing health perfectly" can actually work against your wellbeing — and why the healthiest communities on earth (the Blue Zones) thrived without a single supplement, gadget, or biohacking protocol.
What you'll discover in this episode:
🌿 What health obsessiveness and orthorexia really look like in everyday life
🌿 Why trending longevity supplements and biohacking devices will always be replaced
🌿 The timeless health foundations that will never be debunked — sleep, connection, whole food, movement
🌿 Why obsessive fasting, extreme exercise, and over-monitoring your data can do more harm than good
🌿 How to stop comparing your health journey to others and trust your own intuition
🌿 Finding your personal balance between chaos and order — the real "juice of life"
🌿 Why your body knows more than any Oura Ring, Apple Watch, or health tracker
Whether you're deep into biohacking, overwhelmed by nutrition noise, or simply wondering if you've taken your health habits too far — this honest, grounding conversation will help you step back, simplify, and reconnect with what genuinely works for you.
Ready to find your health middle ground without the obsession?
Anthony offers a free discovery session to help you get started on your personal wellness journey — without the overwhelm, without the data obsession, and without the comparison trap.
👉 Book your free discovery session via the link in the show notes.
Anthony Hartcher is a clinical nutritionist, lifestyle medicine specialist, and founder of the Joyful Mate wellness brand. Through the Health Up Podcast, Anthony helps everyday people cut through the noise and build sustainable, personalised wellbeing — one next best step at a time.

Six years ago, Anthony Hartcher launched Me and My Health Up during COVID lockdown with no podcasting experience, no audience, and a lifelong fear of using his own voice. Today, 325+ episodes later, he sits down to reflect on the health insights, mindset shifts, and healing discoveries that have genuinely transformed his health — and his life.
In this honest and heartfelt milestone episode, Anthony shares the most impactful lessons from hundreds of conversations with world-class health experts, including:
🥩 Why he transitioned away from excessive plant-based eating after discovering he was chronically protein deficient
⏱️ How intermittent fasting and occasional 24-hour fasts improved his fat adaptation and training performance — not hindered it
🫒 What Udo Erasmus taught him about seed oils — and why heating olive oil may be doing more harm than good
🧠 The truth about cholesterol — why it's essential for hormone production, brain health, and preventing cognitive decline
🍬 What he learned from Chris Mearns about fructose metabolism and how isolated fructose in processed foods may be quietly driving poor health outcomes
💡 How light therapy, sound healing, art therapy, and movement-based practices expanded his understanding of what healing really means
🔄 Why unlearning is just as powerful as learning — and how letting go of attachment to being "right" has been one of his greatest personal growth lessons
🎙️ And the deeply personal story of finding his voice — after decades of silence, self-doubt, and a childhood fear that held him back from speaking up
This episode is a celebration of the journey — and an invitation for every listener to keep asking questions, stay open to new science, and continue to Health Up.
🎙️ Hosted by Anthony Hartcher
Clinical Nutritionist & Lifestyle Medicine Specialist
Founder, Joyful Mate Wellness
📲 CONNECT & TAKE THE NEXT STEP:
If today's episode resonated with you, here's how to keep the momentum going:
✅ Subscribe to Me and My Health Up so you never miss a weekly episode
⭐ Leave a review — it takes 60 seconds and helps more people find the show
📩 Share this episode with someone who needs a health reset or a reminder that it's never too late to learn something new
💬 Got feedback or a topic you'd love covered? Reach out — Anthony genuinely wants to hear from you
Because the best way to honour 325 episodes is to keep showing up — together.
Continue to Health Up. 🙌

Why is cutting sugar so hard — even when you know it's harming you? The answer may lie deeper than willpower.
In this episode of the Me and My Health Up Podcast, researcher and entrepreneur Chris Mearns joins host Anthony Hartcher to reveal how fructose — not just as a dietary sugar but as a biological signalling molecule — programs your cells into a low-energy, craving-driven, fat-storing state.
Chris explains the science behind the fructose model of metabolic dysfunction: how fructose degrades your mitochondrial energy (ATP), why your body manufactures fructose from glucose, alcohol, salt, and even poor sleep, and how this single enzyme (fructokinase) sits at the centre of modern chronic disease — from obesity and fatty liver to brain fog, insulin resistance, and Alzheimer's disease.
You'll also hear about luteolin, a plant flavonoid that targets fructokinase, and how liposomal supplementation is making it viable as a real-world metabolic support tool through Chris's product, Sugar Shield.
Topics covered:→ Fructose as a metabolic regulator, not just a calorie→ How fructose destroys ATP and suppresses mitochondria→ The evolutionary logic of the conservation signal→ The polyol pathway: how glucose, alcohol & salt trigger fructose→ Food noise, hunger loops & the biology of sugar addiction→ Fructokinase — the linchpin enzyme of metabolic disease→ Luteolin, liposomes & the Sugar Shield supplement→ Practical steps to reduce fructose load and restore energy
Connect with Chris Mearns:🌐 Website & Sugar Shield: LIV3health.com▶️ YouTube: Search "The Fructose Model" on YouTube📩 Contact via his website for inquiries or research discussions
Me and My Health Up Podcast is hosted by Anthony Hartcher — science educator, wellbeing coach, and founder of Joyful Mate.

What does it take to stay calm, focused, and perform at your best—especially under pressure?
In this episode of Me & My Health Up, Anthony Hartcher sits down with performance coach Aoife Leggett to explore how mindset, breathwork, and simple daily habits can transform your performance in sport, business, and life.
After a life-changing injury, Aoife shifted from working with horses to coaching high performers—helping them overcome stress, self-doubt, and inconsistency.
🎯 In this episode:
How to perform under pressure and stay present
A simple breathwork technique to calm your nervous system
Why sleep and nutrition are critical for performance
How to identify and break limiting beliefs
Turning negative self-talk into a powerful inner coach
Building sustainable habits that actually stick
This conversation is practical, grounded, and packed with tools you can start using immediately.
Whether you’re an athlete, business leader, or simply looking to improve your health and performance—this episode will give you a clear path forward.
Want to continue the conversation with Aoife? You can find her most active on Instagram at @aoifeleggettcoach, where she regularly shares practical tips on performance, mindset, and living well. She loves hearing from listeners, so feel free to DM her or ask questions on her posts. You can also explore her holistic coaching practice at 360coaching.ie, reach her by email at aoife@360coaching.ie, or connect with her on LinkedIn. Whether you're in Dublin or Down Under, Aoife is always happy to chat with people from all over the world!

Feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, or not like yourself anymore?
It might not just be burnout — it could be perimenopause.
In this episode, health coach Joelene Edwards shares her personal journey of being diagnosed with perimenopause at 37 and how it impacted her energy, mood, sleep, and ability to cope with daily life.
We dive into:
The hidden connection between burnout and hormone imbalance
Early signs of perimenopause most women ignore
How hormones affect stress, sleep, and emotional resilience
Nutrition strategies to support hormone health (protein, fats & fibre)
Exercise changes that reduce stress instead of adding to it
Practical sleep habits for better recovery and energy
Rebuilding confidence and feeling good in your body again
This episode is a must-listen for women navigating:
✔️ Fatigue and overwhelm
✔️ Hormonal changes in their 30s & 40s
✔️ Stress, sleep issues, and emotional burnout
✔️ Identity and body changes
If you’ve been asking yourself,
“Why can’t I cope like I used to?” — this conversation will give you answers and practical next steps.
🎧 Tune in now and start feeling like yourself again.
🔗 Connect with Joelene Edwards:
🌐 Website: https://coachjoelene.com
📞 Book a free clarity call via her website