There’s a new gadget that claims to improve your mental fitness. It’s a headset called Muse, that syncs up with the iphone to help you, apparently, begin feeling the benefits of a calmer, more composed mind.

It makes use of EEG technology that only a few years ago would have cost 1000s. Now it’s just around £300 ($450). And I’ve got one here...

I decided to test it out with my first repeat guest on Zestology podcast - definitely back by popular demand. Dr. Stephen Simpson is an Elite Performance Coach, medical doctor, and NLP expert who specialises in a fascinating field. He's developed the niche of helping poker players win more money. We chatted about poker in Zestology episode 2, today though I wanted to explore the topics of intuition, altered states, and how when we tap into these we can increase our energy and wellbeing. He’s the perfect person to do this with as you’ll hear. 

In this podcast, we explore luck, intuition and altered states, and of course test out this new Muse headset gadget which is a lot of fun. Thank you Steve for being the guinea pig.

My personal development background is in NLP and related more to focusing on the mind. But I want Zestology to look at every area of our physical and mental health, and I know personally that when my digestion is good, I feel good. Likewise, when it's not, I feel sluggish and slow. I definitely have my ups and downs with digestion and gut health, hence today's show.

Today's Zestology Podcast guest is someone who goes by the name of The Digestion Detective. Sam Bearfoot runs a successful practice here in the UK, combining kinesiology, nutrition and a number of different areas of expertise. She also hosts the popular Digestion Detective podcast and is regularly featured in major health and lifestyle publications such as Health & Fitness magazine, Daily Mirror, Prima and Cosmopolitan.

She's a bit of a ledge. When you listen you'll hear:

Living with more energy

• How to work out: what agrees with your body and what doesn't.
• You've heard about the importance of drinking water, but do you know when to drink it?
• How the crazy technique of putting your legs above your head might change your life!
• Whether you should be eating gluten.

Easy, everyday tips for vitality

• What kinesiology is and how it can help you.
• How muscle testing might help you.
• What probiotics to take, and where to buy them.
• What to do if you've been on antibiotics at any point over the past couple of years (important).
• Despite everything you hear, be careful with raw food. Why - listen on.

Finding motivation

• Your emotional wellbeing is intrinsically linked to your digestion.
• Make your body run super-efficiently, and notice how you feel.

And lots more...

Ever heard of biohacking? Today's guest has become famous for experimenting and attempting to improve every area of his health and wellbeing.

Luke Storey is well known as a stylist, appearing regularly on MTV and VH1 and working with top names like Kanye West, Marilyn Manson, Foo Fighters, Kim Kardashian and many more. But he's also a biohacker, experimenter, coach and he is now becoming as famous for this as for his styling work.

You won't agree with everything he says - I don't - but a lot of it is truly thought-provoking, and more than that, it's just great fun. Prepare to be a little bit shocked at how extreme Luke is, and laugh a lot too.

When you listen you'll hear:

Living with more energy

• Drink water from as pure a source as possible. Not tap.
• Pop some sea salt in your morning glass of water.
• Supplements such as Unfair Advantage may help boost your mitochondria levels.
• It might hurt a bit, but take a cold bath/shower to supercharge your brain and get your circulation moving.
• Be careful where you put your cellphone, (Cellphone cooks eggs!), and don't sleep close to a wifi router.

Easy, everyday tips for vitality

• Align yourself with the natural circadian and solar rhythms of the world by 'sungazing'.
• Put filters on your shower to block out vaporised chemicals from tap water.
• Drink bulletproof coffee.
• Eat more 'good fats' and less sugar.

Finding motivation

• Start your day by avoiding social media.
• Look into starting the day with a morning meditation, and allow your mind to settle into a good place.
• Good morning routine means the stress response is more easily handled throughout the day.
• Prioritise your physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.

And lots more...

It turns out that some of the bright lights we have in our homes and on our devices late at night can impact the depth of our sleep, and our long-term health by suppressing our melatonin levels. Basically, our bodies respond to bright 'blue light' by thinking it's daylight.

Turns out the solution is the colour amber. Amber 'blue-blocking' specs, night lights and computer programs can all help us replenish our melatonin levels to get a much improved night's sleep.

I especially wanted to look into this further for the many parents I know whose night-times are disrupted by their little angels waking them up. Any parents reading this, I hope you listen today, because there is a specific section for parents getting better sleep.

I'm joined in this show by a celebrated physicist, and definitely one of the most distinguished guests I've spoken to on Zestology.

Dr. Edward Carome led a long and distinguished career as a physicist. He was a professor of physics at John Carroll University. He’s consulted with industry and government agencies such as NASA, the FBI, and the National Institute of Health. He has been published widely in technical journals all over the world. And now, at 88 years old, he is still producing ground-breaking work on sleep, lighting, and melatonin production.

In fact Dr. Edward himself was a very light sleeper. He would always be woken up by his newspaper being delivered at 4.30am. He then started working on this research, and started using the blue-blocking glasses. The effect on his sleep was radical, and you'll hear the story in the podcast.

When you listen you'll hear:

Living with more energy

• The pineal gland produces melatonin which is the 'sleep hormone'.
• Melatonin is one of the most powerful anti-oxidants and cancer fighters that we have.
• It's only produced in darkness, but these days, we don't spend enough time in darkness.
• The pineal gland is capable of producing melatonin for up to 12 hours a night, and you can tap into this ability by wearing blue-blocking glasses (or turning the lights out much earlier!)

Easy, everyday tips for vitality

• Your smartphone contains a combination of LEDs that combine to produce a very white light. Shut your device off earlier in the evening to sleep deeper.
• Parents - get blue blocking glasses and 'amber' nightlights to maintain melatonin production overnight.
• You can even wear your blue-blocking glasses to the pub (though you might get a few comments).

Finding motivation

• Keep your internal clock on a regular 24-hour cycle as much as possible for optimal health and melatonin levels.
• Take a leaf out of Dr. Edward's book and never retire!

And lots more...