A Thorough Examination with Drs Chris and Xand

Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken investigate the science of exercise and the dangers of inactivity.

Is modern exercise a wellness cult? Or is it a vital cure for a world that's struggling with ill health and stuck on the sofa? Most of us might like to get a bit fitter, but how easy is it to actually start exercising and give up sedentary habits?

In this series Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken examine exercise and how best to do it. How much should we be doing? How does it help our bodies? And how does our surrounding environment stand in the way of us getting fitter? Chris is challenged to examine his scepticism towards exercise. Similarly, Xand is asked to look at his new-found exercise evangelism and see what he is really running from.

Recently Xand has discovered the joys of physical activity. He's running, cycling, heading to the gym and playing ping pong like never before. It's been a real transformation and a way to keep on top of things after years of unhealthy living.

His twin brother Chris, on the other hand, is really feeling the aches and pains of middle age. With a busy job and a young family, he has precious little spare time for exercise. After a very active period in his 20s and 30s, Chris is now embracing his 'Dad bod' and sliding into a creaky middle age. Xand wants to help him turn things around. Can he do it?

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Recent Reviews

BethFWTX

I’m addicted

I’m addicted to this podcast I think. The brothers have done a masterful job honestly presenting the challenges of both being family and trying to navigate the new world of health & fitness as it crashes into the “modernization” of our food choices. Im learning a lot—about a lot—and have decided I love the entire family, Mum & little brother Jay as well. Thank you all—sincerely!
dee ellent

Will power

This was very interesting. All of them have been. I do have viewpoint that helps me with willpower that I want to put out there. I don’t want to be a procrastinator and if I don’t exercise or diet then I’m procrastinating. That had helped me more than any other tricks I’ve used in the past.
La-Pistola

Boring and unhelpful

I found this podcast searching for information about UPFs. I couldn’t make it more than a couple episodes, because it’s highly editorialized and focused on the ramblings of an overweight man and his struggles with food. For every 1 minute of information, you have to sit through 20 minutes of this guy talking about his take aways.
Happy_Now1122

Interesting and Fun

Love the dynamic between all the brothers and how much they learned about/from each other. Looking forward to additional episodes!
Mantis79

Boring, Biased

Drawing unrealistic parallels and of course must include global warming theme somewhere. Eye-roll.
BoboCramp

Fantastic Meta-Commentary on Food and Culture

Not only did I find this show engaging, but I also found it genuinely fascinating and tantalizing. Getting this information out there is critical for the optimal performance of self, but I found myself enjoying the personalization as well. Having hosts who know each other very thoroughly does a lot of the heavy lifting because the connection grabs you, and the information is fed to you throughout the journey! This was a great, succinct ‘cast to listen to on a morning where I wanted to be productive!
annereins

May be triggering but very enlightening

This podcast may trigger people with eating disorders. That said, I found it helpful to understand the role of family dynamics and ultra processed food on health. The experts interviewed were full of information. The studies on UPF from Brazil and NIH were eye opening. There’s a dearth of good information on UPF in my country so I appreciate your perspective. The hosts were funny and honest about their experiences.