Following a slew of requests from viewers for updates on how previous leaders are getting on since their transformation journey on the show, OT has created a podcast where Leaders can share their personal stories and their own tips, their highs, and lows.
Former Leader Katie Jones, who was hugely popular with viewers last year and has been an inspiration to this series' upcoming leaders, will host the show.
Each week Katie will talk to a former leader in the company of one of the OT experts to help everyone on their wellness journey.
On this week's episode Katie was joined by 2018 Leader David Cryan. Viewers will remember David for breaking records on Operation Transformation when he lost over a stone in one week. However, before he could get too excited about the numbers, Dietitian Aoife Hearne stepped in to remind viewers that dramatic weight loss is not necessarily a good thing.
At the time of the show, David and his wife Siobhan were raising their two children, six-year-old Dylan and four-year-old Zoe. While Siobhan is a full-time carer to their daughter, who has cerebral palsy, David is a Community Sergeant for an Garda Síochána.
His busy schedule meant that he had very little work-life balance and didn't feel capable of prioritising his own health and wellbeing.
Speaking with Katie on the podcast, David said that the best bit of advice he has for those looking to get moving is to "find something that gives you the 30 minutes", whether it be walking, cycling, going to the gym, coaching a team, playing football, or hopping in a canoe.
To ensure he gets his daily exercise in, David built a gym outside his home that he is "extremely proud" of it. Describing it as an oasis, the former Leader told Katie that running on country roads isn't always possible given the lack of lighting so having a home gym has been a treat.
He also advised future Leaders to rely on the basics to keep them on track, explaining that although he "kind of took my foot off the pedal a little bit" in the past year, he was always able to get back into as he knew "exactly what to do" with the OT plan.
"I'm physically so much fitter than I ever was before, and I know exactly what I want to do," he says.
Fitness expert Karl Henry also joined Katie on the podcast and revealed some fitness and tips and spoke about his own journey.
Continuing the conversation of "finding your thing" to ensure that working out is a bit of fun and not a chore, Karl insisted that anybody can start their journey any time and in any way. However, he did note that resistance training is a great thing to introduce to your routine.
"If you want to age healthier, if you want to be well as you get older - and we have an aging population in the country - you need to do the bendy stuff," he insists.
"It's very much 'use it or lose it'," he adds, noting that strength training, either with body weight or physical weights, is essential for staying fit as you age.
Speaking on his own fitness journey, Karl said that he used to play rugby as a child but would have been "the last fella on the pitch".
Insisting that he is not naturally fit, he said that fitness fell by the wayside during his first year in college, but that he got back into it by signing up to a couch to 5k programme which eventually, thanks to his competitive nature, led to ultra-marathons.
"I have got to work hard at my fitness which I think is why people listen to the message because I don't preach at people, or at least, I try not to. I am kind of talking from a space where I have been that person.
"I have been the person that couldn’t run, I have been the person who needed to lose some weight, I have been the person who was challenged by a really busy schedule and a busy lifestyle and I think that gives me kind of an advantage almost in trying to communicate the message to people of health because I've been in their shoes."
RTÉ OT Podcast can be found on RTÉ Sounds, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts, and can also be found here.
