Yahoo News Michael Mosley explains 'best and most effective' 15-minute exercise method to improve health
Michael Mosley has explained why his favourite go-to exercise method is "one of the best" ways to keep your body and mind in good shape.
The TV doctor is renowned for his top tips on how to improve your health, including diet advice such as his famous 5:2 and Fast 800 plans. Announcing the return of his BBC podcast series Just One Thing, Dr Mosley told followers on Instagram that the first episode would focus on exercise - and investigate how "high intensity bursts" of physical activity could be "the most time-efficient way" to maximise the benefits of your workout.
Posting a clip of himself doing star jumps, Dr Mosley described high intensity interval training (HIIT) as "one of the best and most effective ways of doing exercise". He then went on to explain the benefits of this form of workout, which includes not only burning calories and helping you to lose weight but also improving your memory - and it might even help you live longer too, Gloucestershire Live reports.
The 66-year-old said that his high intensity workout typically involves squats, planks and star jumps - advising that you don't need to invest in expensive gym equipment to reap the benefits. "We know exercise is good for us, but many people struggle to fit it in. If this sounds like you, HIIT could be the answer," he told listeners.
Dr Mosley explained: "Not only can you burn more calories in less time, but it can build your muscles and boost your brain power. What's more, you can introduce intervals of more vigorous intensity into almost any exercise - running, cycling, or even your morning walk."
A HIIT workout involves alternating short periods of intense exercise with brief recovery periods, designed to work up a sweat and increase your heart rate. There are many different ways to perform high intensity interval exercise, but according to Dr Mosley, it can be as easy as fitting in a 20-minute walk at lunchtime and introducing intervals of going fast for three minutes and then normal pace in between.
"It's really about adapting it to your current level of fitness, and in the long term, it can have big benefits, increasing muscle strength, fitness, improving your heart and reducing your risk of type two diabetes," he said. If you can't get out for a walk, simply going up the stairs or even running on the spot can also work.
"You do five lots of one minute intervals. Do a little bit of gentle warm up, then you go fairly hard for one minute. You have a breather for one minute until you've done a total of five minutes of fairly vigorous workout. That should get you done within 15 minutes," he explained.
Dr Mosley said high intensity exercise has a big impact on the body's mitochondria, which generate most of the chemical energy needed to power the biochemical reactions in your cells, and "tend to become less effective as we age". He explained: "In a recent study, volunteers were asked to do hit cycling at maximum intensity for four lots of four minutes.
"They did this three times a week. After three months, they'd not only improved muscle mass and strength, but increased their mitochondrial activity by up to 70%."
