If you can’t bear to face the treadmill after a hard day’s work, Michael Mosley may have the perfect workout for you – and it involves activity lasting anywhere from six seconds to four minutes
Making just one change to our exercise routines can help to bolster brainpower and life expectancy, according to experts.
Going to the gym can feel like a lot of bother – even if we know it’s essential to stay healthy. Perhaps you work long hours and can’t bear to face the treadmill after a hard shift, or juggling kids and chores around the house makes it feel impossible.
But TV doctor Michael Mosley claims that a specific type of workout may be perfect for you – switching between short, intense bursts of activity and fixed break periods. This is commonly referred to as high-intensity interval training – or HIIT – which may sound slightly intimidating, but involves activity lasting anywhere from six seconds to four minutes.
Speaking on his new BBC podcast, Just One Thing, he explained: “I’m in the garden and I’m slightly out of breath because I’ve been doing something that could sharpen my memory, keep me young and help my heart and maybe even help me live longer.
“Now, HIIT may well be the single best way to get the most benefits out of exercise in the shortest amount of time. I’ve just been doing a short routine made up of squats, planks and star jumps. I don’t need any equipment, just my own body weight.”
HIIT can involve almost any type of cardio – whether it be cycling for four-minute bursts, or walking up and down the stairs for two minutes at a time. Research even suggests this may be better than moderate exercise when it comes to boosting the memory and cognitive function of adults.
Mosley says this is primarily due to the lactate produced by our muscles when we exercise. This acts as fuel for our cells and travels to the brain to boost the production of BDNF, or brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Not only does this hormone work to protect our brain cells, it also stimulates the production of new ones, potentially warding off debilitating conditions like dementia.
HIIT is particularly good at triggering the production of new mitochondria in our bodies too. These tiny components are often referred to as the ‘power units’ of our cells, supplying energy around the body and to the heart, which it keeps pumping, preventing cardiovascular issues.
The British Heart Foundation claims that coronary heart disease was the world’s single biggest killer in 2019, now taking the lives of roughly nine million people every year. Eating healthily and exercising in this way can help to prevent this from occurring.
Martin Gibala, Professor of Kinesiology at McMaster University in Ontario, who spoke on the podcast, added: “I think a big misperception [is] that people need to go all out, and so sometimes we’ll say ‘look we want you to work at a challenging pace, but we’re not all asking that you need to go all out as hard as you can go during these efforts’.”
To get started with HIIT, experts suggest doing something that feels slightly out of your comfort zone. Perhaps it’s running a little more until you’re out of breath, or noticing that your heart rate’s slightly faster than normal.
Stairclimbing is said to be fantastic for this and even walking around the block at night while alternating between fast and slower paces. Professor Gibala added: “We’re not at all suggesting go all out as hard as you can go. And there’s work to show that in many people, just with brisk walking, particularly if it’s uphill, appears sufficient to confer benefits.”
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