Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley

It can be hard to fit a full workout into every day - but it turns out you really don’t need to! In this episode, Michael enlists the help of Marie Murphy, Professor of Exercise and Health at Ulster University, to explore why doing short bursts of exercise can actually be more beneficial than a hard gym session. A brisk 10-minute walk here, taking the stairs there, and it really does add up.

Could eating two squares of dark chocolate a day really help you reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease - and enhance blood flow to your brain? In this episode, Michael Mosley champions the wonders of chocolate. With the help of Professor Aedín Cassidy at Queen's University Belfast, he reveals the secret ingredients behind the benefits and why we should start to embrace the bitter taste of high cocoa chocolate.

In this episode, Michael reveals the power of the sun’s rays to lower blood pressure and improve your mood, bones, muscles and immune system. He challenges TV presenter Mehreen Baig to sunbathe herself healthy, and speaks to Professor Ann Webb at the University of Manchester to shed new light on how going out in the middle of the day is the best way to boost your Vitamin D, and how to do it safely depending on your skin type.

Surprisingly simple ways to boost your health and wellbeing - in one easy step.

In this episode, Michael takes a long soak in the bath, and explores why it might be good for our heart, metabolism and sleep. He speaks to one of the UK’s leading sleep experts, Professor Jason Ellis, Director of the Northumbria Sleep Centre, to find out why a hot bath a couple of hours before bed can help us get to sleep. They discuss the interplay of responses in your brain and body that work together to get your body ready for rest - and why a hot bath one to two hours before bed can help kick start the process… Crucially, it is not the warm, relaxing bath that’s important, but what happens afterwards.

In this episode, Michael reveals how slowing down and focusing on your breath can have a wide-reaching effect on your body and brain - from reducing pain, to improving concentration. He speaks to psychologist and neuroscientist Professor Ian Robertson, from Trinity College Dublin, who’s discovered how taking just a couple of seconds to control your breath can act as a powerful reset button for your brain.

In this episode, Michael is reborn as a one legged yogi to reveal why the one leg stance is one the best thing you can do for a longer and more active life. He speaks to Professor Dawn Skelton at Glasgow Caledonian University, to find out what happens to your balance as you get older, why our balance is getting worse with each generation, and how regularly making yourself wobble could help improve your body and your brain.

Michael explores the science behind the soothing power of nature, revealing how nature not only makes us feel good in the moment, but how it also has a more lasting effect on our stress levels and our mental health. Michael speaks to Professor Ming Kuo at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who has been looking into the surprising ways nature could be having an effect on your immune system and mind. They discuss everything from mood boosting microbes in the soil, to the aromatic chemicals released by plants that could be enhancing your immune system.

In this episode, Michael reveals the best exercises you can do – to help your heart and your brain. He now does press ups every morning – having discovered research that shows being able to do 10 could help you live longer, and doing 40 nearly doubles your protection against heart disease. But strength exercises can do more than just improve your muscle tone and heart. Michael speaks to Professor Damian Bailey at University of South Wales who’s been researching the effects of exercise on your brain. He’s discovered that one of the best exercises you can do to boost your brain power is the simple squat. Michael discovers how many and how long you need to do them for to get the best benefit – and it’s surprisingly little!

From easing your nerves to improving concentration, in this episode Michael explores the hidden brain benefits of taking up a new hobby. He finds out why learning a new skill is one of the best things you can do for mental agility and speaks to Professor Alan Gow at Heriot-Watt University to discover the best - and most fun - ways to keep your brain active, and how taking on a new challenge could help build new connections in your brain, whatever your age!