Doctor Michael Mosley was determined to turn his life around and managed to get his diagnosis of type 2 diabetes reversed. He would often test out the theories, acting himself as the guinea pig
Michael Mosley was best known to many as a doctor who appeared on TV giving advice on health and lifestyle.
The 67-year-old appeared in dozens of documentaries and wrote books, all backed by science, to advise people how small changes could really make a difference to their life. Mr Mosley even changed his own life when he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
He was determined to turn his life around and managed to get his diagnosis reversed. During his TV programmes, he would often test out the theories, acting himself as the guinea pig. His top four health changes we can easily make were:
Exercise snacking in short bursts
Mr Mosley shared that doing lots of short bursts of exercise throughout the day can be “just as effective” as a full workout.
Exercise snacking involves doing short bursts of exercise throughout the day. The idea is to set your alarm for every 40 minutes or so when you’re sitting down. When the alarm goes off, stand up and do some exercise.
You can do anything from press-ups and squats to simply walking up and down the stairs, as long you get moving and keep yourself active.
This kind of exercise is also useful since you can fit into your busy schedule without setting extra time for a full workout.
Speaking on his podcast Just One Thing, Dr Mosley said: “Doing exercise in short chunks really can help you burn more calories, lose more weight, and help improve your blood glucose and blood pressure to a greater degree than doing it in larger chunks.”
Michael Mosley’s one-minute exercise routine burns fat for weight loss
Eat less for two days out of seven
Dr Mosley said the safest way to lose weight was with his 5:2 diet, where you eat less on two days a week. Also known as The Fast 800 Keto diet, it also involves eating plenty of protein, which should help you stop craving fast treats.
Speaking about the show, How to lose a stone in 21 days, Dr Mosley said: “The idea is that we take a group of people who have piled on the pounds during lockdown and help them shed that excess weight by putting them on a rapid weight-loss diet.”
Dr Mosley said: “This may sound like a crash diet, but it’s based on a lot of good-quality scientific studies. Low-calorie diets like this have been piloted by the NHS in a bid to tackle obesity. Our volunteers wanted to see results, fast. We wanted to make sure the weight loss was safe and sustainable.”
Michael Mosley diet for ‘safe’ fast weight loss – how to lose a stone in 21 days
Cold showers to stop winter colds
Doctor Mosley claimed “hot-cold cycling” could be the key to getting through the winter without catching a cold.
The practice involves starting your shower with water that is a little warmer than body temperature and then switching to a colder temperature. Speaking on the BBC Radio 4 podcast, Cold Therapy, the health guru said: “The cold is something we, at times, can work with and harness in ways that can help our health and wellbeing.”
Doctor Mosley said there has been a long history of combining the cold with the heat, and said many of us already do it when we visit saunas, steam rooms, and jacuzzis that often involve taking a cold shower before and after use.
He said: “Over the course of the following winter, those who did the hot-cold combo took nearly 30% less sick leave and most reported a boost in energy levels, so much so that nearly two-thirds of the participants carried on with the hot-cold showering after the completion of the study. And, for me, the really good news was that ending with a 30-second cold shower was just as effective as the full 90 seconds.”
Michael Mosley’s shower trick could make you sick less often this winter
Squats and planks keep you young
Dr Mosley strongly recommends incorporating press-ups and squats into your daily routine to reap the youthful benefits. The simple movements could even keep your spine at the young age of 25-years-old.
The doctor performed the “really simple” exercises every morning with his wife Claire, who is a GP. Speaking on This Morning, he said: “They are really good and simple exercises. If you are going to do anything, [do this]. You can roll out of bed – you have to get out of bed at some point in the day – so that’s the point, where we do them.
“We do a few simple press-ups and squats – really good for your muscles and also for your brain because you get a big flow of oxygen to your brain when you do that.” The health guru explained that his spine has benefited from the daily workout. He said: “I had my spine tested recently, I’m 66, and I have the spine of a 25-year-old. That’s because I do press-ups. And I haven’t been doing them for that long.”
Dr Michael Mosley shares 2-minute exercise he does every morning to ‘stay young’
