Gimme A Breakthrough

Sara Bunny Meets Dr Michael Mosley, An Investigator At The Forefront Of Research We Can Use In The Real World, And Learns The Truth About Getting Fit

- Sara Bunny

Whether you prefer to focus on press-ups, pounding the pavement or perfecting yoga poses, you’ll know there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to fitness, no foolproof formula and definitely no shortcut to success. Or is there? According to Dr Michael Mosley, British medical specialist and author of The Clever Guts Diet, scientists are discovering how we can get maximum benefits from our workouts – and some of the results might surprise you. In a new TV series he has made for the BBC, Dr Mosley reveals his latest findings on how long our exercise sessions should be, which offer the most bang for your buck, and which you shouldn’t bother with – and tells why standing on one leg can be the best indicator of our overall health. During a whirlwind visit to our shores, Good Health metup with him to get the lowdown.

Little and often

If better aerobic fitness is your goal but lengthy jogs leave you cold, Dr Mosley says science has some good news. One of the most surprising findings from his latest research is that short bursts of intense exercise have a profound effect on heart and lung function, and you don’t have to be an endurance athlete so see meaningful results.

“We did a test with a group of volunteers aged 25 to 45, where we put them on a stationary bike and after a warm-up, got them to do a 20-second burst of intense exercise, then have a small break, followed by another 20-second burst. The key is to really push yourself in those 20 seconds, and it needs to be done three times a week.

“After a couple of months, we saw big improvements in their aerobic ability, and the scientist leading there search said it would usually have taken 45 minutes of running three times a week to achieve similar levels of fitness.”