WELLBEING
Forget sweeping changes – small, regular tweaks to your routine are what add up to big health benefits, says Dr Michael Mosley. Follow his advice for improving energy levels, mood, sleep and brain power!
YOU DON’T HAVE TO overhaul your life to become healthier. Instead, building small changes into your routine can yield big benefits in terms of better mood, improved sleep, a sharper brain and reduced disease risk. The trick is to use everyday activities as triggers for your changes. For example, I perform resistance exercises straight after I get out of bed because if I don’t do them then, I won’t do them at all. So, I use “getting out of bed” as a trigger for these exercises. Also, establishing a new habit is about consistency and frequency. It takes between 18 and 254 days to ingrain a new habit, so stick with it!
TRY INTELLIGENT EXERCISES
Fewer than five per cent of people regularly do exercises targeted at building muscle. A shame because after the age of 30, you start to lose around five per cent muscle mass every decade. You need muscle to improve your posture and reduce the risk of back pain, plus muscles burn calories – even when you sleep.
Resistance exercises, which use muscle to lift or pull against resistance, are great for musclebuilding. I prefer squats and press-ups, using your own body weight to make muscles work harder. A woman in her 50s should be able to do at least 10 press-ups in one session.
Squats work the biggest muscles in your body. Professor Damian Bailey told me moving your body up and down against resistance (a squat) seems to be particularly effective at stimulating blood flow to a part of the brain responsible for learning and memory (the hippocampus). That’s why I call this an “intelligent” exercise.
Doing squats provides an increased blood supply and stimulates the release of a hormone called BDNF (brainderived neurotrophic factor), which encourages the growth of new brain cells and connections. Try a couple of minutes of squats or press-ups every day.
DRINK WATER
Why not try knocking back a large glass of water instead of your morning coffee or tea? Studies show keeping hydrated improves attention and helps with problem-solving. It also enhances physical performance, keeps you calm and boosts mood.
Water makes up 60 per cent of your body and 90 per cent of your brain. You need it to hydrate skin, digest food and flush out waste. It’s important to replace water lost in sweat, especially when exercising. Losing just two per cent water is enough to impair cognitive function. Rehydration studies show drinking more water leads to short-term memory improvements and can reduce headaches. It could also help you lose weight. In a study, two groups adopted the same weight-loss diet, but one group drank a pi
