Sitting on the couch all day has long gone out of fashion. It is true that new forms of entertainment, such as boom of television series, and of working. Closely linked to a computer, they encourage us to spend long hours of inactivity seasoned in some cases with food of dubious quality, but we are increasingly aware that this is not the way to have a healthy life expectancy.
By this we do not mean that you should give up what entertains you or what feeds you. Far from it. We simply invite you to find balance and try to compensate for the time of physical inactivity with a little exercise. And in this sense, Dr. Michael Mosley, a health and well-being expert with more than three decades of experience as a medical and scientific communicator, has shared his recipe for living longer and better.
He recently did so in ‘Just One Thing’, a BBC Radio 4 podcast in which he explains what type of exercise, in his opinion, should be an indispensable part of our habits. “We know that exercise is good for health, but many people have difficulties practicing it. If this is your case, HIIT could be the solution”explains this 66-year-old Briton and firm defender of intermittent fasting.
“Not only do you burn more calories in less time, but you strengthen your muscles and enhance your brain. What’s more, you can introduce more vigorous intensity intervals into almost any exercise you do, whether cycling or even on your morning walk“Adds Mosley, who includes exercises such as squats, planks and star jumps in his routines.
“The only thing you have to do,” he continues, “is adapt it to your current level of fitness and, in the long term, it can have great benefits: increase muscle strength, fitness, improve your heart and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetesTo this end, the communicator suggests that walking at high intensity, that is, incorporating a 20-minute walk at mealtime with intervals of fast walking for three minutes, could be a good way to enhance exercise.
But it’s not all about walking, the expert also advocates replacing some walks with more intense sessions. “First warm up, and then run or climb stairs intensely for one minute, then rest another minute and repeat. Complete five sets and in less than 15 minutes you will have completed a vigorous workout,” he says.
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Science backs HIIT
For Dr. Mosley, one of the reasons for incorporating HIIT into our habits has to do with its impact on the mitochondrial cells of the body, which “tend to be less effective as we age.
“In a recent study, volunteers were asked to do impact cycling at maximum intensity for four four-minute bouts. They did this three times a week. After three months, not only improved muscle mass and strengthbut they increased their mitochondrial activity up to 70%,” says Mosley, referring to a work published in eLife by Danish experts from the University of Copenhagen.
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But beyond the physical effects of high-intensity interval training, this type of exercise can also boost brain performance. This is because intense exercise causes the muscles to produce lactate as fuelwhich in turn creates a hormone in the brain that stimulates the production of new brain cells and helps protect existing ones.
And as an example, Dr. Mosley cites a scientific work published in B.M.J.. “A Norwegian study analyzed data from more than 1,500 adults over five years. Those who followed the HIIT protocol during the study period obtained better results in both quality of life and fitness parameters. Additionally, HIIT also produced the highest death reductions for all reasons,” concludes the expert.
The 10-20-30 training
One way to apply this approach to physical exercise is none other than interval training 10-20-30that is, sprinting for 10 seconds, 20 at a moderate pace and 30 at a slow pace followed by a rest between one and four minutes.
In fact, another recent study from the University of Copenhagen, published in Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sportsshows that this type of training is very effective in improving running times and general physical fitness, in addition to providing improvements in blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels, and in efficiency when it comes to eliminate visceral fat.
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Thus, it seems evident that raise the level of demand a little, as long as our circumstances allow it, has important health benefits associated with it and is a good strategy for exercising without investing too much time. Maybe binge-watching feels better this way.
Álvaro Piqueras is a sports expert and in the last five years he has specialized in fitness, nutrition and other health topics. Try to stay up to date with new research and trends in the fields you master to be able to rigorously share the training routine that can inspire a change in your habits, the properties of the foods that should be part of your diet or scientific findings that can improve the physical and mental well-being of people like you.
He began his career in local and regional media in the land of Don Quixote, specifically in Albacete. From there he made the leap to national media after an enriching time at a wonderful independent advertising agency named after a Beatles song (GettingBetter), although he always kept his journalistic vocation intact.
Hence, he pursued his dream of working for one of the main publishing groups in the country such as Prisa, Vocento and now also Hearst. Perhaps you have read him in the digital version of Diario As, addressing countless topics, or in ABC and other newspapers and magazines of the group, preparing branded content reports for large brands, multinationals and institutions. And if you haven’t had the chance, now is the time to do it at Men’s Health and Runner’s World.
As it could not be otherwise, he confesses to being a lover of sports and from a very young age he has tried disciplines as diverse as athletics, football, basketball, tennis, cycling or swimming. Sometimes he is feeling the adrenaline of the competition, and other times he is simply enjoying the benefits of physical activity. He has now taken up functional exercises and boxing because he is certain that the bag is incapable of hitting him back.
Graduated in Advertising and Public Relations from the University of Alicante, he also has specific training in social media management and direction, strategic planning and graphic design. Lately he has delved into the universe of generative artificial intelligence applied to journalism, but he swears and perjures that he does not use it professionally because, among other considerations, he continues to enjoy every word he writes after 20 years of experience in the communication sector.