86 episodes

If time is tight, what's the one thing that you should be doing to improve your health and wellbeing? Michael Mosley reveals surprisingly simple top tips that are scientifically proven to change your life.

Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley BBC Podcasts

    • Health & Fitness
    • 4.6 • 926 Ratings

If time is tight, what's the one thing that you should be doing to improve your health and wellbeing? Michael Mosley reveals surprisingly simple top tips that are scientifically proven to change your life.

    Get Gardening

    Get Gardening

    Michael dons some gardening gloves and gets grubby. It’s no surprise that digging, hoeing and heaving bags of soil around is great for our physical fitness. But Michael learns how gardening can also impact our microbiome from Dr Hannah Holscher at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She explores how gardening can boost the gut microbiome, benefitting our health and wellness. Our volunteer Caspar, tests his green fingers by growing some kitchen herbs and visiting a community garden.
    Series Producer: Nija Dalal-Small
    Science Producer: Catherine Wyler
    Researcher: Sophie Richardson
    Researcher: Will Hornbrook
    Production Manager: Maria Simons
    Editor: Zoe Heron
    A BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds / BBC Radio 4.

    • 14 min
    Get Skipping

    Get Skipping

    It’s time to dig out that skipping rope, as Michael learns that the popular childhood pastime could have big benefits for health and wellbeing, especially as we get older. Professor Urs Granacher from the University of Freiburg, shares how skipping is a form of jumping exercise, which could help increase not just our speed, but could also help us age healthily. These exercises help increase muscle power and can also strengthen our bones. Our volunteer Shona, a new mum based in Shetland, uses skipping as an excuse to get outside.
    Series Producer: Nija Dalal-Small
    Science Producer: Catherine Wyler
    Researcher: Sophie Richardson
    Researcher: Will Hornbrook
    Production Manager: Maria Simons
    Editor: Zoe Heron
    A BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds / BBC Radio 4.

    • 14 min
    Snack Smartly

    Snack Smartly

    We are a nation of snackers and we tend to get a whopping 25% of our daily calories from our snacks. But surprisingly, snacking isn’t necessarily bad for our health. Dr Sarah Berry at Kings College London explores a pragmatic approach to snacking, and tells Michael how what you snack on and when you snack has the greatest impact on your health. You don’t have to stop snacking - just snack smartly by swapping in some less-processed options. Our volunteer Denise, a hotel facilities manager from Liverpool, tries to reap the benefits of better snacks.
    Series Producer: Nija Dalal-Small
    Science Producer: Catherine Wyler
    Researcher: Sophie Richardson
    Researcher: Will Hornbrook
    Production Manager: Maria Simons
    Editor: Zoe Heron
    A BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds / BBC Radio 4.

    • 14 min
    Track Your Exercise

    Track Your Exercise

    Tracking your exercise is a simple and surprisingly effective way to motivate you to move more. Most of us own an exercise tracker, whether it’s the fitness app on our phone or a special bit of kit on our wrist. But how do they make us more active? Professor Carol Maher, from the University of Southern Australia, has found wearing an activity tracker really can encourage more physical activity. She tells Michael how the instant feedback allows people to take control of their activity levels. Michael learns the extra movement a tracker encourages can really help improve your brain power and reduce your risk of certain cancers and type 2 diabetes. Volunteer Rumbi opens her fitness app and steps out to see if it really works.
    Series Producer: Nija Dalal-Small
    Science Producer: Catherine Wyler
    Researcher: Sophie Richardson
    Researcher: Will Hornbrook
    Production Manager: Maria Simons
    Editor: Zoe Heron
    A BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds / BBC Radio 4.

    • 14 min
    Get an Early Night

    Get an Early Night

    Michael discovers his long-time penchant for an early night could have some real health benefits. If you are someone who could go to sleep earlier and simply put it off with an extra episode or phone scrolling, Michael recommends going to bed an hour earlier than normal because getting enough sleep deeply impacts your brain, protecting against depression and other neurological problems. Professor Esra Tasali at the University of Chicago's Sleep Centre, shares her research that sleeping an extra hour a night has been found to have an incredible effect on our appetite, reducing cravings often linked to weight gain. Our volunteer Dylan, who is very health and exercise conscious, is surprised to find a little more sleep every night could benefit his fitness routine.
    Series Producer: Nija Dalal-Small
    Science Producer: Catherine Wyler
    Researcher: Sophie Richardson
    Researcher: Will Hornbrook
    Production Manager: Maria Simons
    Editor: Zoe Heron
    A BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds / BBC Radio 4.

    • 13 min
    Eat Whole Grains

    Eat Whole Grains

    Michael discovers incorporating wholegrains into our diet, is a tasty swap that could really benefit our health. Wholegrains such as wholegrain pasta, bread and brown rice contain more fibre, vitamins and minerals, than refined grains. This simple swap can help reduce blood pressure, improve heart health and boost the gut microbiome. Michael talks to Dr Caleigh Sawicki, from the Brigham and Women’s hospital and Harvard Medical School, whose research suggests that the fibre consumption of wholegrains can keep us fuller for longer and this slow digestion could result in a lower increase in blood sugar.
    Series Producer: Nija Dalal-Small
    Science Producer: Catherine Wyler
    Researcher: Sophie Richardson
    Researcher: Will Hornbrook
    Production Manager: Maria Simons
    Editor: Zoe Heron
    A BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds / BBC Radio 4.

    • 14 min

Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5
926 Ratings

926 Ratings

jaxvarese ,

Totally irresponsible to recommend walking backwards on a gym treadmill!

Aghast as a Personal Trainer that you are promoting the misuse of gym equipment which is,frankly dangerous.You need to edit this episode pronto plus apologise for misleading the public.The poor use of gym equipment is bad enough as it is.Hope Dr M & the BBC are prepared to foot the bill(apt pun)re any resulting accidents.Stop being trendy & focus on feasible,safe activities.

Jazz Puppy ,

Excellent Easy To Understand Advice

This is everything a podcast should be. It is very clear and concise and gives you really articulate and well thought out health advice based upon what seems like qualitative research sources.
I find the analysis and delivery of the research by Michael very illuminating and I think that he has a good writing/delivery style.
Also enjoy the fact that they get what seems like ordinary people to have a go at implementing some changes and getting actual feedback.
As someone who already has a healthy diet and exercises I found that many of the tweaks and tips were able to be introduced with minimal disruption to my lifestyle. Thanks so much!

tabibuch ,

Lovely content, can’t cope with eating noises

I really love the content of this podcast - to the point, easy to implement advice, friendly manner, positive yet informative. The one thing that really puts me off is that whenever there’s an episode about food or drink, the host makes quite loud eating or drinking noises - I get that it’s to showcase that he’s doing the thing he’s trying to tell us to do, but the noises (chewing, slurping, talking while clearly having food in the mouth) are incredibly off putting and make me want to stop listening. Surely I’m not the only one.

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