Dr Michael Mosley praises ‘brain boosting’ exercise that could add years to your life

Dr Michael Mosley shares the one thing we should all be doing to improve our health If you’re trying to improve your health , you’ll know it isn’t as easy as just cutting out sugar and going for a run, but there are a whole lot of things we can do to help.

TV’s Dr Michael Mosley , the inventor of the famous 5:2 diet, has revealed just the one thing we really need to help improve our health and add years onto our life – and that is resistance training.

To some, that might sound terrifying, but even building a little bit of muscle will help us all out in a variety of ways, including weight loss, better sleep and a brain boost. Resistance training is the one thing we all should be doing to help improve our health according to the TV Dr So get ready to hit the gym, as experts also claim working out not only helps lose body fat, it also gives our brain a workout, with evidence suggesting that resistance training could have significant implications in the battle against dementia .

Dr Mosley warned: “Unless you do resistance exercises , your muscles start to decline after the age of 30.”

Speaking on his podcast “Just One Thing”, he explains that “Studies have shown that in just 12 weeks you can increase your muscle mass by up to 10 percent. And your strength by up 150 percent.”

On the episode ‘Stay Young’, he looked at how strength training can keep your body staying young at a cellular level as well as giving your brain a boost and the key to sleeping better too.

“This in turn can impact your whole body. For a start, it can give your brain a boost,” Dr Mosley explains.

“A review of dozens of studies on the effect of exercise on the over 50’s has shown that both aerobic and resistance training are good for the brain.

“But research has found that resistance training was especially good on memory and executive function, which improves things like problem solving.”

He also signifies that another benefit of resistance training is that it will help with a better night sleep.

Dr Mosley adds: “A recent study showed that a year long resistance exercise programme not only helped its participants sleep better, it also helped them sleep longer by nearly 20 minutes each night.” Not only does it build muscle but it will also help with sleep and gives a brain boost And it may also help with weight loss and stubborn belly fat , as the doctor said: “Resistance exercise could also help you lose fat, particularly around your belly.”

“Researchers at Harvard University followed over 10,000 men for 12 years, and they found, minute for minute strength training targets belly fat better than cardio,” the expert added.

It can also help to reduce your chances of diabetes, as the fat cells around your belly produces chemicals that can lead to negative effects on blood sugar levels.

“Muscle cells on the other hand have a positive effect, when you exercise they soak up blood sugars like a sponge,” Dr Mosley said.

“In fact one study found that for every 10 percent increase in your skeletal muscle, there was a ten percent reduction in your risk of prediabetes.

“Which means not only does building muscle make you look and feel younger, but it could also add years to your life.

“A recent analysis found that 30 to 60 minutes of resistance training a week reduces the risk of dying from heart disease and cancer by up to 20 percent.”

Some of the easiest resistance training exercises you can do easily at home include: squats, lunges, pull ups, and press ups. It’s recommended 30 minutes a day can help improve your health and lead to a healthy lifestyle.

Read more at www.mirror.co.uk