Just One Thing

Dr Michael Mosley
Credit - SBS On Demand. Does Australia have a Sleep Problem?

If you could do one thing to improve your health, what would it be?

Did you know that 80 per cent of New Year’s resolutions to improve our wellbeing are normally dropped by February? This isn’t due to our lack of willpower, but because these resolutions focus on immeasurable qualities such as eating healthier or exercising more and not on single actions such as eating less processed food or going for a daily walk or run which are far easier, psychologically, to stick to.

The late TV presenter, radio journalist and writer Dr Michael Mosley realised this. It was part of the success of his BBC Just One Thing podcasts, and his own books and other work, as he suggested simple, practical, and sometimes seemingly quirky ways to improve our health. But he was also keen to highlight the latest research showing the scientific evidence into the measurable health benefits of each piece of advice.

Dr Mosley published the seven Just One Thing tips, shown on the right of this page, in the BBC Science Focus magazine.

Simply click on and open those that resonate with you the most:

• Eat more beetroot and garlic
• Walk down stairs. It’s better than up
• Practise deep breathing
• Drink more coffee
• Take cold showers
• Balance on one leg
• Eat more protein to lose weight

Each one contains more details about the simple action he suggests as well as links to the research behind them.

To hear more easy things you can do to improve your wellbeing, check out Dr Mosley’s Just One Thing podcasts on BBC Sounds as well as other tips.