Radio Times: Review by:; Jane Rackham

Forget about spending hours in zumba classes or jogging. Just three minutes a week of high-intensity training can improve your health. Those of us often slumped in a chair will be convinced immediately but the always watchable Michael Mosley is more sceptical. “This goes against everything I was taught in medical school and everything I’ve read since,” he says before starting a Hit regime (High-Intensity Interval Training) that has mixed results. He also learns about Neat (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis — scientists love their acronyms) that means moving to burn up calories rather than sitting idle. “The chair is a killer,” is the ominous motto of Neat fans.

About this programme

Michael Mosley investigates recent scientific research that could change the way people keep fit, including a study that suggests many could benefit from just three minutes of high-intensity activity a week. He also discovers the health advantages of seemingly innocuous actions such as walking and fidgeting, and learns why some people do not respond to exercise at all.