Just One Thing: How simple changes can transform your life

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This is a book, then, that will tell you how, when, and why to, amongst other things: stand on one leg; finish your shower with a burst of cold; eat fermented food; fast overnight; eat oily fish; delay your morning coffee; sing; learn to do something new; eat an apple; put plants in your room; stand up; eat dark chocolate; read fiction; and count your blessings. Each 'thing' is grouped according to the time of day Dr Mosley recommends you try the activity, although naturally they can be done at any time. The categories are: Early Morning, Breakfast, Mid-Morning, Lunchtime, Afternoon and Evening.

There are 30 'things', and some of my favourites were: Sing, Stand on One Leg, Exercise Less But More Often, Eccentric Exercise, Take a Nap, Stand Up, Dance, Learn A New Skill and of course Read! I read this book in one sitting (though I’m sure that’s not something the doctor recommends!) I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and it’s one of the rare books I am actually going to keep. It’s taking pride of place on my bookshelf next to The Secret Garden. Chances are, if you are an Aussie or Brit, you have heard of Dr Michael Mosley. He is a doctor turned science journalist and tv presenter who has published many books including The Fast Diet and the Eight Week Blood Sugar Diet. I really liked that right at the beginning of the book he tells you to only try one thing at a time, as it just won’t work if you do more.work. Also if the one thing you do try doesn’t work, don’t worry about it, as it might not be the right time for it, so try something else instead. Isn’t that refreshing?As for the content of this book. Absolutely none of it will surprise you. You'll probably learn Just One Thing from it, especially if you've read any of his previous work and if you've listened to the podcast don't bother reading it. Still it's a nice little list of small changes you can easily make to your life and they're all suggestions rather than commandments. Some of them are even things you've been previously told not to do.

I was surprised to read about the benefits of eating beetroot (who knew) and enjoyed learning that the temperature decrease that happens after a warm bath mimics the body's natural drop in core temperature prior to sleep. This is why Doctors always recommend a hot bath 90 minutes before bed to aid sleep. There are so many brilliant ideas that I want to try, like improving my balance by brushing my teeth whilst standing on one leg, dancing and singing more, eating chocolate, yes really, and standing up more, rather than sitting around reading all day! Just One Thing is a non-fiction book by British author and podcaster, Michael Mosley. It basically summarises the information contained in his popular BBC podcast series of the same title. It is in no way necessary to have heard the podcast to benefit from this book, but readers may wish to access it after reading this.

Based on the popular BBC podcast, Just One Thing, this book brings to life Dr Mosley's mission to find things you can introduce into your daily routine which will have a big impact on your mental and physical health. Did you know that eating chocolate can help your heart, that singing can give you a natural 'high' and that having more house plants can improve your mood and boost your productivity?

Emerging evidence suggests that unless you are doing 40 minutes of moderately vigorous exercise every single day, you cannot undo the damage that sitting causes. And even worse, if you sit for long periods each day, you could be decreasing the benefits of any exercise you do." Chapter entitled Stand UpI highly recommend ‘Just One Thing’ if you are interested in a healthier life but feel intimidated by all the information out there. Dr Michael Mosley is an engaging and approachable author who genuinely cares about your health and well-being.