Dr Michael Mosely recently explained on his BBC podcast, Just One Thing, that he tries to do some kind of cardio every day for heart and lung health, but that the one thing he’d recommend we add to our daily routine would be strength training.

“There’s fascinating new research on the benefits of strength workouts; how a few minutes of daily resistance exercises – where you don’t need any special equipment – can boost your brain as well as your muscles,” he says. And the exercises he’d recommend? “The first is press-ups – one of the best low-cost ways of building upper body strength.

“The second form of resistance exercise I recommend you try doing on a regular basis is the squat. As we discovered, it is one of the best exercises around for improving your brain function in surprising ways.”

He tries to do both exercises in the morning when he first gets out of bed. “They give you a full-body workout, help your heart and may even boost your brainpower,” he claims.

How to boost energy and think clearer with just 3 minutes of squats, according to a GP