How much exercise should you do?
What's Up Docs?
BBC
4.4 • 659 Ratings
🗓️ 20 January 2026
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken cut through the confusion around every aspect of our health and wellbeing.
In this episode, Chris and Xand explore the role and impact of exercise on our bodies and mood. Is going to the gym three times a week the best way of keeping fit? Or should you spread out your activity in shorter bursts throughout the day? They also discover which one of the brothers is ‘an active couch potato’ and why you can’t out run a bad diet.
Joining them to discuss this is Dr Jo Blodgett, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health at University College London. She’s a life-course epidemiologist whose work focuses on how movement across the whole 24-hour day shapes population health.
If you want to get in touch, you can email us at whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08000 665 123.
Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken Guest: Dr Jo Blodgett Researcher: Samara Linton Producer: Faye Lyons White Social Media Producer: Leon Gower Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar Editor: Jo Rowntree Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable Digital Lead: Richard Berry Composer: Phoebe McFarlane Sound Design: Melvin Rickarby
At the BBC: Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio Podcasts. |
| 0:05.7 | Hello, you're about to listen to a BBC podcast, and I'm Ed Gamble, host of another BBC podcast, The Traitors Uncloaked. |
| 0:12.7 | But my show is available only on BBC Sounds, just like Ellis and John's Saturday bonus episodes, |
| 0:18.2 | The Pop Top Ten podcast with Scott Mills and Rylan, and comedy specials |
| 0:22.2 | from the likes of Harriet Kemsley, Susie Ruffle and Rommas Ranganaathan. |
| 0:25.9 | However, and maybe I'm biased, it's really all about the traitors uncoaked. |
| 0:30.3 | So for a whole bunch of exclusive scoops and podcasts, listen only on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:37.4 | Hello and welcome to WhatsApp Docs. |
| 0:39.3 | I'm Dr Chris and I'm Doctors Armed. |
| 0:41.9 | This is the podcast where we wade into the messy, confusing world of health and well-being. |
| 0:47.4 | And one of the things we've been thinking about is ideas to consider |
| 0:50.8 | or something to take off your worry list in January. |
| 0:54.5 | Last week we tackled alcohol. |
| 0:56.1 | Next week we're looking at food. |
| 0:57.8 | But today, Zandi, we're going to dive into one of the most common resolutions of them all. |
| 1:01.5 | It's about getting active, taking exercise. |
| 1:06.6 | I think a lot of people have this like new January, new body, new me kind of energy. |
| 1:13.1 | They've really got themselves psyched up over weeks of eating and sitting around watching TV in December. |
| 1:19.9 | And they start to think, right, this is it. |
| 1:22.3 | Get dry. |
| 1:22.9 | Get lean. |
| 1:23.5 | Get fit. |
... |
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