Body Clock Boost
When it comes to maximising your health, timing is everything. There's an optimal time for every health move, tune into those magic hours to boost your everyday well-being - and your long-term health.
Dr Matthew Edlund author of The Body Clock Advantage and he says that there are great benefits from doing certain things at specific times of the day. "Everything in nature works on a rhythm that is defined by time — hours, days, nights, weeks, seasons, years, and more," says Dr Edlund, adding "If you can get your innate body rhythms in sync with the food, activity, and rest you need, you can not only get healthier but even feel better day to day."
Calibrate your body clock with the timing tricks and you’ll have more energy, you’ll stabilise your mood, manage your weight more easily, and even prevent and treat illness more effectively. It's health as nature intended!
MORNING
Sleep An Extra 20 Minutes - Research suggests that rising an extra 20 or 30 minutes later than you usually do can make you more relaxed during the day. Our bodies increase the stress hormone cortisol in the morning so that we'll get up and moving, but postponing your wake-up time can lower those levels
Weigh Yourself - Stepping on the scales first thing gives you the most accurate read on your weight - it can fluctuate by up to three pounds during the day!.
Watching Your Weight? - Eat Breakfast - Ideally eat it within 15 to 30 minutes of waking and no later than 8 a.m. If you don't eat breakfast, your body thinks it's in starvation mode, and you'll eat more food later on.
AFTERNOON
Take A Power Nap - By 2 p.m., your body temperature starts to dip, bringing your eyelids with it. Instead of hitting the vending machine for a sugar high, indulge in a 10-minute siesta. An Australian study compared naps lasting 5, 10, 20, and 30 minutes and found that 10 minutes left participants feeling the most refreshed
Get Moving - Between 5 & 6 is the best time to exercise, because that's when you're hot - Your body temperature is 2 to 3 degrees warmer than in the morning), giving you maximum muscle strength, flexibility and stamina. Even your lungs are using oxygen more efficiently at this time.
NIGHT
Invite The Night – Preparation for bed should start three hours before you want to sleep. Give your body temperature a chance to cool and signal the brain that it's sleep time. Also try not to eat or drink at least two hours before you hit the sack as doing so will help you avoid indigestion and acid reflux.
Drink Cranberry Juice - The juice can help prevent urinary-tract infections. If you drink a glass in the evening, the juice will hang out in the bladder, fighting bacteria, till morning.
