FOREVER YOUNG
These simple bodyclock secrets make it easy to outsmart ’tisthe-season tiredness. Try them today!
You’re already eating healthy and exercising, but new body-clock science suggests that the key to even better results is taking advantage of your body’s natural physiological fluctuations to feel your best. “Some of the simplest strategies that boost your energy and brainpower can be even more powerful when they’re done at specific times of the day,” says Prudence Hall, M.D., author of Radiant Again & Forever. Read on for the little timing tweaks with big health benefits.
STRETCH WHEN YOU WAKE
Taking 15 minutes after you wake up to gently stretch your body’s large muscle groups — by touching your toes, reaching for the sky and squeezing your shoulder blades together — can rev focus by 38 percent for four hours. How? Scientists say stretching these muscles at the start of the day stimulates the production of focusenhancing brain chemicals that are in short supply in the early morning.
GO FOR PROTEIN AT LUNCH
Every day after lunch, your body’s cellular energy engines (mitochondria) slow their conversion of calories into ATP, which is the body’s main form of energy. The result? Afternoon sleepy spells. But you can cut post-lunch draggies by up to 67 percent simply by adding 3 oz. of protein (like tuna, chicken or eggs) to your midday meal, say Canadian scientists. Protein helps stimulate the production of ATP, preventing those afternoon energy lulls.
WALK BEFORE DINNER
Flexibility, endurance and heart function peak around 5 p.m., so exercise feels easier then, report Stanford researchers. It’s also the time when motion is most likely to spike levels of human growth hormone — a compound that keeps you energized and prods the formation of metabolism-boosting muscle tissue. Carve out 20 minutes for a brisk walk and research at Northwestern University shows you’ll increase your energy and fat burn by as much as 20 percent.
ENJOY CARBS BEFORE BED
Doing your holiday baking in the evening — and snacking a bit as you work — will help you drift off 10 minutes faster, plus sleep up to 38 percent more soundly, suggests research in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. According to study co-author Helen O’Connor, Ph.D., as the evening wears on, the body’s need for carbs naturally rises since the brain uses these nutrients to kick-start nighttime production of the hormones that help you feel relaxed and sleepy.
“I try to be mindful of having protein along with
vegetables for a really clean diet. It’s for my energy and
stamina.”
Lori Loughlin, 53