Circadian Rhythms
It is my belief that circadian rhythms play a huge part in how we should take care of our bodies. Believe it or not, when you shower during the day, what time you take vitamins, how many clothes you’re wearing at different times of the day and many more time-related issues affect our well-being.
What are circadian rhythms? These rhythms are a cycle that follows very closely with the earth’s rotation and are in relation to the sun and the season. Our body’s cycle is approximately 24 hours and can be “synchronized” merely by seeing sunlight. Sounds like a bunch of hocus pocus, eh? Read on.
In the summer we’ll have a different rhythm than in winter. Our body temperature will fluctuate as will our metabolism, based on this rhythm. We will also release different hormones depending upon our location within the rhythm. Sounds intriguing? Trust me, I didn’t come up with this. There are hundreds of sources with the same information; I just want to open your eyes to how we can use this knowledge to better lose weight.
Let’s think of the circadian rhythm as our base flame in our fire. The rhythm is based on the temperature of our environment and the amount of light in the sky. As the temperature and light in our environment changes, so does our body. Not as drastic as a cold-blooded reptile, but similar to how their system works. During night time when the earth is coldest and darkest, our metabolism, thinking, digestive enzymes and body temperature are also at their lowest. In contrast, our body is at the opposite end of the spectrum from 8-11am. This is a window where we are at our peak in performance.
How can we take advantage of this idea? Well, if the fire within us is strongest at 8am, then we need to fuel the fire the most at that time, right? If we have a high flame then we should also fuel the flame with the most oxygen at this point. This means early morning is a great time to work out. This is when we should eat the most calories and be the most productive. What more? Our digestion system is fully awake and this is a great time to take multi-vitamins. If you want to do some work? You got it, bright and early is the best time of the day to be productive!
Now, the opposite can be said for 11pm-5am. This is a time when our body is ready to sleep. The exact time isn’t the same for everyone, but the idea is. While we can condition our bodies to think differently, our natural rhythm falls somewhere very close to this time. Depending on when we are exposed to heat, cold and mainly sunlight – our body will adapt our metabolism accordingly. If you’ve ever flown from one side of the earth to the other, you’d realize firsthand how we all experience being out of sync with our body. We call it “jet lag”. Jet lag is the layman’s term for coming out of synchronization with our circadian rhythm.
At the lowest point in our rhythm, we release chemicals such as melatonin which tell us to rest. I highly recommend sleeping during this time.
The most important factor in longevity and enhancing our performance is to recognize the differences in our flame’s level. If we want our fire to be optimal, we must take great care of it in times when our flame is nothing but embers and then fuel it like crazy when the flame is highest. This means to eat a large breakfast with a hardcore workout in the mornings followed by rest with very little on the fire at night time.
It is obvious that your body would rather be sleeping when the temperature of the earth is coolest regardless if you try to train it otherwise. Just look at the major catastrophes in world history. Chernobyl and Three Mile Island both happened due to human error in the earlier hours of the morning. Recent studies also show that shift work may increase the risk of cancer. This is a serious issue that businesses should look into if they have a 24-hour work schedule. If you work late at night, then I highly suggest researching this subject more in-depth if you care about longevity.
For everyone else, if we realize our fire is down to mere embers during this time, then we’ll know how to feed it more appropriately. With such harsh conditions outdoors at night time, we would constantly be putting on twigs and tinder to keep the fire blazing. The fire has a natural tendency to get lower at this time of the night and it is difficult to keep the fire high enough to warm us without adding extra blankets.
Just like the fire, our body would rather be sleeping. I’d prefer you let it do just that. If you are forced to be awake at this time for whatever reason, then you, too, need to keep the fire going higher than normal with tinder and twigs. This means only carbs or simple proteins and fats this late at night. No big logs will help out – they’ll just get stored and get in the way of the flame. So if you want large logs, the best time is to utilize them is early in the morning. Then, as the day goes on, make your meals smaller. Easier said than done.
There are also a few tricks we can do to kick-start the flame once morning arrives. If we wake up at 5am and our rhythm hasn’t warmed us up yet, then why not give it a boost? How about a cup of coffee, half a banana and a nice hot shower? This will not only break our fast cycle but also bump up our core temperature before we start any daunting task for the day. Since the rhythm gets synchronized with light, how about going on a morning run outdoors or buying dawn lights? Dawn lights can be installed in your home and they gradually come on over the course of two hours to simulate a sunrise. This is a great tool for those of you who have a hard time waking up in the morning.
With our fire blazing higher in the morning more than any other time, this is also a nice time to eat any sweets. I’d prefer you have them in the form of fruits, but if you want chocolate or candy then do so before 3pm. This is one of my golden rules: Only eat sweets before 3pm. After 3pm your metabolism is starting to die off and I worry that you’ll start storing these sugars as fat instead of burning them off as easily as we do in the morning.
It is also believed that with jobs indoors and with us using heaters and air conditioners we sometimes forget what the real temperature or light level is. If you’ve had a clock for a long time, you know you have to check the validity of the time after a while. Our body must do the same. At least once a day for an hour, our body prefers to be outdoors in the sunlight so it can readjust its core temperature. I believe we have another code word for this – cabin fever. If you live in a 4 season environment, you know what it’s like to be cooped up inside so long that you don’t feel like yourself anymore. I’d advise everyone to get outside at least one hour a day to tune your body with nature. This will realign your circadian rhythm with nature and you’ll be well on your way to better fitness!