Timing is Everything
February 2018
When should I exercise? The best answer is: whenever you are most likely to do it. But there’s some science behind when to exercise to get specific benefits. Daniel Pink’s new book: When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, explains.
Exercise in the morning if you want to:
Lose weight: You can burn 20 percent more fat if you exercise first thing in the morning, before you eat breakfast.
(Journal of Physiology, 2010)
Boost mood: Cardio workouts
make you feel good by raising
endorphins. Do it in the morning
and you get a lift that lasts all
day long. Serotonin is another
feel good hormone that peaks
during the day and is elevated
by aerobic exercise. Because
these hormones peak during the
day, if you exercise in the evening
and raise those hormone levels, you risk difficulty sleeping.
Build Strength: Testosterone is elevated in the morning – yes, even for you, ladies. Testosterone helps build muscle. Take advantage of higher testosterone to get the most out of your strength-training program by pumping iron in the morning.
Can You Say Testosterone?
Be consistent: Many people say that no matter how good their intentions are, if exercise doesn’t happen first thing in the morning, it won’t happen. So if you struggle to be consistent with exercise, do it before you can come up with an excuse. Studies have shown that people who exercise in the morning have a slightly easier time being consistent about it.
Exercise near the end of the day if you want to:
Avoid injury: Body temperature peaks in the later afternoon and early evening. A higher internal temperature keeps muscles warm, more flexible, and less prone to injury. Studies have shown that injuries are less common during late day workouts.
Perform Best: Lung function is
best later in the day. It’s no
accident that the professional
runners start last in the Bolder
Boulder and a disproportionate
number of Olympic records are
set in the late afternoon or early
evening. Your reaction time and
hand-eye coordination are at
their best later in the day as well.
That might be the best time to schedule a tennis lesson, learn how to high jump, or other high skill activities.
Enjoy Your Workout: When exercise happens later in the day, people typically report a lower level of perceived exertion, even when they are doing the exact same workout as they did in the morning. Exercise can be more enjoyable when you wrap up your day with a work out.
You Decide!
So whether you’re a morning person or a night owl, think about what you want from your exercise, and time it accordingly. And, if any aches or pains create a further impediment to moving, we are here to help. Remember, there is no pill that can replace the medicinal benefit of movement.
Hit Reset on Painful Movement Patterns
You can’t even look over your shoulder to check traffic before you change lanes. You grip the wheel a little tighter, tense your shoulders, and yank your head around. Ouch. Or, you just take a chance and change lanes anyway. Double ouch. You can’t move because you have limited neck motion. Or do you?
Try the following activity to see if your range of motion improves:
Exercise to improve movement
How can that be? Why has your neck movement gotten a bit better? After all, you’ve turned your head many times with the same lousy result. It pinches. It’s stiff. It sucks. So why is it suddenly better after just a simple exercise?
That simple exercise is actually quite complicated. That’s because it changes the way your brain interprets movement.
When you move in a way
that is associated with
pain, the brain becomes
aware of the pattern.
Your brain works using
prediction. That means it
learns from past painful
movements and if it’s been painful before, the brain activates those pain signals before you even start to move. It’s under the radar of conscious thought, which makes it tricky to change. But we have a way to rewrite your brain’s story.
What you just practiced was a Feldenkrais lesson that changes the movement pattern and sets the stage for moving with ease.
Feldenkrais sessions are not limited to improving neck movements – they can improve movement patterns throughout your body. With Feldenkrais, you are taught to notice where movement feels restricted or awkward and learn new strategies to make it easy and even elegant (yes, even you can move elegantly!).
In addition to being a certified Feldenkrais
practitioner, Debbie is a licensed PTA.
Following an evaluation with one of our
physical therapists; you can be referred to
her. Get ready to move with ease;
schedule an appointment today.
Debbie Steinmann, LPTA, GCFP
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