Find your peak performance hour
Ever wake to scribble a 3:00 a.m. epiphany that looks downright embarrassing in the clear light of day? Notice how saving your run for late afternoon makes you feel fast and loose enough to reel in Michael Johnson?
The explanation for such mind and body swings may lie in your circadian rhythms, the biological time clock that cues physiological responses — body temperature, muscle strength, lung capacity, mental alertness. When we're in sync, we perform better, sleep better, think better. But when we're out of sync — ever been jet lagged? — we're really out of it. Some studies suggest there may be an optimal time for all sorts of activities — aerobicizing, brainstorming, even hitting the boss up for a raise. NASA has been building missions around this idea for years (who wants a groggy astronaut piloting a billion-dollar shuttle?), but only recently has the sports world started to catch on. Roger S. Smith, a sleep medicine specialist in Palo Alto, California, says athletic capacity can fluctuate as much as 10 percent throughout the day.
And who couldn't use an edge? We asked trainers, sleep physiologists and nutritionists to create the fittest 24 hours imaginable. Sure, you can't alter your entire agenda; try just a little schedule juggling. You may have the fittest day of your life.
But before you read any further, ask yourself: Are you an owl or a lark? Are you bright-eyed and singing shower arias at 5 a.m.? Or the sort who gets a second wind when Conan O'Brien starts his monologue? Sleep researchers say most of us are either larks or owls — some of us to an extreme. This ideal day best fits someone who rises at 6 or 7 a.m. and hits the hay at 10 or 11 p.m., so owls or larks can set their clocks back or forward a few hours accordingly. Click on the times in the upper right hand corner to find the perfect times — and exercises — for your workout.
Wake-up Call
5:00 a.m. Dream time It's about an hour before the alarm starts to squawk, and your body temperature, which crashed around midnight, is rising like the sun. After about seven hours in the sack, you're in R.E.M. — your dream life is at its most active and imaginative (if Brad Pitt is going to have a cameo in your unconscious, this is his cue). Strength and flexibility are at an all-day low; you may as well dream on.
6:15 a.m. Morning motivation If sticking to a routine is a problem, stick to a.m. workouts. "Studies show that people who exercise in the morning are three times more likely to keep exercising," says Levi Query, an exercise physiologist at Adventist Medical Center in Portland, Oregon. "There are far fewer distractions, and you only have to take a shower once." If you're full of excuses — it's raining out, the gym's too expensive — try jumping rope.
Master the standard skip, then move on to these: Jog-step-jog in place, hopping over the rope one foot at a time. Great for calves, because you have to push your entire body weight off the balls of your feet. High knee: As the rope passes under the bottom foot, lift your other knee as high as it will go. This tough technique targets hips, thighs and abs.
6:45 a.m. Feeling no pain You're best able to tolerate physical pain — thanks to a higher endorphin level — between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., some experts say. (Reason enough to switch to an early-rising dentist and reschedule that root canal.) For those members of the Crunch-Hater's Club, Chanze LaMott, aerobics director of the Portland, Oregon-area Gold's Gyms, says now's the time to tackle a few of these killer crunches.
Lie on your back with your hands behind your head, your knees bent, right ankle resting on your left knee. Lift shoulders as you pull your knees toward your chest. If the move is too tough, modify it by leaving your right foot on the ground and pulling your left knee toward your head. Try 10, then alternate legs for another set. When you're immune to these, do 20 reps per side.
7:30 a.m. Big breakfast Nutritionists agree that a substantial breakfast — say, cereal and milk or fruit and yogurt or a bagel and jam — is the best way to power up for the day ahead, refuel after morning workouts (one hour after is best) and prevent binges later on. Speaking of refueling, try to plan your exercise schedule around your stomach's to avoid that googly feeling in step class. (It takes three to four hours to digest a big meal, two to three for a small one and less than an hour for a snack.)
On the Job
10:00 a.m. You're a genius! Each morning your body releases a hormone called cortisol, which works to speed the release of energy-producing glucose, the blood sugar that fuels muscle and brain cells. Your body temp is up — and so are your powers of concentration and manual dexterity. Should you finish that report or fine-tune the backhand? Unless you're the sort who can read The Brothers Karamazov while Mastering the Stair, take advantage of this stroke of brilliance and stick by your desk. Portland yoga instructor Gisele Guerrasio suggests the Seated Star, a borrowed-from-yoga pose to shed shoulder tension caused by crouching over keyboards.
Sit in a chair, feet planted, back straight. Bring your arms behind your back, hands clasped, and lift them away from your back until you feel gentle tension. Exhaling, lean forward from your hips so that your chest touches your thighs, and continue lifting your arms. Inhale, rise and repeat for good measure.
Noon power lunch If you exercised this morning, eat a well-balanced lunch now. (You're best able to restore depleted glycogen levels two hours after working out.) Or use a mini-workout to defuse that midday mental time bomb prodding you to tell your boss what you really think. "When you're angry, you can yell and scream or you can beat yourself up or you can take out your frustration with some exercise," says Kate Hays, Ph.D., a sports psychologist in Toronto, Canada. These power kicks from Justin Klahn, a black belt tae kwon do instructor in Portland, Oregon, target quads, butt and hip flexors. (There's no harm in imagining the boss is your opponent.)
A. Warm up with a walk if you've been sitting. Then stand at an angle with your left hip and shoulder forward, feet about hip width apart, knees soft. Fists are together to protect your chin, elbows wide.
B. Pull the right knee forward and up (left knee stays soft) and snap the leg out in a fluid (but sharp) kick at an invisible enemy's groin. Compel the motion from your heel to pack a powerful punch. Return to standing. Do 10 kicks per leg.
Afternoon Busters
1:00 p.m. Trough time Your mental alertness is flagging and even though your body temperature is still on the rise, you're likely to feel a little muzzy. Scientists say this energy trough has nothing to do with lunch — though a big one can exacerbate that drowsy feeling. Don't call a meeting now unless you want your coworkers to snooze through it.
3:00 p.m. You're a genius, again! Your mental acuity has rebounded from its one o'clock low. Since the muscles in your body are warming up to their 24-hour peak, your handshake is actually firmer. You (and everyone around you) are likely to feel better than you have all day. Quick! Corner that coworker who owes you a favor or hit up the boss for that raise.
4:00 p.m. The power hour If you're out to set a land speed record, now's the time. All day your body has been building to this moment — temperature is at its peak, strength is soaring, air passages are clearest and fine motor skills are at their most precise. This might be a good time to test your limits with some late-day sprints. Bob Williams, a running coach in Portland, Oregon, suggests that walkers and runners try these one-minute pickup speed bouts once or twice a week.
After a good warm-up, set out for a walk or run. Pick up the pace for a full minute, pushing your heart rate up. Drop back to an easier pace for three or four minutes, or as long as it takes your breathing and heart rate to settle. Once you've recovered, pick up the pace again for a minute, and then recover again. (Keep the changes of pace fluid.) Start with one or two speed bouts in a half-hour walk or run and, as you get stronger, work toward four or five. Allow muscles at least 48 hours to recover between speed sessions.
5:00 p.m. Ozone alert Concentrations of ozone are at their highest now, particularly when rush hour exhaust saturates a sunny, windless sky. Breathing space isn't so great at the gym either, since the after-work surge usually means a wait list for spinning class. Better to take a deep breath at your desk, make tomorrow's to-do list and relieve today's tension with a Seated Twist, a modified yoga pose.
Sit in a chair, back straight. Slowly twist left, holding the chair back with your left hand. Breathing, twisting, feel the gentle tension release from your spine. Chin up, turn your head to follow. Untwist slowly. Repeat right.
Night Moves
6:00 p.m. Ouch Your pain threshold is at an all-time low and won't improve again until eight o'clock tonight. Now's not a good time to go into labor.
6:30 p.m. Dinner time Nutritionists attest to the honey-I'm-home munchies. If you've been too busy to eat right, your blood sugar is plummeting, and that inner voice is saying, "Why bother with the salad spinner when here's this neat bag of chips?" After work and especially after a workout, sit down to a healthful dinner — heavy on the grains and veggies, light on protein and fat. Unless you're a nighttime exerciser, you probably did most of your calorie-burning earlier today, so watch portion size and cool it on dessert.
7:00 p.m. Fresh air
After sundown, air pollution drops considerably, so if you missed your morning stroll, put a hustle on it. Wear light-colored clothing or reflective tape so you're not camouflaged by the night.
7:30 p.m. Prime time
If you Must See TV, get off the sofa. Studies show you're likely to spin/walk/run longer watching E.R. than while unamused. Since you're also more likely to let intensity sag, keep from being a boob in front of the tube with speed work during commercials, or with the Sidewinder, a lateral move from Klahn for adductors and abductors (muscles often ignored during our mostly forward-facing days).
After warming up on a treadmill at your usual cardio pace, cut the speed down to a crawl. Turn your pelvis perpendicular to the front bar and your gait becomes a side shuffle. (Don't cross one foot in front of the other.) See if you can shuffle sideways for the length of a commercial. Return to normal position and pace when George Clooney comes back. During the second commercial break, flip sides. Pick up speed when you feel at ease.
10:00 p.m. Bedtime Your body temperature begins to drop, mental alertness dwindles; unless you're an owl, you're not likely to accomplish anything now. In fact, studies show that mental power and reaction responses are so low in the wee hours that this is a prime time for car accidents and industrial disasters. (The Exxon Valdez and Chernobyl debacles both happened in the middle of the night.) Tuck yourself in and stay out of harm's way. You'll need your rest if you're going to get up tomorrow and start all over again.
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