Create a Longevity Lifestyle
Create a Longevity Lifestyle
Have you ever wondered, What if:
• I could end my day as energized as I begin it?
• I could get through the afternoon without craving something sweet or caffeinated?
• I could wake up early, feeling refreshed and energized?
• I could wake up with minimal or no body discomforts?
Circadian Medicine is making great strides since it’s beginning in 2017. Modern day researchers are learning what those early civilizations that followed traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda understood. When we respect the principles and live in harmony with nature’s rhythms, we benefit from a life of long and vibrant health.
It may take practice to really notice your body’s rhythms at different times throughout the day. We get caught up in our “man-made” schedules, that we hardly notice our body’s schedule. Let’s break it down. Divide your day into two parts. Nature does this for us, so we can follow her lead. Let’s begin the day part at 6-am and the night part at 6-pm. Two 12-hour segments to our day.
Now, let’s take those two 12-hour segments and break them into three smaller parts of 4-hours each. It is incredible that the human body’s schedule is so finely tuned that each of those time segments is connected to a specific bodily function. For example:
• 6am-10am: Early risers experience a “readiness” and energy to get up and begin their day. This is a great time for physical activity. In the agricultural age, people rose early and got their outdoor tasks finished before the hot noon-day sun brought the heat. Eating a large breakfast after your workout, provides fuel for the day and helps prevent obesity.
• 10am-2pm: The body may feel like relaxing following the morning workout and breakfast, so it makes sense to use this time for work or desk time. Eating a large lunch closer to 1 or 2pm has been shown to provide several health benefits such as lowered cholesterol and stress. Lunch should be our largest meal. Skipping lunch is not a healthy choice. The body’s circadian clock continues to tick, producing hydrochloric acid, which if not used properly may lead to excess stomach acid irritation and/or inflammation.
• 2pm-6pm: The nervous system becomes more active during this time, producing mental energy. You may even notice a burst of creative energy in these afternoon hours. If you notice that you crave sweets during this afternoon time, your body may be telling you that it is exhausted, has digestive distress, blood sugar imbalances, or that your lunch was inadequate.
The 6pm hour is a great time for the final meal of the day which ideally should be the lightest meal of the day. I heard an Ayurvedic doctor say that supper should be a “supplement” meal. If your breakfast and lunch were substantial, this lighter meal to end the day fits with your internal clock perfectly. Heavy meals before bedtime do not digest well.
It is wise to be aware of what your body is telling you. Do you want a mid-afternoon snack? Do you need coffee to jolt you into wakefulness? Do you feel like taking a nap? Perhaps your blood sugar levels should be monitored. You may find using a glucose monitoring device helpful to track your personal glucose levels at different times throughout the day. Being intentional in choosing breakfast and lunch ingredients that support life, rather than overtax the digestive system (avoid the Standard American Diet) helps prevent afternoon energy “crashes.”
I encourage you to track your daily food intake and your energy levels so that you may respond with a YES to the questions I posed in the opening of this post. We all want to age with vitality and paying attention to our internal rhythms will help support that.
Next week, I’ll dive into the second 12-hour segment of the day so that you can see how your body supports your health while you sleep!