Turns Out, Your Body Wants You To Stick To A Schedule—& Here It Is
Most of us are essentially living life on repeat: wake up, have coffee, eat breakfast, go to work,
do your thing, eat again, work out, eat again, and sleep. So, why not make the nitty gritty stuff you always do work for you? Turns out, there are subtle changes you can make in how and when you execute tiny tasks each day that can offer a big payoff down the line. Make the most of your daily routine with these tweaks from Dr. Oz Garcia, a nutritionist and wellness expert in New York City.
When You Wake Up
Beep. Beep. BEEEEPPPPP. Sound familiar? Yeah, not fun. Instead of a beyond-annoying blast of noise to jolt you out of bed, set your alarm to your favorite song (and veer on the upbeat side, no Gotye "Somebody That I Used To Know" BS). “Hearing something pleasant is a way better way to start your day then dreading a sound you hate — it can truly set the stage for your attitude and mindset,” says Garcia. And, while the glare of streetlights and your next-door neighbor’s TV could be far from zen when you are trying to fall asleep, if you can, open up the shades, pre-bed. “Leaving the blinds up allows natural sunlight into the room in the morning, and signals to the body that it is time to get up in a soothing, natural way,” says Garcia. And, because the body takes a little time to get going (your body temperature gradually increases after you get out of bed, which in turn boosts alertness and memory), you should do just that right away — as in, get your heart rate up. “Try to do some yoga moves in your living room while you watch the news or go for a light run to jumpstart the body and raise your body temperature,” he says. Feeling lazy? Just jump in a warm shower instead. It won’t have calorie-blasting benefits, but it will get your temp — and you — up.
When You Eat Breakfast
The upside of having a healthy meal first thing is undeniable: It helps boost your metabolism and keeps you more satisfied, so you don’t feel like you want to scarf down a Big Mac by 1 p.m. And over time, that can greatly affect your waistline. In a study published in Cell Metabolism, one group of mice ate a high-calorie diet whenever they wanted to, the other ate the same diet only during active hours — and the latter were almost as healthy as the control group which ate a healthy diet, while the former were pretty much obese. But, don’t take that as a green light to just pop into the bagel store every morning. “Refined foods such as bagels, muffins, or croissants can raise your blood sugar and leave you feeling hungry,” says Garcia. “It's better to have some protein so that you can stabilize your blood sugar levels through to lunch.” His top pick: a DIY smoothie (or if you’re out of time, try a pre-made option from Juice Generation or Organic Avenue) with superfoods such as chia seeds (newly popular and omega-3 and fiber-rich), maca (a nutritionally packed medicinal herb) or goji berries. “Berries are great for increasing your metabolism and energy,” he says. He also suggests adding in some be-healthy supplements in the a.m., such as AHCC (short for active hexose correlated compound) to round out your morning nutrition: “AHCC, is a natural, mushroom-based supplement that helps support and boost the body’s immune system and may also aid in healthy blood pressure,” he says.
When You're At Work
Okay, so you hit your desk, coffee in hand, and what do you probably do to ease your way in? Open up your email, right? Well, you're not alone. Research shows that early a.m. emails are the ones that are most likely to be read. Can’t get your boss to answer you about that new project? Send it first thing so it pops up as soon as she/he is in and can to respond before getting sidetracked. And don’t forget to scroll through your Twitter feed. Research shows that the most positive messages are posted between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., so that’s the best time to get your fix (and possibly use other peoples’ shout-outs to help your day go better, too).
When You Eat Lunch
The bad news: as soon as your body temperature hits its max, your brainpower starts to decline. So, as soon as you get all powered up, your alertness starts to go blah. And then it hits an all-day low at around 2 p.m., which makes eating an early-ish power lunch even more crucial — and it's not enough to just grab a latte when it’s too late. Garcia suggests having a handful of almonds or a hardboiled egg for a snack — not hitting the vending machine. “Almonds contain vitamins, minerals, protein, and essential fatty acids; eggs contain choline, a nutrient beneficial for the brain,” he says. And when you do eat lunch, try not to munch in front of the computer. “It is better to eat away from your desk to change your environment, as being relaxed while you eat improves digestion,” he says. And if you’ve got an all-out creative meeting midday, don’t ask the intern to go for a Starbucks run. Research shows that being a little fatigued can actually increase creative thinking, possibly because your brain isn’t able to be overly analytical and can be a little more ‘free’ in its thinking.
Photo: Via Reebok
Next
- 1 of 2
in NYC