Just like animals, humans have an internal clock that is built for us to be the most productive. It may seem like everyone is wired differently, proof of that is you can have a cheery, happy colleague early in the morning while another barely makes it to their desk with at least one cup of coffee before 8:00 a.m. It may not so much about an internal clock more than what you do when you wake up.Forza asked 1,000 people to share the best times for eating breakfast, going for a run, lifting weights, and even making love. There is even an ideal time when you are the most effective at work.
Based on the accumulated answers, Forza was able to determine key times to maximize every activity. It can be assumed the timetable does not take into consideration night owls, morning folks, and late starters.
The best time to wake up is 6:45 a.m. every morning. One needs to put in between seven and nine hours of sleep with this ideal wake-up time.
7:00 a.m. was shown to be the best time to lace up and go for a run. Running before breakfast burns more fat. The reason behind it is that insulin, blood sugar, and glycogen levels are lower at this time than the rest of the day.
Breakfast should be eaten at 7:15 a.m. which is within 30 minutes of waking up. 84% of the surveyed said maintaining a strict dietary schedule was the best way to lose weight.
9:45 a.m. is the time your boss will see the best from you. Mental peak happens within three hours of waking up. This is when creativity, focus, and memory retention are at their prime. Make sure you are using this time to do the most critical things rather than menial tasks.
Stress levels are at their highest at 10:45 a.m. This is even more prevalent early in a work week when you are overwhelmed with the number of things that you need to get accomplished.
12:15 p.m. is when you should be munching away on your delicious meal. Lunch should be four hours after you had breakfast. 75% of the respondents said not skipping their lunch made them more energetic.
By 3:30 p.m., people have the hardest time showing willpower. The snack o’clock is when you are more likely to have something sugary, salty to get that boost of energy. It’s important to have will-power during this sugar pang.
Although the best time to have dinner is 6:00 p.m., this doesn’t mean it’s a free for all. 72% of the surveyed said maintaining a healthy weight consists of having an even calorie intake throughout the day.
Wine o’clock should happen at 6:15 p.m. Give your body approximately four hours to let your liver recover from the alcohol consumption. Limit your intake to one glass.
It may be ideal to go for a run early in the morning but doing strength or power training should be left for the evening. By 6:30 p.m. your ability to lift weights is highest.
You should be tucked in bed by 10:10 p.m. This gives the body the 20 minutes it needs to fall asleep and the 90 minutes of non-REM. Ideally, this should be achieved before 12:00 a.m.
It also doesn’t address those non-morning people or night owls. According to Forza, the majority of folks have similar body clocks. Although, there are variants.
Consequently, this negatively impacted their day. For those that are night owls, researchers suggest to adjust the timetable.
If you rise at 8:45 a.m. then just adjust your timetable by the two hours later. It’s not about changing your life completely.
“What we set out to do was to find out the absolute optimum times to work, rest, and play,” he said.
“While no two people are the same, these were found to be the very best times for the average person to do the key activities which make for a healthy and happy life,” Smith said.
Smith added that “making small adjustments to your routine can really help you to lose weight, get fitter, be more effective at work and even a better lover.”
Colin Espie, a sleep medicine professor at Oxford University, said folks should not be forcing themselves to be a morning person. “It’s important for people to experiment and find the sleep pattern that feels comfortable,” Espie told the Daily Mail.
“Get up and go to bed at roughly the same time to ensure your internal clock is set to and working towards the same time each day,” he recommended.
“A long lie-in on a Sunday effectively resets your body clock to New York time,” Espie warned. “If you get up at midday, your internal clock is confused as it expects more time awake and – teamed with anxiety about the coming week – hey presto, you have Sunday night insomnia.”
