You’ll Be Over The Moon If You Do These Healthy Things In The Afternoon

I have always been a big believer that life is all about timing so when I saw this article about how some of the things involving our health are all about timing I was intrigued (okay it obviously does not take much to intrigue me I guess). Today I will write about some health things that are optimized by doing them in the afternoon and then I will follow with a couple more posts about evening and morning as well. I am shaking things up and being non-conventional (what’s new) by starting with afternoon instead of morning (such the rebelJ).


Nap- By 2 p.m., your body temperature starts to dip, just as it does before bedtime. Instead of fighting the urge to stay awake why not indulge in a quick power nap? An Australian study compared naps lasting 5, 10, 20, and 30 minutes and found that 10 minutes left participants feeling the most refreshed, rested and alert. Just make sure not to go too long or you will get that nasty sleep inertia which leaves you groggy. I wish that I could nap but to be honest I have never been a napper (much to my poor mother’s chagrin-she said I NEVER napped). We would all probably feel a little better by putting in a short power nap though.

Move it or lose it-Late afternoon to early evening (5-6 pm) may just be the best time to exercise as that is when your body is literally at its hottest. Your body temperature reaches its daily peak (2-3 degrees warmer than in the morning), giving you maximum muscle strength, flexibility, agility and stamina. Your lungs are using oxygen more efficiently at this time as well.

Instead of a big lunch have two mini meals-This is one area that I can certainly say I agree with as I rarely sit down and have a large meal but instead opting for several small meals. Doing this keeps your blood sugar steady and your metabolism moving. It is recommended that you have the first meal about 3 hours after breakfast and the second during the afternoon slump (around 2 and 3 p.m.).

Ref-Redbook May 2009
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11 comments:

  1. Kristin June 3, 2009 at 5:44 PM

    oh...how I long to have a quick power nap in the afternoon..now if I can just convince my 3 year old to do the same! lol

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  2. BeadedTailJune 3, 2009 at 9:54 PM

    I heard about the exercising between 5-6pm just the other day and found that so odd but now that you say it too, it must be true!

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  3. JPJune 3, 2009 at 10:19 PM

    This is good one for healthy life, but how the working professionals can have the nap at 2:00 PM everyday? )-:

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  4. Azure AccessoriesJune 4, 2009 at 5:40 AM

    When I was younger an afternoon nap would mean I wouldn't sleep well at night...besides I'm one of those people if I lie down for a nap I'm out for 2 hours and feel awful when I wake...now that I'm older I find I require a nap now and then...

    Very interesting concept exercising between 5/6...I remember when "they" used to say early morning was best!!!

    Mini meals...yes...I know it is best, but I have a difficult time doing that as I'm from the era when you had three meals and no snacking...

    Great post...
    Cheers

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  5. foongpcJune 4, 2009 at 7:54 AM

    Oh, I must have my afternoon power nap! Otherwise I will feel sleepy and drowsy the rest of the day! My power nap only lasts 15 minutes.

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  6. betchaiJune 4, 2009 at 6:43 PM

    Sadly, I can not do the afternoon naps on weekdays :( but glad that it is better to exercise late in the afternoon as that is the only time of the day I can do it, can not do the morning at all.

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  7. UnknownJune 4, 2009 at 6:43 PM

    I never nap, but I do seem to workout out right around six in the evening. Good to know I'm doing something right while sweating my #@@$% off.

    peace,
    mike
    livelife365

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  8. MariaJune 4, 2009 at 8:07 PM

    This is great news. I DO NOT want to give up my afternoon naps :)

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  9. sexy legs and bodyJune 4, 2009 at 9:49 PM

    I agree with the power nap, if ever I do nap, which may be on a sunday afternoon, the most I will sleep is for about 20 minutes, and then I normally feel great, so that does work. However, even if I do agree with having small lunches, mine does not stay with just two, it more or less goes up to around 4 or so, but then it is more nibbling than anything else. I guess my biggest problem is snacks before I sleep at night..that is a killer.
    Colin

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  10. MariaJune 6, 2009 at 7:29 PM

    I always wondered when the best time to exercise was. I'm SO glad it's not early in the morning.

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  11. Steve BorgmanJune 7, 2009 at 8:31 AM

    Heidi, this is great information. I have always been a proponent of naps in the afternoon. Many other countries around the world have the afternoon nap, or siesta, built into their culture. Why don't we? At this point, I exercise in the morning: it's a great way to get off to a strong and positive start.

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