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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