Happiest of New Year to you!
Every year I write about resolutions, how to make them, how to stick to them. The grim reality is that most of us will probably break them within the first week. I’ve written about them so much that I’ve exhausted myself this year and so I finally say ‘no’ to writing about them, which leaves me in a quandary…what then, shall I write about?
Pause – a quick walk around the block for inspiration and a bit of staring out the window.
Herewith our topic of the month:
Getting in tune with your body clock and how in 2017 you can get the most out of every day, naturally.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) a time and a task is attributed to each of your organs. Read on to find out how that may influence how your days pans out.
5-7am Large Intestine.
Colon rising. This is the best time of the day to pop yourself out of bed, head to the toilet and do a poo. Having trouble going? ‘Retrain’ yourself by having a big glass of warm water on rising (add some lemon for that extra liver loving), sit on the loo for 5 or 10 minutes and ‘meditate’. It’s also a good time to have a walk, as this can aid elimination. Oh yeah, I love the morning!
7-9am Stomach
Eat your breakfast! According to TCM this should be the biggest meal of the day as this is when the tummy has the best opportunity to absorb nutrients.
What if you don’t have an appetite in the morning? Try having a smaller dinner – remember the saying, “breakfast like a queen, lunch like a princess and dinner like a squirrel” (some poetic licence taken). Try to avoid sugary breakfast cereals and instead opt for a good Bircher (I have a VERY yummy one in stock), or two soft boiled eggs, half an avocado, chopped chives and a dash of red-wine vinegar.
9-11am Spleen.
The spleen is the organ associated with intellect and mental powers, making this time the best to study and learn new things.
Signs your spleen wants some lovin’:
- Sweet cravings
- Lack of focus
- Inability to concentrate
- Tiredness
- Bloating
- Anaemia
Suffering some of these symptoms? Maybe it’s time to do some gentle detoxification – feel free to email me for more information.
The Western Perspective
It seems that Western science is catching up with what the Chinese have known for millennia – that there is an optimal time in our day to do things. Great news for those of us wanting to pack just that little bit more into each day!
Disruption of circadian rhythms has been linked to problems such as diabetes, depression, dementia and obesity.
When our body’s master clock can synchronise its rhythms, it may just give us an edge in daily life.
Below is what current research suggests is the best time to ‘do stuff’.
- 6am Send email messages now – they are more likely to be read.
- 8-9am Reading twitter now can start your day on a cheery note (personally, I don’t use it – I need more words).
- 9-11am Alertness and concentration rise with body heat – see any similarities with TCM? (kick start this with a warm shower).
- 12-4pm Ability to focus fades (this is where a high protein snack comes in handy), BUT…this fatigue may boost your creative powers. This may allow the mind to wander more freely to explore alternative solutions.
- 2-6pm Physical performance high – muscle strength, flexibility, eye-hand co-ordination, lung power up.
- 3pm-6pm Re-tweeting increases as inventiveness drops.
- 5-7pm Wandering brain leads to lateral thinking.
- 8pm This is when you get ‘liked’ on Facebook.
Is there a ‘best time’ to eat? Well, turns out there is. Two groups of mice, one group allowed to eat when awake (personally, I’ve never been one to eat in my sleep) and active during an eight hour period. The other group could eat at any time. The mice that ate only when active were 40% leaner and had lower cholesterol and blood sugar.
Would you like help achieving your ideal health goals in 2017? Call the clinic today to find out how we may help.
In health,
Marnie