erikpwiese
Posts: 2
Joined: 8/2/2007
Status: offline
|
Here is a good article I read ina men's health issue.. it talks about why you should run in the morning, as well as what to eat and how to utilize your high amount of testosterone in the morning.
Women didn't invent hormones. Granted, women may have given hormones a bad name, but infamy does not equal exclusivity. In reality, the hormones that men possess are exactly the same as women's, right down to the estrogen, though in amounts too small to make you enjoy ice dancing.
Here's another myth: You can't harness the power of your hormones. From what you eat to when you exercise, the movies you watch to the games you play, there are a number of surprisingly simple yet impressively effective ways to control these chemicals. And the payoff? Increased energy, faster fat burning, a better night's sleep, and a more productive workday. And that's just a sample.
What follows is a 24-hour plan for first targeting and then tapping into what may be your most valuable natural resource.
6:00 a.m. Flick Your Energy Switch
What you see as a good night's sleep, your body interprets as 8 hours of starvation. And so, in an effort to conserve energy, there's a dramatic drop in your levels of leptin and insulin, two hormones that affect how fast your body turns food into fuel. This process comes on automatically at night, but it's up to you to shut it off in the morning or you'll start the day in zombie mode.
Harness your hormones: Eat within an hour of your alarm. Chow down right after you wake up and you'll trigger an increase in leptin, which will in turn tell your body that the recent fast isn't a famine.
"When leptin goes up, you feel less hungry, and you increase energy expenditure," says Michael A. Cowley, Ph.D., an associate scientist in the division of neuroscience at Oregon National Primate Research Center.
But if you want that energy to last until lunch, don't just pop a Pop-Tart into your mouth; you need a breakfast that will produce a slow and steady increase in insulin, not a swift spike. Try a combination of protein and fiber-rich carbs, such as cottage cheese topped with berries, or two scrambled eggs stuffed into a whole-wheat pita.
7:30 a.m. Melt Fat Faster
There's no gauge in your gut, but at this point in the morning, it's pretty much a given that you aren't operating at full fat-burning capacity. How do we know? Simple: Your thyroid gland is still snoozing. As the master regulator of all things metabolic, this gland pumps out hormones that control how quickly your body burns nutrients and fat stores in response to energy demands. Those demands are low when you're asleep and they'll remain low when you're awake, unless you shake up your slow-mo routine.
Harness your hormones: Squeeze in an a.m. run. In a recent Taiwanese study of 27 men, scientists found that the men's production of thyroid hormones shot up after the men ran on a treadmill. And once thyroid hormones are released, they'll remain in your bloodstream for hours, keeping your metabolism revved well after your workout.
Here's another reason to hit the treadmill before you hop into the shower: An early cardio workout will boost your mood for the workday ahead, says Cedric Bryant, Ph.D., chief science officer for the American Council on Exercise. Aerobic exercise increases your brain's output of serotonin (a hormone associated with happiness) and dopamine (the hormone most closely linked to motivation).
12:00 p.m. Halt Your Hunger (and Advance Your Career)
You began the day with a full tank of testosterone (as evidenced by the erection you woke up with). Now it's 6 hours later and your T has begun to dip a bit. At the same time, your supply of the hunger hormone ghrelin ("GRAY-lin") is slowly rising. And the significance of these shifts? Even though your testosterone and ghrelin are headed in opposite directions, they're both pointing toward an identical objective: a strategic lunch.
Harness your hormones: Combine your eating with a meeting. When testosterone levels are high, your brain is primed for independent, focused work (like writing, filing reports, or generating ideas). On the other hand, your lower noontime level is ideal for acing meetings: You still have a mental edge but not an aggressive one.
When it comes time to order, choose an entrée that contains both protein and fat (salmon and tuna fit the bill). Here's why: As food enters your intestines, it stimulates the production of two hormones that create a feeling of fullness, known as peptide YY and oxyntomodulin. By adding slow-digesting fat and protein to the intestinal equation, you'll ensure a steady release of peptide YY and oxyntomodulin and no hunger pangs at 2 p.m.
3:00 p.m. Boost Your Brainpower
Here's a familiar scenario: You have only a few more hours before quitting time, but your brain feels like it's running on fumes. And in a sense it is, due to a bottoming out of your testosterone levels. "Research suggests that when you lose testosterone, your memory worsens," says Jeri S. Janowsky, Ph.D., a professor of behavioral neuroscience at Oregon Health and Science University, explaining that a steady supply of T is critical for the neurons in your brain to properly communicate with each other.
Harness your hormones: Skip the coffee and take a competition break instead. Just make sure the contest for instance, trash-can basketball, paper football, or a quick computer game is one that will challenge you.
"When people are playing a competitive game, the winner will tend to have a higher level of testosterone than the loser," Janowsky says. "There may be a little bit of a boost for being more dominant."
Or you can just compete with yourself. Take 10 minutes to start a crossword or Sudoku puzzle and then return to the task at hand. Want even more of a T boost? Slip out to the gym and complete the "15-Minute Workout".
(in reply to rocky0808)
|
Printable Version
morning cardio - 
New Messages
No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages
Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages
Locked w/o New Messages
Post New Thread
