8 Minutes In The Morning Pdf

[Tiana Dubree]

Ive attempted to make many changes in the name of well-being, and to be honest, a lot of them haven't stuck. Sure, drinking a green smoothie every morning was nice in theory, but for me, it ended up not being worth the extra time or groceries. And getting good at Pilates sure sounded great, but that kind of movement just doesn't do it for me.

There's one routine tweak I've made this year that ticks off both of these boxes and then some: drinking my first cup of coffee later in the morning. After trying this at the urging of neurobiologist Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., I've noticed my energy levels increase, my sleep quality improve, and my mood swings steady.

In an episode of his podcast titled Using Caffeine to Optimize Mental & Physical Performance, Huberman explains why delaying caffeine intake by 90-120 minutes after waking can improve energy and cognition (with the exception being if you do intense exercise in the morning; then you might want to get your caffeine fix earlier).

Now, for how delaying caffeine comes in: When you wake up in the morning, even though you may feel sleepy, your adenosine levels should actually be at their lowest. For this reason, you're better off waiting 1.5 to 2 hours to give your body time to wake itself up naturally (you can help it out by hydrating, getting some sun, and moving around to get your morning cortisol flowing) and allowing adenosine to build a bit.

Then, not only will your first cup of coffee actually produce a more noticeable feeling of alertness (due to the adenosine buildup), but it could also help reinforce your natural sleep-wake cycles. If you start drinking caffeine later in the morning, you'll be less likely to feel an energy dip around lunch. This can help you avoid drinking caffeine too close to bedtime.

Avoiding caffeine later in the day could also improve your sleep quality. By helping you clear out even more adenosine during rest, it'll lead to a positive feedback loop of awesome energy and stamina.

I used to usually have coffee within 30 minutes of waking up and keep drinking throughout the afternoon. I typically had 2-3 cups a day between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. (though if I was really tired, I'd occasionally drink another cup later). And to be clear, I didn't see a problem with this routine! Coffee is considered health-protective2 up to amounts higher than this, and even on the days that I drank it close to bedtime, my sleep never seemed to take that much of a hit.

While the urge to start drinking coffee right away was strong on my first day, the craving passed pretty quickly, and I was surprised by how well my body could wake itself up without caffeine (thank you, cortisol!). This initial energy started to wear off around that 1.5-hour mark, making me really excited for my morning brew. When I did finally sip my coffee, it felt incredibly satisfying, its energizing effect was more noticeable, and I swear it even tasted better than usual.

On his podcast, The Huberman Lab, neuroscientist Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., extols the virtues of waiting 90-120 minutes after waking up before consuming caffeine. I can attest: Making this change has improved my already pretty great relationship with coffee, and I look forward to keeping it up in the name of more energized mornings and restful nights.

The theory, explains Chris Winter, MD, medical director of the Sleep Medicine Center at Martha Jefferson Hospital in Virginia, is that the 90 minutes of sleep you get between snoozes is the full sleep cycle, allowing you to wake up after your REM state, instead of during. Goodbye drowsiness.

I had a breakfast meeting that day, so I set my first alarm for 5:30 a.m. and my second for 7:00 a.m. Waking up at 7:00 a.m. was a breeze; I jumped out of bed, did a quick stretch routine on my yoga mat, and even had time to straighten my hair before walking out the door to my meeting.

Just like the first day of my experiment, when my first alarm went off, I had to pee. I felt fine (say, a 6 out of 10) and managed not hit snooze when my second alarm went off at 8:00 a.m. But I was concerned that I was ruining the experiment by only giving myself 80 to 85ish minutes to REM instead of 90, so I called sleep-expert Winter for advice.

On these days, between the two alarm bells, I had the wildest, most detailed dreams I can remember having in my entire life. On Thursday, I dreamed I was a cowgirl named Beverly who was an Olympian swimmer, and I had a pet dog named Fido who spoke Russian (seriously). Then, on Friday, I had a dream I moved to Texas to become a competitive CrossFit athlete.

I usually sleep in on Sundays, but I had a few things I wanted to check off my to-do list before going to the gym. So, again, I set my first alarm for 7:00 a.m. and my second alarm for 8:30 a.m. After falling asleep by 10:00 p.m. the night before, I was up before even the first alarm went off!

Sure, I could lace up a set of the best running shoes for men and go for a run, but cardio exercise isn't really my thing. I prefer strength training, which helps build muscle, but it doesn't get me out of the house.

Plus, I like being able to chat with others, get a coffee, and listen to a podcast when I'm out and about; not the easiest thing to do while running. But I realized that I could fit in a 90-minute walk each morning before work with a bit of planning.

You don't often hear people talk about walking as a form of exercise, but there are so many benefits of walking that it sounded like an ideal low-impact way to ease into the day, stay active, and get outside.

Although 90 minutes seems long, it only took a few tweaks to my morning routine to fit in a walk each day. I woke up slightly earlier, moved my daily meditation to later on, and strolled into work on my office days.

The most exciting thing about walking is that it can improve your health, promote wellbeing, and keep you active, and it doesn't cost a thing. Here's what happened when I started walking every morning for a month.

James is an experienced fitness writer and staff writer for Fit&Well. He started taking regular walks back in 2013 to improve his fitness and has since come to love stepping outside, whether heading out for a mindful stroll or walking to the office. "}), " -0-10/js/person.js"); } else console.error('%c FTE ','background: #9306F9; color: #ffffff','no lazy slice hydration function available'); James FrewSocial Links NavigationFitness writerJames is an experienced fitness writer and staff writer for Fit&Well. He started taking regular walks back in 2013 to improve his fitness and has since come to love stepping outside, whether heading out for a mindful stroll or walking to the office.

Although I enjoy my work, thinking about it is not a very relaxing way to start the day. Getting outside helped me focus on the moment instead of planning for the future. In that way, it was similar to the benefits of meditating every day.

But there was also something nice about being outside in nature. Okay, not quite nature (I live in a city), but people were out walking their dogs, birds circled in the skies, and I started to appreciate local parks and green spaces more.

Heading out first thing also meant that I felt more energized when I sat down at my desk (although the coffee I buy at the local store may help too...). I was in a better frame of mind and motivated to get on with things.

I've been using a set of the best adjustable dumbbells for at-home workouts for a few years now. I enjoy resistance training, but building muscle is only part of your overall fitness. Walking filled the cardio-sized hole in my exercise plans.

It's a low-impact way to stay active (it's much gentler on your knees than running), but, as a review in the journal Sports Medicine noted, it has health-boosting benefits, like reducing your blood pressure and risk of disease.

Despite what your fitness tracker says, you don't need to walk 10,000 steps each day to get the health and fitness benefits. Researchers suggest between 6,000 and 10,000, which is a more flexible target, making it easier to stick to.

One study of 700 people, done at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, found that those who either spent 1 to 2 hours outdoors daily or spent their days in a brightly lit room were less likely to have trouble sleeping or report anxiety.

Another found that when people let natural light stream into their apartments by day for 1 week, they fell asleep 22 minutes earlier, slept more regularly, and were happier and more alert by day than during a week in which they pulled the blinds.

Each of us has not only one master clock deep in our brain, but also a series of other clocks inside our tissues that manage when hormones are released, keeping our sleep-wake cycle, hunger patterns, and other daily rhythms humming along on a predictable cycle.

And researchers at Northwestern University found that people who got most of their bright light exposure before noon weighed a little less -- 1.4 pounds, on average -- than those exposed to most bright light in the evening.

Try your best to get a minimum of 1 hour outdoors each day. That includes at least 15 to 30 minutes in the morning after daybreak. Another good time for a walk outside is around 1 to 3 p.m. in the afternoon, when the body produces another brief spike of melatonin.

If your daytime room has no window, or just a small one, add more light. Figueiro recommends a table lamp on each side of your computer (1,500 lumens each) with a light-colored shade that diffuses the light. A plain white lightbulb will do, but for greater effect, go for blue light or put the light closer to your eye.

Set a curfew for screens. To minimize light at night, shut off your electronics (or at least dim the display and set it so the words are white on black) 2 hours before bedtime. If you really have trouble winding down, consider wearing blue-light blocking glasses 90 minutes before bed. Also use warm, low-level, dim lighting in your bedroom and living room at night.

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