Brian Johnson covers three circadian rhythms: eating, moving, and sleeping. Dr. Satchin Panda explains how exercise supports muscle, bone, mood, and sleep. The episode recommends 10,000 steps daily, afternoon strength training, and an 8-10 hour eating window, citing Hugh Jackman's Wolverine diet as an example.
Questions this episode answers
April 22, 2023
10,000 steps per day
Fasting 14–16 hours with an 8–10 hour eating window; mice eating for 12 hours also referenced.
Mice had 10–15% more muscle mass than mice that ate whenever they wanted (after 36 weeks).
Hugh Jackman's 'Wolverine' diet
Hey, hero. If you're enjoying these daily plus ones, make sure you head to heroic us to check out all of the other goodness we have to help you activate your best every day. And now, today's Plus One.
Hi, this is Brian. Welcome back to another heroic Plus One. In our last several Plus Ones, we've explored some wisdom from Dr. Satchin Panda's circadian code on the science of circadian biology. To recap, it's powerful. I repeat this warning from Dr. Panda. I quote him, the longer your circadian rhythm is out of sync, the greater the risk of developing a serious disease. And I'll add this one I quote again. If you are experiencing any physical discomfort or changes to the way you think, don't ignore them. They are early signs of chronic illness. Now, as we discussed, there are three core rhythms we need to optimize. These three rhythms are connected to our three core fundies. Eating, moving and sleeping. We talked about eating and sleeping. Today we're going to talk about moving. Dr. Panda tells us, and I quote, physical activity is just as important as sleep and good nutrition when it comes to good health. Daily movement improves muscle mass, muscle strength, bone health, motor coordination, metabolism, gut function, heart health, lung capacity, and even enhances how your brain functions. He continues by saying, what's more, exercise has a circadian effect, improving sleep and mood. Exercise literally relaxes the brain, reducing depression and anxiety and increasing our ability to to experience happiness. Exercise is one of the best medicines. Whatever you choose, stick with it. Make physical activity part of your routine so it becomes a habit. Exercises mood boosting effect is critical to keeping you calm and integral to productivity. End quote. Exercise. We know it does a hero's mind, body and soul good. So how's yours? Check out Movement 101. And our notes on Spark by John Rady, the Joy of movement by Kelly McGonigal and movement matters by Katie Bowman. For tons of wisdom that Dr. Panda confirms and his research supports. For now, know this. Exercising earlier in the day gives you a mood boost. 10,000 steps a day is a great target. Strength training in the afternoons is great, but make sure you give yourself enough time to get your core body temperature back down so you're not disrupting your sleep. And as Taliban Shahar puts it in happier and echoed in our heroic chats with masters recently, not exercising is like taking a depressant. Eating, moving, sleeping. What's one little or big thing you know you could do to optimize? Here's to optimizing our fundamentals as we get in alignment with our natural circadian rhythms so we can get heroically energized, heroically productive and heroically connected today. Day one. All in. Let's go hero. P.S. are you concerned that fasting for 14 to 16 hours a day and restricting your eating window to 8 to 10 hours a day will make you weaker and less muscular? Well, Dr. Panda tells us we assumed that fasting for 14 to 16 hours would break down muscles and we would see a reduction in muscle mass. Actually, we found the exact opposite. He also tells us when mice ate for only 12 hours, we never saw a reduction in muscle mass. In fact, only fat mass was reduced. If the mice ate a healthy diet within eight to 10 hours, they gradually increased their muscle mass. And after 36 weeks, they have 10 to 15% more muscle mass than mice that ate whenever they wanted. End quote. And it's not just mice. Dr. Panda tells us that Hugh Jackman's famous Wolverine diet is actually an eight hour time restricted diet.
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