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E ATING ACCORDING TO YOUR B IORHYTHM M AINTAIN
OR L OSE W EIGHT IN SYNCH WITH YOUR SYSTEM
Our bodies follow a natural rhythm of activity, also known as the performance phase, and
sleep, the regeneration phase.
This balance gives us a simple guideline for managing our nutritional intake: We need easilydigestible carbohydrates as an energy source for the active period during the day. During the
sleep phase, however, our needs are different. The body uses fat metabolism to mobilise
energy needed for repair processes and it draws it energy from fat stores. This is the same
process that the body uses when it obtains energy for low-intensity, fat-burning exercise.
Nightly sleep is thus the longest phase of fat metabolism in the 24-hour biorhythm.
By following your natural biorhythm, you can, in fact, eat normally and still stay slim. You
must fulfill certain conditions for this to work, however.
왖 Limit yourself to three meals a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner.
왖 Do not snack between meals.
왖 Do not count calones.
왖 Eat your fill at all three meals.
You need energy to get your day off to a good start. Carbohydrates are not only allowed, they
are a must. Enjoy a generous helping of them for lunch as well. For the sake of insulin control, you should focus on protein and avoid carbohydrates in your evening meal. Your body
does not need carbohydrates overnight. An elevated insulin level would interfere with fat
metabolism.
Here is what your day would look like if you were to plan nutrition and exercise according to
your biorhythm:
START
THE DAY WITH STAMINA TRAINING
Nutrition
Your body needs carbohydrates now – and in generous quantities. Glycogen stored in the
liver was used to fuel the brain ovemight and needs repIenishing. Bread – preferably wholegrain – muesli and fruit are the best choices here. To avoid insulin spikes folIowed by hypoglycaemia and a ravenous appetite, avoid anima' protein such as eggs, ham or dairy products at
breakfast. Bread or rolls with margarine, jam or honey are ideal. If you prefer a savoury bre-
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akfast, try vegetable spreads containing tomato or cucumber. If you like muesli, help yourself
to a hearty portion. One restriction is necessary, however: Use orange juice, soy milk, yoghurt
or diluted cream instead of milk.
Exercise
Gentle endurance training before breakfast twice or three times a week while your body is
still in ist noctumal fat-buming phase is an effective way to stimulate your fat metabolism.
Your blood sugar levels are low at this time, so your body automatically has to fall back on its
fat reserves as a source of fuel. Your level of exertion should be low enough to be fuelled by
fat metabolism, a slow energy source. Keep in mind that your body will increasingly need carbohydrates if it is asked to cope with intense muscular loads. You will notice, for example,
that running is difficult and that continuing on without an influx of quick energy, as found in
carbohydrates, takes a lot of discipline. For this reason, be sure to train in the so-called ‚aerobic zone‘. Any endurance sport such as running or biking is sultable. A heart-rate monitor can
be usetul here for keeping an eye on your level of exertion.
Initially, the optimal duration of your training will be 30 minutes; as your level of fitness
improves, you will want to lengthen your training session.
E AT
YOUR FILL AT LUNCHTIME
Nutrition
For lunch, eat a balanced meal combining carbohydrates, fat and protein. During the day,
your body is able to take advantage of the energy provided by hearty meals, and at such
times, elevated insulin levels are not as probIematc as in the evening. This is the time to
enjoy pasta, rice or potatoes with meat or fish, or a stew. Freshly prepared foods are richer in
vitamins and healthier than microwaved fast food. If you fee' like having dessert, eat it now,
immediately after lunch.
But do make sure your drinks are sugar-free. Fruit juice, cola or other soft drinks – even diet
fizzy drinks – can induce a massive increase in your insulin leveI. If possible, drink tap water
or mineral water, tea or coffee with little milk and no sugar or sweetener. And don‘t forget to
maintain a break of five hours until your next meal. Drinks containing sugar have the same
effect as a snack and are therefore not sultable during these between-meal periods.
Exercise
If you can get your day off to a brisk start, you will find that exercise itself is the best motivation to get even more exercise. Gradually, you will develop a new feel for your body while
improving your energy balance. You‘ll be surprised how quickly you can burn surplus calories
at work and during your free time. Every step counts: Even small exercise breaks add up to a
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considerable expenditure of energy and help eliminate free fatty acids that can be harmful to
your cardiovascular system.
Make this everyday activity a part of your daily routine, as such breaks require less discipline
than dedicated exercise sessions.
An example for an active working day:
Activity • Implementation • Calories consumed
왖 Active start: Brisk 5-minute walk to the office (50 kcal)
왖 Mobile work: Frequent changes of position, good for me back
왖 Stair climbing: 10 floors per day (45 kcal)
왖 Stretching break: 3 minutes of stretching, also good for the back
왖 Activate circulation: 10-minute walk after lunch (70 kcal)
왖 Mini-workout: 5 minutes of back exercises (30 kcal)
왖 Active breaks: Errands on foot (35 kcal)
왖 Active end of day: 15 minutes of gardening or housework (110 kcal)
Total: 340 kcal and two bonus exercises for your back
E AT
PROTEIN - RICH FOODS IN THE EVENING
Nutrition
Your evening meal is decisive for your fat nighttime metabolism. The most important point is
to ensure that the meal is rich in protein and does not contain carbohydrates, if possible. In
practical terms, eat fish or lean meat, or cheese or other dairy products. As a side dish, have
vegetables or a salad that does not contain carrots, sweetcom or legumes. Also avoid starchy
foods such as rice, pasta, potatoes and bread, as well as flour-based sauces. Skip dessert.
Snacking is also a no-no in the evening; salty or savoury snack foods, sweets, sweet fruits,
biscuits, cake and sweet drinks contain large amounts of carbohydrates that keep your insulin
level up and interfere with your nocturnal fat metabolism. Do not go to bed until at least
three to four hours after your evening meal.
Exercise
Your body relies mainly on carbohydrates any time you engage in high-intensity exercise.
Strength training is therefore not recommended in the morning, as your body will not have
the necessary energy to cope with it. The ideal time to develop your muscular strength using
weight or resistance training is in the evening, just before your evening meal. Follow your
training session with a high-protein, carbohydrate-free evening meal. The boost your metabolism receives from this weight training can last 12 to 24 hours.
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It‘s not necessary to go to a fitness club or have a home gym to perform resistance training.
Latex exercise bands are just as effective for training at home. During the first two months,
train gently with a single set of 15 to 25 repetitions per exercise. Set the resistance so that
you will be able to manage a couple of extra repetitions if necessary. In the third month,
increase the resistance, perform two sets of 8 to 15 repetitions for each exercise, and rest for
90 seconds between sets.
W HAT
HAPPENS DURING THE NIGHTLY REGENERATION PHASE ?
During the night, your physiological processes and heart rate slow down and your blood pressure drops. Your metabolism switches from meeting your performance needs to a process of
repair and regeneration. Your body relies on stored fat for the energy necessary to undertake
repair processes. Be sure to get at least seven hours of sleep.
Hormones
The release of the body‘s growth hormone peaks around 11 p.m., and the degree of its activity depends on your insulin level. The growth hormone aids in converting amino acids ingested
from food into proteins needed in muscles, enzymes, hormones and antibodies. These processes are mainly powered by energy stored in fat. Your immune system also becomes active
while you are sleeping, engaging in repair work during the nightly resting phase. Exercise in
the evenings further stimulates the growth hormone and the immune system.
The brain during sIeep
The brain relies on glucose as its energy source even while you are sIeeping. Glucose is mainly stored in the liver and the muscles, and these reserves must be filled during the day by
eating complex carbohydrates. Shortly before going to sleep, the pituitary gland starts releasing the growth hormone that promotes fat metabolism and muscle regeneration. At the
same time, the pineal gland produees melatonin, a horrnone that controls the sIeep cycle.
Ensure that your bedroom is as dark as possible for the best possible melatonin production.
The liver
The liver has the task of providing the brain and central nervous system with its stored glucose. It also breaks down and excretes toxic metabolic by-products during the night. The liver
mainly draws upon stored fat for its energy. It is important to note that excessive amounts of
alcohol hinder the liver in its vital regeneration tasks and block fat metabolism. Alcohol also
interferes with melatonin production.
The gastrointestinal tract
Keep in mind that the process of digestion normally takes around three to four hours. Fatty
meat, fried foods and legumes take the longest to digest. During the regeneration phase,
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that is, when you are asleep, the nutrients obtained are converted into stored reserves.
During the night, the produotion of gastric acids is minimised and circulation to the liver and
intestines is improved.
The pancreas
The evening meal determines the amount of insulin that is produced and released ovemight.
Simple carbohydrates such as crisps, pretzel sticks and sweets boost blood sugar levels, leading to the release of massive amounts of insulin. As a result, levels of free fatty acids in the
blood increase (via adrenalin and noradrenalin), promoting the storage of body fat during the
night.
Summary
Exercising late in the day, selecting the proper nutrients and getting enough sleep are essential to optimising fat metabolism at night. Here are a few recommendations in this regard:
왖 A good rule of thumb: Protein-rich foods such as fish, lean meat and cheese promote fat
metabolism at night. Carbohydrates block it.
왖 Go to bed at a regular hour, preferably before midnight. Studies have shown that people
who get less than seven hours of sleep suffer from impaired growth hormone production
leading to a greater susceptibility to weight problems.
왖 Make sure your bedroom is as dark as possible. The production of the sleep hormone
melatonin stops abruptly when the eye is exposed to bright light.
WorldGuide 2007
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