Table of contents:
- Muscles have their own schedule for effective exercise
- According to research: exercise is better during the day
- How does a natural muscle clock make exercise more effective?
- Exercising in the morning is also good
- How about exercise in the afternoon and evening?
When do you usually exercise? Is it in the morning after getting up in the morning? Or in the afternoon when you are done doing all the activities and then take the time to exercise? Or even at night? To make exercise more effective and have an impact on health, you need to know the "alarm" that your muscles have for exercising.
A recent study stated that the muscles and body skeleton have their own time and alarm in determining when to exercise and when to stop. Then what is the best time to exercise out of the 24 hours we have in a day?
Muscles have their own schedule for effective exercise
Did you know that all the cells in the body have their own clocks and schedules to do their jobs? This natural body clock is called the circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm regulates the timing of the body when it should eat, sleep, wake up, or perform various other functions. So, if you have 24 hours a day, your body will automatically regulate and determine the time for meals and other activities.
All cells have a circadian rhythm, including the muscles we use to carry out various activities. A study conducted by researchers from Northwestern University, stated that the circadian rhythm possessed by muscles makes all the movements they produce more effective. It is therefore important to know the natural clock of the muscles.
ALSO READ: Are You Lazy to Exercise? Could Be Congenital
According to research: exercise is better during the day
The study, published in the Journal of Cell Metabolism, conducted experiments on mice to see if muscles had a natural clock for activity. From these experiments, it is known that mice are more active in running on rotating toys when doing so at night. Rats are nocturnal or more active at night.
The researchers concluded that the genes related to regulating the circadian rhythms of mice work very effectively at night. The genes that these mice have are also owned by humans. And because in contrast to mice, humans are more active during the day, the researchers thought that humans would be more effective at exercising during the day.
How does a natural muscle clock make exercise more effective?
Based on this study, the researchers also found that circadian rhythms in muscles regulate the response and efficiency of energy use. The circadian rhythm regulated by these special genes is related to the ability of cells to produce energy. This ability is the most important thing in the occurrence of muscle contraction.
In normal circumstances, when the muscles are resting or stretching, the muscles will take oxygen that is flowed through the blood vessels and convert it into energy. Meanwhile, when you start doing strenuous activities, such as running, the body will use up more oxygen and cause oxygen to run out quickly. The process of making energy that does not use oxygen will produce lactic acid.
When the genes that work to regulate circadian rhythms are not active - such as at night - then the oxygen production that should be done by muscle cells will be more difficult and reduced. This of course can cause a buildup of lactic acid in the body. Excessive buildup of lactic acid can cause a person to feel cramps.
ALSO READ: Beware of the Characteristics and Dangers of Sports Addiction
Exercising in the morning is also good
Another study conducted research related to the benefits of exercising in the morning. This study shows that doing 45 minutes of moderate intensity exercise can reduce hunger. In this study, exercise in the morning can also increase physical activity for an entire day. However, it should be noted that if you do exercise in the morning, fill your stomach about 2 hours before doing the exercise. This will prevent abdominal pain during exercise.
How about exercise in the afternoon and evening?
If indeed you are very busy and do not have time in the morning to do sports then it is really not a problem exercising in the afternoon or evening. A study conducted in 2011 stated that people who exercise for 35 minutes before going to sleep have better sleep quality.
Other studies also show the same thing, the National Sleep Foundation found as many as 83% of people who do exercise before bed, claim that they sleep better than those who don't exercise.
ALSO READ: Aerobic vs Anaerobic Exercise, Which Is Better?
x
