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WHY EVENING IS THE BEST TIME FOR EXERCISE: CELERIAC AND RADISH SALAD

January 4, 2019 4 Comments


Happy new year to all our readers!

We love the beginning of a new year. It’s the perfect time for thinking about the future and for making adjustments to our lives. Naturally we want a long, healthy and happy future. So we’re taking the opportunity to make small lifestyle changes that promise big benefits.

Just before Christmas a large study on exercise was published, overturning what sleep experts and scientists have been telling us for decades: exercise in the evening stops you sleeping. Not so, according to this study. But even more importantly, this study found that people who exercised in the evening actually slept better at night.

Scientists at the Exercise Physiology Lab at ETH Zurich (a Swiss university specialising in Science and Technology) combed through the literature on exercise and sleep, analysing 23 studies and concluding that exercise in the four hours before going to bed had no negative effects on sleep.

“If doing sport in the evening has any effect on sleep quality at all, it’s rather a positive effect,” said Professor Christina Spengler, head of ETH Zurich’s Exercise Physiology Lab.

The researchers found that people who exercised in the evening spent 21.2 percent of their sleeping time in deep sleep. People who did no evening exercise spent 19.9 percent of their sleeping time in deep sleep. While the difference is small, it’s statistically significant, according to Professor Spengler.

This 1.3 percent of extra deep sleep matters because our periods of deep sleep are particularly important for our body’s physical recovery. It’s during periods of deep sleep that our bodies most effectively repair themselves: this is when our brains produce growth hormone (GH) which helps strengthen bones and muscles. This is also the time our immune systems are stimulated and the proteins synthesised that keep us looking and feeling our best. If you’ve ever woken with a head full of tar (better known as brain fog), you’ve probably not had enough deep sleep (or your deep sleep has been interrupted).

If you’ve a chronic illness, or you’re growing, some additional deep sleep could make quite a difference to one’s health.

There was only one exception to the exercise-before-bed rule: very vigorous exercise (like HIIT), done within an hour of sleeping, delayed the onset of sleep in some people. Professor Spengler explained that it was the only type of evening exercise that might have a negative effect on sleep.

I’ve always like the idea of exercising in the evening. But because I’ve never been a good sleeper, I’ve been cautious about going for an evening run, preferring to do serious exercise in the morning.

So my first new year’s resolution is to include some proper evening exercise (ie more than a spot of yoga) in my life. My second resolution is to use my phone less. But more about that later in the month.

This is a gorgeous winter salad that makes a lovely first course. Invented by chef, Elizabeth Butler, for her Kew Deli, Antrobus & Butler, I recently ate it in the home of some friends then rushed back and reinvented it the following morning. The thinner you can get the celeriac the better. A food processor with a mandolin setting is ideal. Otherwise do as I did and slice thinly with a very sharp knife.

WINTER SALAD OF CELERIAC AND RADISHES WITH TRUFFLE OIL AND CHIVES

1 small celeriac, very finely sliced (use a mandolin for speed)
6-8 radishes, thinly sliced
4 tsp olive oil
1 tsp truffle-infused olive oil (more if you like)
2 tsp lemon juice
Zest of one lemon
3 tsp finely grated parmesan
Handful chopped chives

Mix the sliced celeriac and radishes.

Make the vinaigrette by whisking together the olive oil, truffle oil, lemon juice, zest, parmesan and seasoning. Pour it over. Scatter over the chives and serve.

Annabel

  • Meal Types: Dinner, Soups and Salads
  • Conditions: Ageing, Insomnia
  • Ingredients: Celeriac, Radishes
« HOW CHRISTMAS IS HELPING YOU AGE BETTER
THE HEALTH CHECKS – AND FOOD – YOU NEED NOW »

Comments

  1. Alison C says

    January 4, 2019 at 5:08 pm

    I cannot wait to try this recipe!

    Reply
    • Annabel Abbs says

      January 10, 2019 at 2:42 pm

      Let us know what you think… xx

      Reply
  2. Charles says

    January 17, 2019 at 8:59 pm

    As a student I used to exercise in the evening and continued to prefer evenings until I started to work long hours in middle age when I switched to the morning. Now that I am retired I exercise in the morning, the afternoons are for gardening or picking fights with actuaries, as I am a pension fund trustee. I am too tired these days to do much in the evening.

    I prefer the morning and sleep like an angel unless something is on my mind in which case I wake up early.

    Reply
    • Annabel Abbs says

      January 20, 2019 at 7:43 pm

      Yes, Charles, mornings are certainly easier, especially when it’s dark at 5pm. I’m enjoying my new regime of a little evening exercise although it’s often just an after-supper stroll! The key is to find what works and stick with it… Gardening is excellent exercise too.

      Reply

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Look, we know not many people have round-the-clock Look, we know not many people have round-the-clock access to a sauna. But Susan found one in a hotel she was staying at recently, there’s one in our local gym and Annabel found plenty on her summer holiday in Finland. 

A growing number of studies attest to the longevity-enhancing benefits of routine forays into a sauna. Much of the research has been instigated in Finland where sauna (pronounced to rhyme with downer) has existed forever.

So how does sauna help us age well? The extreme heat activates heat shock proteins which researchers think can maintain the healthy functioning of our cells.  As we get older, the proteins in some of our cells start to misfold and collapse. They then clump together forming plaques, including the plaques thought to cause Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Heat shock proteins – triggered by a sauna stint and possibly by hot baths – appear to prevent the misfolding and collapsing of cellular proteins, as well as clearing out those that have already misfolded. Which is to say they keep our cells in good shape. 

There’s more on the blog - link in bio 

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Obsessed with the smoked quinoa in this salad! You Obsessed with the smoked quinoa in this salad! You know we love a good grain and this one is particularly delicious. It’s from our friends @hodmedods and they very kindly gave us a discount code to share with you - it’s valid until the end of September. Code and recipe are on the blog - link in bio (it’s the blog post about reducing dementia risk) #prproduct #recipe #healthyrecipe #discountcode #wholegrains #quinoarecipes #womenover50 #over50 #over50health #postmenopause #over50andfit #dementiaprevention #alzheimers #brainhealth #cognition #agewell
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Thank you!
Of course, it’s not about numbers, but we’re s Of course, it’s not about numbers, but we’re so thrilled over 5000 of you have joined us on our mission to age well! Thank you 🙏

If you’re new here, we’re Susan and Annabel, long-time friends turned longevity writers. We started blogging about our quest to age well almost a decade ago (!) - you can find the blog at agewellproject.com or via the link in our bio. 

As working mums, we started looking for simple, science-backed ways to make the best of the second halves of our lives. We wanted to improve our own health and reduce our risk of the chronic conditions of ageing. When we started writing, Susan was caring for her mum, who had dementia, and Annabel has also faced challenges with her family’s health. 

Along the way, the blog became a best-selling book, The Age-Well Project, and further books have followed. You can find out more about us individually @annabelabbs and @susansaundershealth 

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There’s more on the blog - link in bio.

And save this as a reminder to look after your feet! 

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