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GAY SAN DIEGO Aug. 16-29, 2019
HEALTH & FITNESS / COMMUNITY VOICES
gay-sd.com
When is the best time to exercise? Fitness Blake and Gwen Beckcom
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here have been many debates about the effectiveness of exercise during certain parts of the day. While nighttime workouts have been thought to disrupt sleep, new research adds in a new factor of the body's circadian rhythm to determine the best time to exercise. The human body has a circadian rhythm that corresponds with the cycles of the sun and the moon. Research has shown that muscles also follow this cycle, and therefore function better during the day. Oxygen works with our circadian rhythms inside muscle cells to create energy, which corresponds with the time of day. Your muscles’ daily cycles control your response to exercise Muscles can most efficiently use oxygen for energy during the day, or during their waking period. Researchers have genetically mutated the circadian clock in certain muscle fibers, leading to abnormalities while the muscles are at rest. Muscles vary throughout the day when it comes to their proteins, their effect on metabolism, and their production of lactic acid, which is why it is important to time your exercise right in order for it to be the most effective. Several studies have been
done to discover how to find one's unique circadian rhythm. Because exercise releases biochemicals in the brain and body, exercise has been shown to almost certainly affect the body’s internal clock and circadian rhythm. Exercise makes the body be able to judge the amount of movement it needs, and when it should be resting. When is it best to exercise? Exercising during the night is not the most effective method for your muscles or circadian rhythm. However, you must find out what time of day is most effective for your body to exercise. This may largely depend on your schedule. If your schedule is flexible and you can choose when to exercise, there are some benefits to certain times of day. If you are going by your circadian rhythm, the best time to exercise is in the afternoon. Body temperatures are typically a bit warmer in the afternoon than they are in the morning. This results in both better muscle performance as well as a decreased risk of injury. Benefits of morning exercise Some research also creates an argument for the effectiveness of a morning workout. Research has shown that 45 minutes of exercise right after you wake up may reduce food cravings throughout the day. Morning exercise has also been shown to result in an increase in overall daily physical activity.
It is also best to exercise in the morning while fasting. Exercising on an empty stomach can help prevent weight gain and a resistance to insulin. When fasting and exercising together, the impact of cellular factors is maximized, which forces fat to breakdown to create energy. If working out on a completely empty stomach is troublesome, you can drink a high-quality protein shake prior to your workout. Evening exercise isn't necessarily bad While it may not be ideal to exercise in the evenings, if you must do so, you may not need to change your habits. A recent study found that people who vigorously exercised for 35 minutes just prior to going to sleep, slept equally well as they did on nights when they did not exercise. Some polls have even reported people saying they sleep better after an evening workout. This has led the National Sleep Foundation to conclude that exercise is beneficial for sleep, no matter what time of day it is done. If you are unsure when to exercise, you can do some trial and error to see what feels right. Try doing 30 days of morning exercise, followed by 30 days of afternoon exercise, or whatever your daily schedule allows you to do. With increasing
see Fitness, pg 15
(www.canstockphoto.com)
Community is what we make of it Back Out with Benny Ben Cartwright
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n advance of writing this column, I posed a question on Facebook asking, “What does (LGBTQ) community mean to you?” This is a concept I’ve really been thinking a lot about this summer, especially since I’ve had some extra time on my hands while I recover from professional burn out that developed over the last two decades. I suppose community is a group of people brought together by common bonds, whether they be geographical, or based on shared traits, interests, etc. Sounds pretty simple? Sure. But those who are members of a marginalized community like the LGBTQ community really need to hold each other tight and take the concept of community more seriously — myself included. I really got to thinking about this because in the last couple months, since I left my fulltime job and some other activities, it was interesting that after I made some posts (and wrote a column in this publication) about the burn out and other issues I was experiencing, that only a small group of people reached out to me to check in on my well-being. And these were mostly people who regularly connected me with anyway. Every message, call, text, hug, coffee date, etc. following my life transition was appreciated — more than those who reached out will ever know! But there was a major void that I noticed by people who seemed like family to me, but once I was no longer part of their daily work or community activism life, it was like radio silence. Now luckily, my mental health is strong, I have a great support system of friends and family, and don’t necessarily need anyone’s validation for anything I do. But I wanted to share that because really, the only thing I’m really an expert on is myself, and that was my experience. But that experience made me concerned about so many others in our community that we don’t check-in with regularly — especially seniors, and those who are struggling with a number of things like mental health, financial instability, and more.
I was crushed to hear recently that longtime LGBTQ ally Cindy Green passed away in her home, alone, and wasn’t found for likely up to 11 days after her death. Where were we? Where was I? Cindy was kind enough to reach out to me via Facebook Messenger on June 26, a few weeks after I announced my career change, to check-up on me, and we ended the conversation with her letting me know that she was also going through some life changes, too, and offered me her phone number so we could connect further. Pride season approached, I got “busy,” never contacted her, and then we all found out several weeks that the worst had happened. Maybe, just maybe, if me, or anyone had reached out to her, she might still be with us today. We all have struggles. But we, myself very much included, need to do a better job checking in on each other. Not to “get coffee” to “discuss a community project” or talk shop, but genuinely sit down together, put electronic devices away, look each other in the eyes, and just say “how are you doing?” And honestly share with each other. There are so many forces from the outside, and even from within our community, that work hard every day to bring us down. The more we can connect to build stronger community with each other, the better off we’ll all be. At the end of the day, we’re all human beings. It really means nothing what someone’s career, political, social, or financial status is. As a community, we all have an obligation to connect and look out for each other. And I hope we can do better at that. If folks don’t agree with this, or read it but don’t follow through, if nothing else, this is my pledge to personally be better. I look forward to genuinely connecting with many of you very soon! —Benny Cartwright is a local LGBT activist and Nicky Award’s 2018 Man of the Year. Benny can be contacted at Benny.bc.cartwright@gmail. com. Note: Byline photo by Rob Lucas Modern Aperture Photography. Graphic by www. CanStockPhoto.com.