Morning friends – hope you've had a healthy and restful weekend, and I hope you find this edition of the Wellness Weekly newsletter useful!
Is it better to train in the morning vs the evening?
This is often debated in training circles, and also for many of us who look to balance our training routines around work, family, relationships etc.
But is it better to train in the morning or the evening?
This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to find out by exploring all of the available evidence looking at whether morning or evening training was more beneficial for strength and endurance.
And what they found was....it literally doesn't matter.
The excerpt below explains in a bit more detail:
"Both the qualitative synthesis and the quantitative synthesis (i.e., meta-analysis) provide little evidence for or against the hypothesis that training at a specific time of day leads to more improvements in performance-related or health-related outcomes compared to other times"
Put it simply, you should train whenever is best for you.
We all have our different schedules, and it's important to just find the best time that allows you to get solid sessions in
On a personal level I like to train early in the morning (6:30-7am), get it out of the way and then continue with my day. And anecdotally, I feel that I am sharper and perform better mentally when I train earlier vs when I train later.
The importance of monitoring your blood pressure
In an age where we have so many apparent 'keys' to longevity – from supplements, saunas, ice baths and so on – one of the markers that gets forgotten about is blood pressure.
It's probably because it's quite simple and boring, and we love to talk about the more exciting things (sometimes I'm guilty of this too).
But it is a vital (and easy-to-check) marker that should be checked periodically – as it is a silent assassin – for the reasons below:
- Kidney health – High blood pressure can cause damage to the blood vessels in the kidneys. As one of the functions of the kidneys is to filter blood, this is essential to avoid potential kidney damage further down the line
- Brain health – high blood pressure can reduce blood flow to the brain, which is a risk factor for cognitive issues like dementia
- Stroke prevention – high blood pressure is one of the major risk factors for stroke, so it's important to keep an eye on it
- Prevention of heart disease – high blood pressure puts a ton of stress on the heart and blood vessels. Healthy blood pressure allows for arterial flexibility and allows blood to pass through smoothly, reducing risk of plaque build up
There are more reasons, but the ones above are some of the key ones.
Some blood pressure lifestyle interventions include:
- training (both cardio and strength training)
- a plant-rich diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains
- limiting sodium intake (I do however think this is dependent on your training load and whether you sweat a lot - electrolyte balance is key here)
- magnesium and coq10 supplementation (may be some potential benefit there)
If you're not pre-disposed to high or low blood pressure genetically, you should be aiming for a reading of somewhere around a maximum of 120 for the systolic number (top number) and 80 for the diastolic number (bottom number).
This is the blood pressure monitor I use – it costs £15 ($20) and is very accurate.
Two plant foods to potentially reduce prostate cancer risk?
Prostate cancer is a terrible disease that is now unfortunately striking men at an even younger age.
Approx. 1.5 million men every year are diagnosed with it, and 1 in 8 men in their lifetime will develop prostate cancer.
Of course we can't totally bulletproof ourselves but the importance of healthy habits – no smoking, minimal to no alcohol, training well and getting quality sleep – are of course well-established.
What about dietary habits though – and specifically certain foods that may reduce risk based on the available evidence we have?
There are two foods that I have looked into that have been linked to reduced risk:
- White button mushrooms - a Phase 1 trial showed that consumption of a white button mushroom extract led to a decrease in PSA levels (prostate-specific antigen) in 36% of the participants. Elevated prostate-specific antigen levels increase the risk of prostate cancer
- Tomatoes – tomatoes (or any red fruit/vegetable for that matter) contain an antioxidant called lycopene. Although not conclusive, lycopene has been linked in population studies to a decreased risk of prostate cancer. It's also worth noting that cooking tomatoes increases bioavailability of lycopene too
As I mentioned, cancer risk factors can't totally be mitigated.
It's such a complex disease, and one that has had such a devastating impact on many.
But our lifestyle habits still do matter – and adding in certain foods alongside the well-established tools for good health can't hurt at all and may have benefit further down the line.
Have a great week ahead friends – and don't hesitate to shoot me a note if you're liking these emails and want to see any other specific topics discussed.
Stay healthy,
Jeff