The best exercise routine, according to your muscle clocks | Professor Karyn Esser

Our bodies naturally follow a roughly 24-hour cycle, called our circadian rhythm. And every cell has a rhythm.

As we get older, we tend to lose muscle, making us more prone to falls and less able to live independently. Though we can't stop aging, staying active helps keep our muscles strong and our bodies healthy for longer.

Prof. Karyn Esser is a specialist in how the body's natural rhythms affect muscles. Today, she guides us through the latest research and shows that it's always possible to harness the power of your muscles to enhance your quality of life. She is a professor in the Department of Physiology and Aging at the University of Florida, where she’s also the co-director of the University of Florida Older Americans Independence Center.

In today's episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan and Karyn explore the body's internal clocks and ask: why do our muscles have their own schedule, and is there an ideal time of day to exercise?

Timecodes:
00:00 Introduction
01:24 Quickfire questions
03:30 Why are muscles important, particularly as we get older?
09:58 We all lose strength as we age
12:19 What types of exercise do we need to do to maintain muscle strength as we get older?
16:10 What is a circadian clock?
20:40 Everything has a circadian rhythm
22:42 Why do our muscles work on a 24-hour cycle?
25:36 Humans are stronger in the afternoon
32:52 Is there a best time to exercise?
37:36 Can exercise before or after work help shift workers with jet lag?
40:03 Is there a difference between men and women’s responses to circadian rhythms?
44:12 What are the effects of time-restricted eating on muscle mass?
56:10 Summary

Studies mentioned in today's episode:

Other related studies:

Books:

[tousdr]

Best time to exercise?
1. When you have time or when you do it
2. Aerobic, mornings.
Strength afternoons, always at least 4 h before going to bed

In general: empty stomach.
Drink full of water before exercise.
30-60 min after exercise eat. Suplements: take them during or immediately after exercise to help recovery.
So: Drinking, exercise, supplements,
eating,
rest.

When?: when you have time.
If plenty of it: early in the morning stretching. During the morning aerobic. Afternoon strength. Evening relaxing walk.

Be active and rest.
REMEMBER: WITH AGE
RECOVERY IS KEY


Why so? :
Common sense & own experience of 70y old (MD since 1978 and 45y of practice as physician)

[jaqgriff]

Professor Karyn Esser seems to have a great sense of humour and fun. I bet her students love her classes / research. Thanks for the interview.

[freddyheynssens]

I am 68 yrs, i started an exercise program from Couch to 5K. Today I will run my first 5K. Exercise makes me feel energetic and healthy and I adjusted my nutrition. Less processed foods, no sugar, more vegetables and fruits.
I feel good, happy and healthy.
Thank you for sharing this video.
Most of all we need Jesus as our Savior and Lord.
God bless you all.

[macsmiffy]

I think Jonathan is a great host. He’s clearly done his homework and has a plan for how the conversation will develop. The ‘interruptions’ are usually about explaining scientific/medical jargon, because he is aware that viewers will have various levels of understanding and he’s careful to be inclusive of everyone. The summary is spot on. He’d get outstanding from Ofsted! 😉

[DavidPodolsky]

The guests are great and the podcasts are very useful. However, it is incredibly annoying to hear you repeat every sentence and interrupt the speaker every 20 seconds. I recommend you allow the speaker to expand and repeat only when you have value to add.

[marydo]

It's surprising that an expert in muscle and excercise like this only mentioned resistance training for upper body. The big emphasis should be for the lower parts of the body as with age, the first muscles that go are the leg and glute muscles. Leg and glute muscles are largest muscle group in the body and have great impact on insulin sensitivity. Therefore, prioritising these muscles will give the highest ROI and most impactful to your overall health.

[marthajaneadams]

Very VERY helpful and illuminating presentation!! Learned a LOT, and helps direct my focus on feeling better and being more energetic at age 73 onward. Thank you, Jonathan and ZOE!! 👏👏👏👏👏

[MaryEadie-ujnw]

Jonathan plays a really helpful role by intermittently summarising intense scientific information in laypeople’s terms. Gives us all a chance to understand what the experts are saying. I find that really helpful

[farihathomas]

I am watching this in last days of Ramadan, where both my sleeping is changed- staying up much of night, so sleeping more in day, and when I eat . I feel tired and my brain feels less sharp, especially memory. Seems this explains a lot. It's not just lack of sleep. And also I am in late 60s

[aaronmorris]

Couldn't agree more. Jonathan, please be patient with your guests. This was one of the best Zoe presentations to date.
Aaron

[lizbethdominguezflores]

I was hooked by the title and speaker... Don't mean to be difficult, but in an ocean of content where informing ourselves is an investment of time, I'm at minute ~11 and had heard more about the interviewers understanding than the content of the scientist.

[Theo]

I'm now starting to watch this video, and I hope that Jonathan will now let his host speak a little more, instead of always interrupting his guests. This is a good channel, but the fact that Jonathan keeps interrupting his guests is really frustrating to watch and hear. Jonathan, I hope you read this and take it into consideration. I'm really not the first to mention this problem here in the comments.

[jeffkilgore]

He’s not interrupting. This is a question and answer format. If you don’t like the format, that’s your issue. He’s asking questions and then providing follow-up questions. It’s well done too. Search her name for a lecture. Then you’ll be happier.

[SamanthaDevauxwriter]

Fascinating and really enjoyed this, thanks. I am finding it harder to focus because the interruptions and quite long recaps from the host, before she’s finished her point, interrupt her flow and mine as a listener viewer. I understand it’s a conversation not a lecture but I’d prefer to hear a little bit more from the experts however I enjoyed the hosts questions seeking more clarity (rather than long recaps. )

[gillbrown]

I think one important yes/no question you always should ask is "is it the same for men and women?"

[lindathompson]

Not everybody wants a lecture so the questions posed by the host helps and claritys

[Kayotesden]

Jonathan, for all the good intentions, can you please let her finish her train of thought without interrupting,
Far too frequently, you break them off by either reverbalising/ ask a question while they are still making a point & we lose a significant detail....
You can always summarise at the end, as you normally do, with much appreciation.

[Jojotonks]

Such a useful video. I agree that Jonathan is over-wordy in his presentation. He does ask interesting questions, but could speak more concisely so that the point he is making doesn’t get lost in verbiage.
I am so pleased to hear from an expert about how are needs change as we age. Too often exercise and diet recommendations are aimed at younger people, and it’s also no good holding up the 90 year old who runs half marathons as an example! We need achievable goals, doable programmes to follow!
Very interesting that our muscles are stronger in the afternoon. In my experience that has become more accurate as I’ve aged. As a 79 year old who had heart valve repairs 3 years ago, and with arthritis which seems to have speeded up since my operation, I’ve found I can really only do stretch exercises when I wake up, and am better going for walks or doing movement exercises in the afternoon, when my stiffness has eased and even my breathing is better. It’s a reversal of how I used to be, even in my 60s.
Re diet, it’s also fascinating to hear that older people should eat more in the afternoon/evening, as long as you don't have weight issues. That goes against the old mantra of “breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dine like a pauper.” We eat our main meal in the evening, and if I don’t have enough protein with that meal I don’t sleep well. So I'm not doing it all wrong!

[helencooney]

I've used my wallsit time, holding for as long as possible, to assess my muscle strength at different times of day. It shows a lot of variability and is best in the late afternoon/early evening and when I'm in a fasted state.

[copperednz]

I'm not sure why people are resistant to subscribing to this channel. What on earth is the downside people? Love your work Zoe team. Wonderfully informative guests. Jonathon, you do a great job of simplifying the science when we need it.