[Everstorm]

Autumn weather never fails to bring out the nature witch/druid in me, and this year is no exception.

In addition to a renewed desire to commune with the trees, I have also fallen down a rather long rabbit hole on Circadian rhythms and other hormone-related cycles. The purpose of this challenge is to realign my daily/monthly cycles with nature's in order to reduce stress, improve sleep, and have the mental energy to deal with my weight loss efforts.

 

 

East of the Sun

 

I mentioned last challenge how much better I did at dietary controls when I had a good night's sleep, which means this night owl needs to become a morning lark. Here are the steps I am taking to live by the sun:

 

1. Wake up at the same time every day (+/-15 min)

Yes, even on the weekends. Even on vacation. If feeling too tired at the designated time, get up anyway, then take a late morning nap.  My goal time is 6:30am to start.

 

2. Greet the sun

Spend at least 10 minutes in the sun before 10am. The closer to sunrise the better. Best practice is a morning walk.

 

3. Postpone coffee for at least 1 hour after waking.

This is to give cortisol a chance to rise naturally and should prevent/alleviate the afternoon slump. Green tea or herbal tea can substitute for first thing in the morning.

 

4. Eat during the daylight*

 

Apparently eating after dark confuses the body and can make going to sleep more difficult. For the Committee of Infinitesimal Hairsplitting, we shall designate "daylight" as civil dawn to civil dusk. This isn't much different from my normal meal schedule, but it will prohibit late night snacking, which isn't a bad thing. As the days grow shorter, it will also approximate an Intermittent Fasting (IF) schedule, which could also be beneficial.

 

*See exception under New Moon phase

 

5. Kiss the sun goodnight

 

Spend a minimum of 10 minutes in the sun after 5pm. Best practice is an evening walk.

 

6. Go to bed no later than 10:30pm

I'm still playing with what time is best and Daylight Savings Time ending in November will screw with things a bit, so the exact time may change, but 10:30 is a pretty solid minimum for getting enough sleep before sunrise. I probably should have a no electronics before bed thing going on, but I'm not quite ready for that and this challenge already has a lot going on, so I'm not tackling that issue this time. That said, I did set my phone to lock me out of my reading, googling, and social media apps at 10:30, so I pretty well go to bed then.

 

 

 

West of the Moon

This part is about planning around my monthly cycles. The lunar references in this case are metaphorical and do not correspond to the actual lunar phases (but that would have been cool!). Rather, each phase roughly corresponds to the rise or fall of estrogen (and corresponding cycles of testosterone and progesterone).  

 

1. Waxing Moon ?

 

Cycle begins. The body is fairly tolerant of stress. As the Moon waxes, it's a good time to work in some higher intensity exercises. Take longer walks, throw in a row or a swim, etc. If I want to consider a longer fast (15+ hours), this is a good time to do it. This would also be a good time to try something new.

 

2. Full Moon ?

 

Estrogen and testosterone peak. This is a great time to emphasize strength workouts for muscle growth or to take on big projects. Keep fasting under 15 hours.

 

3. Waning Moon ?

 

Hormone levels are still high, but waning. Similar exercise and fasting conditions to waxing Moon, but time period is shorter (5 days vs 10).

 

4. New Moon ?

 

Estrogen has noped out. Body is stress intolerant. Keep exercise gentle (e.g. easy walks, yoga, etc). No fasting over 12 hours, i.e. just the normal "fasting" that happens during sleep. Since the season keeps the daylight hours short, a small snack under 200 calories is permitted during New Moon week at 7:30pm in spite of the darkness of the hour. This would reduce fasted hours, alleviate undue stress associated with fasting, and should leave enough time for the snack to be digested before bed, not interfering with sleep.

 

There are some other considerations around macros and the lunar cycle, but I am not ready to delve into those quite yet.

 

Writing it up this way makes it feel like I have a metric ton of goals this time, but I feel like most of them dovetail in such a way that they support each other, so hopefully it won't be overwhelming.  Also, there are a few Moon phases, only one is in effect at any given time.

 

Note:  My apologies if the title had anyone excited for a Nordic fairytale-themed challenge.   I love the story and many of the retellings, but I just shamelessly stole the title and made it fit my needs.

[Everstorm]

Friday, October 18, 2024

Moon phase: ? waxing; day 6 of 10

Civil Dawn: 6:52am

Civil Dusk: 6:56pm

 

Woke up at 6:30ish, waited an hour before coffee, breakfasted at around 7:30, so on track.  I plan to greet the sun after I finish posting.

 

I have been mostly adhering to the parameters of the challenge this week while waiting for the new forums to be put up, and they feel pretty good so far.  Of course, the first week or two while everything is shiny and new are generally pretty solid anyway.  If I had to point out any one thing as being a sticking point, it's waking up at 6:30 and having to wait 25 minutes to eat.  I might need to put some sort of activity there to help me stay focused.  Stretching or some form of meditation maybe.  I don't want to make a challenge goal of it.  It's just something I need to take into account to support my success.

[Sovalis]

This sounds really good and I am madly in love with that whale shark calendar. What a gorgeous design. 

[Everstorm]

2 minutes ago, Sovalis said:

This sounds really good and I am madly in love with that whale shark calendar. What a gorgeous design. 

 

Right?  I'm of half a mind to recreate it in my journal for "tracking purposes"

[Sovalis]

Do it!!!!!!!!

[Sea-to-sky]

East of the sun and west of the moon is one of my favourite fairy tales. Dont even care it is not fairytale themed, its just nice to see it in here somewhere ?

 

moon cycling sounds very interesting and i hope the better sleep schedule is positive for you. (Also, whale sharks are the coolest). 

[Artemis Prime]

2 hours ago, Everstorm said:

I just shamelessly stole the title and made it fit my needs.

Good artists copy, great artists steal.

 

This theme all flows so smoothly together and melds with your goals so nicely - it's a beautiful challenge!

[MaeradCase]

3 hours ago, Everstorm said:

Note:  My apologies if the title had anyone excited for a Nordic fairytale-themed challenge.   I love the story and many of the retellings, but I just shamelessly stole the title and made it fit my needs.

???? Beeee-traaaaay-aaaaaalllll

 

? It did excite me, but I don't blame you for using a slick title for your own notions.

[Snarkyfishguts]

Following for all phases of the moon and good sleeping. I like that you've incorporated daytime habits too!!

[Harriet]

The whale shark and the autumn cottage are very pleasing. Good luck finding a beautiful rhythm.

[Everstorm]

3 hours ago, Sovalis said:

Do it!!!!!!!!

 

Well, if you insist... ?  I sketched it in and will probably maybe paint it tonight.

 

3 hours ago, Sea-to-sky said:

moon cycling sounds very interesting and i hope the better sleep schedule is positive for you. (Also, whale sharks are the coolest). 

 

I am curious how the lunar cycling will work for me, too.  Maybe it's the cure for my exercise attention deficit.

 

2 hours ago, Artemis Prime said:

Good artists copy, great artists steal.

 

This theme all flows so smoothly together and melds with your goals so nicely - it's a beautiful challenge!

 

Aw, thanks!  I enjoy making themes so much.  It's probably the most helpful part about the challenge cycle, in that it gets me excited to try again after the last challenge fizzles out.

 

50 minutes ago, Snarkyfishguts said:

Following for all phases of the moon and good sleeping. I like that you've incorporated daytime habits too!!

 

It's funny how good days make for good nights make for good days.  My stress levels have been noticeably lower since cutting off my apps at bedtime and incorporating multiple walks a day.

 

12 minutes ago, Harriet said:

The whale shark and the autumn cottage are very pleasing. Good luck finding a beautiful rhythm.

 

Thank you, and same to you!

 

3 hours ago, Sea-to-sky said:

East of the sun and west of the moon is one of my favourite fairy tales. Dont even care it is not fairytale themed, its just nice to see it in here somewhere ?

 

Yay!

 

1 hour ago, MaeradCase said:

???? Beeee-traaaaay-aaaaaalllll

 

? It did excite me, but I don't blame you for using a slick title for your own notions.

 

Nooooo! ?  I almost named the challenge Everstorm in Circadia, but my brain kept circling back to East/West as a better fit.

[Sea-to-sky]

31 minutes ago, Everstorm said:

am curious how the lunar cycling will work for me, too.  Maybe it's the cure for my exercise attention deficit.

Ive only seen it in terms of lunar gardening (which i have considered trying. It apparently does work)

[Shello]

Love the rhythm of your challenge.  

[Sovalis]

“Everstorm in Circadia” just makes me think of cicadas and that is a hard pass for me. 

 

[Everstorm]

6 hours ago, Sea-to-sky said:

Ive only seen it in terms of lunar gardening (which i have considered trying. It apparently does work)

 

I had never heard of lunar gardening.  So interesting!

 

5 hours ago, Shello said:

Love the rhythm of your challenge.  

 

Thank you and welcome!

 

1 hour ago, Sovalis said:

“Everstorm in Circadia” just makes me think of cicadas and that is a hard pass for me. 

 

I hadn't even thought of that.  Just as well I didn't use it then.

[Mad Hatter]

Beautiful challenge!

 

20 hours ago, Everstorm said:

3. Postpone coffee for at least 1 hour after waking.

This is to give cortisol a chance to rise naturally and should prevent/alleviate the afternoon slump.

But the afternoon slump is part of the natural circadian rhythm... Also wouldn't postponing the coffee only postpone the crash? I know where this is coming from I'm just skeptical. Could be an interesting experiment, but what and how much you eat and how busy you are in the morning seem like much bigger factors to me.

[Everstorm]

3 hours ago, Mad Hatter said:

Beautiful challenge!

 

But the afternoon slump is part of the natural circadian rhythm... Also wouldn't postponing the coffee only postpone the crash? I know where this is coming from I'm just skeptical. Could be an interesting experiment, but what and how much you eat and how busy you are in the morning seem like much bigger factors to me.

 

True, the afternoon slump is a natural part of circadian rhythm, but generally it should be a slump not a nosedive.  And you are absolutely right that things like super carby meals or running a half marathon would factor into your fatigue levels no matter your caffeine timing.  However, early morning coffee consumption prevents the body from from clearing the last remnants of adenosine (the sleepy hormone) from the system.  It's normal for adenosine to increase over the course of the day, but now you would have more of it in your system to hit mid-afternoon.   It is also worth noting that the researcher who proposed this strategy says not to worry about delaying coffee if you do a hard workout in the mornings.  Go ahead and have a cup before your workout.

 

More scientific rationale aside, in my expansive clinical trials of n=1 for 7 days ?, I hydrate better if I delay coffee.  Normally, I drink coffee with breakfast and forget to drink anything else until lunch.  Now, I drink water at breakfast and have the coffee later.

[Artemis Prime]

1 hour ago, Everstorm said:

More scientific rationale aside, in my expansive clinical trials of n=1 for 7 days ?, I hydrate better if I delay coffee.  Normally, I drink coffee with breakfast and forget to drink anything else until lunch.  Now, I drink water at breakfast and have the coffee later.

This has been my experience too. The timing doesn't seem to matter as much (although I wasn't really paying attention to that, so who knows?) but if I drank water first, even if I downed a glass and then immediately started on coffee, I hydrated better all day. So now we're up to n=2, we'll be sending it out for peer review any day now!

[Mad Hatter]

18 hours ago, Everstorm said:

True, the afternoon slump is a natural part of circadian rhythm, but generally it should be a slump not a nosedive.  And you are absolutely right that things like super carby meals or running a half marathon would factor into your fatigue levels no matter your caffeine timing.  However, early morning coffee consumption prevents the body from from clearing the last remnants of adenosine (the sleepy hormone) from the system.  It's normal for adenosine to increase over the course of the day, but now you would have more of it in your system to hit mid-afternoon.   It is also worth noting that the researcher who proposed this strategy says not to worry about delaying coffee if you do a hard workout in the mornings.  Go ahead and have a cup before your workout.

Why would you have more in the mid afternoon? Adenosine binds to caffeine so if more of it would have had time to build up in the morning wouldn't more of it have released later as well? Either way, even if the mechanism is true it doesn't mean the outcome is. It is also worth nothing the researcher who proposed this strategy does neither study caffeine, circadian rhythms, nutrition nor energy systems, but read one study out of 1000s, discovered a mechanism and extrapolated a result which is afaik still pure untested conjecture. ?

 

18 hours ago, Everstorm said:

More scientific rationale aside, in my expansive clinical trials of n=1 for 7 days ?, I hydrate better if I delay coffee.  Normally, I drink coffee with breakfast and forget to drink anything else until lunch.  Now, I drink water at breakfast and have the coffee later.

This is fair, but an entirely different reason! Personally I'm the opposite, coffee provides an uncomfortably large proportion of my hydration and if I don't drink it everything collapses. ? Though I'm weird as it also does nothing for my energy levels. But now that I'm not working I also don't have afternoon crashes the same way. It's almost like work and a big lunch is tiring... Thinking about it my caffeine would then also frequently be delayed until work. So here's an n=1 against the hypothesis. ?‍♀️

[Everstorm]

23 hours ago, Artemis Prime said:

This has been my experience too. The timing doesn't seem to matter as much (although I wasn't really paying attention to that, so who knows?) but if I drank water first, even if I downed a glass and then immediately started on coffee, I hydrated better all day. So now we're up to n=2, we'll be sending it out for peer review any day now!

 

I tried a "drink a glass of water before coffee" challenge and it didn't seem to suit me as well.  That may be a psychological issue:  I was in a hurry to chug the water to get to my coffee, which was unpleasant.  And sometimes I just forgot.  Knowing I have to wait an hour to have coffee makes me relax a bit more, I guess?

 

6 hours ago, Mad Hatter said:

Why would you have more in the mid afternoon? Adenosine binds to caffeine so if more of it would have had time to build up in the morning wouldn't more of it have released later as well? 

 

I thought caffeine bound to adenosine receptors rather than the adenosine itself, but I won't claim to have a full understanding of that.

 

6 hours ago, Mad Hatter said:

Either way, even if the mechanism is true it doesn't mean the outcome is. It is also worth nothing the researcher who proposed this strategy does neither study caffeine, circadian rhythms, nutrition nor energy systems, but read one study out of 1000s, discovered a mechanism and extrapolated a result which is afaik still pure untested conjecture. ?

 

There may be nothing to it, or it may be that, like almost everything else health-related, it may be more relevant to some people than others.  But as questionable health practices go, this one is pretty harmless and seems worth a shot.

 

6 hours ago, Mad Hatter said:

This is fair, but an entirely different reason! Personally I'm the opposite, coffee provides an uncomfortably large proportion of my hydration and if I don't drink it everything collapses.

 

Yeah, this was definitely just a personal observation, and not necessarily one that would apply to everyone. 

 

6 hours ago, Mad Hatter said:

Though I'm weird as it also does nothing for my energy levels. But now that I'm not working I also don't have afternoon crashes the same way. It's almost like work and a big lunch is tiring... Thinking about it my caffeine would then also frequently be delayed until work. So here's an n=1 against the hypothesis. ?‍♀️

 

I wonder if you have that CYP1A2 gene that helps people breakdown caffeine much faster than those who don't have the gene?  I would imagine having/not having it would have bigger implications for things like caffeine timing, too, like how much of a cortisol spike you get from drinking coffee, etc.

[Mad Hatter]

1 hour ago, Everstorm said:

There may be nothing to it, or it may be that, like almost everything else health-related, it may be more relevant to some people than others.  But as questionable health practices go, this one is pretty harmless and seems worth a shot.

Sure thing. I just have a huge problem with scientists/doctors/other experts etc giving advice and putting out protocols in fields waaaay outside their domain, pretending it's scientifically backed and using science lingo to back it up and make it sound plausible. In this case the only conclusion a responsible scientist could draw is that it might be worth experimenting with caffeine timing. Far from how these protocols are presented. (How can one even make up a protocol when caffeine affects everyone so very differently and not even talk about dosage?) 

 

On a personal level I've also seen this guy being a complete tool gaslighting other people when they've been skeptical towards him instead of engaging in a scientific discussion and it gives me the ick.

 

1 hour ago, Everstorm said:

I wonder if you have that CYP1A2 gene that helps people breakdown caffeine much faster than those who don't have the gene?  I would imagine having/not having it would have bigger implications for things like caffeine timing, too, like how much of a cortisol spike you get from drinking coffee, etc.

100% Some people get so anxious from coffee they can't drink it at all! Now I'm curious whether I have the gene or not... I mean, I wish I could use coffee as an energy boost, but I can happily drink coffee late and go to sleep just fine. I sometimes take breaks from coffee (sometimes to experiment but more often because I keep forgetting to buy a new batch) but have never noticed any difference besides sadness. ? And struggling with hydration when it's colder as I want something warm but can't sub with tea (it often makes me nauseous), while herbal teas get too much and fruit teas too sweet. It's a struggle.

[Everstorm]

4 minutes ago, Mad Hatter said:

I just have a huge problem with scientists/doctors/other experts etc giving advice and putting out protocols in fields waaaay outside their domain, pretending it's scientifically backed and using science lingo to back it up and make it sound plausible.

 

Ugh, I am noticing this more and more and more.  The speech pathologist with claims to neuroscience insights, the chiropractor who "specializes" in fasting protocols and menopause, etc etc.  I mean, can an intelligent person extrapolate theories from others' research? Yes.  But it does make one pause.

 

13 minutes ago, Mad Hatter said:

On a personal level I've also seen this guy being a complete tool gaslighting other people when they've been skeptical towards him instead of engaging in a scientific discussion and it gives me the ick.

 

Gross.

 

19 minutes ago, Mad Hatter said:

I can happily drink coffee late and go to sleep just fine

 

That is definitely not me.  In fact, I have to watch my caffeine combos especially later in the evening.  Black tea, caffeinated sodas, or even too much green tea after four will keep me up.

[sarakingdom]

1 hour ago, Mad Hatter said:

On a personal level I've also seen this guy being a complete tool gaslighting other people when they've been skeptical towards him instead of engaging in a scientific discussion and it gives me the ick.

 

I'm not sure who is being referenced, but if it's H*berman, yeah, I've seen an article that puts him in a major credibility pit (or at least a serious ick pit) due to fairly compulsive gaslighting and manipulation.

[Everstorm]

18 hours ago, sarakingdom said:

 

I'm not sure who is being referenced, but if it's H*berman, yeah, I've seen an article that puts him in a major credibility pit (or at least a serious ick pit) due to fairly compulsive gaslighting and manipulation.

 

Double gross.

 

Monday, October 21, 2024

Moon phase: Waxing ? Day 9/10

Civil dawn: 6:55am

Civil dusk: 6:52pm

 

My weekend -- really all of zero week-- went kind of sideways.  Last Monday my niece was hospitalized for pneumonia with some odd neurological symptoms that baffled the local doctors to the extent that she was shuttled off to the university hospital a couple hours away.  It ultimately lead to a diagnosis of a rare autoimmune disease.  In the meantime, while her parents were dealing with all that, there was a general shuffle of covering the responsibilities of their pets, their other child, and even my Dad when Mom drove up to bring them a change of clothes and a hug.  I believe my niece was discharged yesterday (that was the plan, but I have yet to hear it confirmed).

 

In addition to all that stress, we were gearing up to have a big farewell party for my son, who leaves for army boot camp in 2 weeks.  At the very last possible minute, we ended up having to cancel, because basically everyone who had planned to attend was sick.  So now we're have enough junk food to feed 15 people just floating around the house.  The party had to be rescheduled to the day before my son leaves, which I had not wanted to do, but there it is.

 

All that to say, my challenge goals got a bit wobbly over the weekend, but it was zero week, so I'm not going to get too bent out of shape.  Going to bed on time is happening, waking at the same time is a bit hazy.  Getting morning and evening sun is happening.  I did do some grazing after sunset on Sunday, though.  The other days last week I held to daylight hours.  I've been pretty good about waiting on coffee.  

 

I was tired last night, so I went to bed about 45 minutes early and woke up about 30 minutes early, which is what it is.  I am sipping my fruity tea instead of coffee and waited for the sun to come up and now I think I'll have breakfast, then get my morning sunlight walk in.

[Artemis Prime]

It sounds like you did an excellent job of holding to your goals in the midst of not great circumstances. Well done.