Here's a potential enhancement you may consider incorporating into your exercise routine: commit to performing your chosen activity at the same time every day. A recent study conducted on mice suggests that adhering to a regular exercise rhythm offers several advantages. While our brain houses a central body clock known as the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), there are also localized body clocks present. The research, led by the University of Manchester in the UK, indicates that exercise can reset the local body clocks in the joints and spine.
Interestingly, the study discovered that if this reset occurs at a consistent time each day, the local clocks can better synchronize with the SCN clock. Previous research has demonstrated that when peripheral tissues have out-of-sync clocks, it can heighten the risk of conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Qing-Jun Meng, a chronobiologist at the University of Manchester, explains, "Our findings revealed that physical activities in the morning, aligned with the sleep/wake cycle's daily patterns, transmit timing information from the light-sensitive central clock in the brain to the weight-bearing skeletal tissues. Essentially, it signals the skeletal system to awaken."
To monitor the clocks in the joints, spine, and brains of transgenic mice, the researchers employed a genetic reporting technique while the mice exercised on treadmills at various times. Additionally, samples of cartilage tissue from the mice were examined to assess their osmotic responses.
We are aware that these areas – the joints and spine – play a significant role in exercise, and we also know that water is expelled from them throughout the day, causing a slight decrease in height. This process of osmolarity (water reduction) partially resets the localized body clocks on a daily basis.
The team's findings revealed that physical activity contributes to this osmolarity process, further resetting these clocks and, if performed consistently, enhancing the synchronization between the body's clocks. Although these results still need to be validated in humans, it is likely that similar effects are at work.
The well-being of an individual is greatly influenced by the synchronization and proper functioning of the body's internal clocks. By incorporating regular exercise at a specific time each day, you may potentially optimize the benefits derived from your exercise routine.
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