Get the timing right

Don't get caught out doing the right thing at the wrong time. Here's our definitive guide to getting the timing in your life spot on. By Tessa Williams

Whether you're asking your boss for a raise, having steamy sex or booking a haircut, the timing is everything.

 

The best time to have sex: 6am
Better set your alarm for the fireworks to start! You may still be half asleep, but hormonally, this is the optimum time of the day to have sex. 'Oestrogen and testosterone are at their highest early in the morning, making women feel at their sexiest,' says sex guru Flic Everett, writer of 'How To Be A Sex Goddess' (Carlton, £14.99)

 

The best time to eat breakfast: 8am
Always eat breakfast within an hour of waking up in the morning,' advises nutritional health expert Marilyn Glenville, author of 'Fat Around the Middle' (Kyle Cathie, £9.99). 'This stops your body from thinking it is starving, and automatically storing fat. It also stops cravings and binges later in the day.'

 

The best time to make an important decision: 9.30am
'Make crucial choices early in the day, whether it's about high-level business strategy, or paint colours for your bedroom,' says psychologist Ros Taylor, author of 'The Ultimate Book of Confidence Tricks' (Vermilion, £7.99). So, the moral of the story? Get to the boardroom, or B&Q, straight after breakfast.

 

The best time to book a haircut: 12am
Make an appointment with your hairdresser when they're feeling at their most energetic and creative, but before they start hurrying to fit customers in before the end of the day. 'Avoid lunchtimes and Saturday mornings,' says celebrity snipper Anita Cox.

 

The best time to send an important email: 1.30pm
If you want someone to sit up and notice your message rather than chuck it in their Delete file, hit Send just after 1pm. E-market studies show that this is the optimal time of day to send an email you want someone to read… send midweek if possible.

 

The best time to hold a blue-sky session: 2.30pm
Want to think out of the box, run a few ideas up the flagpole, and get colleagues brainstorming? The experts say wait until after lunch. 'People are more creative when they're relaxed,' says Ros Taylor, 'so that lull after lunch is the perfect time to hold an ideas session.'

 

The best time to ask for a pay rise: 4pm
Studies show that your reaction times are quicker in the afternoon, so you can think on your feet faster, and be more confident and assertive.

 

The best time to work out: 5pm
Gorgeous Olympic Gold medallist James Cracknell, author of 'No-Gym Health Plan' (Virgin, £14.99), says. 'This is the best time to exercise, biologically speaking. Your muscles are warm, and less likely to get injured. Tests have shown that people can work out harder, for longer, at this time of day. Lung function peak around later afternoon/evening.' The bonuses are psychological too, says James. 'After-work exercise les you work off the stress of your day, and can make you less likely to stuff yourself at dinner or down the pub.'

 

The best time to eat dinner: 6pm
Marilyn Glenville says, 'To help shift weight around your middle as efficiently as possible avoid eating starchy carbs after six o'clock in the evening.'

 

The best time to do your big shop: 8pm
Saturday morning may be the traditional time to do the weekly supermarket run, but you are better to go after a meal, when your stomach is full and your energy levels are fairly high. You will be less tempted by salty or sugary snacks and will be able to stick to the essentials. A Terry's Chocolate Orange looks far less tempting if you've already eaten a hearty meal. And you'll find you have got the aisles to yourself.

 

The best time to go to bed: 11pm
The less sleep you get the more prone you are to being overweight. Scientists have found that too little sleep increases the production of cortisol, the hormone that regulates appetite. High levels of cortisol appear to make your body believe it's hungry. So tuck yourself in for a well-deserved beauty sleep, and smaller portions tomorrow.

 

 

 

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