Neuroscientist Andrew Huberman’s 5 tips for optimal performance

Dr. Andrew Huberman, professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine and host of The Huberman Lab podcast, believes in avoiding health trends, instead prioritizing five basic daily things to achieve peak physical and mental health. Huberman’s tips aim not only to help the general public become the best version of themselves, but also apply perfectly to runners. Here’s what you need to know.

1.- Sleep

“Everyone needs to get a sufficient amount of quality sleep,” Huberman recently said on The Nine Club podcast. He touts sleep as the best stress reliever, trauma releaser, immune booster and emotional stabilizer. He suggests following a consistent sleep schedule, making sure you are exposed to sunlight in the morning (more below), avoiding caffeine eight to 10 hours before bed and limiting naps to 15-20 minutes.

Huberman says most adults need between six and eight hours of sleep every night and suggests letting teenagers and young kids sleep as much as they want.

Key takeaway for runners: Sleep is critical for recovery and should be something runners focus on as much as their most intense training. During sleep, our bodies repair themselves from the microscopic tissue damage done while exercising; insufficient sleep can lead to injury, low energy availability and a struggle to improve. Delving into Huberman’s sleep tips can help you become a better sleeper, and therefore a better runner.

2.- Move more

“It is important to get enough movement. Get your heart rate up, get your breathing up. You’ll live longer, you’ll feel better,” Huberman says. Huberman suggests trying to get one hour of exercise daily, and incorporating strength training into your routine. “The natural decrease of muscle is one per cent per year after age 40, unless you intentionally offset through strength training,” Huberman explains.

Key takeaway for runners: Huberman’s advice doesn’t necessarily mean you should run every day. Try adding movement into your day whenever you can (take the stairs, park farther from your destination and walk for 10 minutes), and count cross-training (which includes brisk walking) toward your daily total. Gentle walking on rest days can help with the recovery process.

3.- Sunlight

Getting sunlight within the first hour of waking helps suppress the release of melatonin, a hormone that promotes sleep, while increasing alertness. For many of us in North America, it’s not light out when we wake up during the winter months, and it may not be sunny—but regardless of sunshine, focus on that outdoor light, and if you can’t be out in it as soon as you wake up, incorporate it into your day as early as possible.

Key takeaway for runners: While you certainly don’t need to be an early-morning runner to follow this tip, maybe this benefit will give you a boost to get out earlier more often.

4.- Nutrition

“Try to get 75 to 80 per cent of your food from non-processed or minimally processed sources,” Huberman says. He follows a diet that includes intermittent fasting, and while that doesn’t necessarily work for all athletes, intentionally eating meals at times they are most beneficial may help.

Key takeway for runners: Huberman is quick to point out that everyone is different, and it’s important to work with your own physical needs. Make sure you are taking in adequate nutrition for your energy output, and while a focus on unprocessed foods is clearly beneficial, lose any “food guilt” you have over taking in sugary gels or gummies during training and races–they are necessary for fuelling endurance efforts.

5.- Meaningful connection

“Do what you can to make the interactions you have, online and in reality, with friends, with family, as healthy as possible,” Huberman says, and emphasizes the importance of quality social connection. Feeling socially isolated and lonely has been shown to increase the risk of developing dementia, depression and anxiety, among other health conditions.

Key tip for runners: Embrace your local running community, or work on building stronger relationships with your running friends. If you don’t have access to a local running group, connect online with other like-minded individuals, but make sure to avoid negativity. For some of us, getting in a daily run as a stress reliever may be the tool we need to focus on healthier relationships with our non-running friends and family.

posted Thursday January 4th
by Keeley Milne