Day In the Life: Alan Flanagan, MSc

Day in the Life:
Alan Flanagan, MSc

Alan Flanagan, MSc, has a law background, and spent 10-years practicing as a barrister in Ireland. After completing a Master’s in Nutritional Medicine at the University of Surrey, he is now leaving law to pursue a PhD in “Chrono-nutrition” at Surrey, looking at the impacts of timing greater proportions of energy earlier versus. later in the day on metabolic health.

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??Those of you who jog along to my stories will know I’ve had a project brewing. But here is a more formal/permanent intro… . ??For awhile I’ve sat back to see where I could contribute meaningfully in this space. . ??I’m fortunate to have cultivated an intelligent and engaged audience, with so many nutrition professionals, student dietitians, and medical professionals, who all want to geek out and deep dive that little bit further into nutrition science. . ??Alinea Nutrition is my vehicle to do just that, a platform to educate, inform, and empower you with that deeper understanding. . ??Why ‘Alinea’? An ‘alinea’ is a typographical symbol for a new paragraph. Structure, clarity, and logical thinking. That has been at the core of the construct of this project. (And the obvious alliteration of my name ?). . ??The core values behind Alinea Nutrition are critical thinking that is clear, rational, free from dogma, and informed by evidence. . ??These values reject the belief-system paradigm in nutrition, inflexible and binary thinking, and the disempowering effects of polarising extremes. . ??Within this construct, I’ll bring you an educational, logical, and intelligent approach to nutrition science. In-depth video research lectures, and articles. Weekly research critiques. And a solid dose of epistemological and methodological insights. . ??The genesis for this project has been the continual stream of contact from practitioners and students alike over the past couple years: “I don’t have time to dig into research”; “I feel like I don’t have the skills to pick apart papers”, etc. . ??This is my solution to those issues. Bringing the A game, pun intended in every way. . ??End of next week, we’ll go live. I hope to see you all there. . ??P.s., this page will be staying as thenutritional_advocate, for sure ??. . #Nutrition #Science #Advocate

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Location:

Dublin, Ireland

Personal motto:

Go always a little further.

Favorite Vegetable:

Carrot

Favorite Book:

Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War, by Karl Marlantes

Favorite Exercise:

Deadlift

Favorite Way to Center:

Meditation

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✅The topic of circadian rhythms and how it interacts with health is complex, so simplifying it can be a challenge. This graphic is an attempt to do so. But why is it important? . ❗️You've likely all been jet lagged, but are you suffering "social jetlag"? This is the term for the difference in sleep timing between someone's actual sleep – with enforced wakings during the week for work, followed by late weekend nights – and how much they need to sleep. . ❗️The greater the degree of social jetlag, the greater increased risk of metabolic disease – obesity, diabetes, etc. . ❗️The reason is that our metabolic health is inherently tied to the cycle of light/dark – a cycle we've flipped on it's head with artificial light at night, and lack of daytime natural light exposure and its circadian entraining effects. . ❗️I would wager you haven't heard that independent of genetic predisposition, circadian disruption is a primary risk factor for breast cancer? . ✅But you can help to regulate your circadian rhythms and align yourself with the light/dark cycle we spent up to Thomas Edison's invention being regulated by. Here's how: . 1️⃣Per the left of this graph, get yourself outdoors and into natural light – it's a more potent entrainer than artificial light – within 1hr of waking. If you live in latitudes where it's dark, then do use a sunrise-mimicking alarm or blue light box. I recommend Philips for both. . 2️⃣Per the middle graph, regularise your meal timing to coincide with your wakeful/active phase. Aim to consume your 3 meals at even intervals within a 9-11hr timeframe, ending by 8pm. . ??Also aim to get your workout in sometime around 4-6pm. From a circadian standpoint you're strongest in this timeframe, which corresponds to peak body temperature. . 3️⃣Lastly, regulate your artificial light exposure in the evening. Ideal time would be 90mins of no electronic blue light exposure before target bedtime. Download the app f.lux for your laptop. Wear blue-light blocking glasses. . ?? And disconnect your self. Create a routine around ending the day. Sleep is the one thing we should not mess with. . ✅You can't optimize your health if your rhythms are out of whack.

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Alan’s Daily Routine:

6:30- 7:00 AM- wake up, meditate, stretch, make coffee

7:00- 7:30 AM- read, drink coffee

7:30-10:00 AM- work

10:00-11:00 AM- Breakfast, biggest meal of the day.

11:00-1:00 PM-Work

1:30-2:00 PM- Lunch

2:00 PM-3:30 PM- Work

4:00-5:30 PM- Train

7:00 PM- Dinner

7:00-9:00 PM- Chill. Read. Practice Piano.

9:30 PM- Journal. Bed.

How did you learn about Owaves?

Dr. Sohaib Imtiaz, VP of Innovation at Owaves!

 

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✅Never really partake in #tbt – but today I am, not so much as a throwback, but as a projection forward to getting back on the platform in 3 weeks. . ✅It’s been a frustrating 3 months dealing with a debilitating bout of elbow/bicep tendinopathy. I pulled out of a comp in October because I wasn’t quite right. . ✅It’s also been frustrating trying to hone in on my best training strategy. It’s been a process of trial, adapt and adjust. But it means progress has been slow. . ✅But there also isn’t anything quite like the buzz of competition – particularly when the competition is your self. Can you be better than you were before? The answer to that question is objective: you’re either stronger, or not. . ✅This next outing isn’t about smashing a huge PR total, because this close to it I know that is a pipe dream. It’s about getting small wins when the lead up was challenging and not ideal circumstances. . ✅Bottom line is if I can get in and out pain-free, it’ll be a win. . #powerlifting #strength #strengthtraining #power #deadlift #squats #bench #focus #apexdrive #apexpredator #reactivetrainingsystems #progress #choices #tbthursday #blackandwhite #prepare #lift #weights #gains

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What is your favorite part about the app?

Planning the day.

What is Owaves biggest room for improvement?

More input to give feedback on one’s chronotype, rather than just user-driven inputs.

 

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♻️TRANSFORMATION TUESDAY!!! . ♻️Wow, it’s just mind boggling the change between these two photos. It’s hard for me to talk about the start of my journey, mostly because I don’t remember a thing from those heady, carefree days. . ♻️During that period, I was soooo #Paleo, consuming only mammalian milk. I soon realised this was unsustainable, and slowly started the original #reversediet by weaning in different foods. . ♻️The photo on the left could be called my first #bulking phase, which clearly shows cuz I was a fat little buddha baby. But I was clearly very happy, which just goes to show how important #bodypositivity really is. . ♻️Really, my journey is a testament to what happens when you go to sleep at night, and wake up again the next morning, day-in-day-out, for 33yrs #consistency . . ♻️From the photo on the left, I learned to shuffle on my ass, then joined my fellow bipedal anthropoids by walking. Bottom line is if you want something bad enough, you’ll #neverquit . . ♻️I also acquired language, and began to communicate with my fellow sapiens, and literally haven’t shut the fuck up since #lit . . ♻️Who would’ve thought that that ‘me’ on the left with brown eyes and black hair, would grow up to be the ‘me’ on the right with brown eyes and black hair? Astonishing. . ♻️Is that even me? Mum and Dad say they took a trip to Rome when pregnant with me. Arguably they in fact stole me from Rome #WhoOwnsThatBaby . . ♻️The physical #transformation is hard to believe. Some 5ft in height, 80+kg, and the difference in strength is incomparable. Oh, and facial hair. . ♻️However, what if I was and have always been both the person on the left and on the right? Because insofar as I was me in the photo on the left, and was present, wasn’t it also me, present, on another day in the photo on the right? . ♻️Maybe what things like #transformationtuesday are in fact reinforcing is the idea that you constantly need to improve yourself? That there is an objective best way to be, and you’re not now it? Or want to be “it”? . ♻️Quoting Alan Watts: “you’re already it. You were always it.” Realise this, that you are just what you are. And be. Nothing then needs doing.

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Alan Flanagan, MSc  has a law background. Having completed his Master’s Degree in Nutritional Medicine at the University of Surrey, he’s now leaving law to pursue is PhD in Chrononutrition at Surrey, looking at the impacts of timing greater proportions of energy earlier versus later in the day on metabolic health. For more positive inspiration from Alan, listen to his episode on the Body Clock Podcast and follow him on Instagram.

Owaves 101 is a blog series showcasing daily plans of Olympians, Ironman triathletes, inspiring yoga teachers, physicians, and clinical dietitians, among others. Join our international movement to revolutionize time for health and well-being. Download our Day Planner for Health in iTunes, and follow our social media channels:

Owaves 101 is a blog series showcasing tips for work-life balance from fitness experts and successful professionals. Olympians, Ironmen, inspiring yoga teachers, physicians and clinical dietitians, among others, collaborate and share ideas in a common mission of leading healthier, fuller and more balanced lives.     

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