1. Timing matters more than we think
Exercise is almost universally good for health, but a large real-world dataset shows that when you train may influence how well you recover.
In a study tracking nearly 15,000 adults across nearly 4 million nights, researchers found that high-intensity exercise within roughly 4 hours of bedtime was associated with delayed sleep onset, shorter total sleep duration, higher resting heart rate, and reduced overnight heart rate variability. Together, these markers point to impaired overnight recovery.
Importantly, this effect was specific to high-intensity sessions, not light movement. For cyclists, this supports what many already feel intuitively: late, hard rides or indoor interval sessions can leave the body wired when it should be winding down.
Coffee is often discussed in terms of quantity, but a large observational study suggests that timing may matter more than how much you drink.
In nearly 43,000 adults, researchers found that morning-only coffee consumption was linked to lower cardiovascular and all-cause mortality, whereas consuming coffee throughout the day showed no measurable benefit. Notably, the association appeared with both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, suggesting that compounds beyond caffeine may play a role.
For cyclists who rely on coffee as part of their daily routine, the message is not to drink more, but to concentrate intake earlier in the day, potentially avoiding downstream effects on sleep and recovery.
Many fitness messages imply that moving more improves sleep. A long-term study suggests the relationship may be reversed.
Across nearly 71,00 adults followed for about 3,5 years, researchers observed that better sleep predicted higher physical activity the following day, while extra steps or activity did not reliably improve sleep quality that night. Only 12,9% of participants met both sleep and physical activity targets, highlighting how rarely the two align.
For endurance athletes, this reinforces the idea that sleep is not a reward for training, but a prerequisite for consistent movement.
2. Small physiological stressors with outsized effects
Heat exposure is often promoted for recovery, but not all forms of heat appear to stress the body in the same way.
In a controlled study of 20 healthy adults aged 20-28, researchers compared hot water immersion at 40,5 °C for 45 minutes with traditional saunas at 80 °C and far-infrared saunas at 45-65 °C. Hot water immersion led to larger increases in core temperature, blood flow, cardiovascular strain, and immune signalling.
The physiological response resembled a moderate exercise stimulus, suggesting that hot baths may provide a stronger adaptive signal than sitting in dry heat. So, if you want to work on your heat adaptation, hot baths are your most effective tool.
Even active people spend long hours sitting. A small but striking study looked at how nutrition might offset some of the damage.
After 2 hours of uninterrupted sitting, participants showed impaired arterial function. However, consuming a flavanol-rich beverage containing 695 mg of flavanols fully prevented this decline. By contrast, a low-flavanol control drink (~6 mg) reduced blood flow and increased diastolic blood pressure.
For cyclists with desk jobs, this highlights that drinking coffee, tea or hot cocoa may help protect vascular health during sedentary periods.
3. Eating behaviour matters as much as food choice
A growing body of research suggests that behavioural patterns during meals, such as chewing, pacing, bite size, and attention, can meaningfully influence how much we eat. This matters because many people overeat not due to hunger or poor food quality, but because they eat too quickly for satiety signals to catch up. A major systematic review and meta-analysis of 22 experimental studies found that when people eat at a slower pace, they consume significantly less energy in a meal compared with faster eating conditions. A new study from Fujita Health University in Japan adds to this by showing what we can do to eat more slowly.
In an experiment involving 33 healthy adults aged 20-65, participants ate slices of pizza under different conditions while researchers tracked meal duration, number of bites, number of chews, and chewing tempo. Meal length was not determined by body size or chewing speed, but by how many bites people took and how much they chewed each bite. When participants listened to a slow rhythmic beat at 40 beats per minute, they naturally took more bites, chewed more, and ate more slowly, extending meal duration without conscious effort.
For cyclists, eating more slowly may be a handy tool when trying to get back into race weight after the off-season.
4. What you add can matter more than what you cut
Reducing sodium has long been the go-to strategy for managing blood pressure. New research suggests the balance between minerals may be more important.
A study found that increasing dietary potassium lowered blood pressure more effectively than sodium reduction alone, with the potassium-to-sodium ratio emerging as a key driver. Recommended potassium intakes sit around 2,600-3,400 mg per day, levels many adults fail to reach. So, make sure to include those bananas, sweet potatoes, beans and nuts to stay on top of your potassium intake.
A global review found that 76% of people worldwide do not meet even the minimum recommended intake of omega-3 fatty acids, roughly 250 mg per day of EPA and DHA. For many, diet alone is insufficient to close the gap.
Given omega-3s’ roles in cardiovascular health, inflammation, and muscle function, this shortfall may have long-term implications for both health and performance. Supplementing omega-3s may be the only way if diet alone is insufficient.
Protein recommendations are often based on avoiding deficiency rather than optimising function.
In a 12-week trial involving older adults, participants consuming 1,2–1,5 g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day preserved muscle mass and improved physical function. Those eating closer to the current recommended daily allowance of ~0,8 g/kg/day experienced measurable muscle loss.
This is a major call to action for any aging athlete. Get used to higher protein intakes as a tool to maintain strength and resilience.
Fermented foods are often praised for gut health, but many assume the benefits only apply to homemade versions. A study from UC Davis challenged that idea.
The researchers compared raw cabbage, fermented sauerkraut, and fermentation brine, exposing intestinal cells to inflammatory stress. Sauerkraut uniquely protected the cells, regardless of whether it was homemade or store-bought. So, if you gave up on fermented foods because you don’t have time to make them yourself, this is your chance to try again!
The bigger picture
Taken together, these studies point toward a consistent message. Health and performance are shaped less by extreme interventions and more by timing and small behaviours. Sleep sets the stage for movement. Eating slowly influences intake without restriction. Minerals, protein, fermented foods, and plant compounds quietly support systems cyclists rely on every day. See if one or two of these small things are something you can improve on and bring to the new year with you.
