Clocking On: Vibe goes up against your internal body clock

It began when Bluewater called to tell me a physiologist called Dr Nick Knight had done a study about circadian rhythm - your 24-hour body clock.

According to the press release, it determines when you need a coffee fix, when you need to go to bed and should even influence decisions on when you should relax or catch up with friends.

Would I like to see how your body clock affects different activities at the shopping centre?

In my head the prospect of a day at a shopping centre was: 10am go to shops, 10.15am tired of shops.

But, of course, Bluewater is not just a shopping centre – there’s food, things to do, a cinema and now a whopping events venue which will host its Summer Live series of gigs in the coming weeks featuring the likes of The Saturdays, Atomic Kitten, Liberty X, Blake, kids’ entertainers and comedians.

The average spend per visitor is £150 and Bluewater offered to pick up the tab but my thriftiness must be quite ingrained because I got nowhere near that figure.

Dr Nick says your stress hormone cortisol is at its highest natural level and is central to your fight or flight response as it prepares your body to perform periods of physical activity.

That is why you should be up and out at 9am. Unfortunately I had work to do, but I did leave the office for Greenhithe at 9am. And I didn’t fly, I drove.

Bluewater is not much of a fun gig at 9.45am. The shops aren’t open.

That’s not such a nice trick to play on me, Dr Nick. I was pumping with cortisol – which I only found out existed an hour earlier – and I had to sit around waiting.

Things picked up at 10am when I got to stomping round stores. 

It could have been my cortisol – good old cortisol – or it could have been that feeling of going shopping on your own in a near-empty shopping centre, but I did feel in the zone.

I rushed round, scrutinising item after item after item. I bought very few of them, but did pick up a few little gifts for Mrs Jim from Lakeland. Pretty sure she always wanted a cake scraper (89p) and a cake smoother (£3.89).

The intensity with which I threw myself at the retailers meant I suffered burn out by 11am.
Bluewater has plenty of choices for shoppers needing a pick-me-up. You’re practically tripping over cakes, coffee, frozen yoghurts, pretzels or juice.

I caught up with the news and e-mails at over a hot chocolate and free regular cupcake at the delightful Lola’s Cupcakes in the Wintergarden.

Another bout of shopping followed, including an extended sojourn in Waterstones, before I sought the solace of lunch.

Choosing a meal should have been tough – there are 60 restaurants to pick from – but I strolled into Byron without giving it much thought.

Maybe it was because I’d been reading the papers and George Osborne was munching on one of their burgers on page one or maybe it was because it was staring me right in the face as I left the bookshop.

I was freestyling because Dr Nick surprisingly neglected to mention eating, but – and I’m not a scientist - my intuition told me it was time for lunch.

It was easy to see why the Chancellor chose Byron. The burger was thick and meaty and tasty and the skin-on chips filling.

At this stage, Dr Nick piped up again with some science about the ‘post-lunch dip’.

This is to do with a drop in our core body temperature which can make you a bit sleepy.

For that reason, you shouldn’t make decisions and Bluewater suggests enlisting a personal shopper, catching up with friends or watching a movie.

Work intervened for me – I had to drive to Greenwich to interview rapper Lethal Bizzle in a cable car – but the journey didn’t involve much brain power and, in my head, me and the Bizzle are now best mates so it kind of counts.

Having done it before, I’d recommend going to Sweatshop to get some trainers.

They have all sorts of techno wizardry to make sure you get the perfect shoe, heaps of extras like training plans thrown in and the staff really know their onions (or should that be bunions!)

Your core body temperature peaks early evening, Dr Nick says, so it is prime time to get on the move.

You may think that Bluewater’s grounds are just for parking but they are actually pleasant for a wander with lakes and greenery abound.

A game of Pirate mini golf is worth a go too.

Once again for me, work intervened and I had to head off to a show but you already know Bluewater has 60 restaurants – Loch Fyne or Wahaca are my picks.

After dinner, a movie would go down well or, even better than that, a gig or a show at Summer Live is just the ticket.