The human body is amazing but also very sensitive to both internal and external interventions. We might think that all the information we’ve been given by biologists about how are bodies work is the final source of information on which we should rely. But every day every individual discovers something new about themselves that does not align with conventional biology. A lot of this might sound like old wives tales but, from personal experience, not everything nutritionists, dietitians and sleep experts suggest applies to everyone to a man.

 Things like exercise, sleeping and eating appear to be applicable to the human body in general but it is not.

 For example, experts suggest that if we wish to ensure our memories remain sharp as we get older, we should exercise at least three times a week. It doesn’t have to be vigorous exercise, and it certainly should not be as we age, but enough to make sure that we get our muscles moving, including those of our brain. Exercise also increases your metabolism which becomes especially sluggish as the years go by.  It also has the benefit of reducing your appetite thereby aiding in weight loss. And you might think that if you are constantly feeling very tired and fatigued for no apparent reason, the best remedy is rest. But far from it. I found the best remedy to immediately eliminate that feeling is to get moving. The more tired you are for no reason and the less you move, the more tired you will feel.

 The same principle seems to apply to our sleeping habits. If you sleep too much, you will not feel less sleepy but more. On the other hand, weight loss experts suggest that if we have just an extra hour of sleep a night, we will be more likely to shift that stubborn weight. Moreover, less sleep makes you want to overeat to compensate for that unwell feeling from not having slept the night before. On the other hand, too much sleep does cause you to lose your appetite. Anyone wake up very late and find they have no appetite for breakfast or brunch? All they want is tea or coffee or juice.

Obviously eating has an effect on the body and the mind. That well-known saying, to, ‘breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper’ isn’t such a bad idea. Did you know that if you eat too much at every meal, you actually feel like eating more at every meal? This is because by eating too much you cause your stomach to expand in volume thereby training it to expect more.

And, of course, this habit makes you put on weight. On the other hand, eating too little causes your stomach to shrink so that even a small amount of food fills you up more quickly and you lose weight, or at the very least, you don’t gain any.  I have found that eating too close to bedtime interferes with my sleep. This is because, rather than your system focusing on getting you to mentally shut down for the night, it is far too busy trying to digest the food you had an hour ago.  

Most likely you are feeling heavy with a degree of indigestion. I have also discovered that if I have my last meal of the day by 7.30 maximum, or even forego it altogether, I sleep a lot better and do not wake up ‘starving’ to eat something. I’m not saying to not have your dinner, but it might be an idea to eat something light by 7.30. Remember, eat dinner like a pauper.

 Drinking water also has an effect on our body. Don’t you find that on some days water tastes better than others? Nutritionists appear to be divided on the concept of us drinking 8 glasses of water a day. Whilst some are adamant that 8 glasses is a must, others argue that we are also getting our fluids from sources other than pure water. We might be drinking tea, fruit, juices, and don’t forget that our foods also contain water. We’re having soups, curries, gravies and milk.

Again, not drinking enough water adversely affects our immune system and those who drink no water at all are doing their bodies a disservice.

On the other hand, those who mindlessly chug water because some nutritionist made a sweeping statement about 8 glasses a day are also doing themselves a disservice. Some experts argue that by over-drinking water, that is when we don’t really need to, we might be indirectly drowning our cells. It bears thinking about.