Why does my body hate me?

Why does my body hate me?! 

 

I hear this all the time. The truth is… and listen hard… it doesn’t. 

 

It actually works really fucking hard for you and it’s time you gave it the respect it deserves. 

 

Over the last 6 million years, you have evolved into this glorious creature designed to live in a tribe, walk long distances every day- scavenging, building and hunting with small bursts of energy expenditure throughout.  Maybe to flee, fight, climb, hunt or procreate. Always ready. Always stable enough inside and out to know the environment, dangers and how to handle them. 

 

Your ancestors evolved to create YOUR internal biome which has now created its very own little universe inside you. 

 

Millions of years that led to the Neanderthals cooking and eating protein dense foods such as bone marrow, wild game and seafood. Coupled with animal fat, blubber and connective tissues. 

 

Your ancestors chewed on bones and cooked them down to be digested. They ate berries and roots when they could find them and thick skinned fruits. An energy packed treat. Imagine your long trek and you come across a blackberry bush… I can only imagine the joy. 

 

As BBC Science correspondent, Jonathan Amos reports in his “Neanderthals enjoyed a broad menu”, “the Neanderthal menu consisted of land animals, such as bear, wild boar, deer, ibex and rabbit. However, the Homo neanderthalensis was also capable of living off the sea.

 

These meat eaters would also eat shellfish, such as mussels, which they would cook in a fire to open them up. Seal and dolphin were also part of the Neanderthal diet. The cavemen would either eat dead dolphins that were washed onto the beach or hunt monk seals which they would club to death, dismember and eat raw. The bones were put in fires to make them brittle so that the marrow inside can be eaten.

 

The Neanderthal diet consisted of big and small game animals as well as shellfish, seals, dolphins (dead) and marrow. These cavemen eating habits suggest that the Neanderthals could exploit the resources of their environment more efficiently than it was earlier thought.” 

 

They lived by the sun. Spent their days in the sun, soaking up vitamin D, slept when the sun went down and rose when it came up. They were quieter in the winter months and busier in the summer, just like our animal counterparts. 

 

Millions of years. 

 

Even as recently as the 1940’s, people’s lives were different but not hugely. We still lived in “tribes”... maybe called towns now or congregations. Unless you were wealthy, you walked a good portion of your life. They worked hard and built things with their hands, ate the meat they had available to them and enjoyed the fat and connective tissues. Canning and freezing were available and people would bake but diets were still mostly clean and primarily based on protein rich foods, connective tissues and mild carb intake. 

 

And then we have today… and you and your body that hates you… 

 

Your body is constantly working as hard as it can to recreate homeostasis for you. Think of homeostasis as “home base”. The comfort zone. Safe zone. No tag backs. 

 

Everywhere you go, everything you do, your mind and body are working hard together behind the scenes to make you comfortable. And what do you do?

Coffee all day.

1 cup of water… maybe.

Wine for dinner.

Carbs morning, noon and night. 

Sit at a desk, staring at a screen that simulates the sun to your eyes but doesn’t provide any vitamin D. 

 

Your body is so smart. If left to it’s own genius, it understands how to keep you moving, breathing, eating, loving, living… but we’ve done fucked up. 

 

Feeling sad? Your body is designed to make you crave foods rich in B-6 - salmon, beef liver, chicken… how many of you have even tried beef liver? Think salty and rich tasting… maybe like chips. 

Groggy? Leafy greens and citrus fruits. Or… maybe candy would be better.

 

Here’s the problem!  Your taste buds are sending the signal that you are getting what you need but NOT ENOUGH! Send more… eat more… we need it. Still sad. Still groggy… still not getting the beef liver or leafy greens you actually need to make you happy.  Hmm… maybe I should just take vitamins or pills or vitamin pills. 

 

Crazy right? 

 

How about your desire to be busy and engaged in life? Okay, well... your body and mind’s desire 

 

Hunt, gather, connect? 

 

Even just your desire for sunlight? 

The TV or computer… shit, even your handheld device serves nicely. Except it doesn’t. It does not give you the proper sensory, hormonal or physical feedback to sustain your body’s true potential and natural state. 

 

Let’s take a moment to assess how similar your daily life is to that which your body is designed for. 

• 10-20 miles of walking a day?
• Small bursts of heavy activity?
• Sleep with the sun?
• Protein Rich diet?
• Diet rich in roots, seeds, fruits and berries?
• Daily sun exposure? 
• Connection with your tribe daily? 

Did you answer no to 4 or more? 

Maybe it’s you that hates your body and not the other way around.