Well, maybe not the bit about being tired. I’m pretty sure most of us are far more tired more often than our ancestors were. But in regards to dealing with a lot of life’s little unpleasantries, those of us in well-off countries don’t have to deal with them that often.
Adjusting to Your Climate
I work outside for my day job and I quickly get used to the temperature of the day. It always amazes me how often someone will tell me how hot or how cold it is while I find it pretty comfortable. It really made me realize how sheltered most people are from temperature changes. 68 degrees year round on the thermostat doesn’t do much for adaptation.
Why is this a problem though? Our body goes through adaptations to make us more resilient to climate changes. Your blood vessels get better at dilating and you sweat more easily when you are better adapted to hot climates.
And in case you think you can’t get used to the cold, that’s not true. Your body builds more brown fat, the fat that is better supplied with blood when you are adapted to cold climates. This dense, vascular fat is both healthier and more insulative than regular fat.
It’s important to stimulate these systems because they are an integral part of a healthy body. And like everything else, if you don’t use it, you lose it. A little sweating and a little shivering help create a more robust body!
Is Hunger Really That Bad?
I’m not talking about the unfortunate person in a third-world country who hasn’t had a decent meal in weeks or months. That’s not hunger. That’s starvation. I’m talking about that guy in the corner who hasn’t had a meal in 6 hours and is now starting to pass out.
Our metabolism is an amazing system that adjusts to food intake. If you’re passing out without eating after only 6 hours, you have a metabolic issue. That stomach growling thing is just the body letting you know you’re empty. If you leave it alone long enough, you won’t even care.
Your body will switch to fat stores for energy if it wasn’t already there. That guy crashing in the corner is addicted to sugar and his body has forgotten how to use fat for energy. It’s a big reason so many people gain so much weight and have a hard time losing it.
The major reason that going keto or switching to a paleo/primal diet helps people lose so much weight is that it retrains the body to burn fat for energy. These diets are much lower in sugar and do a good job of breaking the addiction.
A Little Discomfort is Important
So in a nutshell, practice being cold, hot, and hungry. Expose yourself to the environment and let your body adjust. It will get better at it the more often you do it. As you adapt more situations will be comfortable and then you can find new situations to practice.
In regards to practicing tired though, what we should probably do instead is practice rested. Most of us are experts at being tired these days. Share in the comments how you practice being cold, hot, and hungry!
