DIY Research

"Once you accept being uncomfortable life gets a lot easier."

-Danny Quinney

    Today while I was walking on campus this guy asked me why I was wearing shorts and a tank top. To put this in context, it was snowing and the wind was really cold. So why was I doing this? Only crazy people wear stuff like that in a snow storm. At least that's what I thought until I learned a little bit about hormesis. The definition that the internet provides says "is a term used by toxicologists to refer to a biphasic dose response to an environmental agent characterized by a low dose stimulation or beneficial effect and a high dose inhibitory or toxic effect". I Know. That definition really doesn't help much because of how wordy it is, so I'll give you my definition. Hormesis is where you expose yourself to environmental things such as heat or cold, and have a benefit biologically from it. 
    The benefits that I've read about in exposing yourself to cold temperatures include thermogenesis (which is where your body can create its own heat), more tolerant of stress can help boost the immune system, and helps make you wake up faster than a cup of coffee. Now before you go jump in the snow in your shorts and tank top, it says low dose of stimulation. Don't go do this for hours! This is information that I have recently acquired, so I'm just going to test it out. I want to see if it actually works that way. I'll try it out for awhile, and then I'll write about what happens. 
     I think that people should try and experiment with their health to a certain point. After all we should know our body the best, so get to know it while you're here on this planet. I can tell you one thing about this experiment so far... Being cold makes me LIVE NOW! Haha! Try and do some DIY research, and we'll talk soon!