It may have been well meaning advice passed on to us by our elders, a friend, relative or acquaintance.
We’ve embraced that snippet of wisdom with such conviction that we would confidently share it with anyone who cared to listen.
Not all the things we have believed to be true are in fact, true. Myths about health and our bodies are still quite prevalent. Here are three of them.
Myth: Our bodies need eight glasses of water a day to stay healthy—eight glasses of water (8 oz per glass) is the magic number we should hit every day to stay healthy and hydrated. This is something I’ve believed to be true for quite some time. The truth is, individuals have varying requirements. We are different in terms of size, physical activity, health, age, weather exposure and in other things that may determine how much water we need.
So how much water should one really drink in a day? A simple question but there is no one-size-fits-all answer.
According to the Mayo Clinic, most healthy people can stay hydrated by drinking water whenever they feel thirsty. Eight glasses may seem like a reasonable goal but again, depending on a variety of factors, one may need less, more, or perhaps some would slot right in at eight glasses. The Mayo Clinic further advises that we drink water with each meal; in between meals; before, during and after exercise; and whenever we feel thirsty—in order to avoid dehydration.
Myth: Exposure to rain or cold weather will give us a cold. Who among us hasn’t been warned by our grandmother to step out of the rain or cold weather, lest we catch a cold? Intuitively, it has been assumed that exposure to the rain and cold weather would cause us to catch the sniffles.
However, most of us are now aware that catching a cold is contracted from a virus, not from being exposed to the elements. And how do we get this virus?
By exposure and physical contact with people who have it. According to WebMD, a study found that men who spent several hours in close to freezing temperatures had an increase in healthy virus-fighting activity in their immune systems. The study’s takeaway: you are more likely to get sick indoors where the cold virus can more easily be passed.
Myth: We only use 10 percent of our brain—It is easy to make this conclusion when we observe people who do not seem to be making full use of their grey matter. Also, we would like to imagine ourselves to be savants with untapped brainpower, which if harnessed would make us super geniuses.
However, as it turns, brain researchers using imaging technology have found out that most of our brain remains active over a 24 hour period. John Henley, a neurologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, says that evidence shows that within a day, people use 100 percent of their brains. Even during sleep, our brains, which weigh 3 lbs on the average, remain active. So let us disabuse ourselves from the notion that we have towering intellects just waiting to be unleashed. When it comes to our brain power, what you see is what you get.
To lead fit and healthy lifestyles, it is essential to better understand how our bodies work. Toward achieving this end, we separate fact from fiction. One busted myth at a time.
Image credits: www.freepik.com, pixabay.com