DON'T PUBLISH New Methods: #2 Your Body is a Machine

“It’s just like magic!” I exclaimed, looking at the constantly refreshing screen of our app, while my cofounder, Dan, tweaks the code in real time. “Um no, it’s just a command. I tell it what to do, and the computer just does it.”

Input, output. What I love about most technology is that it is pretty predictable. You give it commands, and the machine executes them. Even Artificial intelligence requires some input. But to me the most interesting part of an artificial neural network, are what is known as “hidden layers.” A hidden layer is a layer in between input layers and output layers, where artificial neurons take in a set of inputs and produce an output through an activation function. Essentially it’s a simulation of activity and my curiosity always pushes me to uncover what is hidden.

To me, our bodies and minds are just like machines: they process whatever we give it. Know Thyself, showed you that many of our early inputs come from external influences outside our control. The output is the way we see ourselves, the limits we set ourselves and the way we talk about ourselves. These inputs affect us both psychologically and physiologically and recognising the various inputs for your whole body and mind can help you fine tune it (just like when we tweak code in real time) to get the best and most optimum output. The hidden layers are a mystery. You could eat the exact same meal as a friend and digest it differently, you could watch the same movie and it could make one of you sweat and the other laugh.

Understanding what elicits responses to your body and mind is a key New Method. To do this we need to be conscious of the whole flow. The data that you are feeding your machine, the hidden layers that determine the processing and the output.

This may be mental. If your inner voice is constantly negative, for example, you’re putting low-grade fuel into your system. If you surround yourself with negative people, that verbal and energy transference also count as a mental input. How can you be expected to perform optimally with low grade fuel? Managing toxic thoughts and people will come up a lot in this book, so for Input/Output, I want to bring your attention to your body.

On the physiological side, the data is somewhat easier to capture. Biologically, it’s time to learn about yourself. Blood, DNA, and food intolerance tests can all illuminate your hidden layers, the way your body will process and provide outputs. Science is more forthcoming with data than therapy.

It was during my pregnancy that I started to actually pay attention to my body. I desperately wanted a homebirth and a blood test showed that I had an iron deficiency which put me at risk. As I was early in my New Methods journey, I brushed it off as a temporary imbalance. I took iron pills and ate spinach with orange juice to get my levels up to the safe zone and had a successful home birth. What I wasn’t thinking about, was the hidden layer of genetics that makes me, and many other women of colour, susceptible to anemia. In fact it was years later when I tried to give blood for a Sickle Cell charity and they told me I wasn’t allowed that I thought about my iron briefly again, and then only much later, when I did a nutrition based blood test did I start to take it seriously.

So let’s look at the data.

Input

Low Iron Meals

General unconscious eating.

Hidden Layer

Genetic disposition to anemia

Output

Constant state of low level tiredness, especially around my period.

Moody with loved ones

Unable to take on extra work through exhaustion.

If you know what makes your body process your inputs, you can make changes to operate at your highest level. This is data driven decision making. You might be unknowingly holding yourself back on so many levels by giving your body inputs that it’s not best equipped to deal with.

Here’s how my New Method works now:

Input

2 Meals of Red Meat per week (but not while menstruating)

Iron & Vitamin C Supplement Daily

Non-heme iron source while menstruating—spinach, red beans, oats, with vitamin C to enhance that absorption

Hidden Layer

Genetic disposition to anemia

Output

High Energy

Positive Mood

While the obvious change is around food, this New Method runs much deeper to urge you to make data-driven decisions about your whole body. While ultimately, what you put into your body affects everything, now is the time to also uncover your hidden layers. We all know that drinking alcohol can give you a hangover, but have you explored your hidden layers? Do you know if you have a severe alcohol allergy? Which type of alcohol gives you a hangover? Grain based or potato based? Beer or wine? Have you experimented with your mixers and managing the sugar level spike? There are so many variables you can play with to work out what's best for you.

Uncover your hidden layers by getting tested. Home genetics testing has revolutionised the market and can provide you with a starting point for your research. Blood tests can be acquired through or doctor or privately, and give you raw data to work with. Begin to live consciously and notice the micro changes that happen to you throughout your day and list the things that provide quality outputs. I have the simplest list on my phone entitled “Things that Make Me Happy.” covering Self, Family, Relationships, Work and Health. If something isn’t on the list, I minimise my exposure to it.

Nature is critical to my mental health. There is something about woods and forests that makes me feel relaxed, satisfied and whole. I need to live near green space or water so that when my machine starts to overload, I can update my inputs. The same goes for music. Driving while playing UK Garage music means that upon arrival to my destination I am in the best mood ever. Fully energised and on good form with my friends. However, constantly listening to only the news can cause me fear, stress and anxiety meaning I arrive at dinner with worry and concern.

I know what I need to perform, giving me the freedom of choice to decide my inputs. Sometimes I might choose a negative input because things that are bad for you - like alcohol, sugar and fats, can often feel good temporarily. But then I can’t feign ignorance as to what the output might be. I’m doing it with my eyes open.

The more methodical and aware you are about each of your inputs, the better your outputs. By listening closely to what you need, you begin to take a more productive, data-driven approach to your life. Fine-tune your routines and behaviours to those that serve you well and become more aware of why your body and mind respond how they do to what you’re giving them.

Action Points:

1. Pay closer attention to all your body’s inputs. Your mood, health, productivity, and success are all dependent on what you’re feeding your mind and body. Awareness is the greatest tool for optimising yourself.

2. Run tests on yourself - whether biological or trial and error - to figure out what serves your body best and any foods, routines, or behaviours that threaten your progress.

3. Be methodical with your inputs, yes, but more importantly, listen to your body. Within moderation, provide yourself with what your mind and body needs to function.