Who am I?

I’m not having an existential crisis, but indulge me for a moment and ask yourself this seemingly simple question.

If you began searching your soul for the answer about your identity and started going through an Oprah Winfrey-esque process of self discovery, then bear with me for just a smidgeon of your time, and entertain the idea presented below. It may ignite within you a more secure understanding of ‘whom’ you really are and your place in the Universe.


Evolutionary Principle

Essentially you are still the same as a Human from 50,000 years ago. This single fact underlies the entire manner you need to approach diet, physical activity and life in general. We’ll get to why in a moment, but for now you need to understand one key point

‘Human DNA has not significantly changed in the last 50,000 years’

So in order for us to have the greatest effect (hopefully positive) on our body and mind we need to use this concept as a basis for everything we do, and that is what I attempt to do with all things HPC-UK.

You may have heard or even adhere to what has now become known as a ‘Paleo-‘ diet or lifestyle. At HPC-UK we definitely use some of the ideas that have come out of that school of thought, but we also use modern day approaches as long as they are compatible with our genetic heritage. HPC-UK is based upon a ‘modified ancestral approach based on the Human genome.


Why live in this Way?

To understand why we should live in this manner we have to take a quick look inside the very blueprint of your body. This blueprint is known as the Human Genome which is composed of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA).

Your DNA code is made up of over 3,000,000,000 nucleic acids which instruct the body to make more than 100,000 proteins that make up you and me. Each protein has a precise code sequence, written in your DNA.

As well as the code in our body, every item you come into contact with either by eating, drinking, inhaling or allowed to get onto your skin also has a code sequence (not always a DNA sequence). The DNA code for any particular protein in your body is expressed in response to the flux of chemicals within the body i.e. something that enters your body, something you do to change your chemistry or something that leaves your body. This chemical flux determines your physiology, behaviour and even your most intimate thoughts.

The DNA code that you have inside you was laid down over millions of years during a time of very particular conditions, such as physical environment, food availability and the physical activity that was dictated by these factors. Prior to 10,000 years ago this environment was based around a hunter/ gatherer lifestyle. Then things changed…drastically.

Approximately 10,000 years ago Humans shifted from a hunter/ gatherer lifestyle to a lifestyle based around agriculture. This was the beginning of huge reforms in the physical and social environment to which Humans were exposed; an environment we are rapidly furthering today.

This 10,000 year period, however, is far too short for the DNA code to change. Scientists call it the “genetic lag”. It takes about 20,000-50,000 years for a new environmental stimulus to change DNA to suit. So we’re still 10,000-40,000 years short of being anywhere near able to suit our current lifestyle; we’re still 99.9 percent the same as 50,000 years ago but our environment is not. Our modern environment is increasingly in conflict with our genome.

As advanced as this (genomic) knowledge is, the next advancements are already on the horizon. This next huge step is figuring out how ‘epi-genetics’ and ‘proteomics’ all tie into the picture.

So, in light of this brief introduction ask yourself the question again ‘Who am I?’ Already it should be slightly different to the answer you responded with at the beginning.

However, what I’m going to show you in future articles is how your current perception of ‘who you are’ is both hugely exaggerated in one sense, and totally understated in another.

It has profound implications on your health, performance and your ability to realise your immense potential.