Incredible things you never knew your body could do

Promoted Beauty

When John Mayer sang about the body being a wonderland he was probably thinking about you; your body is pretty frigging amazing. It doesn't even matter what weight or height you are, the things your body can do makes Wonder Woman seem not all that wonderful. Actually, we're pretty much on par.

You don't have to be a hero to be super; we humans have powers of our own, maybe you just didn't realise it. It's time to give your body the credit it deserves; it really is a wonderland.

• You have the power of super strength within you

When put in a situation that requires it, you can summon your inner Hulk. Like, if your child was trapped under a car, there is the possibility that you could lift it off the little tyke. It boils down to adrenaline: when your body senses danger your heart rate accelerates, respiration increases, your pupils dilate, and your digestive system temporarily shuts down so your muscles can work harder than they've ever worked before. Even cooler, the brain prevents the muscles from being overstimulated, reducing the risk of injury.

• You can regenerate

We talk about skin a lot: dry skin, combination skin, oily skin, dehydrated skin. But instead of lamenting over dry patches or big pores, we should be celebrating it. Even if that pimple on your nose seems like it's never going to go away, skin sheds dead skin cells every day, and a new layer is created every 28 days. Which basically means you grow a new you every month.

While your skin is busy becoming dust, your liver is hard at work processing fat and producing energy. Oh, and repairing itself. Just like how a lizard can grow its tail back (yes, I am comparing humans to reptiles), your liver can fill out the empty space if some of it has been removed after surgery.

• Turn off the air-con; you control the temperature

Don't let those sweat patches you just spotted in a picture of you on Girl's Night embarrass you; they're just evidence that your body is cool. Literally. Sweating is your body's way of cooling the body down. When it's cold, blood vessels tighten to stop heat from escaping, keeping you warm and toasty inside. Goosebumps may not be attractive, but they're only helping you stay warm: the body warms as the muscles tense.

• Your joints can tell the future

Maybe it's harder to tell because we're in Ireland and the heavens can open at any second, but if you find yourself feeling a bit achy before rainfall, it could be because of your joints reacting to a drop in atmospheric pressure. Changes in barometric pressure can put joints out of whack, causing them to ache, effectively making you the weatherwoman.

• A mother can soothe and comfort her newborn through her skin

Growing an actual person inside you is obviously the most incredible thing ever, but once the baby is born, his or her mother's body continues to do amazing things for her little one. Get ready for this - a mother can regulate her baby’s breathing, heart rate, oxygen levels and temperature simply by holding her baby skin to skin.

Within five minutes of a baby being held skin to skin on her chest, the mothers’ chests regulate their babies’ biology. Baby and mother synchronise and regulate each other when the newborn is held in this position.

It really is truly incredible, and the evidence is here.

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