The other day I talked about the intrinsic process of homeostasis – the ability of your body to hold a specific parameter of physiology within a tight range – despite being exposed to a wide variety of stimulus. The example I used was core body temperature staying very close to 98.6F even when subjected to cold-ass water of 42F or high temperatures in a sauna, and is a core element of the Physiologic Flexibility Certification.

I mentioned that other people “out there” are not training these systems to their full extent; hence, they are getting worse.

Remember, physiology is not static. If you are not actively training a system at all, you are losing those adaptations over time.

Right now, very few train the ability to endure changes in any temperature at all.

They wander from one AC place to their AC car to the AC mall (ok, maybe the drive through local food place). Even the gym has AC.

Make no mistake, I am not a hater of technology, and this is not a paleo pitch to go back a few thousand years and sleep on a sheepskin bed with a rock as a pillow and spend 3 hours a day beating the ground in search of a single tuber for dinner.

However, there is a cost to losing the ability to adapt.

The next level to homeostasis is “adaptive homeostasis”

“…adaptive homeostasis allows young and healthy individuals to rapidly and transiently modify their defenses and repair systems to cope with internal and external stressors.”

In English, the better theses systems, more adaptable / flexible/ robust / badass human you are.

It allows you to better cope with stressors. Everything from faster recovery from training to a better immune system.

When you target adaptive homeostasis systems, you get a lot of bang for your investment.

Lots of leverage.

More leverage = more results with less time.

Stay tuned for some more concrete examples and what happens to this system when you do not train it. Loss of physiologic flexibility is not good.

Rock on!

Dr Mike