Homeostasis

I’m back yammering about how to use a flexible approach to be a more robust human that can train harder, recover faster, and do it while enhancing your health. The key linchpin concept for the next level is based on the idea of “adaptive homeostasis.”

Whoa there, Dr. Nerd. Those are some uber nerdy terms back-to-back.

Homeostasis:

“. the tendency toward a relatively stable equilibrium between interdependent elements, especially as maintained by physiological processes.”

Ok, so that may not have helped you.

Homeostasis is the ability of your body to hold a parameter fixed, despite other stressors. For example, your average body temp is 98.6F.

The body must hold within a few degrees of that temperature otherwise you are dead….

But you can do like your favorite nerd herd and convert a perfectly good 15.6 square foot chest freezer into a cold-water immersion tank and sit in 42 F water for three to five minutes without shivering.

This is an attainable “feat” for almost everyone too.

Despite the cold temp, my core body temp is not anywhere near a critical level where it becomes dangerous. Because my body has mechanisms to keep my core temperature stable.

You can go the other direction and hang out in a sauna at high temperatures without a big change in core body temperature.

Or you can do like the Finnish people do and go buck naked and jump in a cold lake.  Been there, done that and got the t-shirt. Now you’re combining modalities on opposite ends of the spectrum.

The intrinsic process of homeostasis allows your body to be exposed to colder and hotter temperatures and still be ok.

In truth, your body gets a bit better from this controlled exposure.

Just like training your biceps with curls results in a stronger biceps and over time, more muscle (positive adaptations). You can train these “homeostatic regulators” to reach the next level of fitness, robustness, and improve your health to boot.

Stay tuned for more data on what happens to the normal window lickers at Planet Fitness who do not use these methods….

(Hint) They’re going backwards.

Homeostasis for the win!

Rock on!

Dr. Mike T Nelson