When Fitness is Homeostasis

My gym business mentor has been abnormally fit for about four decades at this point. Almost twenty years ago when I met him, I made a joke amongst friends that he could stop training for a year and still have abs. 

His body was allergic to not being fit. 

Human physiology is so incredible to observe. Part of the wonder of the human body is its ability to fit for homeostasis. Put your body in a hot shower and it will literally start deploying strategies to cool down. Even when it comes to keeping your heartbeat on a “regular” cadence, the body has three different systems working to coordinate that homeostasis of the heart. The cardiovascular system, the nervous system and the endocrine system have a complex series of processes with electrical signals and chemical messengers that keep you and your heart “normal.” 

It’s not too much of a stretch, then, to understand that when your body holds a lean body fat percentage and certain physical capacities for a prolonged period of time, it becomes your normal. 

When being fit is homeostasis. 

For my mentor, Andy Petranek, there’s not really an amount of chips and guac that can derail his baseline of being ripped and fit. Andy can take a long vacation and come home not needing to fight for his life to maintain fitness. It’s just who he is. 

Anytime you get stuck stressing over a week or month of “bad” training, like longer term. Forget worrying about single workout days, lower the intensity of the moment, and plug into gym life for years. You’ll be bullet proof.