The human body is an amazing thing. It can be pushed into boundaries one would never think of. One of the more amazing attributes (for me at least) is our ability to acclimate to our environment. This is not to say all environments will be suitable for us – the vacuum of space being one – but within our sphere the human body can adapt to where we are at.
Take for instance those who live in high altitudes. Having lived in those altitudes they do not feel the affects of thinner air like those of us who live close to sea level. In fact there are some cyclists who train in high altitudes – forcing their bodies to adapt to thin air and lower oxygen levels. This adaptation to lower oxygen helps the cyclist’s body become more efficient – an important part of endurance races.
Our bodies can also adapt to the various weathers across our planet. Those living in warmer climates are much more used to the heat than those who live in colder climates and vice versa. Our adaptation is not just confined to yearly weather patterns. A while back we had air conditioner problems at work. The first few days of no AC were uncomfortable. Yet as days moved to weeks the warmth in our office was more bearable. Then when the AC was finally fixed it was cold for a few days then the cooler temperature was now comfortable. A 10-15 degree swing in just a matter of a few weeks and our bodies adapted to the changes.
Our ability to acclimate just doesn’t happen with our environment it also happens in what we do. For instance, I am in the middle of a push-up challenge with some guys at work. The first few days were decent then my body said it needed a few days rest. After the rest (and getting behind) my body was ready to go. And not just go but also do more than when I first started. It is adapting and acclimating itself to this challenge. It’s a good thing since still have 65 more days of push-ups ahead of me.
Conversely we can get acclimating to doing nothing. When I had to rest from my push-ups the first few days of starting back were tough. I had acclimated to doing nothing and had done so rather quickly. Nothingness is something we should never, ever get acclimated to – no matter how easy it is. Getting acclimated to doing nothing is more than just the difference between being active or not, it’s the difference of being nothing or not. Don’t misunderstand me, we are all someone and we all having something to contribute. It’s because we are valuable and we do have something to contribute that we need to avoid doing nothing and becoming nothing.
So let’s do something, anything – anything and everything we can so long as it’s not nothing. Try reading a book, learning a language, taking up martial arts, painting a Bob Ross landscape – let’s do something! You never know what you may accomplish, you never know just how much you can do, how much you can adapt and get in the groove. You never know until you try, so try! Whatever you decide to attempt, whatever you decide to take a chance on do something rather than nothing. Never acclimate to nothing. Let’s do this!
Attempt it. Chance it. Try it. Get to It!