You are the sum of your habits.

It's funny that Adrien mentioned habits in his last post because that's what I've been thinking about this week. I had a pretty good week, in that I only spent three days in the office but didn't actually take any vacation. Maybe it's sad that things like that make me happy, but that's a whole other post.

Anyway, one of those days I spent at a regional meeting for people who do roughly the same job as me. It's ostensibly for us to learn what other people are doing with the software we all use, find out tips and tricks and what's new in the field. But really it's about networking (ie, jobs, which there are none of these days and may account for the very poor attendance), gossip, and of course, conference food.

I think anyone who's planned any event, especially a conference type event, realizes or instinctively knows that food (and drinks, especially coffee) makes people happy. Have some delicious pastries, fresh fruit, and good coffee on hand (and free, natch) and people will generally overlook the fact that the conference sessions are boring and not that useful/informative. But forget to provide powdered donuts, coffee (or provide crappy coffee, as was the case this week) and you are facing a salarymen's mutiny.

Anyway, at this conference/meeting there is always coffee, some sort of breakfast pastry, and some sort of other option, usually fruit like orange slices or strawberries. But since money is really tight, the food was definitely less plentiful than in years past. I had a non-PCP friendly breakfast of a granola bar and a bunch of grapes. The centerpiece was a giant tupperware dish of powdered donuts (the tiny ones).

It was a really fun social experiment to watch who took the granola bars, grapes, and donuts, and in what quantities. You could almost chart the donut intake on a graph with obesity and have it be a direct correlation.

My point is: We are all the sum of our habits. Probably there were a few people of normal weight who were like, "wow, donuts, I haven't had one of those in forever, what the heck". And conversely, some heavy folks were probably thinking "I'm going to make a healthy choice today and not have any donuts."

Donuts is probably a red herring and an easy target, but in this case it's just a stand-in for any habitual action that is keeping you from Peak Condition. How many times have you been somewhere and seen a heavy or fit person eating or working out in an unexpected way? It's really unusual for me to be at the gym and see a really unfit person busting ass and working hard. I can definitely say that if I do see an unfit person working to the best of their ability, guess what? After a few months that person no longer resembles an unfit person!!!

I'm all about numbers and statistics, and there's a statistical idea called regression to the mean that is a really good way to think about this. It doesn't exactly apply in that statistics is usually testing an unknown result whereas you have the ability to influence the result by choices and habits. But anyway, stick with me.

A person at or near Peak Condition won't fall down a well of obesity after one donut. And, sadly, the reverse is true. A heavy, unfit person isn't ready for the Olympics after one jog around the block. If you've had bad habits for a long time, it takes a long time for your new habits to displace the old ones as the statistical 'mean'. And once you reach that next level, it's time to re-evaluate again the habits that are holding you back (if, in fact you really want to reach Peak Condition: at some point the gains to your fitness aren't really going to be outweighed by the harmful effects of a habit).

I know we keep going on and on about it, but it really boils down to this: Do your best. Everyday.