Conditioning is the process of training someone or something to behave or respond in a particular way through repeated practice or experience. When you condition your body through regular exercise, you're building strength and endurance that makes physical activities easier over time. Athletes condition their muscles by practicing the same movements again and again until they become automatic and efficient.

The word also describes how our minds learn to respond to situations. If a dog hears a bell every time it gets food, it eventually becomes conditioned to expect food whenever it hears that bell, even salivating at the sound alone. This famous experiment by scientist Ivan Pavlov showed how conditioning works. People experience conditioning too: if you always feel happy when you smell cookies baking because it reminds you of time with your grandmother, that's a form of conditioning.

In everyday life, we condition ourselves constantly. You might condition yourself to check your backpack every morning so you don't forget your homework. Sports teams use conditioning drills to build both physical stamina and mental toughness. The key to conditioning is repetition: doing something over and over until it becomes second nature, whether that's a physical skill, an emotional response, or a habit you want to develop.