Have We Given up on Exercise?

Once, labor kept us fit.

This blog was inspired when I read a government Centers for Disease Control & Prevention article which said that children ages 6 to 16 should do 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily to allow the development of strong bones and muscles, and to help control their weight.   Believe it or not, the article also said that meeting those exercise goals would reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.  Here is the bad news.  Less than 1/4 of kids in that age range meet that goal. 

A report in Time Magazine said that less than 5% of adults participate in 30 minutes of daily physical activity. and as we age, we become even less active.  The Center for Disease Control warns that ignoring physical activity can lead to heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes.  So, what am I doing?  I am sitting at my desk exercising nothing much but my brain and my fingers.  We own a tread mill and a stationary bike, but it has been longer than I can remember since I used either one.  The best thing I can say for myself is that my office is upstairs, so I make several trips a day going up and down.

I came upon an article by Michael Easter, that said that early humans had the running capacity of today's competitive cross-country athletes.  His article went on to say that big game could outsprint humans, but humans developed attributes geared toward endurance running.  The game they hunted could outsprint them, but humans developed endurance, allowing early humans to chase animals for miles, eventually wearing the animals down.  The humans had less hair and larger sweat glands, which kept them cooler as they ran, while the hair on the animals made them hotter, which begin to slow them down.  The name given to that was "persistence hunting."  Remember the old saying, "strong and steady wins the race"?  Records from ancient time indicate that people kept fit running, jumping, wrestling, and throwing heavy stones.  It is estimated that they walked 6 to 16 kilometers a day, and walking remains the most natural exercise today to help keep us trim.

But, how long did our sturdy ancient men live?  In the Early Neolithic age, life expectancy at age 15 was about 28 to 33 years.  By the early and middle Bronze Age it was 28 to 36.  We are a little more familiar with the Athens Agora & Corinth age, but at age 15 their expectancy was only 37 to 41.  Most of the Greeks and Romans died young. 

Before we get too proud of ourselves, we need to be reminded that our longer lives may have more to do with the modern health care than our diligence in taking care of our bodies with exercises.  Even we old-timers could help ourselves with 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity activity, like brisk walking, swimming, or dancing.  Are you ready?!