What You Can (Really) Learn About Exercise from Your Human Ancestors

What You Can (Really) Learn About Exercise from Your Human Ancestors

We all know how indisputably good exercise is for you. Yet a lot of folks still find it a struggle to engage in much physical activity. To understand the reason that this conflict and tension exists and how to overcome it, it helps to understand the lives of our human ancestors. Though, not the way the popular culture understands them, but the way someone who's actually studied them understands them.

My guest is such an expert guide. His name is Daniel Lieberman, and he's a Harvard professor of human evolutionary biology and the author of Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding. Today on the show, Daniel shares what we can really learn from our ancestors as to our modern relationship with exercise, while debunking some of the popular myths about our hunter-gatherer history. We begin by talking about how very recent, and actually quite weird, the whole concept of exercise is. We then discuss the fact that our ancestors were not the natural super athletes we typically imagine, what their state of physicality was really like, and how understanding their lifestyle can help us understand the competing interests going on in our own minds and bodies that can leave us feeling ambivalent about getting up and moving around. We then discuss if, as it's been said, "sitting is the new smoking," and the less and more healthy ways to sit. Daniel unpacks whether we're evolved for running, how our ancestors' strength compares to our own, and whether or not exercise helps us lose weight. We end our conversation with how this background on the past can help us in the present, by showing us the two factors that are critical in helping us moderns make exercise a habit.

Get the show notes aom.is/exercised.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Avsnitt(1159)

#329: Stick With It — The Science of Behavior Change

#329: Stick With It — The Science of Behavior Change

If you’re like most people, you’ve probably got some habits you’d like to change: maybe you want to quit smoking or eat better or check your phone less. And if you’re like most people, you’ve probably...

10 Aug 201753min

#328: The Pros and Cons of Intermittent Fasting

#328: The Pros and Cons of Intermittent Fasting

During the past 10 years or so there’s been a lot of chatter about the health benefits of intermittent fasting — that is, going without food for a short window of time on a regular basis. Some of the ...

8 Aug 20171h 10min

#327: Heading Out — A History of Camping

#327: Heading Out — A History of Camping

Camping is one of America’s favorite pastimes. About 50 million Americans head out into the wilderness each year to refresh and reinvigorate themselves. While it may seem like camping as a recreationa...

4 Aug 201746min

#326: Why Boys Are Struggling & What We Can Do To Help Them

#326: Why Boys Are Struggling & What We Can Do To Help Them

While there’s been a big push in recent decades to help girls thrive in school and in the workplace, boys in America have quietly been struggling. For example, boys are more likely to have learning an...

2 Aug 201747min

#325: Leading Quietly

#325: Leading Quietly

When we think of being a good leader, we often think we need to be a bold, visionary, risk-taking type like Winston Churchill, Theodore Roosevelt, or Steve Jobs.But my guest today argues that most of ...

27 Juli 201732min

#324: How Fitness, Fellowship, and Faith Are the Cure for Sad Clown Syndrome

#324: How Fitness, Fellowship, and Faith Are the Cure for Sad Clown Syndrome

If you’re like many modern men, you might have a pretty good life — a decent job, a family, a home, maybe a few hobbies. Despite having the appearance of a good life, though, you feel kind of empty in...

26 Juli 20171h 1min

#323: Improve Your Breathing, Improve Your Health

#323: Improve Your Breathing, Improve Your Health

Take a breath right now.Did your chest go up and down?Congratulations, you just failed at breathing.Don’t worry, my guest today on the show will set you straight.Her name is Belisa Vranich. She’s a cl...

20 Juli 201741min

#322: Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong

#322: Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong

My guest today is Eric Barker, author of "Barking Up the Wrong Tree."We all know those collective maxims on success: nice guys finish last; it’s not what you know, it’s who you know; winners never qui...

19 Juli 201747min

Populärt inom Utbildning

historiepodden-se
rss-bara-en-till-om-missbruk-medberoende-2
det-skaver
nu-blir-det-historia
johannes-hansen-podcast
not-fanny-anymore
harrisons-dramatiska-historia
roda-vita-rosen
sektledare
alska-oss
rss-foraldramotet-bring-lagercrantz
rss-viktmedicinpodden
allt-du-velat-veta
sa-in-i-sjalen
rikatillsammans-om-privatekonomi-rikedom-i-livet
rss-max-tant-med-max-villman
rss-psykoterapipodden
rss-sjalsligt-avkladd
rss-basta-livet
i-vantan-pa-katastrofen