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HEALTHY LIVING
neofthedownsidesofgym Hunter-gathererswerecommonuntil day boosted their fitness over an eight-week
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cultureisthat,havingworked about10,000yearsago.Theirnaturallyactive period. Most of us are time-poor, but if you
outafewtimesaweek,many lifestylesmeanttheyweighedanaverageof30 get up and move around every hour or so,
peoplethinkbeingsedentary lb(14kg)lessthanwedotodayandexpended you’re keeping your metabolism more fired
Otherestofthetimeisokay. about400–600caloriesmoredaily,butalso up than if you were just sitting for four hours
Therealityisthatthissuddenshiftfrom withfallowperiodsandimposedfasting. straight until lunch.
0–100milesanhourcanshockthebodyand Theenergyexpenditureofatypical
causetheverystressyou’retryingtoavoid. Westernerisabout38percentthatofour Get together
Ratherthanallocatingexercisetospecific, primitivehunter-gathererancestors. 1 “Social setting exercise”—that is, any activity
corralledtimeslots,it’svitaltomoveregularly DanielLieberman,professorofhuman that requires more than one person—is
throughouttheday—ideallyalittleeveryhour. evolutionarybiologyatHarvard,describesin especially beneficial, not only because of its
Thistypeofmovementisoftenreferred hisbook,TheStoryoftheHumanBody, how cardiovascular effects but also its ability to
toas“spontaneousphysicalactivity”or ourancestorswouldhavealternatedhigh- help you connect with other people, have fun
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“incidental”exercise,asit’ssimplyabout activitydayswithlessdemandingdaystohave and engage in some healthy competition.
movingmoreinthecontextofyourday— adequaterest. We are pack animals, and the cohesion of
whereveryouare,wheneveryoucan. However,theirlow-activitydayswouldnot the tribe is key to survival, so our brains reward
Althoughyoucanfeelanumberofbodily havebeenthecompleteinactivityweequate these behaviors with a shot of that motivating
functionsasyousit,forinstanceyourpulse, withresttoday.Rather,theyweretimesto neurotransmitter dopamine. This can help
manyprocessesrelyonmotoractivitytokeep rebuildtissuesandreducetheriskofinjuries. bring us out of our often overstimulated
themflowing.Thelymphaticsystem,for Thissetsthepatternofexercisethatwe mental states and burn off stress hormones
example,needsyoutomoveforitsimmune haveevolvedtobebestsuitedto:avarietyof generated during a typical week.
anddetoxificationeffects. activitiesperformedintermittentlyandwith Engaging in social exercise once or twice a
Fluidscaneasilypoolandstagnatewhen differentlevelsofintensity,withadequate week can help to naturally incorporate physical
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youarenotcontinuallymovingthemagainst restinbetweentoensurecompletebodily activity into family and social gatherings.
theactionofgravity.Longstationaryperiods recoverybetweenexertions. 2 Having a relationship with others that involves
cancontributetocirculatoryissuescaused Aswenowhavefoodreadilyavailable, physical activity and contact raises the feel-
bylossofveinintegrity,suchasedema(fluid permanentandreliableshelter,nopredators good chemicals beta-endorphins and the
retention),cellulitis,varicoseveinsand toworryabout,andtransporttomove anti-stress hormone DHEA.
hemorrhoids. ourselvesandthethingsweneedtocarry, Both of these have key roles in immune and
naturalpromptstomoveandopportunities nervous system regulation and protection
Howweevolvedtomove todosoaresimplynolongerthere. against chronic degenerative diseases such
Humansarebuilttomove.Yourmetabolism Thisgivesusthedifficulttaskofmotivating as osteoporosis, heart disease and diabetes.
(therateatwhichyouuseenergy)risesin ourselvestogetupanddothingswesimply Exercise is, of course, also preventative and
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responsetosignalsthatyouneedenergyas don’tneedto. helpful for such conditions.
physicalactivityincreases.Ifyoudon’tmove Social exercise doesn’t just have to be
aroundenough,energyusagecanslowdown, Howtomove through formalized sports such as tennis or
leavingthebodymoredisposedtofatstorage Thebestformsofspontaneousphysical golf but can also be activities like:
thanbuildingmuscle. activityarethosewecanweaveintoour • Community gardening or conservation
Simplyput,themoreyoumove,the everydaylives,suchastakingthestairsrather • Picking up litter with a group – great to get
moreefficientbodyprocessesbecome. thantheelevator.Theyalladdup.Hereare children involved in
Consequently,relatedsystemssuchasblood sometoptips. • Outdoor swimming
sugarandappetitearemoreeasilyregulated. Getapedometer,andaimtoclockupabout • Throwing and catching a ball
Thismeanssugarandotherfoodcravingscan 10,000stepsaday,fiveorsixdaysaweek.A • A game of ‘it’ or ‘tag’
bebettermanaged. reviewofover30studiesfoundthatrelatively • Dancing—with others this is really plugging
Butit’snotsimplyabout‘more,harder, healthyadultstake7,000to13,000stepsa into how we have bonded with our tribe for
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faster’movement.Ourhunter-gatherer day. Thosemeetingthis10,000-steptarget thousands of years.
ancestorswouldhavehadawidelyvaried aremorefrequentlyclassifiedas‘normal’ Any activities that can involve being outside
systemofmovementandactivitymostlybuilt weight,andthosegettinglessthan5,000aday in nature, laughing with others and having
aroundnecessarytasks—walking,running, aremorefrequentlyclassifiedasobese. 4 fun are extremely nourishing on all mind-
building,mending,climbing,etc.—withno Everystepcounts,evenwalkingtothe body levels.
comfortablefurnituretoloungearoundon. kitchenforasnack,butroughlyspeaking,
Survivalwithinthatlifestylerequired 3,000stepsisabouthalfanhour’swalking.
REFERENCES
plentyofnecessarymovementandcalorie Walkthedog.Studieshavelinkedowning 1 IntJSportsMed,1998;19:328–35
burningfromfindingfoodandwater,social adogtobetterhearthealth,morephysical 2 AmJMed,2010;123:1082–86
interaction,escapingpredators,building activity,healthierdietandlowerbloodsugar. 5 3 ResQExercSport,2001;72:1–12
4 IntJObesRelatMetabDisord,2001;25:1571–8
homes,makingtools,washingclothes Takethestairs.Researchpublishedinthe 5 MayoClinProcInnovQualOutcomes,2019;3:268–75
andcarryingbabies—allinmuchharsher BritishJournalofSportsMedicine foundthat 6 BrJSportsMed,2005;39:590–3
7 JAmGeriatrSoc,2003;51:1685–92
environmentsthanweusuallyfindourselves womenwhoranupanddownthestairsat
8 CanJPublicHealth,2007;98Suppl2:S208–17
intoday. workfortwominutesatatime,fivetimesa 9 ComprPhysiol,2012;2:1143–211
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