Why should I exercise?
The world has been around for so many millennia and we, as humans, have witnessed so little of it. It is amazing how quickly rules and customs can take hold and be considered the norm, the absolute only way to do things.
Exercise has been a luxury for maybe 100 years, starting off with a crazy few that enjoyed exploring human potential and then later marketed as a priority for the aesthetically inclined.
Movement was once a part of our natural life, meaning it was necessary to accomplish survival. As humans evolved, worked together and stood on the shoulders of giants, things became less labour-intensive and more efficient, requiring less “exercise”. All the way from hunting, gathering, building, resting and connecting to ordering UberEats on a phone indoors, whilst watching TV and never connecting to the ground or another human, or at least no need to.
The fact that we eat 3 square meals a day, meat is bad, exercise is for children or to look good or even a quick fix for those who are desperately unhealthy, is a new thing, that, biologically and evolutionarily, doesn’t make sense.
Now, a quick caveat is that evolution, as brilliantly selective and effective as it is, our biology is far slower than our social and technological evolution.
One example I have given much thought to is the concept of a city. As fantastic and fortunate as it is they exist, they have proven to be less than optimal in the past, regarding hygiene. There are many angles from which to approach this but one word that comes to mind when I think of cities is stagnation. We might have underground plumbing now but when we first gathered and chose permanent locations to build on, the opportunity for harmful bacterial growth was unprecedented. None of the natural recycling methods were included in this new venture, but what was included was SAFETY. We all agreed that we would help each other out, share resources and services and in exchange, we wouldn’t kill each other as much. Huge upside but long-term, some downsides.
We have gained so much in the name of surviving that we have lost touch with the natural mechanisms that allow us to thrive under pressure. No pressure, no stress, no reason to grow, aka thrive.
Why move? Because we are biologically inclined to and are rewarded for it in so many ways. Some think of strength, others of freedom and others of longevity, but the fact is everything in you benefits from movement. Your circulatory system, which feeds your muscles, which influences how you process food, which affects your brain, which determines your mood, which determines your outlook and probably most of your daily outcomes, and eventually your life.
Make it work, play or a competition, who cares. Do something, enjoy it and get better at it.
Cheers
Coach Jorge MF Camacho
