Exercised
"This highly engaging landmark work, a natural history of exercise--by the author of the best seller The Story of the Human Body--seeks to answer a fundamental question: were you born to run or rest? The first three parts of Exercised roughly follow the evolutionary story of human physical activity and inactivity, even as each chapter shatters a particular myth about exercise. Because we cannot understand physical activity without understanding its absence, Part One begins with physical inactivity. What are our bodies doing when we take it easy, including when we sit or sleep? Part Two explores physical activities that require speed, strength, and power, such as sprinting, lifting, and fighting. Part Three surveys physical activities that involve endurance, such as walking, running, or dancing, as well as their effect on aging. Part Four considers how anthropological and evolutionary approaches can help us exercise better in the modern world. How can we more effectively manage to exercise, and in what ways? To what extent, how, and why do different types and durations of exercise help prevent or treat the major diseases that are likely to make us sick and kill us?
Stats for nerds
3recommend
10mentions
7people
2021–2025years
50% recommend50% neutral
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- In the last few months I read two books on this topic, and both (if I recalled correctly) mentioned The Biggest Loser (or similar).
Exercised - Daniel E Lieberman
https://www.npr.org/2021/01/05/953249677/exercised-explains-...
Burn - Herman Pontzer (who I believe was a student of Lieberman's)
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-human-metabol...
Both a fairly dry and academic, but do get into the weeds if that's your thing.
A third book that's related but is an easier more entertaining read is "The Comfort Crisis" but Michael Easter.
https://eastermichael.com/book/
Easter actually interviews / quotes Lieberman.
The gist of all three...from an evolutionary perspective, the human body is designed for lean caloric times. When there is more calories than there is activity to burn it, those calories will be stored as fat (in preparation for leaner times). There's no ceiling on that so you'll keep adding weight.
In modern times, our evolutionary advantages become disadvantages. The best way to lose weight, is to not gain it in the first place.
- In 2023 it means...
An apple...not processed.
An ear of corn...not processed.
Oatmeal...not processed.
Frozen peas...not processed.
Breakfast cereal...processed.
Heat & serve meals in the frozen section...processed.
Yogurt with fruit (and tons of sugar) pre-added...processed.
Soft drinks...processed.
Kid's "Happy Meal"...processed.
And so on.
Btw, Slaughtered and butchered meats !== processed meats.
Recommened book:
- Exercised - D Lieberman
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/aug/29/exercised-by-d...
- Burn - Pontzer
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/07/16/1016931...
- Comfort Crisis - M Easter
- Scarcity Brain - M Easter
Also recommended, the series "The Foods That Built America" on the History Channel.
p.s. Again, key phrase "as we evolved". Last I checked archeologist aren't digging up McDonald's from eons ago.
- I found Dr. Daniel Lieberman 's work helpful. His book Exercised makes his work fairly accessible.
- > Basically, it's calories in, calories out, and a full stomach of homemade healty-ish stuff has a lot less calories than what you get at a fast food joint or even an expensive restaurant.
There are many health benefits to movement and our bodies evolved to have it part of our daily routine, but if you want to deal with your weight, it should done through diet. See Exercised by Lieberman:
* https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49358915-exercised
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Lieberman
When it comes to weight, diet and exercise seem to minimally correlated.
- Related to the benefits of exercise, I found the book Exercised by Daniel Lieberman to be thorough, interesting, and even humorous at times.
- The book "Exercised" by Lieberman talks about this for a while.
Basically, there's been an extension of life years, but there has also been an extension of the useless years at the end of people's lives. He makes a case that these useless years are a direct result of a lack of exercise.
Good book. Recommend.
