The answer to the question “why can't I exercise?” it was given by Daniel Lieberman, a senior fellow at Harvard University. According to researcher, human beings are not programmed to do physical activity every day out of sheer obligation or in large quantities.
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According to the paleoanthropologist, it is natural not to be willing to exercise daily. This is actually an expected reaction. That way, know that it's super normal not to feel like waking up early to take that morning walk or run at high intensity.
Years of evolution explain the need to save energy
The idea behind this economy of effort comes from the fact that our body doesn't like to waste energy, so it moves only when necessary. It is his way of avoiding unnecessary efforts, after all, doing constant physical activity is not exactly our normal state.
That's because humans evolved to be physically active and move around, but especially in search of food. The idea of exercise where people do weight training or other activities in the early hours of the morning is a modern concept.
Due to the limited availability of food, prehistoric hunters only used the energy they they had for things that were considered extremely necessary, like having to hunt or take care of the Earth.
Physical exercises are beneficial, of course, but according to the opinion of some researchers, as it has been commercialized a lot the idea that we should exercise often and hard, the idea of not doing activities like athletes can generate frustrations. Especially since it is not known that this is perfectly normal.
Tips to make physical activity easier
Now that you know how not exercising is an instinctive behavior, it's time to take some suggestions that will help you in this process of keeping moving.
First, choose an exercise that gives you opportunities to socialize, have fun, and keep your body active, like a group run or crossfit. Second, do your best, but don't worry about achieving athlete levels or the people you see on social media. The important thing is to stay active.
If possible, get at least 150 minutes of exercise a week. That means to say it's about 21 minutes a day. Easy, isn't it? With this result, symptoms of anxiety, depression and even an improvement in the joints can already be observed. Finally, keep moving even after reaching 60.
Our body is the result of a great evolution. We must stay physically active throughout our lives to live healthier lives.
