Caveman Exercise 102

In the last post, I talked a lot about what exercise isn't. Now it's time to address what it is. As I said last time, most people have differing ideas when it comes to exercise, but almost all can agree that by and large, we don't do enough of it. Given our country's obesity epidemic and the fact that the average American watches four hours of TV a day, that conclusion is obvious.

In order to understand what exercise should be, we should spend some time thinking about what exercise does. Simply put, the human body requires physical activity, the way a car requires gasoline. Unlike your car, however, the more you use your body, the stronger it becomes. When we take people and force them to sit or lay in bed without exercise, many bad changes occur. They lose energy and get depression. They get blood clots, pneumonia, and other bad diseases. Even their cholesterol levels change, whether or not their diet changes.

From this we can see that the first purpose of exercise is to maintain, strengthen, and refresh the body. Exercise also helps to strengthen and maintain the cardiovascular system, improving fitness and treating such diseases as coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Finally, exercise helps stabilize mood and promote mental well being. Exercise is a far more powerful antidepressant than any pill made today.

To reap these benefits, there are certain things that exercise must be:
1. It must be hard- It is not a coincidence that the word "exercise" and the word "exert" have the same root. In order for exercise to mean something, it must be difficult. That being said, what is difficult for me might not be for a pro football player. No matter what level you are at, exercise must challenge your limits. If a certain routine gets to the point where it is easy, then it is time to step the level up.

2. It must be consistent- Cavemen did not get days off, or rest days. They had to fight for survival and look for food every day. If you want exercise to give you maximal benefits, then you need to do it nearly every day. I'm not saying that you can never take a day off, but that should be the exception, not the rule

3. It should be varied- We say that variety is the spice of life. For cavemen, it WAS life. They never knew what they would have to do in their search for food and struggle to survive. Running, jumping, climbing, crawling, carrying, pushing, pulling. Nothing was impossible. This is why they never got "overtrained." Overtraining is really just doing the exact same routine too many times, until the repetition injures the body. To avoid this, you need to vary your routine, so that the body can't adapt.

In the end, just remember the guiding principle when it comes to exercise: some is good. More is better. You can never really get too much.

More about exercise in the next post.