Exercised audiobook cover - Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding

Exercised

Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding

Daniel E. Lieberman

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ScienceHealth & Nutrition

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Exercised
Evolutionary Origins+
The Sleep Myth+
Strength & Muscle+
Walking & Weight Loss+
Running & Injuries+
Aging & Activity+
Strategies for Exercising+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 7
Why do humans naturally find it difficult to motivate themselves to exercise, according to the book?
  • A. Modern diets have severely reduced our natural energy levels.
  • B. Evolution programmed us to conserve energy for vital survival tasks, making unnecessary activity instinctively unnatural.
  • C. Early humans were actually quite sedentary, so our bodies are not adapted to rigorous movement.
  • D. The human body lacks the joint structures needed for sustained, repetitive voluntary movements.
Question 2 of 7
What did sleep researcher Jerome Siegel and his colleagues discover about the sleeping habits of modern hunter-gatherer populations?
  • A. They sleep for up to ten hours a night to recover from intense physical labor.
  • B. They take multiple short naps throughout the day instead of sleeping in one continuous block.
  • C. They average about six and a half hours of sleep per night, which is less than the average Westerner.
  • D. They sleep exactly eight hours, proving that this is the biological standard for human rest.
Question 3 of 7
According to the book, why didn't early humans evolve to be incredibly muscular and brawny?
  • A. Large muscles restricted the flexibility needed for climbing and foraging.
  • B. Maintaining high muscle mass requires a massive amount of calories, which was an evolutionary disadvantage when food was scarce.
  • C. Early humans relied entirely on tools and weapons, making physical strength largely irrelevant.
  • D. The genetic mutation required for high muscle hypertrophy did not exist until the agricultural revolution.
Question 4 of 7
Why is walking often viewed pessimistically as a weight-loss tool, and what is its actual proven benefit?
  • A. Humans are highly efficient walkers, meaning it burns few calories; however, a high volume of walking significantly helps in maintaining weight loss over time.
  • B. Walking damages knee cartilage over time; however, it builds muscle mass which indirectly burns fat.
  • C. Walking slows down the human metabolism; however, it suppresses appetite enough to cause a net calorie deficit.
  • D. Walking primarily burns carbohydrates rather than fat; however, it improves cardiovascular health better than running.
Question 5 of 7
What does evidence suggest about the relationship between running and physical injuries?
  • A. Running inevitably causes osteoarthritis over time due to the repetitive pounding on pavement.
  • B. Injury rates follow a U-shaped curve, with novices and extreme runners experiencing the most injuries.
  • C. Running is inherently unnatural for humans, making injuries unavoidable for anyone who runs more than a mile a day.
  • D. Moderate runners suffer the most injuries because they do not train their bodies to fully adapt to the stress.
Question 6 of 7
How does the aging process of active hunter-gatherers differ from that of many people in the industrialized world?
  • A. They experience a 'compression of morbidity,' meaning they stay relatively fit and healthy until very close to the end of their lives.
  • B. They suffer from higher rates of heart disease but have much lower rates of infectious diseases.
  • C. Their physical decline begins much earlier in life, but it progresses at a much slower rate.
  • D. They live significantly longer than Westerners, often reaching over 100 years of age due to their active lifestyles.
Question 7 of 7
Based on our evolutionary instincts, what is the author's recommended strategy for getting ourselves to exercise more?
  • A. Rely purely on willpower and self-discipline to override our lazy instincts.
  • B. Focus exclusively on the long-term health benefits, such as living past eighty.
  • C. Make the activity feel as necessary (e.g., paying for a race) and as fun (e.g., making it social) as possible.
  • D. Exercise only when we feel a natural burst of energy so we don't deplete our reserves.

Exercised — Full Chapter Overview

Exercised Summary & Overview

Exercised (2020) is a cutting-edge account of physical activity, rest, and human health. Drawing on groundbreaking research in the fields of exercise science, evolutionary theory, and anthropology, it presents a unique account of the human body’s needs and abilities.

Who Should Listen to Exercised?

  • Fitness fanatics interested in a broader view of health and exercise
  • Exercise-avoiders seeking to change their ways for good
  • Amateur anthropologists and armchair doctors

About the Author: Daniel E. Lieberman

Daniel Lieberman is Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. A globally recognized expert on evolution and human health, and the author of over 150 peer-reviewed articles, his other titles include The Story of the Human Body and The Evolution of the Human Head.

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