I know a lot of people like it, but it’s not nearly as common as it is in other animals. All other animals I can think of actively seek out and enjoy things like running, jumping ect. It seems to come naturally and be painless while for us it takes training and pushing through pain. Why? How? Does it hurt them too but they don’t care or?
In: Biology
we wouldn’t have to exercise if we didn’t have things like cars, a permanent home and abundant food.
Exercise is a small trade off for extreme confort the rest of the time
I’m not sure I agree with the premise of the question. If by ‘exercise’ you mean a routine, pointless activity, then maybe there’s your answer. But a lot of people really enjoy physical activity. Without it, our mental and physical health declines.
EDIT: Here’s an interview with Professor Daniel Lieberman, the author of Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding. I think this helps answer your question: “We have to choose to be active and we never evolved to do that.“ As you might expect, modern lifestyles don’t fit our physical needs.
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-feb-9-2021-1.5906730/humans-have-not-evolved-to-exercise-says-harvard-prof-1.5907580
Latest Answers