Daniel Lieberman, a Harvard evolutionary biology professor and author, delves into the paradox that humans did not evolve to exercise but rather for physical activities necessary for survival. He discusses how modern sedentary lifestyles contribute to health issues and why understanding our evolutionary past is crucial. Lieberman also challenges traditional views on sleep and exercise, suggesting optimal sleep is around six to seven hours and advocating for a balanced approach to physical activity. He critiques BMI as a health measure, emphasizing the importance of fat distribution and the need for preventative health through diet and exercise.
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Exercise vs. Activity
Exercise is voluntary physical activity for health and fitness, unlike general physical activity.
Hunter-gatherers and subsistence farmers don't exercise because their daily lives provide ample activity.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Tarahumara and Exercise
Daniel Lieberman observed the Tarahumara people's confusion about training for running.
An elderly Tarahumara runner questioned why anyone would run unnecessarily, highlighting the difference between necessary activity and exercise.
insights INSIGHT
Hunter-Gatherer Activity Levels
Hunter-gatherers are much more active than the average American but do not perform excessive exercise.
They achieve high activity levels through daily tasks, not intentional workouts.
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Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding
Daniel Lieberman
Why We Sleep
Matthew Walker
This book delves into the purpose and power of sleep, explaining how it affects every aspect of our physical and mental well-being. Walker discusses how sleep enriches our ability to learn, memorize, and make logical decisions, recalibrates our emotions, restocks our immune system, fine-tunes our metabolism, and regulates our appetite. He also explores the consequences of sleep deprivation and provides actionable steps to improve sleep quality, including ways to prevent cancer, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes, slow the effects of aging, and increase longevity.
The Story of the Human Body
Evolution, Health, and Disease
Daniel Lieberman
Daniel Lieberman's "The Story of the Human Body" explores the evolutionary history of the human body and its impact on our health and disease. The book delves into how our bodies adapted to various environments and lifestyles throughout history. Lieberman examines the consequences of modern sedentary lifestyles and the mismatch between our evolutionary past and our current habits. He highlights the importance of movement and physical activity for overall well-being. The book offers insights into the interplay between genetics, environment, and behavior in shaping human health.
Growing young
Ashley Montagu
“Nothing about the biology of exercise makes sense except in the light of evolution, and nothing about exercise as a behavior makes sense except in the light of anthropology.”
In this myth-busting book, Daniel Lieberman, professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University and a pioneering researcher on the evolution of human physical activity, tells the story of how we never evolved to exercise — to do voluntary physical activity for the sake of health. Using his own research and experiences throughout the world, Lieberman recounts how and why humans evolved to walk, run, dig, and do other necessary and rewarding physical activities while avoiding needless exertion. As our increasingly sedentary lifestyles have contributed to skyrocketing rates of obesity and diseases such as diabetes, Lieberman argues that to become more active we need to do more than medicalize and commodify exercise.
Shermer and Lieberman also discuss:
evolutionary and anthropological perspectives on physical activity,
why we never evolved to exercise,
physical activity vs. exercise,
sleep: how much do we really need?
walking vs. running; speed vs. strength,
endurance and aging: why exercise matters,
why we age and die,
exercise and diet,
Should we do weights, cardio, or high-intensity training?
Is sitting really the new smoking?
Is BMI really a useful measure?
exercise and disease: obesity, diabetes/metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease (and cholesterol), osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s, depression, and cancer,
immune systems and exercise, and
How much exercise should you get each week?
Daniel E. Lieberman is Edwin M. Lerner Professor of Biological Sciences and professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University. He is the author of the national best seller The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health, and Disease. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The Michael Shermer Show 
