Human Beings are animals. Well at least that’s what you think if you believe in evolution. If not, then I implore you to keep an open mind and read on anyway.
You wouldn’t expect an animal to spend their days sat at an office desk. That’s partly down to their need for the great outdoors, and partly due to their terrible admin skills. The Paleo Diet is a program that looks back to our own animal days, and tells us how and what we should eat, based on how we have evolved. I thought I’d take this general idea and run with it, applying it to exercise. Here are a few things that I puzzled over:
- Jogging? – Who decided that a nice, long, gentle jog was the best way to keep fit? Jogging has obvious benefits. For one, you’re moving. That’s always a good start. It’s also relaxing and is a good test of endurance. But to me, it seems almost unnatural. How often do you see the local wildlife doing their last lap of the block at six in the morning, kitted out in spandex tights and an ipod. My suggestion would be to ramp up the old heart rate and do some High Intensity Interval Training, but that’s a whole different story for another time.
- Rest Days? – Following on from the central “we are animals” idea, where did rest days come from? I can understand that there are a lot of differences here between our lifestyles and exercise regimes and that of a wild animal. The latter clearly get more rest throughout the day, and whereas most people have an intense period of exercise in one hour, animals spread it throughout the day. However, my theory on this is that you should just “listen to your body”. As cliché as that sounds, I believe it’s a good tip. Feel like you’re hurting too much to train? Then don’t. Feel like you could blast out some more bicep curls today? Do it! (However if you worked them hard enough the first time, you shouldn’t feel like you can!)
- Tricep Kickbacks? – Now I have nothing personal against tricep kickbacks , but just what they stand for. A tricep kickback is a funny little exercise that is almost like a reverse bicep curl. However you have to bend your body over so that the straightening part is the part that’s working against gravity (usually in a bicep curl, straightening your arm is the easy part!) Now how often do you find yourself in this position? Were we ever really meant to isolate our muscles in these fantastically inventive ways? My suggestion: Focus on natural movements and bodyweight exercises. By this I mean pushes and pulls, horizontal and vertical. Big, Simple, Compound exercises like these have massive benefits, but that’s yet another story for another time!
If you bothered to read all this, and made it this far, I’m impressed. Not because there was too much to read, but because you endured my writing. Nothing I have talked about here is particularly groundbreaking, nor is it detailed, but I hope it has sparked your interest in a different way of living.
Now go my paleolithic friends! Go live like Cavemen! Cleaner, smarter, less-hairy Cavemen (and women), that wear suits and live in houses.
