As we get older we are loosing muscle mass. We thus think it's normal we should be more sedentary as we get older. But no:<ul><li>It's not a given we should exercise less if we get older. A lot of the older hunter gatherers are active until they die. </li><li>Activity and muscle training is how you remain active until later in life. The less you move and train the sooner your motor functions will disappear. </li></ul>

Strength train harder as you get older

Our ancestors did around 15k steps a day. A modern human does about 4k, but 80% of the people in the US are doing way less than that. We should run more often and do it better. The idea we are destroying our joints while running is mostly a myth. Done correctly frequent running helps us maintain our mobility longer, not the other way around.

Running is important

As I get older I am more interested in ways of extending my health-span. This advice is basic but we usually miss the basic things. 

Exercise culture is crazy. But what you need to do is exceedingly simple. Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/c/bigthink Up Next ► Does exercise enhance creativity? https://youtu.be/1QOfkqIKfyw We hold many misconceptions about exercise. For example, we believe our ancestors were incredibly strong, or that there is a tradeoff between speed and strength. The worst myth is that it’s normal to be less physically active as you get older. But modern hunter-gatherers remain physically active as they age. Humans need about 150 minutes of exercise per week to be healthy, but 80% of us aren’t getting even that. A good solution is simply walking more. Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/explain-it-like-im-smart/exercise-myths/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Daniel Lieberman: Daniel Lieberman is Edwin M. Lerner II Professor of Biological Sciences and a professor of the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. He received degrees from Harvard and Cambridge, and taught at Rutgers University and George Washington University before joining Harvard University as a Professor in 2001. He is a member of American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Lieberman loves teaching and has published over 150 peer-reviewed papers, many in journals such as Nature, Science, and PNAS, as well as three popular books, The Evolution of the Human Head (2011), The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health and Disease (2013), and Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do is Healthy and Rewarding (2020). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Read more of our stories on exercise: When is the best time to exercise? ► https://bigthink.com/health/when-best-time-exercise/ This molecule may be the “secret sauce” of exercise — but it won’t work as a pill ► https://bigthink.com/health/lac-phe-exercise-pill/ How exercise changes your brain biology and protects your mental health ► https://bigthink.com/health/neurobiology-of-exercise/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Big Think | Smarter Faster™ ► Big Think The leading source of expert-driven, educational content. With thousands of videos, featuring experts ranging from Bill Clinton to Bill Nye, Big Think helps you get smarter, faster by exploring the big ideas and core skills that define knowledge in the 21st century. ► Big Think+ Make your business smarter, faster: https://bigthink.com/plus/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Want more Big Think? ► Daily editorial features: https://bigthink.com/popular/ ► Get the best of Big Think right to your inbox: https://bigthink.com/st/newsletter ► Facebook: https://bigth.ink/facebook ► Instagram: https://bigth.ink/Instagram ► Twitter: https://bigth.ink/twitter

health

Health

exerciseandfitness

Exercise & Fitness

longevity

Longevity

Exercise culture is crazy. But what you need to do is exceedingly simple.

Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/c/bigthink 
Up Next ► Does exercise enhance creativity? https://youtu.be/1QOfkqIKfyw 

We hold many misconceptions about exercise. For example, we believe our ancestors were incredibly strong, or that there is a tradeoff between speed and strength.

The worst myth is that it’s normal to be less physically active as you get older. But modern hunter-gatherers remain physically active as they age.

Humans need about 150 minutes of exercise per week to be healthy, but 80% of us aren’t getting even that. A good solution is simply walking more.

Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/explain-it-like-im-smart/exercise-myths/ 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

About Daniel Lieberman:
Daniel Lieberman is Edwin M. Lerner II Professor of Biological Sciences and a professor of the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. He received degrees from Harvard and Cambridge, and taught at Rutgers University and George Washington University before joining Harvard University as a Professor in 2001. He is a member of American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Lieberman loves teaching and has published over 150 peer-reviewed papers, many in journals such as Nature, Science, and PNAS, as well as three popular books, The Evolution of the Human Head (2011), The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health and Disease (2013), and Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do is Healthy and Rewarding (2020).

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Read more of our stories on exercise: 
When is the best time to exercise?
 ► https://bigthink.com/health/when-best-time-exercise/ 
This molecule may be the “secret sauce” of exercise — but it won’t work as a pill
 ► https://bigthink.com/health/lac-phe-exercise-pill/ 
How exercise changes your brain biology and protects your mental health
 ► https://bigthink.com/health/neurobiology-of-exercise/ 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

About Big Think | Smarter Faster™
► Big Think 
The leading source of expert-driven, educational content. With thousands of videos, featuring experts ranging from Bill Clinton to Bill Nye, Big Think helps you get smarter, faster by exploring the big ideas and core skills that define knowledge in the 21st century. 
► Big Think+
Make your business smarter, faster: https://bigthink.com/plus/

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Want more Big Think?
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