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WHY IS IT SO HARD TO EXERCISE?

Writer's picture: KONTENT KARTELKONTENT KARTEL


Have you ever wondered why it is so hard for us to exercise? Most people are most likely going to say that it’s due to lack of time, too much obligations, too stressed out, lack of motivation, no facilities nearby, or that exercise is hard work or it isn’t fun. Maybe these might be part of the reason but the core reason might be engrained in our genes and DNA.


Our brain has evolved with a default mode of conserving energy. This trait likely developed as a survival mechanism in environments where resources were scarce. Historically, conserving energy helped our ancestors survive during periods of food scarcity by prioritizing essential activities, such as finding food, reproducing, and avoiding predators, over unnecessary energy expenditure.


This evolutionary tendency can make exercise feel counterintuitive or effortful for many people. The brain’s reward systems are wired to prioritize immediate gratification and energy-saving activities, like resting, rather than activities that require significant effort, like exercise.


Then you would ask that since exercise keeps us fit and strong which will enable us to escape predators, hunt, gather food more effectively for survival, and makes us healthy for life longevity, why did the brain evolve by choosing the path of energy conservation as opposed to exercise and keeping us fit and strong?


Immediate Survival vs. Long-Term Benefits

Evolution tends to prioritize behaviors that offer immediate survival advantages rather than long-term health benefits. Energy conservation directly supports survival by preserving calories, especially in times of scarcity. While exercise provides long-term benefits, such as improved fitness and longevity, these are not immediately critical in a survival context. The brain’s focus on immediate needs (like food and safety) outweighed the advantages of long-term health.


Daily Activity was Enough

Early humans were not sedentary in the modern sense, but they didn’t exercise for the sake of it. Their physical activity came from necessary tasks like hunting, gathering, and escaping predators. These bursts of activity were sufficient to maintain fitness levels needed for survival. After meeting their basic needs, resting conserved energy for the next essential task. There was no evolutionary incentive to engage in additional physical activity for its own sake.


Energy Scarcity and Efficiency

For most of human history, food was not consistently available. Energy conservation helped ensure survival during periods of scarcity. Engaging in unnecessary physical exertion could have led to exhaustion or starvation. The brain evolved to reward energy-efficient behaviors, like resting when food was scarce, rather than promoting constant physical activity.


The Risk of Overexertion

Engaging in too much physical activity without sufficient energy intake posed risks, such as injury, exhaustion, or death. By conserving energy when unnecessary, the body avoided these dangers. Rest allowed early humans to recover and repair their bodies, ensuring they could perform essential tasks when needed.


The Evolutionary Context of Longevity

Longevity wasn’t as significant a factor in evolutionary terms as reproductive success. Most early humans didn’t live long enough to experience the chronic diseases that modern exercise helps prevent. Energy conservation during reproductive and prime survival years was a more pressing concern than the long-term benefits of staying active.



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