Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding

by Daniel E. Lieberman

Adapted from the Latin verb exerceo (to work, train, or practice), the English word “exercise” was first used in the Middle Ages to connote arduous labor like plowing a field.1 While the word has long been used to denote practicing or training to improve skills or health, to be “exercised” also means to be harassed, vexed, or worried about something.

The mantra of this book is that 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.6

65 In these and other cases, genes help load the gun, but environment pulls the trigger.

Make exercise necessary and fun. Do mostly cardio, but also some weights. Some is better than none. Keep it up as you age.