Why run? Humans evolved to do just that!

I don’t go out on the road these days and run the way I used to a few years ago. But when I get on the elliptical and get it cranked up to my highest level of resistance, I still get a good feeling!  I’m really getting my legs and body working with a rhythm and my mindset is focused on succeeding in this short and determined effort to maintain my level of fitness. I like it and it’s comfortable. It’s as if my body and legs are back doing what they like to do!

Born to Run, A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the Word Has Never Seen, by Christopher McDougall (2011) is a fascinating book that includes a terrific account of the evolutionary process that Homo sapiens went through to become who are today.

I’ve always thought that everyone should try to be fit.  It’s within almost everyone’s reach and they only have to spend a little time at it each day.  There’s a very wide range of exercises to choose from and the ones I’ve chosen suit my objectives. There are certainly other ways and there may be better ways. But for me and my lifestyle what I have chosen seems to work for me. You too will find a routine that you like and one that works best for you.

I’ve always thought that everyone should try to be fit.  It’s within almost everyone’s reach and they only have to spend a little time at it each day.                        

I’m in my 90s and healthy enough to continue this exercise program that I began decades ago. I’m able to write all these blogs, cook a meal when I have to, make small repairs around the house, and I like to talk to people about all sorts of things, and above all I like to play with my grandkids. So, this routine I have come up with seems to work for me. And the fact that it includes an aerobic activity -- the elliptical machine -- is what I think makes it a real honest exercise program. It’s the closest thing to real running that I could find but without joint stress. It’s a low impact exercise and gives a full body workout.

I was rereading a book the other day that provides an interesting theory about why we as humans like to run and it’s a bit surprising. It’s Born to Run, A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the Word Has Never Seen, by Christopher McDougall, published in 2011. Towards the back of the book in Chapter 28 the author describes the evolutionary process that he believes we as humans aka Homo sapiens went through to become who are today.

I mention this book because I’ve been asked if heredity or genes has helped me along the way.  I really don’t think so, but there may be something more basic that has helped and I would guess it might actually be due to genes. Ancient genes. In the book, Born to Run, the author states that we as humans are unique in that we of all the species in the animal kingdom have evolved through the evolutionary cycle with the ability to run and can continue running for hours (not real fast but still a good pace) if necessary, all the while maintaining a healthy body temperature. 

Furry creatures can’t do that not even monkeys and chimps. Humans can outrun horses and dogs. Imagine that! There is a theory that humans evolved as running animals and we still have certain key features that scientists have determined show that we evolved over the millennia into efficient runners.

The author of Born to Run describes this fascinating process and I think that he believes that humans today all have a few genes remaining from this evolutionary process that makes running quite a natural thing for many of us to do! Other creatures on earth can’t run for extended periods like we do. It’s a fascinating book and a real page turner!

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Born to Run, A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the Word Has Never Seen, by Christopher McDougall (2011)

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This is a fascinating book! You can order your own copy by clicking here. It's definitely worth reading!

I'm 92 now, and work out on an elliptical exercise machine. This picture shows me in my fifties, jogging in Trinidad. I enjoyed running everywhere I went and in any kind of weather.