How Exercise Gives Office Workers More Energy

Photo credit: bigstock.com

Photo credit: bigstock.com

It is quite amazing to think about just how different our lifestyles are from those of our ancient ancestors in prehistoric times. Our distant relatives of the past had to wake up each morning and forage or hunt for food with spears, bows, and atlatls.  There was no refrigeration back then, so most foods could not be stored. There was no guarantee that they would succeed, so it was entirely possible that they would go that day without eating, and have to try again tomorrow.

This was the human condition for some 180,000 years. Constant movement and activity. Every day was a contest of endurance and survival. It is what we evolved to do.

Now compare this to how the average person lives today, especially in a developed country. They get up, sit in traffic, and arrive at work where they sit for 8 hours. Then they commute home and sit in front of the television or computer until they go to sleep. It is a lifestyle that is almost entirely sedentary and complemented with a high-sugar diet filed with processed foods and additives.

This is a recipe for disaster with regard to your health. This modern lifestyle of sitting around, rarely exercising, and a constant abundance of high calorie, sugary foods is the reason for the prevalence of obesity, cancer, and other diseases that plague us today.

Our bodies also adhere to the law of inertia in their own way. As Sir Isaac Newton once said: “A body at motion tends to stay in motion.” If you are not used to moving frequently, as is the case with many office workers, your body’s energy levels will adapt to that lower level of exertion and energy. You won’t feel energetic even if you are a big caffeine drinker, because your body does not think there is any reason to be energetic. It has acclimated itself to being lazy.

But regardless of whether you exercise or don’t, we all still need to have energy to get through the day. So what is the solution for people who work jobs that require long periods of sitting down?

It may not be as hard as you think to avoid the problems of a sedentary workstyle.

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