Not long ago, we humans could not help but get plenty of exercise. We had to hunt and spend long hours in the fields to obtain our food. We had to chop wood to heat our homes and carry fresh water from the well or the river. Travel was by foot or horseback and almost any task involved physical labor. Perhaps most significant, we did not have televisions or computers to keep us inactive and entertained for hours at a time.
While many studies have demonstrated a higher rate of obesity in westernized countries, much of the focus has been on the dietary changes associated with our mechanized cultures. But, while the excessive intake of sodas and cheeseburgers and donuts should raise concerns about our nutrition, it is, in my opinion, a less significant factor in the modern scourge of obesity than is our sedentary lifestyle.
Today, almost every technological advancement is designed to make our lives easier. We may take our morning or evening stroll to get some exercise but most of our day is spent in cars, elevators and desk chairs. Even farmers and construction workers have a wide range of machinery and tools that limit their physical labor. Then, at the end of the day, exhausted and stressed, we plop in front of the television for several hours of mindless entertainment, getting up for a snack during commercial breaks.
