Summary:

This is a conceptual paper that uses an evolutionary framework to examine exercise and health.

The paper uses evolutionary logic to evaluate whether exercise is medicine and to explain why people tend to avoid exercise despite its benefits.

Rather than presenting empirical data, it synthesizes evidence from evolutionary biology, anthropology, and exercise physiology to argue that humans evolved for regular moderate physical activity but also evolved to avoid unnecessary exertion due to limited energy availability.

Quotes:

Abstract: Energy consumption and unnecessary exertion

• Many lines of evidence indicate that humans evolved to be adapted for regular, moderate amounts of endurance physical activity into late age.
• However, because energy from food was limited, humans also were selected to avoid unnecessary exertion, and most anatomical and physiological systems evolved to require stimuli from physical activity to adjust capacity to demand.