How your surroundings shape you
This is a topic which we have touched upon, indirectly, many times in the past. We believe that exercise and general fitness isn’t something that you can do three times a week and expect great results. You’re a product of your actions and the “expectations” of your surroundings.
We modern humans have successfully removed most difficulties from our environment and our lives. We seldomly have to do any heavy lifting or serious cardio. You’re never too hot or too cold and you don’t need to exert yourself to get food or shelter.
We look at a movie like Wall-E and see the depiction of our distant relatives and laugh because it’s a funny portrayal of the future human species who have been on a cruise holiday for generations and are now fat and are unable to do the simplest of tasks—like walking. These people are mindlessly floating around in their chairs, watching the screen in front of them—reactively deciding if this month’s hot color is blue or red.
If we take a step back and look at the physical attributes and capabilities of our forefathers and then compare us to them—then a bleak thought starts to manifest itself. The general population in the west is probably closer to the dystopic future of Wall-E than to the physicality of our forefathers.
When we write about topics like:
Microworkouts
Breathing
Meditation
Cold exposure
Warm exposure
Greasing the groove
Eating whole foods
Fasting
It’s all an expression of the same concern. A concern about us humans—we seem to be broken. When you go to the beach, you see that we humans have become softer, heavier and less capable. But how does this relate to our strategies?
Well, these strategies are all things that our ancestors did naturally because their environment demanded it of them. We have successfully removed most of the challenges and our descendants depicted in Wall-E will successfully remove the rest—and we as a species will pay the price.
“So, coffee talkers… do you hate comfort and technology” you might ask. “No, my imaginary but sophisticated interlocutor.” We love the modern lifestyle, and all of the opportunities it brings with it. But it is important to acknowledge that we humans are a product of the imposed demands of our surroundings—and that’s why we need to try to emulate the hardships of previous generations. The strategies in the bullet points above work well because they rely on stuff that has shaped us, humans, in the epochs before us.
Our physiology hasn’t changed, but we have changed our surroundings and the foods we eat.
So, what should we do? Well, let’s revisit our beloved list
Microworkouts: Why? Because our ancestors moved throughout the day, and so should we. Four shorter workouts before each meal and an afternoon snack even mimics the hunting/gathering and then eating cycle of our ancestors.
Breathing: Why? Because the modern world is designed to stress us out, and a physiological symptom of stress is shallow chest breathing through the mouth. Any kind of breathwork that focuses on deep belly breathing through the nose is a powerful antidote.
Meditation: Why? Because our minds our conditioned to race from one thought to the next, enforcing a universal attention deficit disorder. Taking the time to meditate is a medicinal break from these racing thoughts and re-introduces us to the moment.
Cold exposure: Why? Because around-the-clock personalized climate control has made us soft and unchallenged. A cold shower helps us get comfortable with the uncomfortable and transfers to handling other stressful situations in our lives. It’s also a great mood booster—and a quick glance at statistics of how many people are on antidepressants is ample evidence that we could all use a regular mental boost.
Warm exposure: Why? In addition to the above reasons for cold exposure, research shows that warm exposure increases our levels of heat shock proteins that inhibit inflammation and make healthy cells stronger by protecting them against disease and injury.
Greasing the groove: Why? Because no pain, no gain is a lie. We don’t have to whack ourselves in each training session, and in fact we shouldn’t. Building up a volume of “good reps” throughout the day, weeks, months, and years is what makes you better, stronger, healthier, and injury-free.
Eating whole foods: Why? Because ultra-processed foods are killing us. They are the fuel for every chronic disease that plagues our planet. As Hippocrates said, “Let food be thy medicine, and let medicine be thy food.” And they didn’t have Twinkies back then. He’s talking about real food that doesn’t have a list of ingredients.
Fasting: Why? Because periods of fasting were a completely natural part of life for our ancestors. The body uses a lot of energy to digest food. When we give it a break once in a while, it can focus on other things more effectively like fighting disease.
So, change your surroundings—and see how the new ones shape a new you.
Until next time
Scott & Lennart