

Modern man a wimp says anthropologist - cwan
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE59D0BR20091014

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bootload
_"... We are so inactive these days and have been since the industrial
revolution really kicked into gear," McAllister replied. These people were
much more robust than we were. ..._

Generalisation but I tend to agree as I go off and do my 970/1000Km pt this
year in an experiment in failure. I want to see how hard I can repeatedly push
myself before I crack, 10Km at a time. Haven't yet. The insights have some
implications for motivation, completion of tasks and failure.

 _"... The human body is very plastic and it responds to stress. We have lost
40 percent of the shafts of our long bones because we have much less of a
muscular load placed upon them these days. 'We are simply not exposed to the
same loads or challenges that people were in the ancient past and even in the
recent past so our bodies haven't developed. Even the level of training that
we do, our elite athletes, doesn't come close to replicating that. ..."_

The question is do you want to? I know people in trades, hard manual labour do
this kind of level of exercise and work. The mulsular-skeltal system simply
wears out. You're fitter but more worn out.

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DanielBMarkham
I think a healthy lifestyle involves you always pushing the limits of what you
thought you could do -- physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually.

Activity for activity's sake isn't necessarily a good thing (although there is
some truth to the notion that you feel better after strenuously doing
something, anything) the lack of any external movement, combined with
emotional challenges from games, movies, and such, mean that we've got these
bodies made for running around and physically stimulating ourselves yet we're
pushing them to sit still and run on artificially-induced stress.

Not a good thing.

~~~
bootload
_"... Activity for activity's sake isn't necessarily a good thing ..."_

Good point you need a purpose but I figure when I leave this earth I'm going
in a well used, experienced and smashed up body. To get the best out of things
you really have to push it. I train x-country ~
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/sets/72157594284549274...](http://www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/sets/72157594284549274/)
&
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/sets/72157621928042355...](http://www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/sets/72157621928042355/)

 _"... lack of any external movement, combined with emotional challenges from
games, movies, and such, mean that we've got these bodies made for running
around and physically stimulating ourselves yet we're pushing them to sit
still and run on artificially-induced stress. ..."_

Agreed. You fair much better physically hard psychologically. The thing I've
most noted is this takes time in _modern_ lifestyles. Who else takes out at
least 2hrs/day to do this? For bench warmers this is what it takes minimum to
get optimum benefit.

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DanielBMarkham
Great pictures.

Along with stressing yourself in various ways, I think getting outside is a
natural part of being human too. No matter how great a shape you get into,
there's always something artificial about the gym.

~~~
bootload
_"... No matter how great a shape you get into, there's always something
artificial about the gym. ..."_

Better air, less people.

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balding_n_tired
1\. Modern US infantrymen patrol with gear that must be damn near 50%
bodyweight if not more. As for the Roman legionaries, who set up a fortified
camp every night, a marathon and a half? On the very rare forced march, maybe.
As a matter of practice, no.

2\. Didn't the Tutsis have a mound that they launched from?

~~~
bootload
_"... Modern US infantrymen patrol with gear that must be damn near 50%
bodyweight if not more. As for the Roman legionaries, who set up a fortified
camp every night, a marathon and a half? ..."_

USMC require individuals to be able to march 50Miles in battle order per day.
Don't know for how long they can keep this up for. But to give you an idea how
far people can be pushed the best time for the in Melbourne is 100Km/h (62 Ml)
for a team of four to traverse the course is 10 hours and 35 minutes, over
rough terrain. They must be pretty fit because the "Queen's Gurkha Signals
Regiment HK" team ran it 11 hours 27 minutes in 2003 ~
[http://www2.oxfam.org.au/trailwalker/Melbourne/about/history...](http://www2.oxfam.org.au/trailwalker/Melbourne/about/history.aspx)

