Work Vs. Play: Purposeful Movement in the Neolithic

I'm making an effort to remove the word 'workout' from my vocabulary. I dismiss it not because of the blatant etymology ('work'), but because the word is symptomatic of an unnatural paradigm, a man-made way of thinking about fitness.

Let's begin with the evolutionary role of exercise. Relocating, hunting, gathering, fighting, and building shelter were all forms of necessary work in the paleolithic. Our species likely performed rituals and played, but raw physical labor was the bulk of exercise. It was stressful, dangerous, and most important: vital to survival.

We may crave vigorous exercise for the very reason that it was part of our ancestry, but that's another matter, because those activities are no longer vital to our survival. We now live in modern times. Farmers hunt and gather for us and specialists build our houses. These paleolithic activities have been replaced with our own man-made professional specializations that arose with the development of civilization. Thus, there is no need to mimic the stress or danger of intense physical exercise. We have the opportunity instead to replace aspects of work with the ample benefits of play.

I grant that vigorous exercise has a place in a healthy fitness pyramid, but some contemporary fitness enthusiasts push too hard. They stress their bodies, their minds, and ultimately their spirits by succumbing to unnatural motivators: hyper-hierarchy, elitism, and the excesses of competition.

Why explore natural movement or natural diet without pursuing natural purpose for that movement?

I was a Division I athlete at the college level, rowing for Santa Clara University. By all means, we engaged in high-level training two and sometimes three times per day. I fought hard with my body to overcome barriers, win personal records, and get the edge over the competition. I want to be clear that I understand the drive to excel, the thrill of victory, and the pride of accomplishment. But these things come at a terrible price.

During my period of competition, I developed a back and shoulder problem that persists to this day. I slept little due to early wakeup times and worried constantly about my performance. Our boat lost more than it won, as will always be the case when multiple competitors means only one winner. That period of my life stands as a time when I was unhealthy, unhappy, and blind to my long-term needs.

Not long after competition, I developed an autoimmune disease that requires constant management of inflammatory response. It's unrelated to competition, but it's what affirmed the validity of the paleo diet (almost overnight), the discovery of which was the beginning of my transformation into a happy, healthy human being.