We Are Living Against Our Biology · The Long Game Health

We Are Living Against Our Biology

Most people know movement is important but what’s interesting is that our bodies were literally designed for it! For thousands of years, humans survived through physical effort: walking, carrying, climbing, hunting, building... Movement wasn’t 'exercise', it was life.

Now we’ve built a world where we can spend almost the entire day sitting: working seated, driving seated, staring at our phones seated, relaxing seated. The problem is not just aesthetics or fitness (this is important because many people still see training as something purely aesthetic) ... Our biology hasn’t caught up with our lifestyle.

Back in the 1950s, epidemiologist Jerry Morris studied more than 30,000 London transport workers. He compared bus drivers, who spent most of the day sitting, with conductors, who were constantly moving through the buses. Same company. Similar schedules. Similar demographics. The major difference? Movement!

The results were clear: workers with more daily physical activity had significantly lower rates of cardiovascular disease and lower mortality risk. Simple, but powerful.

Today we also add ultra-processed food, chronic stress, alcohol, smoking, lack of sleep and lack of social support or meaningful relationships... And then we wonder why energy, health, and quality of life decline over time.

Exercise is not punishment and it's not optional optimization either. It’s one of the most fundamental biological signals our body expects to receive. You don’t need perfection but your body needs movement more than your mind thinks it does.

What’s currently the biggest challenge for you when it comes to staying active consistently?

Lack of time or energy

Lack of discipline or consistency

My work/lifestyle is too sedentary

Other reason(s)

Staying active is not a challenge for me

3 votes

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