You may not know this about me, but in addition to teaching folks how to move better and regain their health, I also write. I write for all sorts of publications, both local and in other states. Right now, I'm writing a story on local foraging. It's a pretty cool subject, and now I'm very interested.
That's the cool thing about being a writer. You're required to learn new stuff all the time. Unless you're a sucky writer.
Anyway, the other day, I was interviewing this fellow about his foraging habits, thoughts, etc., and he said something that really got me thinking. It went something like this (I recorded it, but am too rushed to sift through the recording):
Humans are hardwired for finding food. So even though we have grocery stores and restaurants, we still like finding something in the wild we can eat. It appeals to some innate sensibility.
So, you're walking through the woods, you spy something red in some bushes, you realize it's an early huckleberry, you get excited and pop it in your mouth.
Me Tarzan, you Jane.
It's in our nature to look for food. Otherwise, how would we survive?
Unfortunately, it's also in our hardwiring to conserve energy. I can't imagine that early man would find a handful of berries and then go do wind sprints and burpees (an exercise that Crossfit seem to be thrilled by).
No, a cave woman would probably eat her meager handful of berries, then amble along, looking for more. Once full, she would rest. It only makes sense. But don't forget, she walked almost all day to find her berries and nuts.
Riddle me this, Batman: If we don't have to look for our own food, but we still have the innate drive to conserve energy, what happens to our health and the size of our asses?
Decline and widen, respectively.
Our American lifestyle is very sedentary, and our towns and cities aren't designed for walking. European villages and cities were built before we had cars and even bikes, so things were closer, and still are. Every three blocks, you can find a butcher, a tailor, a green grocer and a bakery. A church and a school. So you can walk to meet all your needs. I lost 30 pounds when I lived in Europe, and ate like a queen. But I walked everywhere.
I don't walk my kids to school. It's 10 miles away. Even the nearest school is 4 miles, and I don't think they want to get up that early in the morning. Safeway is 7 miles away and one of the places I work is 8 miles away. Yes, I COULD walk there, but I'd be walking the live-long day and dragging a wagon behind me to carry my groceries and library books. It wouldn't leave much time for anything else, and those other things are an advantage of a more leisurely existence--reading, knitting, playing with your kids--so a decision has to be made.
You don't walk to go about your daily life, but you NEED to walk. It's also part of your anatomical hardwiring. Daily walking keeps your systems a 'go'. It keeps you healthy. So if we're not doing it out of necessity, we need to actually make it a priority. That means getting up an hour earlier to walk. Or parking at one end of Winslow and running all your errands on foot. Or, yes, instead of circling for the front row spot, go to the end of the lot and walk.
You can pretend you're searching for berries along the way. It's more fun than pretending to be chased by hungry tigers.
Big kiss,
Dani
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