The model for human physical activity patterns was established not in gymnasia, athletic
fields, or exercise physiology laboratories, but by natural selection acting over
eons of evolutionary experience. This paper examines how evolution has determined
the potential for contemporary human performance, and advances the experience of recently-studied
hunter-gatherers as the best available (although admittedly imperfect) indicator of
the physical activity patterns for which our genetically determined biology was originally
selected. From the emergence of the genus Homo, over 2 million years ago (MYA), until
the agricultural revolution of roughly 10000 years ago our ancestors were hunter-gatherers,
so the adaptive pressures inherent in that environmental niche have exerted defining
influence on human genetic makeup. The portion of our genome that determines basic
anatomy and physiology has remained relatively unchanged over the past 40000 years.
Thus, the complex interrelationship between energy intake, energy expenditure and
specific physical activity requirements for current humans remains very similar to
that originally selected for Stone Age men and women who lived by gathering and hunting.
Research investigating optimal physical activity for human health and performance
can be guided by understanding the evolution of physical activity patterns in our
species.
Key words
Exercise - evolution - fitness - anthropology - health - natural selection - Darwinian
medicine
