What does energy, endorphins and empathy all have in common? Exercise. According to evolutionary anthropologist and metabolism expert, Herman Pontzer, we evolved to exercise. As we have evolved from ancestors who hunted and mostly gathered for the majority of our existence as homo sapiens, we were made to move in a foraging fashion. Think walking, squatting, climbing, pulling, lifting and walking again while carrying a load. That’s cardio, weight resistance and stretching all in one activity, every day. And the fuel for all this movement was sourced mostly from plants – fruits, nuts, seeds, vegetables, and grains.
Contrary to what many carnivore diet enthusiasts say, our ancestors did not subsist mostly on meat. In fact, they ate mostly plants, including grains, only occasionally being blessed with a successful hunt. So,if you eat only meat, that’s your choice, but don’t justify on evolutionary terms. All of our food is fundamentally a building block for the tissues, fluids and chemical messengers in our bodies, but perhaps most acutely, food is for energy. So, how does exercise effect the efficacy of our food as fuel? As we evolved from single cell organisms to a multicellular holobiont, we engulfed an organelle that descended from bacteria. This organelle became the powerplant of our energy source, the mighty mitochondria.
ENERGY
Mitochondria are grub-like looking organelles inside of our human cells that convert glucose into energy. That means when our mitochondria are functioning well, the food we eat gets transformed into feeling alive so that we can function well. However, many of us live sedentary lives and lack energy, despite eating energy-rich food. In Western countries our largest health issues and causes of mortality are related to too much food, too much stress, and not enough exercise. Think heart disease and diabetes. We now know that, among many other amazing benefits, exercise increases the quality and function of mitochondria. So, if you think you don’t have enough energy to exercise, you need to break through that mental barrier so that you can receive the positive feedback loop of having greater energy.
ENDORPHINS
Perhaps you’ve got aches and pains that prevent you from exercising as much as you’d like. Well, exercise will help ease the pain, both physically and mentally. Obviously not if you have an acute injury or a chronic disability, there are specific ways to recover and move in these circumstances with the support of a physiotherapist or occupational therapist. Beyond this, movement quite literally stimulates our bodies chemical factories to produce our endogenous morphine aka endorphins. Not only does moving our bodies stimulate circulation and give us natural pain relief, but it also gives us a mental high, alleviates stress and allows us to relax more deeply. It’s a win-win thing. What’s even more fascinating is that when we are in less physical pain, we become a kinder human.
EMPATHY
Humans are complex but there are many studies to investigate the relationship between pain and prosocial behaviour. Some studies seem to suggest that when we alleviate our own pain, we become less empathetic towards others in pain. And other studies suggest that prosocial behaviour can help to alleviate pain, specifically trauma. Being in pain reinforces our sedentary behaviours and can also reinforce our antisocial behaviours, both of which would benefit from regular exercise. As with everything, there is nuance. You will know from your own experience, when you are in acute pain you can only focus on yourself and the pain you are in. If someone else tells you about their pain, you are less likely to empathise. However, if you have relief from your pain, you can highly empathise with someone else in pain because you have experienced it too, you can understand what they are going through.
All in all, if there is one epic lifestyle change that you would do well to focus on in this new year to enhance your energy, endorphins and empathy, it’s exercise!
New Year Blessing for 2025!
Chantal x
p.s this article was inspired by the Alien Ward podcast - Ologies with Evolutionary Biologist Herman Pontzer. And the image is not mine, it's by Luciano Spinelli.