How Much Exercise is Too Much Exercise?

Nobody ever wonders if watching TV two hours a day is excessive. And nobody ever calls such a person a fanatic or nut. And nobody ever questions if sitting at a computer at home two hours a day is too much, or calls that person obsessed or fanatical or nuts. So what about hours of exercise? Exercise every day? Lots of running or lots of lifting weights?

When you hear that a person spends two hours every day at the gym, right away, most people think this person is overdoing it, is a fitness freak, or is compulsive. Now why is that?

Did you know that in ancient times, cavemen spent two hours a day (or some small amount of time, give or take) just sitting around? The rest of the time caveman was moving, in the name of survival. Think about that for a moment. Cavemen relied on legs for covering every distance. He also relied on his legs for communication; no phones, no text messaging, no e-mail. Every time a caveman wanted to say something, he'd have to walk if the recipient was out of hearing range.

The cavemen -- and cavewomen -- were constantly using their hands: no dishwashers, laundry machines, vacuum cleaners or food processors. We evolved for constant movement.

But as more and more things were invented, man became increasingly sedentary. So now, it's "normal" to be in a seated position 15 hours a day (at work, driving, at home), while machines do our work for us. Good grief. Have we accepted the sedentary lifestyle as the norm?

So when a person spends two hours every day in the gym, they are viewed as some kind of oddball by people who like the sedentary lifestyle. But ironically, two hours a day of exercise STILL falls short of what our bodies were evolved to do! Do you think cavemen spent only two hours a day in physical exertion? If early man could see us now, he'd think WE were nuts for spending so much time sitting around and moving only our fingertips.