You would be best placed to google the various studies done on palaeo bones, levels of activity etc. The evidence from the bones shows beyond doubt that palaeo peoples experienced extremely high levels of physical activity, much, much higher than anything since. Beyondveg.com/Cordain etc. all point out that palaeo peoples all had bones which were the equivalent of modern athletes re phsyical activity or better.

 

Of course, it's not only in palaeo times that people were stronger and faster. There was that trireme study which tried to emulate the rowing-speeds of the Ancient Greeks. Despite strenuous efforts by modern Olympic rowers in a specially built trireme, they simply couldn't beat the record set by ordinary Athenian rowers thousands of years ago.

 

Geoff

 







 
> Date: Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:07:14 +0000
> From: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Hunter-gatherer activity levels
> To: [log in to unmask]
> 
> Hello all:
> 
> I am trying to answer a question posed by a non-paleo eater regarding the amount of physical activity a hunter-gathering person may have had daily. 
> 
> My friend posited that the reason a hunter-gatherer was fit and could metabolize a mainly protein/fat diet was because their daily life required the expenditure of massive calories, and that their metabolism was therefore honed to that specific diet. She further questioned my daily activity levels, which honestly are not very high - certainly nothing compared to a paleo hunter. In fact, I strongly dislike organized exercise and refuse to participate in it. I walk, I garden, I play concert piano and organ 3-4 hours a day...I don't ride a bike or lift weights. I do hike infrequently, and swim when the opportunity presents itself.
> 
> I have lost quite a bit of weight eating paleo, and no longer require oral diabetes medication for my type II diabetes. 
> 
> But to bring it back to my question: do you suppose paleo people were intensely active everyday? My thought was that they were "intensely" active while hunting and processing food stuffs, and all other times were less active so as to conserve energy. 
> 
> Thank you!
> 
> Trish
> Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
 		 	   		  
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