A WEIRDo's Guide to Exercise

Road to Resilience

If you live in a WEIRD society—Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic—chances are you aren't getting enough exercise. And it's not because you're bad or lazy; it's because you're normal. On this episode, Harvard paleoanthropologist Daniel E. Lieberman, PhD, explains how evolution designed humans to avoid unnecessary physical activity, i.e. "exercise" in the Western sense. In his new book, "Exercised," he busts 10 common myths about sleep, sitting, and physical activity, using the latest scientific research. If you've ever wondered whether sitting is the new smoking, or if you're getting enough sleep or exercising enough, this episode is for you.

Dr. Lieberman is the Edwin M. Lerner II Professor of Biological Sciences in the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University.
Help shape the future of Road to Resilience by taking our listener survey.
Links:

• "Exercised" by Daniel E. Lieberman, PhD
• Mount Sinai Orthopedics Division of Sports Medicine
• Rehabilitation and Human Performance at Mount Sinai
• Sports Medicine Fellowship at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Visit https://www.mountsinai.org/clinical-trials to see if you're eligible to enroll in a clinical trial with the Mount Sinai Health System.

Check out more episodes of Road to Resilience —as well as guest pictures, transcripts, and more— on the Mount Sinai website.
Road to Resilience brings you stories and insights to help you thrive in a challenging world. From fighting burnout and trauma to building resilient families, we explore what’s possible when science meets the human spirit.