The Running Monkey

That's right folks, we're the monkey that runs.

Great article was passed on to me from Dan from the Globe & Mail. It reports that from an evolutionary standpoint, modern man is a product of several million years of natural selection for endurance running - explains the whole hairless, sweaty thing we've got going, and the big booty to boot!

Two observations I found interesting.

1. If man is evolved to perform at peak efficiency when exposed to a high level of regular vigorous physical activity, ie, daily exercise, what are the consequences of becoming a modern 'couch potato'?

See Obesity in the dictionary and then look up Diabetes and Heart Disease...

2. A comment that running is an 'inexpensive' sport because all you need is a 'pair of shoes'.

I choked when I read number 2, snorting hot coffee through my nose, and even though my nasal passages have cooled somewhat, I still have a tendency to burst into something approaching maniacal laughter when I think about it again...

Without further ado -

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060527.
RUNNING27/TPStory/?query=running