The science of human physical activity and fitness is ripe for a novel
theoretical framework that can integrate the ecological, genetic,
physiological and psychological factors that influence physical activity
in humans. Physical inactivity dominates most developed nations around
the world, and is among the leading causes of disease burden and death
worldwide. Despite the wide array of physical and mental health
benefits, few people get the recommended level of physical activity to
achieve these benefits. Current research on physical activity has not,
as of yet, been successful for the development of effective exercise
interventions. Several researchers have advocated a more integrative
approach that takes evolutionary history into account, but such a
framework has yet to be advanced. To that aim, the first goal of this
book is to present a comprehensive evolutionary and life history
framework that highlights the domain-specific aspects of the evolved
psychology and physiology that can lead to a more integrated and
complete understanding of physical activity across the lifespan. It
summarizes and extends previous work that has been done to understand
the ways natural selection has shaped physical activity in humans in
traditional and modern economies and environments. In many ways, humans
are adapted to be physically active. Overall, however, natural selection
has shaped a flexible, but energy conscious system that responds to
environmental and individual costs and benefits of physical activity to
optimally allocate a finite energetic budget across the lifespan. This
system is adapted to respond to cues of resource scarcity and high
levels of obligatory physical activity, and conserves energy to favor
allocation in ways that increase the likelihood of reproductive success
and survival. This nuanced application leads to a more thorough
understanding of the circumstances that natural selection is predicted
to favor both sedentary and active behaviors in predictable ways across
the lifespan.
The second goal of this book is to synthesize and interpret
cross-disciplinary research (from biological and evolutionary
anthropology and psychology; epidemiology; health psychology; and
exercise physiology) that can illuminate original approaches to increase
physical activity in modern, primarily sedentary contexts. This includes
a breakdown of the human lifespan to discuss the predicted costs and
benefits of physical activity at each stage of life in order to
differentiate the obstacles to physical activity and exercise that are
functionally adaptive-or were in the environments that they evolved-and
identifying which factors are more modifiable than others in order to
develop interventions and environments that are more conducive to
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