This is not my only blog! In another one (avetsview.co) I examine various features of the human animal. Yes, we are also animals, and we like to overlook that we have evolved from primate stock. Even more importantly, we ignore the fact that it has been only a relatively short time since our ancestors were moving around in small bands, using temporary shelters, and using their innate abilities to obtain food and avoid predators. Our predecessors evolved to be a migrant, thinking, problem-solving species, Homo sapiens, and we are born with the same characteristics. Agriculture, settlement, trade, science and technical innovation have radically changed our lives, but we humans are still structurally the same as those who roamed the African plains and invaded the rest of the world several thousand years ago.
So what does this revelation mean for human health and, in the context of this blog, for keeping healthy in retirement. We need to visualise our earlier ancestors, recalling how she and he moved, fed and behaved, and compare this with how we live now. The comparison will suggest ways in which we could move, eat and behave more healthily. This approach should bring greater benefits than following fashion with a ‘paleo diet’ or counting steps, as it acknowledges and reinforces our basic evolved features.
A few prompts to start you off:
How often and how well do you use your legs and feet? Do you sit most of the day? Our ancestors were frequently on the move to find new food supplies and avoid danger. Do you use your eyes often to see far ahead, and peripherally, or only for close work? Earlier humans needed their distance vision to look for predators, game and food sources. How is your hearing? Do you protect it from damaging noise? The ability to hear subtle sounds and distant calls was essential to early survival. Do you feel encumbered by large numbers of possessions? Migration meant carrying only the essential minimum of tools, weapons and containers. Do you make up stories and sing, especially with children? Songs and stories were the only means of retaining knowledge and educating the young. Have you kept your manipulative skills? Do you maintain your ability to solve problems and create ideas? and so on.
It’s time to think about your evolved human features and look after them. See also avetsview.co
Renaissance not Retirement 