Baby, We Were Born to Run

To borrow a lyric from the Boss, baby we were born to run or at least walk and recently I have begun to make a concerted effort to do more in this area. Research shows regular exercise bestows huge health benefits and the two biggest killing diseases, heart disease and cancer, are correlated to a lack of just that, regular exercise. So I've been reading about how some evolutionary biologists have figured out that the way we hold our heads still while running for gaze stabilization is one of the contributing factors to why were born to run, I mean how we evolved into great runners. The ability to run was a key advantage for persistence hunters who had to run long distances chasing animals. And the animals (mostly the four legged type, prey) that had to cool their bodies by panting were at a disadvantage because they can’t gallop and pant at the same time, so with our running advantage we could catch them. We aren't the only predators that run with gaze stabilization, but it helped keep us at the top of the food chain. So why choose the escalator over the stairs or the sugary snack over the veggie? There is probably a deeply rooted evolutionary instinct for that too but for now it’s time I make a conscious effort to act in my own self-interest and get off the couch (or out of this desk chair and away from this computer) and go for healthier choices. I did scare up an armadillo on a trail in Crooked River State Park the other day, but thankfully we both got away. Wonder if I’ll run into him again today?