Humans Have Evolved to Stay Active Even in Old Age, New Hypothesis Claims - ScienceAlert

In the modern western world, people tend to reduce their levels of physical activity as they get older.

In a newly published paper, researchers argue it is because we aren't meant to reduce our physical activity as we age at all.

In debunking the myths that human beings in prehistory lived short lifespans and were relatively sedentary, the authors suggest that it may have been the allocation of resources to physical activity over other biological processes that could in fact have helped to prevent certain health issues from arising in the first place. 

In the past, daily physical activity was necessary in order to survive, but today we have to choose to exercise, that is, do voluntary physical activity for the sake of health and fitness," says Liberman