5 Ancient Guidelines We Should Follow Today

If you’re like me, you have the option of being able to sit inside all day long every day—doing, in terms of physical activity, pretty much nothing. DO NOT EXERCISE THIS OPTION. Our pre-agrarian ancestors did not have this choice; they moved around quite a bit on a very regular basis. You don’t have to join a CrossFit gym to approximate ancestral exercise regimens, although that certainly could do the trick, but we all need to do something. Our modern world is so mismatched from our ancestral environments in terms of required exercise that things like obesity and Type-II diabetes, our “diseases of civilization,” are way more common in our "modern" states than in nomadic societies. Run, hike, climb, ski, swim, bike, skate, lift weights, and, like our ancestors did in the African Savanna, do this regularly, as if your life depends on it and as if you had no choice! Guess what? For the lion’s share of your hominid ancestors, their lives did depend on such exercise and they had NO CHOICE! These were the conditions that the human body evolved to match.
4. Develop an evolutionarily appropriate eating regimen.
Instead of resolving to lose 15 pounds (or whatever amount you might think is right for you), resolve to treat your body the way it evolved to be treated—surrounded by natural food offerings. Human food has been cooked for thousands of generations (and our GI tract tells a story consistent with this), but, beyond cooking, the foods of our ancestors received very little in the way of processing—there were no Cocoa Puffs in the savanna 100,000 years ago. Want a simple dietary resolution that works, and is based on the keen insights of modern evolutionary science? Stay away from processed foods—those that would not have been in existence before the dawn of agriculture. Grains, breads, baked goods, cheeses, dairy products—it's all post-agriculture, and our bodies simply did not evolve under conditions in which this stuff existed.
3. Be kind to your mate, children, and pets.
Being kind, or selfless, in general is not a bad rule to live by—many key religions have figured this out. But if you’ve only got so much kindness to go around, I strongly suggest that you focus on your mate, children, and pets—the ones we live with day-in and day-out. Kindness to mates helps cultivate a strong bond that benefits a family across decades of thick and thin. Kindness to one’s kids helps them learn kindness ways from your modeling, and from the positive feelings about themselves that they can carry with them. And kindness to Fido will be paid back—when your pet greets you with that "You really are the best human ever—I mean it!” thing that he does when you walk in the door.
2. Keep your kin connections strong.  
Connections with kin were absolutely critical for the success of our ancestors—our entire social systems are based on such connections. Today, our kin are scattered all over—and you’re probably thinking, “Who has time to call?” Well, you do! Make the time. Call your mom in Florida, your dad in Jersey, your brother in LA. There are few things as evolutionarily important as kinship when it comes to being a human. Don’t blow it! Get on your phone or your Skype—whatever you’ve got—and call your family. And then make plans to see them regularly and patch up any rough spots among them. Life is too short—and our ancestors surely had to get beyond intra-familial squabbles in order to survive.
1. Show your love to those whom you love.
Love is a critical and complex human emotion that has helped keep individuals close to others who hold their interests in both minds and hearts. Having such loved and loving individuals in your life surely has benefits for you and your family as you navigate life.