Everyone knows by now that physical activity is good for you, right? I don't think that is a controversial statement.

But despite this widespread awareness, research suggests that most of us fail to get the dose of physical activity that we need to achieve optimal health and well-being. This is, of course, in large part because the modern environment is optimized for maximal convenience, and for sitting and working at a computer all day. So we are all confronting this dilemma every day.

In these courses, we discuss how physical activity patterns have changed throughout history, and how the relative absence of movement undermines our health, performance, and longevity. We also explore the physical activity of our ancient ancestors and modern-day hunter-gatherers, to gain insight into “natural” patterns of physical activity for which we evolved.

Finally, we try to determine how much physical activity most of us need in order to be healthy and provide insight on how you can integrate more exercise and more movement into your day.