Chapter 7: Rest.................................................................................................................
Modern studies reveal a stunning disparity between the amount of free time enjoyed by contempo-
rary hunter-gatherers and by folks in industrialized nations (that’s us). By and large, hunter-gath-
erers have far more leisure time, and they tend to get far more (and better) sleep. It’s a completely
different ballgame when you can live off the land and its bounty, share your “earnings” with a small
band of family members and kinsmen while avoiding rush-hour traffic and the steady accumulation
of consumer electronics. I wouldn’t give the creature comforts or technological advances of our
modern world up for anything, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn certain invaluable lessons from
traditional or ancestral peoples about rest and leisure.
People aren’t machines, after all. We need down time. We need to rest, and we need to relax
and enjoy ourselves. And if you’re Lifting Heavy Things twice a week, sprinting once a week, and
Moving Frequently at a Slow Pace on your off days, your body needs more rest than ever, espe-
cially if you want to make any sort of progress. Whether you’re trying to pack on muscle or just get
fit, you need to do three (equally important) things: exercise, eat, and rest.
80% percent of your genetic potential for body composition is determined by what you eat.
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