this one sport that is superior to every other sport and exercise in the world. Running. The older I get the more benefits I seem to be reaping from a life time of running. Forget the bodybuilding gym rats or the 300lb fat football players. They have nothing on lean runners, swimmers, cyclists, skiiers, etc.
Humans have a pretty remarkable ability to run with endurance. We kinda evolved that way. In fact, although most animals can EASILY outrun humans in the short run, hunters can run so long they could exhaust many animals and just take them for food (especially if the animal was initially injured with a simple weapon, first). This is enhanced because humans can sweat- cooling the body for long periods.
Which brings up the human/cat/dog thing.... cats have physiology closer to humans [than dogs] in many ways, but in some ways they are very different. One is that they have tons and tons of fast-twitch muscle. So they have incredible explosive speed, strength, and energy, far exceeding humans and dogs. But the price is they exhaust quickly and have to rest. Dogs are slower but can keep it up a long time. Humans are even slower and can keep it up even longer. So the hunting styles end up being- cat: mostly solitude ambush/explosive, dog: mostly pack with outlasting, human: pack or solitude ambush with tools then outlasting.
Anyway, running has tons of benefits from muscle-building to aerobic exercise that builds heart and lungs. The down side is that it can put a lot of wear on the knees and other joints... some say jogging is even worse. Fast walking seems to be recommended as the "ideal" exercise, especially if combined with arm weights. Not as aerobic as running, but less stress on the joints.
