Longer legs are more efficient, doesn’t work for me

jhay — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 23:54:05 +0000

Here’s an interesting bio news: Long Legs are More Efficient, According to New Math Model

Herman Pontzer, Ph.D., associate professor of physical anthropology in Arts & Sciences, has developed a mathematical model which shows that having longer legs mean less force production and lower energy cost.

This would be the work of evolution, which is also invoked by Dr. Pontzer, if an organism would have to walk great distances during its lifetime, it would develop legs suited to that way of life, long legs. That’s why most animals in the open grasslands of Africa are long legged; cheetahs, giraffes, lions, gazelles, etc. That same is true in the other parts of the world where there are vast expanse of space to go around on.

We humans are among those with long legs, those of us who are taller than the rest, say at least 5 feet and 6 inches tall naturally have longer legs and that’s a good thing according to Dr. Pontzer when it comes to walking around.

This would be another good reason why people should walk if it’s humanly possible, instead of taking a car, it cuts back on the pollution to the atmosphere and it’s healthier, walking after all is one of the best forms of exercise.

There’s one thing that gets me wondering though, as I may be an exception to this newly established scientific fact. If longer legs are more efficient, how come Iâ€™m still thin? I’m 5 feet 7 inches tall, obviously I have longer legs compared to others, and I do most of my short-distance traveling on foot. Friends even have trouble walking with me because I walk fast, faster than the average person. So following Dr. Pontzer’s observations, my morphology should allow me to save up on energies to be used in other activities and bodily functions. That energy if not used, instead becomes stored energy in the form of adipose tissue, or fat, blubber, even man-boobs in Ade’s language.

Sadly, that’s not the case for me. For I am still thin. So where does the energy my more efficient long legs supposedly spared for me to save for other use? Oh yeah, I do too many things for someone of my age, but that’s another story.

The Four-eyed Journal » exercise

Longer legs are more efficient, doesn’t work for me