Cueva De La Pileta Paleolithic Cave Paintings

Just outside Benaojan lies one of the most spectacular cave systems in Spain, and in the mouth of one, several galleries of cave paintings dating back as much as 30,000 years to paleolithic residents of the Serranía de Ronda, and best of all, the caves are open to the public with a local tour guide to explain the significance of the artwork found.

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Tours often kick off early to the chagrin of tourists who have been told to arrive on time, especially since the door to the cave is barred after a tour starts, and visitors should plan to arrive before 10am and 1pm for the 90 minute tour.

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Pileta sits at 670m above sea level, and the cave entrance around 40m above the road making it a steep walk from the carpark, but inside the cave guests mostly find the experience quite gentle, in fact even people poor condition are able to enjoy the tour though good rubber soles are recommended.

The cave is owned by a local family, the same family who arrange the tours, and even though the caves are now commercialized one would be forgiven for thinking you'd stepped back in time after entering as members in your party are handed paraffin lamps dating back to bandit times.

The caves were rediscovered after hundreds or perhaps thousands of years of being closed off only in 1905 by Jose Bullon Lobato, the man who owned the surrounding land, after he realized that bats in the area were living inside the mountain. Wanting their droppings for fertilizer he was quite surprised to discover pictures on the walls and pottery shards and human bones on the floor of the cave.

Thinking the artifacts were from Moorish times and therefore unremarkable he abandoned his quest until 1911 when a British retired colonel heard of the paintings and decided to take a closer look, and immediately recognized their significance.

Since those times numerous discoveries of animal and human bones dating back more than 30,000 years have been made, and paintings identified that prove the Serranía as being one of the most important crossroads of human migration in Southern Europe.

Paintings to be seen include pictures of cows, birds, deer, dolphins, tortoises, people, fish, and numerous lines that appear to be a form of ancient calendar. The precise meaning of many of the pictures has yet to be deciphered, but this hasn't prevented the owners opening the cave to the public so you too can enjoy seeing what our ancestors wrote on cave walls.

Cueva De La Pileta Paleolithic Cave Paintings

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Paleolithic or "Cave Man" Exercise

We learn a lot about how our body functions by looking at our early ancestors. They spent much of their time gathering food and hunting game. Berries, tree nuts, seeds and game and fish make up their diet. Medical studies show that such a "Paleolithic diet" helps with health and wellness as compared to the heavily processed foods we now eat. But let's expand our understanding of Paleolithic man beyond his diet. How did our ancestors stay physically fit?

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If hunting and gathering were the primary ways Paleolithic man got the food needed to survive, then they engaged in two types of activity: slow, steady, non-strenuous activity, and sudden, maximized effort. Picking berries and chasing a rabbit. At no point in their existence do we see any evidence of moderate, sustained physical activity. They were not doing aerobics or a long, moderate run on a treadmill.

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One of the effects of physical exercise on the body is to release the hormone cortisol. Long term release of cortisol, as in lengthy moderate exercise, ends up breaking down tissue. But with high intensity exercise the body counteracts cortisol by releasing testosterone and anabolic growth hormones. These latter two hormones aid in muscle growth. (It should be noted that women do not need to worry about bulking up, but will instead see toning and firming.)

It is also very important that our body get enough rest to rebuild the muscle tissue. Our early ancestors did not have electric lighting to artificially cut into their sleep patterns. Rest is key for the proper hormones to be released that cause the body to rebuild itself.

Exercise also needs to mimic the natural range of motion of what the body is designed to do. This prevents over-extension and tearing which may lead to tearing and sprain type injuries. Exercise should be based on natural movements that are faster or have more resistance than typical. Sprinting and lifting a barbell come to mind as examples of natural movement exercises.

Looking at our Paleolithic ancestors, we find an excellent blue-print of a workout program that will provide whole-body fitness, prevent injury, and maximize health. High intensity, natural motion exercises coupled with plenty of rest are what the body needs.

You can read a longer analysis of these principles at http://www.completecarewellnesscenter.com/a_common_sense_paleolithic_approach_to_exercise.php

Paleolithic or "Cave Man" Exercise

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