Ever Wondered: When Did Exercise Start?

When did exercise start? That is not a question that is easy to answer, although many people wonder about it. Although we are left guessing as to the details, we can be sure that it has been around since men started trying to escape from wild animals. Nowadays we have to incorporate exercise into our lives to remain healthy as an end in itself. We get active without concentrating too much on how the process started.

However, the first documented exercisers were the Greeks. Their “Healthy mind in a healthy body, ” philosophy is something that kept their culture stable for so long. But in recent years, exercise has grown in popularity to the point of being an obsession. What is the recent history of this activity?

When the nineteenth century was drawing to a close, a renewed interest in physical activity, from a health standpoint, began to emerge. Several doctors made it their top priority to research this subject. They wanted to know how physical activity, and the lack of it, affected people.

Many people attribute the beginning of the modern interest in physical exercise to Jack La Lanne’s long running TV show. Here he encouraged everyone to get active and to challenge themselves physically. His down to earth approach encouraged viewers to make a commitment to themselves to invest in their own health.

All kinds of inventions began to appear in the exercise market. They were marketed on TV and in print to a sedentary group of people. These customers knew they needed to get moving, and were always looking for the perfect machine to help them with fitness. But the best way to stay with an exercise routine is to do an exercise activity that you happen to enjoy. You will then look forward to your exercise periods. You may stick with it, too.

It seems that the answer to the question, ” When did exercise start?” is not nearly as important as the question, “When are you going to start exercising?” There was wisdom in the Greek philosophy about keeping fit. Exercise should be as much a part of our lives as eating and sleeping. History has proven that exercise is essential.