Physical Fitness: The Evolution of "Exercise"

For centuries people have participated in physical fitness. Back in the day, before cars and machines were created, humans had no choice but to exercise daily. Survival meant gathering food for the family, traveling long distances by foot, and working on a farm (which involved a lot physical labor).

Later, we see that ancient civilizations would participate in physical fitness to defeat the land they were trying to conquer. The strong and mighty men were the men to win battles, not the weak. If battles weren’t won, well then people died. (This is another example of exercise as a means of survival). During the industrial revolution and eras afterward, there were many machines created which allowed work to be more time efficient and less strenuous for humans. Therefore, exercise was no longer required to complete the same tasks. People were not engaging in exercise through their jobs, so exercise required more intentionality.

In the 20th century personal fitness equipment was created for adults to exercise outside of work in their free time. Personal fitness equipment included fitness machines and free weights. Today, we are more educated and knowledgeable than ever before; however, we’ve made the necessity of exercise almost nonexistent. Many people in America don’t even believe exercise to be important anymore. It's evident that exercise is not a means of survival in our world today as individuals can survive day after day without running a mile once in their life or squatting 50 pounds. The thing I hope to convey is that exercise leads to a more abundant life, which all humans do necessitate. Exercise is proven to improve mood, increase energy and help the body function better. We often take the easy way out and we neglect the harder option. Exercising is a choice, and it’s typically that harder option. When we’ve had a long day at work it’s easy to go home and watch Netflix, but the better option is to exercise for 1 hour instead.

The body and mind are very connected, and one must always be on board with the other. If the body isn’t willing (perhaps it’s fatigued after a long day of work), the mind needs to step in and activate the body to move. If the mind is feeling inundated with thoughts and exhausted with demands from life, the body needs to step up and move around a little bit (forcing the mind to follow behind). To have a healthy mental, physical, and social well-being, exercise is vital. After a couple short months of exercising regularly, the benefits will be recognized greatly.