A History of Exercise in America - Popularity and Trends

     In colonial times in America, there was little attention paid to specific exercise movements as we would think of them today. For the most part, life on a daily basis required hard physical labor. The struggling colonists had to work their bodies just to survive. The Plymouth colonists performed physical activity to get crops in, construct houses and buildings, and simply to get around. In colonial times, even short travel required physical effort far beyond what many people today consider strenuous exercise routines.

When farming is done either with hand labor or by utilizing farm animals to plow the fields, there are muscles groups called into play that would make the modern day farmer feel weak in comparison. In the factories, particularly in the Northeast, workers labored hard and long to produce the goods that were shipped to markets in England. Woolen clothing, for instance was woven from sheep sheared by hand and processed in the great mills with looms sometimes operated with water power, or eventually steam power and later electricity. However, the actual labor required physical exercise. Laundry day meant heating water over a fire and manually agitating the clothes then handing them to dry outdoors.

The upper classes, such as the factory owners or the plantation owners, gained exercise through other means. Riding horses, dancing, and such sports as tennis and bicycling were as much exercise as many people got.

Increasingly, mechanization put in place various labor saving devices. For example, the hay no longer was cut with a scythe and raked into haystacks. Balers and mechanical mowers replace horse drawn farm equipment and hand labor. In the houses, electricity gradually replaced wood heat and wood cook stoves. Ironing garments saved both time and strength as did many of the technological advances of the time.

In the factories, assembly lines took the place of craftsmen building a total unit of product. Standing in one place and doing repetitive motions hardly qualified as exercise, so exercise in recreational activities became more and more popular. Records began to be kept relating to physical prowess. Also, the growth of local sports teams started as factory teams or city teams meant more people were participating in exercise programs.

The Detroit Pistons and Green Bay Packers began as teams of workers associated with the community. This was a reflection of more people in America participating in exercise programs. In other areas, bicycle clubs grew as one of the trends to hit the country. Dances became more physically active, trading the sedate waltz for the jitterbug. Girls were sent to learn tap dancing or ballet. There was a growth in popularity of sports such as tennis, baseball and mountain climbing.

The resurgence of the Olympics competitions meant that there was renewed interest in sports such as gymnastics. Competitions such as marathons grew with many people participating in such events in order to earn funds for some worthy cause or another. During the early years of the 20th century, many boys and men took up body building and entered competitions as Mr. America or Mr. Universe.

In the 1960s it was found that American schoolchildren did not do as well as those in other countries in the area of physical fitness, and many elementary and secondary schools implemented formal exercise programs into the school program. The Royal Canadian Air Force Fitness program was a series of increasingly strenuous exercises that could be accomplished in approximately 12 minutes per day for a complete workout. Testing was completed before and after the program was implemented and supplied proof that students were improving on their past performances. The students did not compete against other students, but against their own previous records and commendations were for improvement rather than for outdoing other students. In one sense, this philosophy of exercise helped to take some of the pressure off those who would never be world class athletes, but simply wanted to stay in shape.

Today, trends exist in exercise but they are glaringly different. Many experts worry that the current generation of children are becoming lazy. The proof for this concern is that once again children are performing poorly on tests of physical ability. The temptation is to blame lack of exercise caused by hours spent watching television, at the computer or playing video games. Playing video games does very little for any of the major muscle groups. These may be legitimate reasons, but are not sufficient excuses. The good news is that exercise such as roller blading, in-line skates and mountain biking are very popular with the younger crowd.

As for adults, many are paying more attention to scheduling physical exercise into their activities. The arrival of many local gyms has helped as well as study after study about the benefits of exercise. Many health problems, physical as well as mental, can be aided by regular exercise. These outside elements provide the necessary motivation to workout and combat the trend of longer hours at the job and new products that offer more convenience. As history further unravels, exercise will either become more of an American trademark or will fall victim to consumerism and bad eating habits.

1. Prev:Fat Loss secrets - Diets Dont work!
2. Next:10 Weight Loss Tips To Lose Weight Fast