Fitness- A Brief Review of Exercise in the United States
In the colonial period which is from 1700-1776, there was no require for the fitness centers and exercise classes that are offered in our present day world. The lifestyle in the work of this time was filled with physical activity based on day to day survival. Plowing the land to grow crops, herding cattle, hunting and maintaining a household provided lots of body movement to meet the sufficient needs of having a healthy and fit physique.
Colonial Times
National Period
From the years 1776-1860, the United States entered what was called the National Period. European immigrants introduced gymnastics & early political leaders recommended every day physical activity such as swimming & walking. However, fitness was seen as recreational.
The Industrial Revolution
The Post Civil War period between 1865-1900 introduced the use of machines to advance industrial & mechanical technologies. In other words, human labor decreased, leading Americans to need less physical movement. This introduced physical illnesses that had not been much of an issue before, such as Type two Diabetes, sure Cancers & cardiovascular diseases.
World War I & II
In 1917, the United States joined its forces in to World War I. This called for military personnel to "get fit" & train for combat & battle. The trend continued with World War II in 1941. Plenty of of our fitness wear today is inspired by what our soldiers wore in training such as camouflage pants.
1950's
The 1950's led Americans in to a lifestyle where plenty of roles necessary sitting down & automobiles replaced most of the walking. This created a "need" to create ways to motivate citizens to move their bodies in different ways to keep themselves healthy.
The Jack Lalanne Show was of the first tv shows that taught Americans how to exercise from the comfort of their own homes. Other personalities followed in later years, such as Jane Fonda & Richard Simmons. Workout clothes became popular & schools became serious about teaching Physical Schooling to children & teenagers.
Early gym chains were founded in the coursework of this period, including Gold's Gymwhich opened in 1965. In the 1980's, large Corporations began to offer on campus Fitness Centers for their employees. By the time the 1990's arrived, wide spread use of gym centers had become "normal" & exercise became an "expectation" & a highly suggested requirement for all Americans to engage in. Today, there's limitless centers & classes for all to select from.
1960's To Present Day
In regards to present day fashion, the fitness world has created a craze of sure items such as gym tank tops & yoga pants that are worn as casual wear by plenty of people on a every day basis, whether they attend a gym or not.
Fashion
Future
What started out as a technique of every day survival for physical health & exercise has now evolved in to a necessity to balance a sedentary lifestyle. Who knows what the future may hold in regards to Fitness!