Starting from the 20th century, the activity of the gym and the exercise that it entails since the beginning of its existence began to be celebrated with great and continuous success. Since prehistoric times, man has sought fitness for the spirit of survival through hunting or gathering. "Survival ... life ... to live" Today it cannot be said that one is driven by a "need of that type but the fact remains that fitness is of fundamental importance for health and well-being" Fitness is health, well-being ... for life ... "
Primitivo is the lifestyle required of "man with hunting and gathering food to survive. The hunt also took two or three days of travel to look for food and water. This can be considered a regular physical activity and main component of life." ... regular physical activity was the main component of life ... "During the Paleolithic this model of subsistence through physical exercise to procure food was accompanied by the first 2 forms of family celebrations which consisted of further trips to other friendly tribes or distant relatives up to 30 kilometers where dancing and games lasted for many hours, which required a great level of fitness for activities that we now usually do in everyday life.
Neolithic (10,000 - 8000 BC)
End of the primitive lifestyle marked by the Neolithic agricultural revolution. Developments in agriculture and animal domestication with the invention of the plow made them obtain large quantities of food while remaining in the same area, transforming an agrarian society (agriculture and livestock). This progress, however, marks the beginning of a somewhat sedentary life compared to the previous period. As man begins to relieve some of the fatigues of life, daily physical activity decreases.
Ancient civilizations (2500-250 BC).
China: the ancient philosopher Confucius encouraged the Chinese people to participate in regular physical activity. He recognized that the lack of physical activity was often associated with certain diseases, then recognized as malfunctions of internal organs, therefore similar to cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, preventable with physical exercise for fitness. From him Kung-Fu was born as an activity to keep the body in good health. The Kung-Fu training programs consisted of various positions and movements with the limbs and imitations of different styles of fighting animals. In addition to Kung-Fu, other activities such as dance, wrestling, archery and fencing spread in ancient China.
India: Individual physical exercise intended as gymnastics in the gym was not very encouraged, as the religious beliefs of Buddhism and Hinduism preferred to emphasize spirituality, neglecting the aspect of the body. However, training programs similar to Chinese Kung-fu began, which remained in accordance with the religious belief: Yoga. Although its exact origin has remained uncertain, Yoga has been around for at least 5000 years. Translated Yoga means "union" and refers to the Hindu philosophy which thus seeks to bring together the development of body, mind and spirit. With this method the ancient Hindu priests, living a lifestyle based on meditation and rigid discipline, analyzed and simulated the movement and rhythms of the animals to try to achieve a balance with nature that the 3 animals seemed to possess. This aspect of Yoga, called Hatha Yoga, was then revived in the West in a form in which it is defined with various exercises based on posture and breathing. In addition to the sought-after balance with nature, Indian philosophers have found health benefits with it, hence fitness. These health benefits concern the proper functioning of organs and general well-being as even in modern reality they are recognized and approved.
Other articles on "History and Evolution of Fitness"
- History and evolution of Fitness - Second part -
- History and Evolution of Fitness - Third Part -
- History and evolution of Fitness - Fourth part -
