COVID-19 has led to a fitness boom. Those new to working from home suddenly have more time to squeeze in exercise. Others are frightened by the disease and want to lower their risk of developing serious complications from COVID (obesity and diabetes are some of the most serious risk factors).
While you might be new to fitness, fitness isn’t new. It’s a part of modern society that dates all the way back to ancient Egypt, at least 5,000 years ago, and has slowly evolved since.
The Dawn of Fitness
Egypt’s State Information Service website explains that most of the sports we play today were practiced by ancient Egyptians in one form or another. They had rowing, hockey, archery, gymnastics, boxing and running.
In society, exercise seems to have been a show of force more than a means of wellness. Many sports were combative in nature (boxing, wrestling etc.) which means that they were used as practice for warriors rather than fitness enthusiasts.
Athleticism also seemed to be a source of pride in ancient Egypt. Long-distance running was part of the induction ceremony for new pharaohs, which shows that ancient Egyptian leaders took pride in the athleticism of their subjects. The fact that they applauded runners shows that they admired not only combat skills, but pure physical fitness.
There’s also evidence of the first use of weightlifting equipment. Paintings depict Egyptians performing a move currently known as the clean and press, a modern day weightlifting move, with heavy sandbags. You can still find sandbags in many fitness studios and commercial gyms around the world.
Evidence of organized athletic activity dates back to at least 3100 BC. While this might not be the actual beginning of exercise, it’s some of the first recorded evidence. The next step in the evolution of fitness takes place in another incredibly advanced society, ancient Greece.
Hippocrates
Perhaps you don’t know who Hippocrates is, but you might’ve heard of the Hippocratic Oath. It’s a ritual some medical schools use as a rite of passage for new doctors. They recite a version of an ancient Greek text attributed to Hippocrates that pledges their use of ethics in medicine.
Hippocrates was a doctor in ancient Greece. He lived from approximately 460-350 BC, which would be a roughly 90-year life span. The long lifespan is only fitting, as some call him “the father of modern medicine,” due to the discoveries he made. He came from a long line of physicians in his family. There are so many books on anatomy, disease and health attributed to him that some historians suggest he didn’t write them all.
Some of his medical diagnoses are laughable in modern times. He attributed hip pains (sciatica) to prolonged sun exposure. However, Hippocrates marked an important deviation from the norm in medicine. He refuted the belief that disease was caused by angered deities, and instead proposed physiological reasons for illness.
For example, Hippocrates wrote extensively on epilepsy. Until then, it was commonly believed that the gods caused the disease, but Hippocrates attributed it to dysfunction of the brain.
While this might not seem astounding, consider that he lived in ancient Greece with no modern diagnostic tools. He had the power of observation and reasoning, coupled with basic knowledge of anatomy and the ability to write.
What Goes In, Comes Out
The view Hippocrates took of disease and the human body was one of input and output. He observed what went into the body and how it changed things like blood, bile and stool.
One of his most famous books is on air and water. He observed that air and water could make people sick. Air quality has never been as important as it is now. Many illnesses, such as coronavirus, can be spread through the air. Air pollution is also rampant in many cities across the world.
Pathogens in water make people sick, and Hippocrates wrote about ways to determine if water is fresh and drinkable. Once again, this doesn’t seem astounding, but in ancient Greece air and water were probably major sources of illness.
Exercise is Medicine
Among the many books he wrote, Hippocrates had at least three books on exercise and nutrition. He identified at least three diseases (obesity, diabetes and consumption) that could be cured or mitigated with regular exercise and proper diet.
Not only did he lay out a system of exercise, he broke it down into changes by the seasons. He gave recommendations for the type of exercise one should do and the proper amount. Recovery from exercise was even included in his volumes. Next week, I’ll give a more detailed explanation of his recommendations.