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Stay fit Move away from sedentary lifestyle

In 1553, Christobal Mendez published the first printed book on physical fitness. Called the Book of Bodily Exercise, it anticipated some of the developments of exercise physiology in later centuries.

In 1724, George Cheyne’s classic An Essay of Health and Long Life was the first to describe walking as the most useful among exercises. Other physicians of that time described the value of exercise for women as well as for children.

In the 18th century, physicians began to notice the profound harm inactivity did to health. Bernardino Ramazzini, an Italian physician, wrote that those who worked seated, such as cobblers and tailors, suffered “...general ill-health and an excessive accumulation of unwholesome humours caused by their sedentary life.” He prescribed exercise and holidays, something modern physicians would agree with.

In the early 19th century, Shadrach Ricketson, published the first textbook of preventive medicine. He too recognised that “people, whose inclination, situation, or employment does not admit of exercise, soon become pale, feeble, and disordered.” He also said, “Exercise promotes the circulation of the blood, assists digestion, and encourages perspiration”

The one drawback to all these worthy statements was that they were just the unsystematic observations and opinions of individuals. The idea of systematic observation of large groups of patients and volunteers began in the late 19th century, and the hard science of this era gave birth to modern preventive medicine and exercise physiology. Physicians at the dawn of the 20th century had data on rowers and runners that suggested the benefits of exercise on longevity and health.

By the middle of the 20th century, Morris and colleagues provided detailed statistics proving that sedentary persons were likely to die sooner than active individuals. The cause was often a heart attack or a stroke. This paper fuelled research on the effects of exercise on cardiovascular health.

The last few decades have helped nail down with facts the idea that sedentary behaviour kills, and that an active lifestyle improves the duration as well as the quality of life. The Greeks would have been happy to hear this.

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