Micaela G.

Cachola Physical Fitness & Self-Testing Activities

BSPSY 1-5N

A Brief History of Physical Fitness and A Summary of Its Benefits

Physical Fitness today is widely known as beneficial to our all-out physical health and
can help us fight off early sign of diseases and organ problems. We view it as a must to
sustain our daily routines and lifestyles in order to maintain our health in a stable manner.
Physical Fitness can be defined as the ability to carry out daily tasks with vigor and alertness,
without undue fatigue, and with ample energy to enjoy leisure-time pursuits and to meet
unforeseen emergencies. It includes cardio-respiratory endurance, skeletal muscular
endurance, skeletal muscular strength, skeletal muscular power, speed, flexibility, agility,
balance, reaction time, and body composition. Findings about the benefits of moderate to
rigorous activities, such as walking, dancing, or running has only been around since 1800s to
1900s (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1996). Yet even before the said
times, we have been doing practices and activities that strengthen our physical health without
us even knowing what it was.

Our early ancestors back in 10,000 B.C. or so have had their physical training without
them knowing what it’s about because they needed to do tasks like hunting and making shelter
in order to survive. Additionally, they were instinctively doing what is necessary, and
sometimes when there are enough resources they can also celebrate their success by dancing
by the fire or making strategical weapons for a higher chance of getting a kill. In the Neolithic
Age, our ancestors began to benefit on the fertile soils of lands near them at around 8,000 B.C.
or more. This led to more activities such as farming and harvesting crops, and as the
population grew they tend to seek more ways to gain food resources for their people. But
when civilizations had risen, a new way of physical fitness was done. This was the time of
challenges and wars against near regions and the need to be fit for battles has become a
priority mostly for men at the time (Art of Manliness, 2014). Aside from that, the Greeks had
a perception that both spiritual and physical strength has a deep connection with the gods and
so they thrive to have both qualities (Jaeger, 1965).
 Yet in the coming centuries, Science paved the way to understanding and defining what
Physical Fitness is and by doing so, helped us know what the benefits that we can access by
having daily training and exercises with our body. Throughout history, a variety of
professionals have observed that Physical Inactivity could lead to different health problems
and diseases thus, leading to more studies regarding Physical Activities and how to educate
people about it. According to a discourse of Charles Caldwell of Transylvania University in
the Medical Department (1834), he defined Physical Education as “that scheme of training,
which contributes most effectively to the development, health, and perfection of living matter.
As applied to man, it is that scheme which raises his whole system to its summit of
perfection… Physical Education, then, in its philosophy and practice, is of great compass.”

Being physically fit even today has become a necessity we must have in order to stay
healthy and connected with our bodies. Moreover, this does not mean we need to be
physically fit alone, but rather, it is also partnered-up with proper diet and with a healthy way
of living. Physical Fitness comes with responsibility and proper procedures also in order to be
safe from internal and external harm that can damage our physical health. In this regard, it is
wise to know what we are dealing with beforehand and understand the limits of our bodies in
order to draw a line before we start doing our exercises.
References:

Art of Manliness. (2014). History of Physical Fitness. Retrieved from

https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/the-history-of-physical-fitness/

Caldwell C. (1834). Thoughts on physical education. Being a discourse delivered to a

convention of teachers in Lexington, Kentucky

Jaeger W. (1965) Paideia: the ideals of Greek culture. Translated by Gilbert Highet. Vol. 1.
Archaic Greece—the mind of Athens. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (1996). Physical Activity and Health: A
Report of the Surgeon General. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National
Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion