In the 20th
and now 21st centuries, people don’t just watch sports. They have
the opportunity to participate in various activities. In fact, they are
encouraged to get moving by government policies, the media and the marketers of
fitness equipment.
In the mid
20th century, Charles Atlas advertised his brand of body building
with the story that he had used it to develop from a “98-pound weakling”, to
appeal to men. Did it work? I don’t know, but it is a tag line that has
resonated through the years. A craze that got more people going in the ‘50s was
the hula-hoop; part kids toy and part adult challenge.
Advertising
kicked things up a notch in the ‘80s using celebrities to flog equipment, like
Suzanne Sommer’s Thigh Master, or to capitalize on a fad, like Jane Fonda’s
fitness tapes which added another dimension to the aerobics craze. In this
decade another male bastion was breached when women were encouraged to get into
weigh training. The ‘90s made roller skating cool again with the development of
roller blades and, those who were seriously into getting fit, could run through
their paces in a Boot Camp.
Boot Camp
was still big when the new millennium dawned but so were yoga and, the
newcomer, pilates. Spinning was also a popular gym activity. This moment’s
trends are activity counters like the Fitbit, which encourages people to get
walking while allowing them to use social media to create groups of users to
encourage and compete with each other. Who can say what the next fitness craze
will be?
Whatever it
is, people will join in, reminding us that it is good to play and move if our
health allows. But you don’t have to follow the latest trend. Even traditional
activities can have health benefits.
Skating on the Rideau Canal became a tradition in 1971.
Sources
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