1972-1982: The decade that changed fitness

jon-nyc

Worth finding your way around the paywall. A fun reminder of how the culture changed from a time when exercise for its own sake was unheard of to the first jogging and home workout video crazes. Yoga, bodybuilding, it’s all covered.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/01/14/well/move/fitness-evolution-trends-1970s.html

LuFins Dad

Meh, too much work. I’ll have a donut and watch something else.

89th

It is interesting how they describe the start of jogging, something that seems like it has always been there.

Jogging
Like running. Only slower.

Before the 1970s, few people ran for the sake of running. You either ran to train for a sport or to escape danger. The few oddballs who jogged in public often faced jeering or puzzled looks.

“Cars would go by, windows would roll down and either taunts or empty beer cans would come flying out,” said Amby Burfoot, who won the 1968 Boston Marathon and later became an editor at Runner’s World. “There was no respect.”

That had begun to change in the late 1960s, when the future Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman and cardiologist Dr. Waldo Harris published “Jogging,” which touted the health benefits of running slowly, based on a trend Mr. Bowerman had observed in New Zealand. It became a best seller and inspired legions of everyday athletes to lace up and hit the road.

It also reminds me of this clip: