According to Lotta Vuorio, a doctoral researcher in history at the University of Helsinki, the current fitness boom has many similarities to enthusiasm for physical activity in late 19th century England.
We are currently living in an exercise boom: the sporty lifestyle is a perennial topic on both traditional and social media. According to Lotta Vuorio, a doctoral researcher in history at the University of Helsinki, the phenomenon is in no way new. In fact, a training boom of sorts was also seen in, for example, England in the late 19th century - and in many other times much earlier.
"In the 19th century, cycling and gymnastics were major phenomena. Cycling in particular because the bicycle was a recent invention," Vuorio says.
In her doctoral thesis, Vuorio investigates physical activity and the exercise culture in 19th-century England from the perspective of cultural history.
Today, we are talking about a crisis of physical inactivity: children and adults are not active enough.
"I don't think it's about awareness for many. People certainly know that it's healthy to exercise. My research sheds light on the fact that, even in the past, the primary reason for cycling or other activities was not the promotion of health."
People cycled because they thought it was fun - and it made moving between places easy.
"Even today, looking for different motives for physical activity may be a better approach to solving the inactivity crisis than preaching on health."
Crucial scholarships
Many trends accompany humanity from century to century. According to Vuorio, this insight can also help us understand how demanding many changes are - such as getting people moving.
This is the very reason for Vuorio's original interest in studying history.
"History opens up a view to how we've ended up where we are now. Historical knowledge is of course intrinsically valuable, but it also helps us understand the present."
For her doctoral research, Vuorio has received two scholarships from the University's Kristiina fund. Their significance to her research efforts has, she claims, been downright crucial.
"The scholarships have enabled me to travel to England and familiarise myself with, for example, archives whose material effectively describes the individual perspective on physical activity, which interests me."
In her travels, Vuorio has not only explored the archives, but also visited places where people used to engage in physical exercise. She was greatly impressed by the enormous gymnasiums of the 19th century.
Office employees as factory workers
According to Vuorio, the discussion on physical activity in the 1800s and today is also united by concerns about working practices that increase people's inactivity.
In the 19th century, industrialisation and factory work were transforming societies and people's everyday lives. As a result, people became much less mobile than before.
"At the time, there was a great deal of concern about physical inactivity and, among other things, posture. Indeed, the factory workers of the time were like present-day office workers, for whom taking breaks from work to engage in physical activity is recommended."
Vuorio has observed echoes of a kind of everyday nationalism in the notion that humans have to stay healthy and productive for the sake of society:
"In today's world, we're constantly reminded that a healthy person is less costly to society. In other words, a good citizen takes care of themselves.
