ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the invention of “exercise,” or what people do in the portion of their lives reserved for working out. The author first reflects on a “perfect storm of body problems,” encompassing obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, osteoporosis, and depression now begot in a phase of caloric surplus, wherein the end of rural life and agriculture, the shift from heavy to light industry, office work and telecommuting, and the advent of the automobile and Internet are all features. Later, discussion is given to the jogging and aerobic revolutions that came about in response.
