Let's Get Physical: The Evolution of Fitness Culture

These flashcards cover key terms and their definitions related to the evolution of fitness culture in America through the decades.

National Jogging Day

A celebration held on September 23, first announced in 1968, promoting physical fitness and jogging.

Physcial Fitness/ Cardiac Crisis

• A period in the 1950s and 1960s marked by increased heart-related health issues, particularly among men.

• Men would sit all day and modern appliances made cleaning the house easier for women

• :heart and Husbands” conferences for wives to fix hearts by what they eat

Dr. Kenneth Cooper

• A physician known for popularizing aerobic exercise through his book 'Jogging', published in 1968.

• Said aerobic exercise will do it all

• said best exercise was jogging

The New Strenuously

• A term reflecting the renewed focus on physical fitness and aerobic activities in the late 1960s and 1970s.

• jogging boom

The Beauty Myth

• A concept outlined by Naomi Wolf in 1990, suggesting that societal standards of beauty negatively impact women's self-image and roles.

• Said that the beauty movement was caused by the feminism movement

Anaerobic Weightlifting

A form of exercise that involves short, powerful bursts to build muscle strength.

Pump Iron

A popular documentary featuring bodybuilders, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, that contributed to the fitness culture of the 1970s.

Clone Culture

• A sociocultural phenomenon among gay men in the 1980s characterized by uniformity in clothing and physical appearance.

• Gay men promoted body building to not be thought of as weak

Sports Bra

• A supportive undergarment for women designed to provide support during physical activities, made popular in the 1970s.

• allowed women to jog

Muscle Beach

A famous outdoor gym located in Venice Beach, California, known for bodybuilding and fitness culture.

Jogging Boom

The surge in popularity of jogging as a form of exercise that began in the late 1960s and peaked in the 1970s.

Aerobic Video

Fitness videos featuring aerobics, popularized in the 1980s to encourage physical activity, particularly for women.