Fitness
Milestones
1917
The Converse All
Star makes its debut,
initially designed as
a basketball boot.
5BC
1992
Halteres are documented in
Ancient Greece. These are
believed to be the first free
weights discovered. Free
weight exercises mimic closely
the exercise we do in real
life — so are said to be more
effective than machines.
Timex introduces the
revolutionary Indiglo
electroluminescence to its
Ironman sports watch, later
using the technology across
70 per cent of its brand.
WELLNESS
Gym ‘n’ Tonic
While it’s a few centuries since we
were hunter-gatherers living off the
land, it’s not so long ago that keeping
fit was a way of everyday life. We
worked fewer hours, did more chores
and walked as much as possible.
That was enough to keep us in shape
in a world where only professional
athletes stepped inside a gym.
Today we are likely to get up in
the morning, sit in a car or taxi to
work and barely leave our office
chair all day before taking transport
home, sitting down to dinner and
going to bed. Modern day gadgets
mean that household chores take
less effort, and 24/7 entertainment
means that if we’re not sitting at home
in front of the TV we’re probably
,
catching up with emails on a tablet.
To maintain a healthy lifestyle,
experts recommend you should walk
between 7,000 and 8,000 steps a
day (the average American is said
to rack up just 5,900 a day). Many
people believe that 10,000 steps is
12 Ascott LIVING
the minimum you should walk a day.
But it seems that this has come about
as a result of the pedometers sold in
Japan in the 1960s. Called manpo-kei,
this translates to 10,000 steps meter,
according to Catrine Tudor-Locke,
director of the Walking Behavior
Laboratory at Pennington Biomedical
Research Center in Baton Rouge.
Truth or fiction, keeping active will
keep you healthier and should prolong
your life. Like any muscle in the body
that’s not used enough, if the heart’s
not pumping it’s going to deteriorate.
Going to the gym is good for mental
and physical health. In the last few
years, the quality and breadth of
what’s on offer on an international
scale ensures that there’s something
for everyone. Old school gyms with an
array of industrial looking weights and
equipment have gone almost full circle,
with boot-camp style establishments
getting keen enthusiasts pulling tractor
tyres and taking out the stresses of the
day with a lump hammer on rubber.
1958
Lycra is invented by Joseph
Shivers at DuPont.
1796
The first exercise bike
known as the Gymnasticon
is invented by Francis
Lowndes. Mainly used for
medical purposes — to
get the joints going and
help in the treatment of
diseases such as gout,
rheumatism and palsy.
1913
The Russian military starts
to train with kettle bells,
which are deemed to be
highly effective. The kettle
bell has become a trendy
piece of gym kit over a
hundred years later as people
rediscover its efficacy.
Photos: Getty Images (Main photo, Lycra); Matthias Kabel (Halteres)
With more hours being spent at the
office, keeping fit and well is doubly
important. Ascott Living looks at the
latest trends to entice you to the gym
2005
1965
Gold’s Gym opens in Venice
beach California, the place for
body building and frequented
by personalities such as Arnold
Schwarzenegger. It’s now the
largest gym chain in the world,
in more than 400 locations.
1997
Release of Welcome to
the Jungle by Guns n
Roses — now rated as
the top workout track.
A collaboration between Nike
and Apple sees the release of
the Nike+pod — a device that
enables people to combine data
collection and music in one.
China is one country where the
number of gyms is on the rise, with the
industry predicted to be worth US$6.8
billion by 2018. High work pressure,
increasing wealth and a greater
awareness of fitness are at the centre
of the boom, added to that the need to
exercise indoors to escape pollution.
Over in Australia one of the most
popular gyms is Sydney’s Titan
Fitness, which has been in business
for 26 years. Brimming with the latest
equipment, and offering childcare
facilities and a X[ HX][