THE FITNESS obsession in women is part of their overall loss of identity in the modern world. At her blog, Lydia Sherman explains why women don’t need expensive health clubs or time-consuming physical regimens. Staying fit involves mind and spirit. When a woman is oriented toward higher goods, she is healthier too. The home is a fitness club. Mrs. Sherman writes:

I have been collecting some ideas and techniques for the non-Olympic women who want to be fit but still look feminine. I discovered through viewing 19th century photographs and paintings that women were quite active in golf, tennis, swimming, bike riding, hand ball, hiking and walking.

Most of the pictures I have seen of these people shows them to be a lot thinner than our population today, so I cannot say that the way the exercised was of no account. Many of the publications of the era indicate that women valued fresh air and walking in nature, and jogging was not mentioned. I suspect they were fit enough if they were doing normal housework at home or keeping their gardens. Many of them were seriously interested in outdoor exercise, as you see in this old film from 1899 of women riding bicycles in formation.

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SJF writes:

The posting on fit women struck a chord with me because we live in Colorado, and the ferocity with which women work out and train continues to stun me. (While some might say they worship their bodies, it appears to me from the way they work out that they hate their bodies.)

I contrast them with my wife, who is the mother of six children. She is very fit, and other than morning walks with another homeschooling mom, she does no yoga, cardio blast, weight training etc. She has never belonged to a health club. She has the yoga arms of the yuppie moms only because she spends her day lifting kids, carrying groceries etc. She is feminine, and she is more of a real woman than any of these workout queens ever will be. And, better yet, she is happy.

Thanks again for your site.

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