Milestone One
Milestone One
Alex M
Southern New Hampshire University
IDS-402
September 12, 2021
Milestone One
When someone thinks of the words "wellness" or "health," one topic that undoubtedly
comes to mind is physical activity and exercise. It is a subject that people generally have a
working knowledge of, whether or not they participate in it more than they need to in order to
survive. Exercise is a part of wellness that we can and do see all around us, whereas other aspects
of wellness are more internalized and invisible. Gyms are around every corner, a plethora of apps
and devices track fitness levels, and media shows physical activity regularly. Examining physical
activity through the four general education lenses shows that humans evolved for working
movement and utilized that evolution throughout history, made art showcasing its importance,
and have used sports and fitness activities to connect with one another socially
Humans have been taking part in physical activity for thousands of years, whether it be
practiced in the form of hunting and gathering, building shelter, or simply existing in an
environment that required physical labor to survive. Even without physical activity being utilized
for survival methods, it was a big part of general life, as "physical activity was enjoyed
throughout everyday prehistoric life, as an integral component of religious, social, and cultural
expression" (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1999). As society evolved away from
lifestyles that required so much physical exertion just to survive, physical activity became a
recommended principal of wellness overall. In ancient Sparta, for example, physical exercise
was a necessity for both men and women. The men were trained to be a "physically fit warrior
who devoted the majority of his time performing endurance and strenuous exercises or
participating in combative athletics or games" (Tipton, 2014). Women, meanwhile, were
expected to birth and raise warriors, "which necessitated consuming a healthy' diet and regular
participation in physical fitness activities and athletic events" (Tipton, 2014).
Milestone One
Physical fitness and exercise have been shown in art, literature, films, and television
frequently. Seeing physical activity portrayed in media tends to motivate a person to exercise. In
an analysis of television shows popular with adolescence, researchers found that, "almost all of
the shows (96%) and 64 of the 75 coded episodes (3 episodes for each show) included at least
one episode incident" (Gietzen et al., 2017). Promoting physical activity and wellness overall in
media is important because the humanities have far-reaching impacts and can influence the lives
of many people. Some museums have set up exhibitions that promote health and wellness in a
way that makes the subjects easier to digest for a wide variety of audiences, as, "the health-
promoting exhibitions provide hands-on, positive health messages and encompass different
notions of health" (Bonnelycke et al., 2020).
The natural sciences lens helps us understand the effects of physical activity on a
biological level. Exercise is an activity, "for which our bodies are engineered and which
facilitates the proper function of