‘On The Art of Physical Exercise,’ a 16th-century account of ancient sports and workouts

The Conversation, Pexels, The Art of Physical Exercise. Credit: Pirro Ligorio via Wikimedia Commons According to the World Obesity Atlas, 42% of the global population will be overweight or obese in 2025. Lack of physical activity is one of the primary causes. Experts regard this as a serious health problem, and in Greco-Roman times, too, doctors thought being overweight was bad for one’s health. The physician Rufus of Ephesus (active in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD) wrote a book called “On the Slimming of Fat People.” Fat people, he suggested, “cannot endure overexertion, hunger, and indigestion, and have discomfort Read More