What is fitness, and where did our perspective on fitness come from over centuries of humans improving themselves physically? Book review on Lift by Daniel Kunitz

The mural was done in 2012 by Eric Okdeh and is located on the side of 10 North Market St., in Wailuku, Hawaii. Shout out to Maui Henna Lounge and Nicole for the original artistic tattoo creation and your stellar artistic flow ability! Mahalo! I received my first tattoo inspired by the aquatic environment surrounding me. But this wasn't a real tattoo as I decided to get my first arm sleeve tattoo but with henna ink. And I can say I felt like one of the greek athletes mentioned in Daniel Kunitz's book, solid and athletic ready for any challenge my way. On a more serious note, this was a surprise read about fitness history, and I highly enjoyed it.

What does it mean to be fit? The human perspective on fitness has evolved over the centuries. It hasn't always been big box gyms, yoga studios, CrossFit boxes, SealFit centers, obstacle courses, and the many other diverse avenues one can seek out in pursuit of fitness in today's 21st century period. Lift - Fitness Culture, from Naked Greeks and Acrobats to Jazzercise and Ninja Warriors by Daniel Kunitz, is a book that provides historical research on humans' ever-changing outlook on fitness throughout our history, referencing the Western Zhou Chinese Dynasty and the ancient greeks. Thank you, Daniel Kunitz, for your writing and historical research! It made for an enlightening read on understanding fitness approaches from various civilizations throughout history.

My favorite quotes from Daniel Kunitz 

"We temporarily withdraw from the rush of existence in order to rehearse its most fundamental aspects--movement, the interplay of neuron and muscle, the presentness and oblivion of concentration--and, bettered by his training, slip back into the stream of life." 

"....the state of the body isn't something you choose to care about, or leave be, for your body never just is - it is always either decaying or getting stronger. Not choosing is still a choice."