Reminds me of Back to the Future Part III:<p>Doc: And in the future, we don't need horses. We have motorized carriages called automobiles.<p>Saloon Old Timer #3: If everybody's got one of these auto-whatsits, does anybody walk or run anymore?<p>Doc: Of course we run. But for recreation. For fun.<p>Saloon Old Timer #3: Run for fun? What the hell kind of fun is that?
>In 1968, Sen. Strom Thurmond found himself stopped by a police officer in Greenville, South Carolina. His suspicious activity? Jogging.<p>Funny. Happened to my dad too. He started jogging in 1970 and continued (almost) every day for 40 years. That very first year he was the <i>only</i> guy out there and people occasionally got freaked out and called the cops. He had to explain this 'jogging' exercise thing.<p>But within a few years it had caught on like wildfire.
What is the "jogging" of today? Gluten free diets? I could see it become mainstream once science has studied it more extensively, but today if you don't have coeliac disease and decide to go gluten-free, you're labeled as nuts right away.
I remember the Hall of Fame Golfer Gary Player being ridiculed by his peers during the 60's because he believed in working out and strength training. The standard of the time was that this was counterproductive for golfers. (iirc one of the arguments was that strength training would cause loss of "touch" in one's game)<p>Fast forward 50 years, and every professional golfer is a fitness and strength training fanatic.
I wish I could run, but 1) it hurts - and not in a good way 2) it's extremely boring. The only thing that's kind of fun is running up hills.<p>The nice thing about running is that you can pack a decent amount of exercise into a relatively brief period of time, and at least you're outside. Gyms feel like gerbil wheels to me.<p>What I really love to do is ride my bike, but that takes more time and better conditions.
It's still really weird. Why an exercise as high-impact on the joints and as potentially injurious as this hasn't been stopped has to be purely because people enjoy it so much, or they don't see an alternative.<p>We have machines designed to mimic the exercise and reduce or eliminate the impact. We have studies that show a multitude of other exercises that provide similar or the same health benefits without the stress. There's less expensive gear to buy. There's less risk of injury and it's more convenient to exercise indoors. Yet I can't walk down my tiny sidewalk on a sunny day without somebody in nylon shorts flying past me down the concrete path.<p>Now, don't get me wrong, a mile jog/run is not a terrible way to warm up for the rest of your workout. But the distances most people run, and the regularity of it, probably has more downsides than upsides. Heart health can be achieved without the above factors, as can endurance, and we can finally end the tyranny of the running path (i'm mostly joking).
This article seems to think being stopped by the police because of jogging is a thing of the past. I live in a state university town full of joggers but I've been stopped 3 times for my "suspicious" jogging just in the last year. I guess it's because I do it at weird times with normal clothing instead of the standard exercise uniform.<p>They always say something along the lines of "I thought you were in trouble." to justify themselves.
The article seems to imply that a cashmere pullover would be inappropriate for jogging.<p>Cashmere or merino are both fantastic textiles for athletic wear.
It's still pretty weird to see someone running in New Delhi, for example. I know heat and air quality are part of it but there are days where it would be perfectly fine. I think it's just considered weird to run.