I am doing a project for phys ed. We have to choose an exercise we enjoy and will do in our later years. I love walking, and it's easy enough, but I have to provide a history of the activity. I have way back at the start it evolved as an evolutionary tool, but when did it become a way to keep in shape? I assume when we didn't need it anymore due to cars or carriages, but I wondering if I could get a little more information. Thanks!
Walking as exercise was part of the rise of tourism in the second half of the 19th century. Following the American Civil War, trips to Europe became fashionable for wealthier Americans. Mark Twain's "The Innocents Abroad" is an entertaining and embellished account of one such tour. Part of these semi-guided tours would be things like walks in the Scottish highlands, the Swiss Alps, etc. The primary purpose of these walks was sightseeing, but they were billed as being good for your health because of the supposed invigorating quality of the air in these locations.