Why have gyms and fitness become a craze ?

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From my teenage years and into my younger adult life I had periods of intensive training where I had the ambition to build a lot of muscles and get some "dream physique". When that didn't happen - I have terrible genes for bulding muscles - and I looked pretty much the same after a couple of monthts I gave up training and lost my gains. And then I tried again with something different after a year or so. Then by age 45 I started to see clear signs of aging and I realized that I would never be in a great shape. I was too old to suddenly build a better physique with more muscles than I had during my previous adult life. So I gave up on that dream and changed my goals. Instead I decided to try to slow down the aging process as much as I could. If I looked the same and could lift the same weights after a couple of months it was all good. If things were the same after one year - even better. Two years - great! Three years - now we're talking! Ten years - that would be fantastic! I got a gym membership and started to work out 4 times a week. A regiment I have stuck to for 12 years now. And I am in a lot better shape with about 15 kg more muscle mass now at age 57 compared to when I was 45. The goal "To stay in the same shape for as long as possible" has worked miraculously for me. So I think it is important to find the right answear to "why am I doing this?"

Well, humans have evolved such that they tend to get rather ill without a certain amount of exercise, but modern technology has mostly done away with the need to get off one's butt. Unfortunately people rarely enjoy exercise.

Gyms aren't really necessary at all, as there are much cheaper ways of getting enough exercise. I don't see the attraction of spending money to do something that you can do for nothing. You also get no fresh air in a gym, and I think fresh air is an important thing for health.

I don't know whether fitness as such is a craze or not. For me it's just common sense to get a bit of a walk now and then. I don't know anybody who does much more than that, except one guy who makes his living by weeding people's yards. Apparently there's a lot of physical labour in that, and he's certainly very fit and healthy for his age.