Medicine, gymnastics and the Renaissance sense of the body’s limits

While it is normally understood that the period we refer to as the Renaissance saw a significant development of physical play and exercise and a growing orientation towards a positive appreciation of its propriety and benefits, it is also true that at the same time a variety of texts displayed a concern and warning against excess and its negative consequences. Although such concerns may be predictable and sound like common sense, it is probably worth keeping them in mind to get a more accurate picture of contemporary theory and practice. The resulting picture is one that does not allow for oversimplification, although the value of moderation – not too much, not too little – continues to play the role of dominant discourse, as it had done for a very long period.