“Mens sana in corpore sano”… the Latins used to say…! “A healthy mind in a healthy body”… we say that today…!

But what exactly did this Latin quote mean? What is the connection between mind and body? Why have we heard about the connection between physical and mental activity for years? What is the meaning of this Latin quote today?

Well… in order to answer these questions, we should retrace, at least briefly, some of the fundamental stages that have characterized physical activity from the birth of man until today.

Hence, let’s try to understand: what physical activity meant; how it fits within today’s society; what its role in the past was; what its role today is.

In a nutshell: physical activity is born with Man… basically!

In the prehistoric age, physical activity was indeed the man’s very survival. Or rather, physical activity was intrinsic to survival dynamics, being itself an essential part of daily activity and thanks to which it was possible to get a body shape capable of interacting with the surrounding environment.

The body was everything at that time! Its strength, its robustness, its agility… were the fundamental parameters that allowed the very survival of the human species!

The body was used to hunt, to relate, to defend… to ensure that we are still here today to talk about it!

In subsequent ages, human society has then gradually evolved and along with it the ways of using physical activity have evolved too; which is then shaped into playful-sporting forms used as an instrument of association, entertainment, profit, prestige, and dominance.

Thus the competition was born! Competition that takes shape through challenges, competitions, duels… between individuals or groups of individuals: which is why physical activity begins to take on a different role, as it was done as a strategic activity to achieve different goals.

You could compete to build relationships… You could compete for fun… You could compete for rewards. You could compete for prizes or recognitions… You could compete to settle disputes or sometimes to resolve conflicts (using only two or more opponents rather than entire armies to determine dominance or victory over things or people).

For this reason, physical activity begins to be considered, studied, done, promoted, supported…!

And this is how in Roman age the famous quote of Juvenal came to life: “mens sana in corpore sano”… which intended to highlight two fundamental aspects of the human being: a healthy soul and a healthy body, and therefore the mental activity “connected” to the physical one.

Today, however, this quote is used as a synonym for psycho-physical connection: as it is interpreted as a mind-body balance, for which a close correlation between a person’s motor skills and attentional and mnemonic abilities has been scientifically demonstrated.

Yes, today…! Just today that we are struggling to be accepted… We are struggling to follow a model… We are struggling to achieve a goal… We are struggling to compete against others… We are struggling to excel…!

And this is why such quote is sometimes “paraphrased” today… whereby physical activity is distorted, denatured, shaped in the image and likeness of something ephemeral and extremely deleterious… irreparable, harmful, alienating…!

Every day we witness excesses, abuses, addictions, and other extreme attitudes that lead to interpreting physical activity as just a means to reach a single goal: to show off…!

Yes, to show off…! To look beautiful, to seem in good shape, to get above others…! The important thing is to be successful, accepted, praised, flattered…!

But this was not the meaning of Juvenal’s quote and this should not be the current meaning!

Physical activity should be done in order to obtain a psycho-physical well-being that leads to recovering more, interacting more, loving more, living more… and better!

But this seems like a noble goal by now… Fewer and fewer people are those who want to improve the soul, the body, the mind… More and more people are those who want to only improve the body, the status, the recognition…!

And this attitude can lead to serious consequences over time… unfortunately!

Massive supplementation, doping substances, drugs, risky medicines, extreme surgery, and many other practices that are not recommended, or sometimes illegal, may cause serious psycho-physical damage.

Problems with liver, kidneys, heart, lungs… Problems with depression, anxiety, confusion, insomnia… Neuro-motor dysfunctions, gigantism, body transformations… The list is long!

There are very many harmful effects resulting from the use of practices that are not recommended, or sometimes illegal, aimed at obtaining a merely aesthetic or performative result rather than a psycho-physical balance.

In the mind-body connection we therefore witness a double imbalance: an imbalance towards the body and an imbalance towards extreme practices tending to transform the body.

Thus, we should reinterpret Juvenal’s quote again and do physical activity in order to achieve different goals… Goals that aim at an aseptic well-being from external influences… Goals that lead to finding one’s mind-body balance… A targeted, wanted, personal balance…!

A coveted balance, which should be advocated, supported, defended!