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It seems like everyday you hear about a new do-it-all fitness regimen or a new study showing that the exercises that you once thought were best are actually bad for you. In our 21st Century Fitness series, we consult the brightest minds to try to cut through the fat and find out what it really takes to be fit and healthy today.

The Evolution of Fitness Culture

Greg Westfall (cropped), via CC/Flickr, https://goo.gl/GWoald

For years, Daniel Kunitz lived the life of the mind. His body though “became a trash depot.” Then he started running, which led to swimming, weightlifting, and eventually CrossFit. His health and his life steadily improved. Kunitz’s personal quest got him wondering how fitness culture has changed through the years. Why were the Greeks so buff? Why do guys do dumbbell curls? How have women changed exercise as we know it? Kunitz joins us to share what he’s learned about the evolution of fitness.

Daniel Kunitz has served as editor in chief of Modern Painter, as well as an editor at the Paris Review and Details. His writing has appeared in Vanity Fair, Harper’s, and New York magazine. His new book is Lift: Fitness Culture, from Naked Greeks and Acrobats to Jazzercise and Ninja Warrior [Amazon|Indiebound].

Doug Fabrizio has been reporting for KUER News since 1987, and became News Director in 1993. In 2001, he became host and executive producer of KUER's RadioWest, a one hour conversation/call-in show on KUER 90.1 in Salt Lake City. He has gained a reputation for his thoughtful style. He has interviewed everyone from Isabel Allende to the Dalai Lama, and from Madeleine Albright to Desmond Tutu. His interview skills landed him a spot as a guest host of the national NPR program, "Talk of the Nation." He has won numerous awards for his reporting and for his work with RadioWest and KUED's Utah NOW from such organizations as the Society of Professional Journalists, the Utah Broadcasters Association, the Public Radio News Directors Association and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.