Juan Manuel de Prada vs. the Gym: The Writer's Take on Health
Juan Manuel de Prada claims he doesn't exercise because it's bad for health. His crusade against the gym, the column that started it, and the controversy it…
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The man who declared war on the gym
What if sport were a danger to health? Juan Manuel de Prada has returned to the charge: in an interview with Colonel Baños he has stated that he does not exercise because he considers it harmful. The statement is not an isolated quip: it fits with his crusade against the cult of the body.
The key piece is 'Apología del rellenito', from 15 March 2015. There he parodies the classic motto with a mens stulta in corpore sano: stupidity in a healthy body. He also took advantage of the Daniel Sancho case to joke that the most serious thing about the accused was his six-pack. A gesture that condenses his rejection of the gym sarracena.
The contradiction of the militant sedentary
There is a contradiction that is difficult to avoid: he who pontificates about the risks of sport is not exactly an athlete. Some see in it a discomfort with an aesthetic that is far from him; others applaud that he stands up to the tyranny of fitness. The matter has an economic dimension: the sport business moves millions, and a voice that questions it provokes unease.
For now, the writer turns sedentary lifestyle into intellectual posturing. Meanwhile, the country continues to fill gyms. Ironies of health: the greatest enemy of exercise invites you to stay at home.
What if sport were a danger to health? Juan Manuel de Prada has returned to the charge: in an interview with Colonel Baños he has stated that he does not exercise because he considers it harmful. The statement is not an isolated quip: it fits with his crusade against the cult of the body.
The key piece is 'Apología del rellenito', from 15 March 2015. There he parodies the classic motto with a mens stulta in corpore sano: stupidity in a healthy body. He also took advantage of the Daniel Sancho case to joke that the most serious thing about the accused was his six-pack. A gesture that condenses his rejection of the gym sarracena.
The contradiction of the militant sedentary
There is a contradiction that is difficult to avoid: he who pontificates about the risks of sport is not exactly an athlete. Some see in it a discomfort with an aesthetic that is far from him; others applaud that he stands up to the tyranny of fitness. The matter has an economic dimension: the sport business moves millions, and a voice that questions it provokes unease.
For now, the writer turns sedentary lifestyle into intellectual posturing. Meanwhile, the country continues to fill gyms. Ironies of health: the greatest enemy of exercise invites you to stay at home.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (33 replies).
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