Benjamin Franklin was an advocate for public health and exercise in the 1700s. He published articles promoting good diet and exercise, and emphasized walking, swimming, and a moderate diet as important for preventing disease. Franklin was an early proponent of exercise and understood concepts like calorie burning. He advocated for physical education for students and outlined "Rules of Health & Long Life" emphasizing diet and exercise. Franklin promoted temperance, drinking water over alcohol, and daily exercise with dumbbells.

1. Benjamin Franklin
Advocate for public knowledge
on health and exercise in the
1700s

2. “[Exercise] is of greatest importance
to prevent disease, since the cure of
them by physic is so precarious.”
– Benjamin Franklin to William
Franklin, August 19th, 1772

3. Benjamin Franklin was not only the face of politics
and electricity in the 1700’s, he was also known for his
work in medicine and publishing public articles
promoting good eating habits and exercise.

4. Early Years
• At an early age, Benjamin Franklin was interested in knowledge about
popular medicines and healthy living.
• He lost his young son to smallpox and became an advocate for smallpox
inoculations in newborns.
• Benjamin Franklin was a founder in the first colonial public hospital,
Philadelphia Hospital. This hospital offered free healthcare to the
working poor.

5. Benjamin Franklin’s Impact on Fitness
Education
He was one of the earliest supporters of regular exercise as a way of
maintaining one's health.
His preventative triad emphasized for good health included fresh air,
exercise, and a moderate diet.
Franklin advocated for walking and swimming as excellent forms of
exercise and as an aid of cleanliness, and he remained an active swimmer
into his late seventies.
He recommended that the students at the Academy of Philadelphia to “be
frequently exercised in running, leaping, wrestling, and swimming.”
Stressing that students be taught “useful” knowledge.

6. Rules of Health & Long Life
• In 1729, Franklin bought The Pennsylvania Gazette and began providing
information regarding epidemics and illnesses to the public.
• Franklin outlined the details of “Rules of Health & Long Life” which emphasized
the importance of a strict diet and appropriate exercise.

7. Burning Calories
Franklin understood the concept of
burning calories and that the more intense
exercises were most beneficial
“There is more exercise… in one mile’s
walking on foot than five on horseback; to
which I may add that there is more in
walking one mile up and down stairs, than
in five on a level floor”- Benjamin Franklin

8. The Art of Procuring Pleasing Dreams
In 1976, Franklin published an essay titled “The Art of
Procuring Pleasing Dreams” that discussed his beliefs of
exercise, good eating habits, and fresh air.
“[i]n general, mankind, since the improvement of
cookery, eat about twice as much as nature requires”
He recognized the benefits of drinking water compared
to alcoholic beverages, which was uncommon during
this time.

9. One mans advice to his son.
“I live temperately, drink no wine,
and use daily the exercise of the
dumbbell.”

10. All information provided in this
presentation was retrieved from:
Abrams, J. E. (2015). Revolutionary
medicine: the founding fathers and
mothers in sickness and in health. Place of
publication not identified: New York
University Press.
References