Victorian articles on exercise vary widely. On the one hand, doctors might recommend that the best exercise is to get out every day for a brisk walk. Other articles promote detailed regimens of exercises - not so different from the articles we find today that demonstrate a particular type of workout. The great change that one sees in the late Victorian period is the notion that women and girls should also participate in exercise routines, and that they should receive some form of "physical education" in school.

On Healthy Exercise (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1877)

Physical Education for Women (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1877)

Athletic Pursuits and Health (Peterson's, 1879)

Exercise, and How to Benefit by It, by "Medicus"* (Girl's Own Paper, 1883)

The Physical Education of Girls, by Mrs. Wallace Arnold (Girl's Own Paper, 1884)

A well-illustrated article on Victorian modes of exercise.

The Position of Body at Work or Studying, by "Medicus"* (Girl's Own Paper, 1886)

Can Girls Increase Their Strength? by "Medicus"* (Girl's Own Paper, 1894)

The Poetry of Motion, by Dora de Blaquière (Girl's Own Paper, 1895)

Illustrated piece on Delsarte's program of physical exercise and training for girls.

Exercise: In Moderation, by "The New Doctor" (Girl's Own Paper, 1899)

"How much exercise is needed every day, how much will give the greatest benefit, and how much is positively injurious?"

Physical Culture for Girls, by "Medicus"* (Girl's Own Paper, 1900)

The Physical Training of Girls (Girl's Own Paper, 1900)

Ten exercises, with how-to illustrations.

What Exercise Will Do for the Body, by Mary Taylor Bissell, MD (Drapers' Self-Culture, 1913)

Exercise and Exercises, by E.F. Benson and Eustace H. Miles (Drapers' Self-Culture, 1913)

Health and Strength, by Margaret Warner Morsley (Drapers' Self-Culture, 1913)

The Influence of [Physical] Training on Mind and Morals, by E.F. Benson and Eustace H. Miles (Drapers' Self-Culture, 1913)

Physical Culture, by Hartvig Nissen (Drapers' Self-Culture, 1913)

Physical Culture for Girls, by Julia W. Carpenter, MD (Drapers' Self-Culture, 1913)

Physical Training, by A.E. Garland (Drapers' Self-Culture, 1913)

Subtitled "special advice to beginners, with corrective exercises."

A Word on Outdoor Exercise, by F. Burger (Drapers' Self-Culture, 1913)

*"Medicus" was the pen-name of Gordon Stables, M.D., R.N., health columnist for The Girl's Own Paper. Read the complete collection of Medicus Columns from 1881-1902 in chronological order.

• See also Education: Physical Training