author
Dio Lewis
1823–1886
A lively 19th-century reformer, physician, and lecturer, he became widely known for linking exercise, temperance, and everyday health. His popular "New Gymnastics" helped bring physical training—especially for women—into schools and public life.
1 Audiobook
Our Girls
by Dio Lewis
About the author
Born in Auburn, New York, in 1823, Dio Lewis was a physician, writer, and public speaker who built a national reputation as an advocate for health reform. He studied medicine, practiced homeopathy, and wrote on hygiene and daily habits, but he became especially famous for turning exercise into something ordinary people could do without heavy athletic training.
Lewis developed a program he called New Gymnastics, using simple movements and light apparatus such as rings, clubs, and beanbags. At a time when women were often excluded from vigorous physical activity, he argued that exercise should be accessible to them as well, and his ideas influenced schools, gym classes, and broader conversations about women's health and dress reform.
He was also active in the temperance movement and wrote extensively, leaving behind books and lectures that mixed medicine, morality, and practical advice. Though some of his ideas reflect the reform culture of the 1800s, he remains an interesting figure in the history of American fitness and public health.