Our research paper ”Mens sana in corpore sano – from its origins up to now” was published and presented at the 3rd International Scientific Conference ”Exercise and Quality of Life” (EQOL) back in 2013. Considering the increasingly frequent use of the maxim “Mens sana in corpore sano” in the areas of sport and recreation, it is important to understand its essential meaning. This study aimed to explain different interpretations of the maxim from its very beginning through various historical periods until today. Also, another important idea was to find out the actual meaning of the maxim through the context of the modern world and its development trend.

Introduction

Maxim “Mens sana in corpore sano” is widely used in the field of sports and recreation. Every day it is used by the majority of the active population, and it is presumed that very few people know its real meaning. Not so often you can find sports scientists who use this maxim as an indirect phrase in their papers, such as for example Resnicow, K. et. al. (Resnicow, K. et. al., 2002) with the headline Healthy Body/Healthy Spirit: church-based nutrition and physical activity intervention. These assumptions can be substantiated by the fact that in the areas of philosophy of sport this topic has not been elaborated at all, therefore a large audience who uses this maxim does not know its true meaning. Even at the Faculties of Sport, in subjects related to the history of the sport, the maxim is not explained but it is assumed without discussion that the body which deals with physical exercise will have a healthy mind. Since the moment of its inception, through numerous definitions and theories about the relationship between body and mind until today, the maxim was changing its meaning in accordance with time, development trends, and living conditions. The main idea is to perceive the issue from two different angles. On one hand, the selective character of the interview should confirm preconceived notions, and on the other hand, theoretically handle everything related to the maxim from its earliest days to the present time. The results obtained by these two approaches should be seen in terms of the modern world and tendencies of its development and provide an explanation of the maxim, which will be valid for the present time.

Conclusion

It is wrong to say that in a healthy body is a healthy mind as it is used in our region because if so, that would mean that people who do not have a healthy body (ill, injured, etc.) cannot have a healthy mind, which is unacceptable. The right saying is “Healthy mind in a healthy body”, by which is meant that a healthy mind can build a healthy body. Whether the mind and body are one substance or two, we should strive for their development, whereby the body should not be instrumentalized but provided with all the necessary freedom to manifest through the mind, because perhaps only true physical exercise is one of the preconditions of having a healthy mind. In the 21st century, it is far gone from the Greek arete by the mechanization of body movement in almost all spheres of physical exercise (except for health-related exercises), which raises the question of whether people who use such a body drill can have a healthy mind.

To read the complete research paper click on the following link. https://www.academia.edu/22507438/MENS_SANA_IN_CORPORE_SANO_FROM_ITS_ORIGINS_UP_TO_NOW