The fourth-century BCE Spartan king Agesilaus once dismissively вЂњregiftedвЂќ sweetmeats to his helot slaves deeming such extravagances unfit for Spartans. Outside of religious holidays when the dietary rules were relaxed Spartans shunned cakes and sweets.

The main course was famously plain, consisting of unbaked barley burgers, the notorious вЂњblack brothвЂќ (a type of blood soup), and a meat portion. Adult citizens dined together each night in common messes, with citizens contributing monthly rations of barley, cheese, figs, olive oil, and wine produced on their own estates. Like the governmentвЂ™s new policy, the Spartans too were as interested in diet as they were in exercise. The Spartans so valued sport that they accorded the honour of serving alongside the king in battle to victors at the Olympic Games. Spartan men spent much of their leisure time training in hunting, boxing, sprinting, jumping, acrobatic dancing while wearing 30kg of bronze armour, the discus and the javelin, and ball games. Spartan boys received training in athletics, dancing, ball games (including the violent вЂњsphairomachiaвЂќ or вЂњbattle-ballвЂќ), bare-knuckle fighting, and perhaps even knife fights! Spartan girls received physical training too, and were known as вЂњthigh-flashersвЂќ because of the skimpy outfits they wore as they engaged in running, throwing, and the notorious Spartan вЂњrump-jumpвЂќ, whereby girls would jump up and kick their own buttocks, first with one foot, then the other, followed by both at the same time. Sport was a vital part of the brutal state-sponsored Spartan education system, which was compulsory for all citizens. Exercise was such an important part of Spartan life that it was normal for them to continue their daily exercises even while on military campaign, and the Spartans are even said to have вЂњinventedвЂќ the ancient Greek habit of practising sport naked! When the Persian king Xerxes sent spies to see what the Spartans were doing, he was stunned to hear that they were exercising naked as they awaited the Persian onslaught. Films aside, the historical accounts of the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae provide one of the most striking illustrations of Spartan athleticism. When the government announced the new вЂњ Better HealthвЂќ campaign to encourage Britons to lose weight through more exercise and less sugary food, I could not help but think about the ancient Spartans, who, as anyone who has seen the film 300 would know, were famous for their muscular physique.

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