The constrained space.

在一個禁錮的空間。

And the monotony of going nowhere fast.

漫無目的地跑著。

It feels like hours have gone by, but it's only been eleven minutes.

這感覺就像已經過了很多個小時，但其實只有 11 分鐘。

And you wonder, "Why am I torturing myself"?

而你納悶「我為什麼要折磨自己」？

This thing has got to be considered a "cruel and unusual punishment".

這件事情早該被視為一個「殘酷且不尋常的懲罰」。

Actually, that's exactly what it is, or was.

事實上，自古至今皆然。

You see, in the 1800s, treadmills were created to punish English prisoners.

在 19 世紀時，跑步機是英國發明用來懲罰犯人的。

At the time, the English prison system was abysmally bad.

當時，英國監獄系統非常糟糕。

Execution and deportation were often the punishments of choice, and those who were locked away faced hours of solitude in filthy cells.

死刑和驅逐出境常常是懲罰的選擇，那些被關著的人在骯髒的牢房度過好幾個孤獨的小時。

So social movements led by religious groups, philanthropies, and celebrities, like Charles Dickens, sought to change these dire conditions and help reform the prisoners.

宗教團體、慈善事業，和名人，像是狄更斯便發起了社會運動，力求改變這些可怕的條件，幫助改造犯人。

When their movement succeeded, entire prisons were remodeled and new forms of rehabilitation, such as the treadmill, were introduced.

當他們的行動成功，整個監獄進行改造和以新的型式重生。

Here's how the original version, invented in 1818 by English engineer Sir William Cubitt, worked.

在 1818 年，英國工程師威廉．丘比特先生發明的跑步機原型是這樣運作的。

Prisoners stepped on 24 spokes of a large paddle wheel.

犯人們踩在大槳輪的 24 根輻條上。

As the wheel turned, the prisoner was forced to keep stepping up or risk falling off, similar to modern stepper machines.

當輪子運轉，犯人們被迫繼續加緊腳步，不然就會有跌落的風險，類似於現代的踩步機。

Meanwhile, the rotation made gears pump out water, crush grain, or power mills, which is where the name "treadmill" originated.

同時，運轉使齒輪打出水、壓碎稻穀，或提供鋼廠動力，這就是名為「treadmill (又踏又磨)」的緣由。

These devices were seen as a fantastic way of whipping prisoners into shape, and that added benefit of powering mills, helped to rebuild a British economy decimated by the Napoleonic Wars.

這些設備被視為折磨犯人、塑造他們的一個很好的方式，而且還能供應電鋼廠能量，幫助重建受拿破崙戰爭毀壞殆盡的英國經濟。

It was a win for all concerned, except the prisoners.

這對於犯人之外的人都是一項勝利。

It's estimated that, on average, prisoners spent six or so hours a day on treadmills, the equivalent of climbing 5,000 to 14,000 feet.

據估計，平均而言，犯人每天花六小時左右在跑步機上，等同攀登 5,000 到 14,000 英呎。

14,000 feet is roughly Mount Everest's halfway point.

14,000 英呎大致是珠穆朗瑪峰的中間點。

Imagine doing that five days a week with little food.

想像一下，在吃很少的情況下一個星期要做五天。

Cubitt's idea quickly spread across the British Empire and America.

丘比特的想法快速蔓延到整個大英帝國和美國。

Within a decade of its creation, over 50 English prisons boasted a treadmill, and America, a similar amount.

在發明不到十年的時間裡，超過 50 所英國監獄以擁有跑步機感到驕傲，美國也有差不多的數量。

Unsurprisingly, the exertion combined with poor nutrition saw many prisoners suffer breakdowns and injuries.

不出所料，勞累加上營養不良，許多犯人倒下和受傷。

Not that prison guards seemed to care.

但監獄守衛們並沒有很在意。

In 1824, New York prison guard James Hardie credited the device with taming his more boisterous inmates, writing that the "monotonous steadiness, and not its severity...constitutes its terror," a quote many still agree with.

1824 年，紐約監獄長 James Hardie 將馴服這些吵鬧的囚犯的功勞歸功於跑步機，他這樣記錄：「比起疲累，真正造成它恐怖的是無止盡的單調與乏味。」現在許多人也同意他的想法。

And treadmills lasted in England until the late 19th century.

跑步機在英國持續到 19 世紀末。

When they were banned for being excessively cruel under the Prison's Act of 1898.

根據 1898 年的監獄法案，跑步機因為過於殘忍而被禁止。

But of course the torture device returned with a vengeance, this time targeting the unsuspecting public.

但當然後來刑具隨著報復回歸了，這次瞄準的對象是不知情的社會大眾。

In 1911, a treadmill patent was registered in the U.S.

1911 年，一台跑步機專利註冊於美國。

And by 1952, the forerunner for today's modern treadmill had been created.

而到 1952 年，市場先驅者已經建立了現在我們見到的跑步機。

When the jogging craze hit the U.S. in the 1970s.

慢跑熱潮在 1970 年代襲捲美國。

The treadmill was thrust back into the limelight as an easy and convenient way to improve aerobic fitness, and lose unwanted pounds.

作為一種簡單的有氧健身方式來達到減重目標，跑步機再一次成為焦點。

Which, to be fair, it's pretty good at doing.

平心而論，跑步機對這方面很有效。

And the machine has maintained its popularity since.

而這台機器從此之後一直受到大家歡迎。

So the next time you voluntarily subject yourself to what was once a cruel and unusual punishment, just be glad you can control when you'll hop off.

如果你下次自願站上這曾經是殘忍又奇怪懲罰的跑步機，應該要慶幸自己可以決定什麼時候可以跳下來不跑。