Slap
bracelets. Fanny Packs. Bucket hats. Chokers. Neon windbreakers. Is it safe to
say you are feeling the sentimentality yet?
The
beginning of the fitness revolution of the 80s brought with it, the good, the
bad and the down right ‘what are thosssseeeeeee?’. Before I get into the
fitness trends of the 80s onwards, here is a brief history:
Since
the beginning of time, humanity has relied upon athletic prowess. From the
prehistoric ages to our modern time, athletic ability has been used as a form
of survival, but for slightly different purposes.
Fitness,
as we know it today, seems to be a relatively modern invention. The industrialization
period in the U.S. and Europe was marked by a more sedentary lifestyle. No
seriously, like no one worked up a sweat--unless of course they were squeezing
into a girdle.
During
this period there was an increase in deaths due to the increase of various
non-communicable diseases related to the heart, various cancers and Type II
diabetes. This was an important
indicator that physical activity was strongly correlated with an increase in
disease and illnesses.
With
this in mind the fitness revolution of the 80s emerged. So prepare for a trip
down memory lane in 3, 2, 1….
‘80s
From
aerobics in Tae bo and Jane Fonda’s workouts to Jazzercise, exercise in this
period was mainly concerned with looking cool while burning those cals!
The
arrival of home video players meant everyone, especially women, could break a
sweat in their living rooms (finding a woman in a gym was basically rare in
those times). Moreover, the popular choreographed aerobic classes of the 80s
were filled the outrageously cool (or not so cool) workout fashion trends. Awh
man, legwarmers and headbands were literally everywhere in the ‘80s--so much so
that it almost seemed like you could not physically do a workout without
wearing them.
Yes,
I know what you’re thinking, we can’t forget about the spandex and leotards--the
yoga pants of our times--how could they even workout in those? I mean they were
easy to fit, but definitely hard to look at!
90s
This
period was marked by new territory: men’s territory. How many reps and sets are
you doing per workout? The idea shifted from how many calories am I eating to
how many grams of fat in a single serving of chips?
Although dominated by men, this period for women was run by the “Thigh master” device brought out by Suzanne Somers. The same way my generation is obsessed with having a “Thigh-gap”, theirs was obsessed with getting toned and stronger legs--which I would say is a better obsession than ours, don’t you think so?
Wait…
wait… before I keep going if you never wore roller blades in the 90s, just stop
reading, please and thank you.... … … Just kidding, but they were at the height
of their popularity as a way to get fit in the 90s!
Other
popular workouts of the 90s included: high-impact aerobics, kick-boxing,
8-minute abs, cardio slide and step aerobics. I mean step aerobics was huge--be
it a one riser or five, you just weren’t fit in the 90s unless you were
stepping!
And
lastly, the use of supplements like creatine and ephedra for example, became a holy-grail
for gym rats in the 90s. It’s only sad that Ephedra was an absolute #fail. ‘Fail’
is even an understatement. This energy-boosting, fat-supplement was actually
found to be deadly…. So awks.
2000s
This
period was characterized with renewing our relationship with carbs, only to
hate it once again. I… I don’t get it either.
We have gone from strippercise, exegaming,
extreme weight loss and extreme in this time period. The Internet and
technology has helped us with everything! From counting our steps and macros,
to directing our workouts straight from our smartphones.
2010s and beyond
I
am certainly proud of the inclusion of more women fitness models in the
weight-training sector, as well as the healthier trend towards living a healthy
lifestyle.
We’ve
learned how to read food labels -- sadly almost to the point of obsession, but
this may not be the worst thing in the world. Moreover, more restaurants are
not only providing healthier foods, but also nutritional information on their
menus.
This
decade has essentially been characterized not so much about exploring new
things, but going back to the basics and reinventing them. Here, simple sports,
healthy diets, eco-conscious apparel and exercise programs for the young (and
old) are the way of the future.
It
is actually a proud moment in fitness history where we are realizing that a healthy
lifestyle can actually be fun.
Writing
about some of these workouts definitely made me nostalgic because it would be
great to see a comeback in some of these fitness fads. Not going to lie, I
still do my Tae Bo workouts frequently. What other fitness trends would you
like to see comeback?
Seyi
Ajayi
Customer
Service Representative
Catalyst
Health
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