100 Years of Fitness in 100 Seconds
Nowadays exercise can mean anything from rowing to barre to TRX, but there weren’t always so many workout options. A new video from Benenden Health, a UK mutual society, illustrates fitness fads from the 1910s to the current day—100 years in 100 seconds. Long before aerobics classes and spandex ruled, women performed a wide variety of moves to obtain the ideal body type of the decade. Some of them are downright amusing by today’s standards.
1910s: Women performed gentle stretches to improve their hips and ease constipation. These moves could be performed in their everyday ankle-length skirts and dresses.
1920s: Stretches gained a dancelike quality—don’t want to pull a muscle while doing the Charleston! With rising hemlines, it was time to get legs in shape. Silk nightgowns were the go-to fitness attire of the decade.
1930s: A more energetic shift arrived courtesy of the Women’s League of Health and Beauty, an organization founded by Mary Bagot Stack. Her motto was “movement is life.” While fashions accentuated a natural waist, ladies took to organized group classes that incorporated dancing and jumps.
1940s: During wartime, many women started exercising in their homes. An early form of situps and splits helped ladies limber up, while special exercises were supposed to minimize sweat. Can you imagine?!
1950s: Women adopt the hula-hoop craze as a way of maintaining their in-vogue hourglass figures, proving fitness can be fun.
1960s: As the twist dominated dance floors and women yearn for Twiggy-like figures, the Trim Twist portable device is a hit with housewives and women in the workplace.
1970s: Broadway star Judi Sheppard Missett brought Jazzercise to the masses, combining jazz moves with exercise to slim and tone for a dancer’s physique that was so desirable in the disco decade.
1980s: It’s time to break out your leotards and sweatbands—it’s time for some serious cardio as aerobics sweeps the world with Jane Fonda at the forefront. Toned arms and legs and killer abs are the name of the game.
1990s: Tae Bo goes from late night infomercials to a full-fledged movement thanks to taekwondo instructor Billy Blanks. This also primes gyms for kickboxing classes. With croptops in fashion, toned abs remain crucial.
2000s: As pop and hip-hop music dominate the airwaves, street dance marks a return to dance studios. Suddenly everyone wants a body like Britney Spears, JLo, and Beyonce.
2010s: Zumba is a hit with women of all ages, combining hip-hop, salsa, samba, merengue, and mambo moves designed to target the whole body. Only time will tell which fitness craze will come next.
Related:
The Evolution of the Perfect Female Body
