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May 21, 2007

Ironicize

Someone should offer an exercise class that would involve projecting old exercise videos like Richard Simmons, Mr. T and Jane Fonda on a big wall and leading a class in front of it. You'd rotate your videos, to keep things interesting, and could constantly update your stash with trips to the Goodwill.

The appeal of it would be that exercise is kind of hard for some of us to approach as a serious endeavor: it's too humiliating. Exercising to outdated instructional videos would allow us to put up an ironic front while still getting some actual exercise.

When I brought up the idea the other night, someone mentioned Punk Rock Aerobics as a possible model, which is a great idea in itself, but a little too sincere for me.

As a historian, I'd like to see how far back we could go. When did instructional exercise media get invented, I wonder? Did they have exercise radio shows back in the 1920s? I'll be Heide would know, thinking back to that project she was doing on Lisa Lyon.

Maybe in some cases we'd listen to records instead of watching videos. And we'd have to keep our minds open for a variety of exercise forms.

(Along those lines, I note that Pole Dancing is trying for a degree of respectability in spite of its history.)

I'm so convinced this is a good idea, I'm betting someone has already done it. If not, maybe I can start leading lunch time sessions at my new office.

Posted by mary at May 21, 2007 9:18 AM

Comments

Jon Nichols had some very nice "physical culture" instructional records, from... well, I forget. They might have been cylinders, even.

Did you see that thing about the desk-with-treadmill idea? I wouldn't want to have to walk on a treadmill *all* the time when I was at my desk, but I'd like the option.

Of course, in some ways a lot of jobs are already a lot like being on a treadmill.

Posted by: melissa [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 21, 2007 1:35 PM

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