What’s that workout? Aerobics on OS Fitness

Get ready for retro sweat, because the eighties are making a comeback, baby!

Get your leg warmers and leotards ready, it’s time to get that sweat on. We’re talking aggressive jazz hands, high kicks and lots of family-friendly pelvic thrusts. But, before you go and injure something wedging yourself into those neon pink leotards, let’s have a (brief) look at what aerobics is and how it came to be.

Beginnings

Right, so unlike yoga and Pilates, Aerobics is a relatively young gun. Shimmying its way onto the scene in the late 60s, aerobics was the unintentional brainchild of Dr Kenneth H. Cooper, an Air Force surgeon in 1968. Writing about it in his book of the same name, Dr Cooper believed that cardiovascular exercise was the cornerstone of physical fitness and devised a fitness test based on your ability to run a mile and a half in twelve minutes (ouch). The medical community loved his book so much that they endorsed it in the 70s, which is when running became all the craze (cue Chariots of Fire theme music).

The funky, fist-pumping jazzercize aerobics we all know and love today, may not have been what Dr Cooper intended for his sport-baby, but it is one heck of a workout. Jackie Sorenson is credited for the dance-dance aerobics, taking Dr Cooper’s method and incorporating callisthenics and stretching into it to make it more fun.

However, it wasn’t until Jane Fonda donned her purple lycra and legwarmers that aerobics really took off.

Welcome to the 80s. Neon, Richard Simmons and more lycra. From there it’s pretty much history. And guess what? That’s right, it’s on OS Fitness, so start practising those jazz hands.

What can aerobics do for you?

Apart from expanding your leotard collection ten-fold? Heaps.

As Dr Cooper said way back when aerobics is the pinnacle of physical fitness, it’s akin to dance where all your muscles groups are being targeted, with the added throw-in of some core stretching and cardio. But let’s break it down into some consumable bullet points.

• It burns a heap of calories.
• Tones your entire body
• Strengthens your cardiovascular (heart)
• Straightens up that posture
• Improves your flexibility

PLUS, you look super groovy in a far out way while doing it. Check out these legends giving it a whirl:

 So, what do you say? Have a crack? Dust off those sweatbands? We think so.

Dance it out in the comfort of your own home with OS Fitness. It’s a game-changer.

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