Friday, November 4, 2022

Fat Friday Review: Sweatin' to the Oldies

 


Rating:
Four out of Five Stars

Buy Link:

Sweatin' to the Oldies may have been the first workout tape I ever bought. After my son was born via emergency c-section in May 1990 with mucho complications for Yours Truly, I was having a lot of trouble getting my strength back. I couldn't push the pedals on the exercise bike at the fitness center hard enough or rapidly enough to keep the LED counter going. 

I felt ashamed of myself. From my current vantage point, I wish to say a hardy FUCK YOU to a society that thinks it's okay to tell anyone they should be ashamed of their body, particularly when that body has been through major trauma or illness, and again I say, fuck you very much.

I reasoned that I might have better luck with low-impact aerobics, so I purchased Richard Simmons' Sweatin' to the Oldies.

Now that I'm an Oldie myself, trying to rebuild my strength, endurance, and flexibility, this workout series mostly holds up. It would be even better if they approached the routines from a Health at Every Size perspective, encouraging joyful movement for all bodies rather than encouraging weight loss. 

Richard is a genuinely nice person, and he means well. He was severely bullied for his own weight. I read his autobiography and my heart broke for him. His heart is in the right place, but his approach is flawed. If you're an ornery old bat (or owl) like me, you can probably ignore the moments when Richard is encouraging participants to get their groove on for Teh Wate Looze. If you're in a vulnerable place regarding your body image, choosing a different workout program would be better.

The workout itself is great. It requires no special equipment and does not include any high-impact maneuvers. People of most fitness levels can do it with the caveat that participants have to be able to stand. If you like old-time rock music, you'll enjoy the soundtrack. These are the kind of songs that are fun to sing along to and the beat makes you want to move your feet.

Overall, this series is a lot of fun and at only two bucks per episode, it's a real bargain!

~Ornery Owl Has Spoken~


Free use image from Open Clipart Vectors
"How do you like my workout headband, Hangry?"


Free use image from Pixabay
"I like it just fine, Ornery. What are we gonna eat after we get done with this sweating business?"



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