Fitness Fads

Fitness Fads and Crazes

 We've come a long way since those vibrating weight loss belts. But there are some moments in fitness history you may have forgotten and some you may not have heard of. Take a yoga break before getting your heart rate up about these crazy fads.

Kinect/Wii Fit

Welcome to the technology age. The Wii Fit features yoga, strength training, aerobics and balance games and has been described as a "way to help get families exercising together." The Kinect is similar and holds this interesting record.

Thigh Master

A 1990s exercise product used to shape your thighs. It's basically two pieces of metal tube bent in a loop and connected with a hinge used between your knees. Oh, and the ads featured this shapely celebrity spokeswoman.

Jazzercize

A dance-based group fitness program that started in 1969. It was created by this woman, who was a fan of jazz dance

Tae Bo

Invented by this tae kwon do practitioner, this fitness craze mixes methods of that martial arts discipline with boxing.

Zumba

A dance fitness program created in the '90s by a Colombian dancer and choreographer, this craze now offers locations in 110 countries.

Strippercise/pole dancing

She's not a stripper, she's getting fit! But sorry, guys, it's just for the ladies.

Vibrating belts

Designed in the 1960s to "shake your fat away," did these machines actually jar and disturb fat cells?

Sweatin' to the Oldies

Just when you thought you'd put this guy out of your mind for good, he's ba-ack!

Aerobics/Jane Fonda

Jane Fonda is often credited with starting the era of fitness crazes. Her first workout tape sold 17 million copies, more than any other workout video.

Yoga

This "craze" goes back a few years, like more than 5,000. Today there are many different kinds of yoga, and it is practiced by millions of people around the world.

Hula-Hooping

No longer just for 8-year-old girls, some people have to spit out the gum before they try Hula-Hooping, but it's good for the hips, legs and upper body all at once.

Jim Fixx/jogging

The guy who started this fitness craze had too much cholesterol and this happened, but he was way ahead of the crowd.

Pilates

A method that uses the mind to control the muscles, Pilates seeks to increase strength, flexibility and control of the body, especially the core. There are 14 million practitioners worldwide.

Boot camp

Sometimes it takes military discipline to get fit. Boot camps of all shapes and sizes are popping up all over North America.