Since were are on our current nostalgia period for the old days, let’s throw a throwback party article on workouts from that time! There were so many variations of exercise back then since it was a whole marketplace with the new tech coming from television, computers and CDs, speaking of CDs. Exercise CDs or DVDs were a popular way to stay active at home, featuring music from various genres to accompany workout routines. Popular options included pop, rock, and hip-hop hits, often remixed into workout-friendly versions. Artists like Cristina Aguilera, Missy Elliot, Outcast, Eminem and Shakira, were featured on many workout playlists. Some even came with exercise kits to help you follow their classes. Like Zumba DVDs with throwing balls, ropes and light dumbbells to help follow the dance.
In the early 2000’s, or Y2K era, we saw a lot of carry-over from the 1990’s as far as aerobics classes and group centered fitness. But this decade came with a twist- dance classes that were well, sexier. Cardio “stripdance” classes, with hip-hop, as well as pole dancing and other dance focused workouts rose in popularity. Many people found this a great way to make exercise more fun, and it came with a boost in confidence. Work that core, and work that confidence!
And speaking of your core, many fitness enthusiasts started to realize that there was way more to the core than just a six-pack! Although we’ve always been pretty preoccupied with our waists, exercises that included all parts of the core, including the side and back muscles, were starting to be recognized as an essential part of any workout routine. No longer were we simply doing crunches. We introduced Kettle bells for core, strength, and balance work! The focus was on functional fitness instead of simply fitting better into that summer’s bikini.
Another trend that started to take off was incorporating fitness into video games (or at least standing up and moving instead of being planted on the couch). The Nintendo Wii included Wii sports, which used a motion sensitive remote to play games like bowling, baseball, and tennis, all of which required the user to mimic the real-life movements on the screen. Just Dance was released in 2009, and required more vigorous movements, awarding players for accuracy and timing. Just Dance is still around today, and it’s a fun way to get some cardio at home with your Xbox! Or you could see the old dancing games gameplays and try to follow, particularly Rihannas “Where Have You Been?” song was my personal nemesis and challenge. - i know it's from 2014's but still, another better old example would be Evacuate the Dance Floor.
Finally, in 2009 the first Fitbit was born. As we will see, this kicked off a trend that was unprecedented- being able to easily track your fitness goals such as steps and general movement throughout the day via technology and wearables. Although they were far from perfect with bugs from moving your arm, they were the beginning of a series of development for fitness tech.
The 2000s had way more cool workouts than that but i just wanted to share a glimpse of that, we all remember how even magazines from the time had workout plans for celebrities to stimulate people on doing them too, it was everywhere! So that’s it, thanks for reading, bye!
