It’s not hard to find somewhere or some way to exercise these days, with gyms, studios, free online videos and personal trainers generally easy to access.

But more than four decades ago, the fitness industry as we know it was just getting off the ground, becoming linked with celebrity as stars such as Arnold Schwarzenegger started monetising everything from books to gyms to running shoes.

One of the key figures in this growth was Jane Fonda, who released her first aerobics video, titled Jane Fonda Workout, on April 24, 1982. 

It became the biggest selling VHS in history as people snapped up 850,000 copies in its first three years, helping to usher in the fitness culture we know today and, according to some, helping to launch the entire VHS industry.

Bill Hayes, the author of Sweat: A History of Exercise, said Fonda was one of the most important figures in the history of exercise because of her workout videos.

“What’s important about Jane Fonda is she democratised exercise, especially for women … all around the world,” he said.

“All you had to do was buy a videotape, which was quite inexpensive, at least compared to joining a gym.

“You could do it at home. You didn’t have to hire a babysitter. And they were fun, and they made exercise seem fun and sexy.

“She had a huge influence. I really don’t hesitate to say she was one of the most important figures in the whole history of exercise.”

Building a fitness empire

Fonda, who was in her 40s when the first video was released, went on to make more than 20 additional workout videos and write several books, all of which sold well.

They were embraced by young mothers who found it difficult to exercise outside the home, and by women who felt self-conscious about going to the gym or could not afford it.

“It really made a huge difference for women,” Fonda told the ABC in 2024.

“Up until then, women weren’t supposed to have muscles,” she said.

“I mean, it was a joke what a workout for women looked like back then, but they started doing my workout and people began to develop muscles … and they’ve never looked back.” 

Speaking to Ellen Degeneres in 2014, Fonda said that before her video, if a woman went to a health club, there would be a gym for men and nothing for women. 

“We were not supposed to be strong and fit,” she said.

How it all began

While Fonda’s workout videos were embraced by people keen to improve their fitness, there was a political reason behind the production of the first.

Fonda was, at the time, married to political activist Tom Hayden, who later served in the California State Assembly and State Senate. 

They were trying to find ways to make money outside of Fonda’s acting career to fund a political action committee and establish chapters across the state.

Fonda had started attending an early type of aerobics class in Beverly Hills and enjoyed it so much, she opened her own studio and taught classes.

Then someone approached her about making a video.

Fonda initially said no because she thought it might cheapen her acting career, but she was eventually talked into it.

According to Hayes, Fonda turned out to be a gifted teacher.

“She could explain the movements that you needed to make and why you were doing them and what muscles were affected,” he said.

“Anyone who’s taken a group fitness class, whether yoga or aerobics or other kinds of group fitness, you know when you have a good teacher. 

“Her videos were also kind of revolutionary in that they were very diverse. 

“The people in her videotapes, there were men and women, people of colour. It was a very mixed group, and I think that in itself was revolutionary too.”

Videos still relevant today

Hayes said Fonda’s workout videos were “very solid, very sensible, very well-structured, and she had done her research”.

“She incorporated using music and dance, which was part of her own background. She was trained in ballet,” he said.

“So it’s natural for her, I think, to bring in music and dance into her aerobic workouts.”

He said the videos had not dated — but that perhaps does not apply to the fitness wear at the time (think brightly coloured leotards, tights and leg warmers. It was, after all, the 80s).

Now aged 88, Fonda said her fitness routine had remained the same over the years, but she worked at a different pace.

She told People magazine earlier this year: “I essentially do everything I used to do, just slower.”

Fonda also is keeping up with the times in the exercise industry, having worked with a virtual reality fitness platform to produce four classes.

“We really bridged the past and future of fitness with this series. Aside from the technology, it felt as if no time had passed,” she told People.

Sussanne Khan is a true-blue fitness enthusiast who swears by a hardcore routine. The interior designer often shares videos on social media, offering fans a peek into her workout regimen. From yoga to physically demanding aerobics, she can do it all with effortless grace. Recently, the 50-year-old dropped another clip from her training diaries on Instagram, where she was seen performing a set of challenging pilates at a Pilates studio. Sussanne ditched any fancy caption and simply wrote, ‘Slow and steady wins the race… reach out touch faith’.

Sussanne Khan performs Pilates

In the clip, Sussanne Khan was seen giving it her all to the workout. She was dressed in a black tank top and a pair of grey gym tights. The interior designer indulged in different forms of Pilates on a reformer machine, showcasing remarkable grit, strength, and balance. Despite taking a few measured breaths, she aced the difficult exercise like an expert.

According to Pilates instructor and celebrity fitness trainer Namrata Purohit, who has trained Bollywood actresses like Janhvi Kapoor and Sara Ali Khan, Pilates is a type of exercise that is suitable for all. Namrata revealed that pilates is a form of mind and body workout that targets the entire body and every muscle while also working on breath control.

Benefits of Pilates and more about Sussanne Khan

Besides establishing a mind-body connection, Pilates helps to manage stress, anxiety and depression, providing people with an opportunity to socialize, altering brain chemical levels like serotonin, cortisol, and endorphins, claimed Namrata Purohit. Additionally, Pilates strengthens the body, improves lean body mass, increases flexibility and prevents injuries in the long run. ‘It is appropriate for everyone, and at any age, it meets you right where you are,’ she said.

Coming to Sussanee Khan, she is a mother to two sons, Hrehaan and Hridhaan Roshan, whom she shares with actor, ex-husband Hrithik Roshan. Although the couple parted ways in 2014, they continue to share an amicable bond, co-parenting their kids together. The duo has also found love for the second time. While Sussanne is in a loving relationship with Arslan Goni, Hrithik is dating actress Saba Azad. The four have been spotted together on several occasions.

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Viral videos and “fitspiration” trends can sometimes do more harm than good, according to health experts.

One Atlantic province has already seen a rise in a rare and potentially life-threatening condition that can be caused by overexertion, known as rhabdomyolysis or rhabdo.

The syndrome is caused by rapid muscle breakdown and can be the result of extreme exercise, according to Dr. Ryan Henneberry, a Halifax-based sports medicine physician.

“(It can happen) especially in somebody who might have succumbed themself to exercise they hadn’t done in a while: the typical high-intense interval training, or the indoor cycling that’s common now,” he said.

It occurs when damaged cells release toxins into the blood, which can lead to severe issues, including kidney failure.

“One might see the hallmark or classic tea-coloured urine, or darker urine or brown urine, and that would usually be associated with some form of muscle weakness or muscle pain,” said Henneberry.

Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services said last month it confirmed about 20 cases in the eastern part of the province in the span of six months. Doctors typically expect to see a few cases a year, said Dr. Richard Barter, the clinical chief of emergency medicine in the authority’s eastern urban zone.

“One doctor said they’ve seen seven cases in the last five months,” said Barter.

Most of those cases were among women aged 19 to 30. And health officials believe social media may play a role.

“There is a culture right now to do extreme activities,” said Barter.

“We suspect that there’s a lot of posting on social media about what you’ve done, the number of reps that you’ve done, how high you’ve got your heart rate … there’s a friendly jousting competitiveness going on.”

Elsewhere in Atlantic Canada, Nova Scotia Health said it has not seen any significant increases in rhabdo cases. Health authorities in New Brunswick did not provide data before deadline.

Laura Perry, a personal trainer and owner of East Coast Barbell in Dartmouth, N.S., said preventing rhabdo means taking exercise slow — and low.

“We’re not going from zero to 100 in the very first day. We’re starting small and we’re learning how to move our bodies efficiently and safely,” said Perry.

“Working out six days a week is not twice as good as working out three days a week. It doesn’t work in that way. The most important thing is to choose a routine that you can do consistently. That you have time to recover from.”

Others believe self-compassion can help, too.

While social media pressure may encourage intense workouts for some, it’s important to pause and consider the impacts.

“It could be really just recognizing that these are large systemic and often profitable industries that are perpetuating these messages,” said Eva Pila, an assistant professor at Western University School of Kinesiology.

“We need to adopt more kind, understanding and empathetic ways of relating to ourselves.”

— With a file from The Canadian Press