Connect with us

Fitness

Aerobics TV star Sue Becker was also a talkback radio host 'way ahead of her time'

Published

on

Aerobics TV star Sue Becker was also a talkback radio host 'way ahead of her time'

In 1992 Rae Earl was a student at home in England watching a BBC program called TV Hell.

The show was a compilation of “diabolical moments” from British television history programs that quickly disappeared into entertainment purgatory.

Featured was a show from 1972 called Boomph with Becker, an aerobics program for seniors presented by an eccentric fitness guru called Sue Becker.

“I was fairly entranced as much as the nation was,” Ms Earl told Leon Compton on ABC Radio Hobart.

“It was pre-internet so you can’t say it was viral but once you saw it a lot of people were talking about it.”

Advertisement

Described by the BBC as idiosyncratic, Becker starts off in a green dress but is soon prancing around elderly people in a black leotard encouraging them to “boomph” with her.

“It’s wonderful, it’s so eccentric,” Ms Earl said.

Thirty years later, and now an author, Ms Earl would begin dedicating her time to finding out more about Becker’s life and writing a PhD about her.

She discovered there was much more to Becker than her moment in TV Hell.

Becker and pop star Normie Rowe.(ABC News)
Advertisement

A ‘fascinating’ life

About seven years ago BBC Archives shared the clip of Boomph with Becker again, and Sue Becker was back on Ms Earl’s mind.

Ms Earl was now living in Tasmania, and discovered that Becker had spent a decade on the island as well.

a black and white photo of a woman with short hair looking at the camera

Becker was a radio presenter in Tasmania for a decade.(ABC News)

“I couldn’t find much about her, but the more I did find, the more interesting she became,” Ms Earl said.

“I started to look into her life, she was fascinating.”

Advertisement

Born in England, Becker attended the revolutionary I.M Marsh College of Physical Training in Liverpool.

“It was one of the first places in the world that thought women should be involved in sport and education,” Ms Earl said.

Becker then travelled widely, and in the 1950s she moved to Papua New Guinea by herself to reportedly learn native dance.

She married the doctor who treated her for malaria and hepatitis and lived there for about six years, before getting divorced.

a woman in a purple shirt and lip stick, her hand is on her chest

Becker during an interview in 1991 about leaving Tasmania.(ABC News)
Advertisement

TV aerobics fame

In 1966 Becker ended up in Australia, and shot to TV fame through her own aerobics show on the ABC called Swing In Time.

“She wore diamanté fishnet stockings with a black leotard, her figure was to die for,” Ms Earl said.

a black and white photo of a woman with a big grin and her hands under her chin

Becker doing facial exercises in the 1960s.(ABC News)

In the 1970s she took her manager to court over what she believed was an unfair deal.

It settled out of court but hampered her ability to work in the industry in Australia.

Advertisement

This led to the infamous one-off season of Boomph with Becker in the UK, which would be repeated for decades to come.

Just last month BBC Archives re-shared a clip from it and it received 380,000 views.

“She disappeared from view except for when she’s been used as a joke, which I think is criminal,” Ms Earl said.

a woman in a green jumper is interviewing a man in a suit in a radio studio

Becker interviews former Tasmanian premier Robin Gray in the late 1980s.(ABC News)

Beckers Broadside

As well as her aerobics programs, Becker was on air for the ABC, initially in Sydney and then all throughout the 1980s on radio in Tasmania.

Advertisement

Her program Beckers Broadside was one of the earliest talkback radio programs, and one of the first with a woman hosting.

The hour-long program saw her interview all types in a very matter-of-fact way, including prime ministers and premiers.

Her signature deep, gravelly voice became an iconic sound across Tasmania.

A transcript shows Becker hotly debating Malcolm Fraser over the cost of living and interest rates.

Rae Earl, looking at home in our studio

Rae Earl is writing a book and PhD about Becker.(ABC News)
Advertisement

“She is way ahead of her time,” Ms Earl said.

“She’s a talkback presenter in the 80s, and female.

“There were not many of those.”

a black and white typed transcript of an interview

Becker’s interview with prime minister Malcolm Fraser.(Supplied: Australian government)

Ms Earl said her PhD would explore the relationship radio presenters had with their audience, and what happened when they were no longer on air.

Advertisement

“She allows me to examine women in the entertainment industry, it’s also a story of empire, it’s a story of post-war Britain and Australia.”

Ms Earl also plans to write a book about Becker, and wants her to be remembered for more than Boomph With Becker.

“She’s kind of been forgotten, and I think this is an act of criminality,” she said.

“She was on air for the entirety of the 1980s so I would really like to get her back into the public consciousness.

“She’s a protean talent.”

Advertisement

Becker parted ways with the ABC in 1990 and moved to Queensland to be closer to her son.

She died in 2007.

ABC listeners remember Sue Becker

ABC Radio Hobart listeners shared memories of Sue Becker on the Mornings program.

Cathy: “Sue Becker, wow, a blast from the past! I was one of thousands who tuned in wearing my sports gear and joining in with exercising.”

Melegueta said: “The way she was, she put a lot of people’s backs up but in herself I thought she was just wonderful.”

Mary: “She was dynamic, exciting. I had four children under five in the 70s so I was frantically busy but I wanted to be fit too. She was a real drawcard when I had time to hear her. I do remember her very fondly, she was an exciting personality.”

Keith: “She was quite outrageous in some ways.”

Kay: “I remember the husky voice, black leotard and colourful scarf around her neck.”

Sue: “We were living in Port Moresby in the 1960s and 70s and Sue had a show on air on aerobics.”

Ms Earl would like to hear from people with memories of Sue Becker via suebeckerproject@gmail.com

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Fitness

AI-driven study finds appearance, not health, is the top exercise motivator

Published

on

AI-driven study finds appearance, not health, is the top exercise motivator
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

A new study from Tel Aviv University used AI tools for the first time to discover what motivates people to exercise and which strategies are most effective for maintaining physical fitness.

The researchers used tools of artificial intelligence and machine learning to scan thousands of posts on the Reddit social network. They found that 23.9% of the users who engage in sports do so to improve their appearance, 18.9% exercise to maintain their physical health, and 16.9% exercise to maintain their mental health. The study was led by a team of researchers from TAU’s School of Public Health, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences: Dr. Michal Shmueli-Scheuer, Yedidya Silverman, Prof. Israel Halperin, and Prof. Yftach Gepner. The paper is published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.

Prof. Gepner explains, “Researchers in our field usually rely on cumbersome old-school questionnaires, containing inherent biases, to understand why people engage in sports and what strategies help them adhere to physical activity. It’s an astonishing phenomenon: science tells us that if we put just over two hours a week into physical activity, we can prevent 30% of diseases, improve our quality of life, and extend our lifespan; and yet, less than a quarter of the population actually does this. Why? What have we failed to see?

“While we all wish our loved one good health on their birthday, a wish of ‘good workouts’ is quite rare… But there is a way to be healthy—by exercising. That’s why it’s crucial to understand what really motivates people to engage in physical activity and what helps them stick with it.”

Advertisement

Prof. Gepner adds, “Our findings are not based on self-reporting, a representative sample, a questionnaire, or a survey. This is, in plain terms, the real reason why people exercise. And the answer is that people mainly exercise to look good. In questionnaires, people claim they want to be healthy, but in reality, they want six-pack abs. These findings are important because they teach us how to address the public, how to persuade people to get off the couch, promote health, and prevent disease.”

Beyond the question of motivation, the researchers also sought to identify strategies that induce people to engage in physical activity. According to the Reddit posts, 30% rely on workout habits (e.g. morning/evening, every Saturday morning), 13.9% set goals (such as losing weight or running 5 km), 12.1% enjoy the activity itself, 9.7% enjoy socializing during workouts, 8.9% use media (such as YouTube workout videos), 2.8% use fitness apps, and 2.5% have made a financial commitment to adhere to physical activity.

“The results are quite significant,” explains Prof. Gepner. “One strategy is more successful and therefore more recommended than others—creating exercise habits. If you want to be healthier, you need to develop healthy habits, period. Instead of a morning cigarette, drink two glasses of water and go out for a run. 30% is an empirical statistic that is hard to argue with, so as the Head of the Department of Health Promotion, I can confidently say to the public: develop habits and be healthy.”

More information:
Michal Shmueli-Scheuer et al, Analysis of Reddit Discussions on Motivational Factors for Physical Activity: Cross-Sectional Study, Journal of Medical Internet Research (2024). DOI: 10.2196/54489

Advertisement
Provided by
Tel-Aviv University

Citation:
AI-driven study finds appearance, not health, is the top exercise motivator (2025, March 10)
retrieved 11 March 2025
from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-03-ai-driven-health.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Advertisement

Continue Reading

Fitness

‘Fitness Doesn’t Make You Special Any More’ – Here’s Why That’s a Good Thing

Published

on

‘Fitness Doesn’t Make You Special Any More’ – Here’s Why That’s a Good Thing

This essay is part of our Men’s Health at 30 collection, an exploration of how the wellness landscape has transformed for British men since 1995 – and where there’s work yet to be done.

Here, coach and Men’s Health Fitness Director Andrew Tracey celebrates the evolution of ‘training’ as a lifestyle.

I was a scrawny 17-year-old when I took my first job in a gym. Men’s Health was just 10 years old at this point, but its ‘cover model search’ was already an institution.

We had a magazine rack on the counter at the gym. Members would leaf through the mags while I whizzed them up a chalky protein shake (you kids don’t know you’re born with your Grenade bars and Vimto Clear Whey…). There were several publications, mostly bodybuilding-oriented, but MH was the only one that appealed to the everyman. At the time, however, the everyman just wasn’t all that into working out.

It might be hard to imagine now, but looking back even 20 years, training for training’s sake was pretty fringe. I lived in a large town, but there were only two gyms and a leisure centre. When I qualified as a coach, I was the third or fourth in the area. There were bodybuilders, there were athletes who played a sport of some description – and there was everyone else.

Advertisement

There was no meaningful middle ground, where exercise and movement formed a pivotal part of your existence, yet you had no particular ambition. The first time someone asked me about my ‘training’, I replied, ‘But I’m not training for anything.’ The idea of being fit and strong simply to improve my everyday life hadn’t occurred to me – or, it seemed, the rest of the world.

If you’d told me back then that the fitness industry would grow to be worth $100 billion and that many teenagers would choose a chest-day pump or Hyrox PB over Heinekens in the park, I wouldn’t have believed you. Yet now, as a 36-year-old, I can count on one hand my friends who don’t exercise.

Placing the gym at the core of your identity doesn’t make you special any more – a fact that’s undoubtedly frustrating for some. I’ve had to take up new hobbies to annoy people with, now that they’re genuinely interested in hearing me talk about how to lift heavy things. And I think this is all incredible.

This cycle is self-sustaining. People have taken an interest in improving their lives by working on their bodies, and businesses have capitalised. This, in turn, makes these pursuits more visible, bringing more people into the fold. The tide rises.

Sports supplements are now stocked in every supermarket. You can access well-equipped gyms 24 hours a day for less than a lot of people spend each month on coffee. And although it can seem like all you hear is, ‘There’s so much bad information out there,’ advice on how to approach your workouts skillfully and sustainably has never been more easily accessible.

Advertisement

This is good news for the next generation. My advice to parents – advice I try to live by as a father – is, yes, make sure your kids understand the importance of cultivating strength, fitness and vitality. But don’t do it by discussing exercise as some exalted activity that makes you special or superior. Instead, make it normal. Or, to borrow a well-used phrase, like brushing your teeth.

I think this attitude is becoming the norm. And, I would say, with confidence, that Men’s Health has played a big role in this. To me, this magazine has always been a lighthouse for the everyman – meeting the average guy where he is, offering him something to aspire to and the map he needs to get there.

It can feel like we live under a perpetual cloud of bad news. And yes, health inequalities are widening; the British Medical Association has warned that the UK is ‘getting sicker’ and these are issues that urgently need to be addressed. But – and I say this as someone who came from modest beginnings, with no interest in fitness – if you are interested in doing something, anything, to improve your quality of life by changing how you treat your body, there has truly never been a better time to be alive.


Men’s Health at 30 – More From This Series

With almost 18 years in the health and fitness space as a personal trainer, nutritionist, breath coach and writer, Andrew has spent nearly half of his life exploring how to help people improve their bodies and minds.    

Advertisement

As our fitness editor he prides himself on keeping Men’s Health at the forefront of reliable, relatable and credible fitness information, whether that’s through writing and testing thousands of workouts each year, taking deep dives into the science behind muscle building and fat loss or exploring the psychology of performance and recovery.   

Whilst constantly updating his knowledge base with seminars and courses, Andrew is a lover of the practical as much as the theory and regularly puts his training to the test tackling everything from Crossfit and strongman competitions, to ultra marathons, to multiple 24 hour workout stints and (extremely unofficial) world record attempts.   

 You can find Andrew on Instagram at @theandrew.tracey, or simply hold up a sign for ‘free pizza’ and wait for him to appear.

Continue Reading

Fitness

All you need is four moves and a kettlebell to build strong glutes and toned legs

Published

on

All you need is four moves and a kettlebell to build strong glutes and toned legs

The glutes are the biggest muscle group in the human body so it makes sense that if you want to make them stronger, sooner or later (probably sooner) you’ll need to start using weights.

“It takes force to create change—whether the goal is gaining strength, building muscle, or losing fat,” says personal trainer Miller Latvala, who works for Life Time health and fitness clubs. “You could ask 100 trainers this question and get 100 different perspectives, but most would agree that training the lower body with weights is essential for optimal results.”

Continue Reading

Trending