Long Live the Rise of the “Ridiculous” Workouts
Long Live the Rise of the "Ridiculous" Workouts
Whether you like your yoga aerial, your burpees on a surfboard or your heart rate raised by circus skills, I want you to know that I think you're doing amazing sweetie. More power to you the more outfits, props or even animals you can incorporate into your workout, as long as it's making you happy.
"That's all well and good, thanks," you might think. But why this sudden outpouring of love for the rise of the ridiculous workout? It's prompted (like many of my thoughts) by a TikTok I saw recently, which — over a video of someone doing a funny workout — had the caption: "Middle aged women doing anything to avoid a normal workout."
Not judging it looks fun af
The video was in good humour, captioned: "Not judging it looks fun af." And, to be honest, as a middle aged woman who will now only do Peloton classes because I can check over the entire playlist and bop along to hardly any songs made in the last three years (Beyonce aside) while sweating, I took it with the good intention it was meant with. The comments were cheering too. "I mean, they're having more fun than most of us working out," wrote one. "No bc they're having way more fun than the rest of us. I respect it," said another. My favourite was: "When I showed this to my mom she said 'that's a workout.'" Thank you Gen Z for supporting this geriatric millennial in their quest to get their weekly Heart Points on their Fitbit.
Jokes aside, seeing that TikTok did get me feeling a swell of pride. Because for many of us now approaching or deep into middle age, we grew up with 80s Almond mums , 90s heroin chic 'role models' and 00s body hatred. Many of us were in our 30s before anyone put the words "be" and "kind" next to each other. So to see women my age now finding movement that they love and fit into their (the most squeezed of squeezed generation) incredibly busy lives and not giving a flying kettle bell about how they look doing it, is nothing less than an act of defiance. And to do it in an age where "gym fits" and "gym makeup" exists, Ozempic is coming for our body confidence, ageism remains and super-skinny is making an unwelcome comeback? It's practically a political statement to grab you hula hoop, your baggy tshirt and your pulled-together self confidence and take the time to raise your heartbeat.
Psychotherapist Anna Mathur, who hosts The Therapy Edit podcast is a mother-of-three who I've loved watching make her own exercise changes as one of her 213k followers on Instagram. Seeing Anna talk about how she's now mostly ditched 'punishing' runs for 'pleasant' walks really got under my skin. Seeing someone give themselves permission to do the exercise they wanted to do, rather than felt forced to do was a switch.
"I love how the current movement (and I hope it's more than a movement) is a reclaiming of movement as a fun and enjoyable part of daily life that should bring joy before it brings sweat," Anna tells POPSUGAR UK. "Sure, if you get your hits doing HIIT, then that's fab, but for many it has been liberating to move their bodies in ways that feel fun. Naked yoga, kitchen dancing, walk-running the dog, laughter yoga, padel tennis…
"Just because you're not in a stereotypical gym doesn't mean your workout isn't worthy"
"I love to encourage clients to reframe exercise as 'movement'. The word 'exercise' has become so connoting of rigid workouts and calorie goals. The word 'movement' makes us think about how we move our bodies, and feels more freeing and a better place to start from as we 'move' our bodies all the time anyway. I also encourage hardened exercisers to ask themselves whether they actually get joy from the way they move their bodies. I ran for years, and then one day, I stopped, stock still, and said to myself 'I don't actually like running'. So I walked. I've not run since. Apart from for the train. But I've found other forms of movement that I love — more recently, squash! It's fun."
Kim Perry, CEO and founder of Bouncefitbody says just having fun is at the core of their ethos. "Fitness isn't one-size-fits-all; everyone has their own unique goals when it comes to staying active," she said. "What even is a 'normal' workout anyway? Rather than ridicule those who opt for unconventional exercise, we believe diversity in fitness classes is one of the factors that actually keeps people committed, from changing routines regularly to adopting new forms of equipment.
"Get yourself on a mini trampoline, lay down on a reformer pilates bed, or strap yourself into a bungee - fitness can be incredibly fulfilling - spicy, in fact - at Bouncefitbody. Just because you're not in a stereotypical gym doesn't mean your workout isn't worthy.
"Everyone deserves respect and encouragement to exercise and the beauty of a modern industry means there's many companies out there trying to make health and wellbeing more appealing. At Bouncefitbody, we firmly believe movement should be something you enjoy and don't see as a chore, and that's why we have such a broad range of class types and programmes on offer. Find something that works for you and leaves you feeling like you could conquer the world. Oh, and ignore the people who tell you what you're doing doesn't fit the mould."
If it's an approach that sounds appealing to you, Anna gives the following advice: "'How do I feel like moving today?' is a way to ask yourself what it is you'd like to do that gives your body what it needs. Rather than feeling like a slave to a 30 day plan, this question takes into account the current level of your resources and energy. For instance, I might not feel like doing a weights workout after a rough night's sleep. So instead of pushing on with the workout and overlooking my need for slowness, I preserve energy and head out for a brisk walk and a phone call with a friend to nourish my body and mind. Then, maybe tomorrow I'll get my sweat on. Maybe!
"So, yes, we may find some rather fascinating ways to move our bodies, but the fun is being ushered back in, and that changes everything."
Rhiannon Evans is the interim content director at POPSUGAR UK. Rhiannon has been a journalist for 17 years, starting at local newspapers before moving to work for Heat magazine and Grazia. As a senior editor at Grazia, she helped launch parenting brand The Juggle, worked across brand partnerships, and launched the "Grazia Life Advice" podcast. An NCE-qualified journalist (yes, with a 120-words-per-minute shorthand), she has written for The Guardian, Vice and Refinery29.
