Dear Friends,
In our Charm School lesson on Wednesday, I mentioned that Mr. Powers encourages us to exercise so that our skin will be firm and youthful. Lindsey wondered in the comments what exercise was like during the mid-20th-century.
Boot Camp The Royal Canadian Air Force Way Created by Bill Orban in the late 1950s at the request of the RCAF, the 5BX (for men) and XBX (for women) progressive programs (start slowly and then increase intensity) could be completed in about 10 minutes without the need for any equipment. The program also encourages people to get some sort of aerobic exercise by hiking or playing sports. You can get the exercises for free at Fit for Fifty or buy used copies of the original book for pennies less than $10 online (as of publication of this post) at places like AbeBooks.com and Alibris.com. Don’t forget to check your local used bookstore and yard sales, too! This book sold millions of copies and they are floating around.
Royal Canadian Air Force Exercise Book Cover
Jack LaLanne: The Godfather of Fitness Sadly, Jack LaLanne has become known more for his juicing machines than his contributions to physical fitness. There is a good possibility that the equipment you are using at the gym was originally created by Mr. LaLanne. He opened the first health club in Oakland, CA, in 1936 and designed the first leg extension machines, pulley machines, and weight selectors. His television show hit the airwaves in 1951 and millions of homemakers tuned in every day to exercise with him and learn about health and nutrition. He strongly felt that the health of the United States depended upon the physical and mental health of its citizens. You can learn more about him and buy several DVD’s featuring his show by visiting the Jack LaLanne website. Here Mr. LaLanne talks about “Uphill or Downhill.”
Debbie Drake’s How to Keep Your Husband Happy Not nearly as famous as Jack LaLanne, Debbie Drake was also an early television exercise pioneer with a daily 15 minute show, debuting in 1960 and staying on the air until 1978, that taught homemakers the Easy Way to a Perfect Figure and Glowing Health. She first published Easy Way in 1961 and then went on to record a couple of exercise albums, including How to Keep Your Husband Happy. The video below is an entire episode. Don’t fool yourselves…she makes them look easy but you are actually working hard!
Click here if the video player doesn’t work for you
There was a time when I was exclusively using these old school exercises and I really enjoyed them. But there was a part of me that felt like I needed to kill myself in order to get into shape. The problem is that when I go for Jillian Michaels-type workouts I always end up hurting myself (I’m currently recovering from a pulled groin muscle) and then what good is that?
What are your favorite “old school” workouts?
To your healthy and fit Technicolor Life!
Dr. Julie-Ann
The RCAF exercise book for pennies online?
From amazon.com:
3 new from $171.03 20 used from $37.61 1 collectible from $59.00
Barnes & Noble have a few copies in the $4-$8 range, but then the prices go up to $37.00 and higher.
I stand corrected and have corrected the post–I bought my copy several years ago for a few cents plus shipping from Alibris.com. I see Alibris.com and AbeBooks.com have a bunch for less than $10.
Frankly, since there are free versions online at various websites (including the one I linked to above), I’m not sure how they (the people on Amazon and B&N) can get away with charging so much!
Thanks for letting me know!
Thank you for this info. I agree the current videos are not for some of us and we do put ourselves at risk. I have read several books on how French women maintain their physiques. It is through exercises such as you describe here. French women do not jog nor do they go to the gym according to the books I have read. They move. I love all your resources.
My husband had a copy of the Royal Canadian Air Force Exercises (as shown above) when we married in 1975. We used the program religiously for years and recently I looked it over again. The book assures us that by following this 15-minute regimen, we will become fit and stay fit. The program calls for running in place, as I recall, which people used to do in the ’70s. However, I substitute a walk with the dog or cycling. I also like Body Electric with Margaret Richard, but my PBS stations dropped it last year. I think it’s a good point that we don’t need to knock ourselves out to be fit. We just need to be disciplined in our approach to fitness.
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love this! Jack LaLanne is such a classic and his philosophy is still right on target. I can remember doing his workout on TV with my mom in the livingroom every morning.
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Oh wow – I didn’t even know they HAD these shows on TV then. It’s missing music – first difference from today’s workouts I noticed!
I thought my Kathy Smith prenatal DVD (unitards, scrunchies, mall bangs and all) was ancient.
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In looking through my old XBX Plan for Women, I discovered that I saved an update printed in the January 9, 1979, issue of Family Circle. This constitutes quite the update. The model is wearing white shorts and t-shirt with white shoes and knee socks — very high school gym class — instead of the black leotard. The program has a homespun feel — basic not trendy. In a brief interview with Willaim A. R. Orban, Ph.D, the program originator, he says: “The exercise plans still provide a simple way for anyone to get into shape. Today I’d suggest space (distance) running instead of running in place. What we now know about aerobics indicates we need longer sustained exercise (running, jogging, rope-jumping, even walking) for the health of our heart and lungs — so we include aerobic exercise in our fitness plans along with recreational sports and muscle toners.” I have resolved to get back into the XBX plan for women.
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[...] not some factory generated non-fresh liquid that passes of as “cold drink” in today’s world.It’s not that people in man’s glorious historical past did not have means to make juice, but tha… making such hard choices becomes a necessity, they are encouraged to live on healthy food from a [...]