My mother, who is still trim and healthy at the age of 80, was one of those girls who purchased Jane Fonda's original VHS tape when it first came out in 1983. And she's been doing the workouts faithfully ever since!
There was a time when I snickered when Mom mentioned using the Jane Fonda exercise video, thinking that it couldn't possibly be good enough to keep a person in shape. In fact, I'm pretty sure that, even though it was a very important part of her life over the years, she didn't often mention it to me, probably fearing my scorn.
Well, I recently started doing the early video, beginner's level, and many of the movements are much too difficult for me! Especially the "cool-down," where one has to actually do a shoulder stand, with the legs extended behind. Oy! If my mom is still doing that portion of the video, she's a great example a flexible senior! And what about those presto tempi??
When she first started doing Jane Fonda's workouts, Mom was recently divorced, and Jane Fonda's message of personal empowerment rang strong with her. Now that I've become a Fonda devotee, I've discovered many new videos that she has made, including two levels of Total Body Workout and a Walking Cardio Workout, which can be found on YouTube. She stresses having a posture of preparation and power at all times. She also mentions her recent hip and knee replacements, and how they have given her a new lease on life. I'm proud that my mother, like Jane Fonda, has been able to stay in such good shape. She's usually on some kind of diet, besides doing the exercises, and she has set a great example to her family.
Unfortunately, I did not inherit my mother's constitution. Instead, I inherited Huntington's Disease from my father. Hopefully, I will be able to continue to do a variety of exercises, including Jane Fonda's workouts, with the goal of delaying the onset of Huntington's Disease. My father had already been symptomatic for several years when he was my age, sixty, and he died at sixty-five. He spent his last few years living a very sedentary lifestyle.
