These days, anyone who’s anyone has released a fitness DVD and if you’re a C-list celebrity it comes as part of the job description.
From the days of Jane Fonda, through to Mr Motivator, Lorraine Kelly, Davina McCall and now on to the likes of reality wannabes Amy Childs, Vicky Pattison and Charlotte Crosby, the celebrity workout industry is not quite as booming as it once was. There are now literally thousands of free workout routines available on YouTube and although the quality of these may be somewhat questionable, the fact remains that they are free. With this being the case, unless a celebrity has already made a name for themselves in the fitness industry, eg Davina McCall, the only way a celebrity can make a successful DVD is by putting on lots of weight, through partying and consuming lots of fast food of course, followed by their miraculous weight loss journey, which will be stripped bear in gossip mags and will involve the help of a personal trainer and a team of nutritionists.
Whilst, fitness DVDs have their worth; it is certainly more appealing working out in the comfort of your own living room away from the judgmental eyes of fervent gym bunnies and the lycra brigade; it is arguable whether you put in as much effort when working out by yourself than if you were to join a fitness class.
In the United States, the fitness DVD industry is worth nearly £200 million and profits rose by 11 per cent between 2008 and 2012. This figure is expected to further increase by 10 per cent by 2017 and unsurprisingly, the New Year is the peak sales time for fitness DVDs, a time when we’re all recovering from the Christmas blow out and are keen to stick to new resolutions.
Professor Andy Lane from the University of Wolverhampton explains the popularity of fitness DVDs: “The most popular fitness DVDs are very well marketed and usually led by a relatable role model rather than a professional athlete. They bring an attractive package into your living room. Fitness DVDs are a far quicker and easier way for these celebrities to boost their profile than, say, writing a book. The celebrity’s new slimline figure is invariably featured in newspapers and magazines — or broadcast on social media — just before the DVD is released, which will maximise sales among young women.”
There are so many different fitness DVDs to choose from and it’s easy to be swayed by the celebrity stories we are bombarded with of how so and so lost a stone in three weeks, or how someone else has got rid of their muffin top, but there’s one celebrity who, in our opinion, stands out a clear mile and is officially the celebrity workout queen and that is Davina McCall.
Over the past decade, Davina has sold more than two million copies of her 11 workout DVDs and is set to release the second part of her 7 Minute Fit program, which includes six bonus workouts and more information about her nutrition program 5 Week Fit with 19 new recipes. Previous titles include:
- Power of 3
- Super Body Workout
- High Energy Five
- My Pre & Post Natal Workouts
- My Three 30 Minute Workouts
- Davina Fit
- Body Buff
- Davina Intense
- Ultimate Target
- Fit in 15
- 7 Minute Fit
and her next DVD, Five Week Fit, due for release on December 26th 2015, sees her teamed with personal trainer Ed Lumsden again and is available now as a special buy from QVC.
What distinguishes Davina from the other celebrity fitness trainers is her obvious determination, passion, motivation and most importantly long lasting results. Not only has she made 11 fitness DVDs, but she has also taken part in Sport Relief where she swam, cycled and ran the 500 miles from Edinburgh Castle to London. Fitness to Davina is now a way of life, which she wants to share with others in the hope they too can fall in love with it as much as she has.
Certainly in more recent times, so called ‘celebrity’ fitness DVDs have very much focused on weight loss journeys for aesthetic purposes rather than for long term health benefits. Geordie Shore star Charlotte Crosby released her 3 Minute Belly Blitz in 2014 with the promise to “blast off up to five pounds a week from all over your body” and co-star Vicky Pattison released her 7 Day Slim DVD in 2013, which made exactly the same promise of losing 5 pounds a week, which is not a healthy, sustainable weight to be losing each week and is an irresponsible goal to be setting what are likely to be very vulnerable women.
New releases are very much kept under wraps, saving themselves for the post Christmas fitness frenzy, so just for you we’ve taken matters into our hands, by taking a look into our crystal balls to give you our very own Art of Healthy Living predictions of the celebrity fitness DVDs we may expect to see in 2016.
- With the release of the new Star Wars film, The Force Awakens, in December, we reckon a light sabre battle style workout DVD would really get ‘the force’ awoken in all of us.
- Kim Kardashian has already had made a fitness DVD so it’s a bit old news for her, but surely the pushy mum in her will be thinking about getting her daughter North West in on the act? We’re thinking ‘Nappy squats with North’, ‘Kardashian kick backs’ and ‘Toddler tantrum toe touches’, with a backing track from Daddy Kanye and obviously a few endorsements from various fashion lines.
- The popularity of the soon to be released The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 is sure to bring with it a range of merchandise, so why add a fitness DVD to the mix? Focusing on short spurts of running as though your life depended on it, lots of dodging to avoid imaginary traps and a few arm stretches reminiscent of Katniss Everdene with her iconic bow and arrow. And what better title than The Hunger Games to spark a hunger for exercises that no doubt leaves you absolutely famished at the end of it!
- Fans of Downton Abbey need not despair that their favourite guilty pleasure has come to an end, with the release of the gentry’s guide to getting fit. Think curtsey style squats and plenty of gentle yoga stretches to improve posture and deportment.
- And finally, how about a fitness DVD featuring the much-loved Gogglebox characters? From drinking lifts with Steph and Dom to remote control lifting with Sandy and Sandra. And best of all there is the potential for a sequel with new characters who were filmed watching and commenting on the Gogglebox stars as they work out; a whole fitness series that could literally go on and on.
So, yes of course we’ve made all this lot up, but judging by the standard of some of today’s celebrity work out DVDs, we wouldn’t be at all surprised if at least one of the above ideas appear on Amazon in 2016.
