It’s cheaper than a gym membership, and no one has to see you in Lycra. The exercise DVD you can do with the curtains closed has considerable appeal. There are thousands on the market. But do they really work? A study of 10 popular American exercise DVDs shows that most have unrealistic images of women in sports bras (mostly slim and white) and actually use language such as, “You should be dying right now.” This has led the research team from Oregon State University to question if exercise DVDs get people fit.
The solution
Anyone who went to gym classes last century may recognise the style as the macho language of tough love. But Bradley Cardinal, lead author of the paper, warns that the combination of the DVDs’ exaggerated claims and the demotivating language could “potentially cause psychological harm”. All of the DVDs in the study had demotivating language – one in seven “motivational” comments overall were negative – usually taunting. “Instead of saying, ‘Do as many sit ups as you can,’” says Cardinal, “they would say, ‘If you can’t do 20, you’re a woosy.’ They make people feel bad.” The DVDs did, however, have positive statements, such as, “Don’t feel bad if you don’t have it yet.” The DVDs also had a predominance of women models, and there was only one man in any of the DVDs fronted by women. “Men also had their bodies pretty much covered up,” Cardinal says. His research has brought hate mail from fans who claim exercise DVDs have changed their lives.
Cardinal points out that the industry (which is huge) is unregulated. He says it is a case of “buyer beware”, as some of the DVDs in his research had exercises that looked unsafe.
DVDs are often aimed at beginners, but Cardinal warns that many exercises look more advanced. There is little research available on whether exercise DVDs do get you fit, but one study found that inactive women felt worse about their bodies when they used an exercise DVD with an instructor who wore “revealing attire that emphasised her thin and toned physique”. Another study of 20 college-aged women found that nearly all preferred, and expended more energy during, a live exercise session compared with an exercise DVD – the evidence of effective instructors in the real, as opposed to virtual, world is that they “excite, inspire, praise” and are positive and inclusive. In America, the exercise DVD industry is worth $250m a year. As Cardinal says, the DVDs in his study emphasise physical appearance above fitness and objectify women’s bodies. Do you want to buy that?
