One might think that the concept of miracle shortcuts to physical health are a recent phenomenon brought on by our ‘instant’ society, but the quest for effort-free exercise is probably only about 20 minutes younger than exercise itself.

The blog, Collectors Weekly, has this brief look at some of the more recent attempts to take the work out of the workout –  from Victorian ab-rollers and “horse-riding simulator”s to the rollers and vibrators that served as props in so many early TV and movie comedy scenes, right up to the modern-day magic of the Sauna Belt.

But the must-see item in this exhibit is the video infomercial for the Hawaii Chair. Apart from the impressively happy model/customers doing their daily tasks while their chair is attempting to deposit them on the floor, special credit has to be given to the female host/interviewer, as she tries to do her job and maintain a sliver of decorum while holding on for dear life.

 

 

But hey, nobody ever said that exercise-free exercise was easy.

(Oh wait. They did, didn’t they?)