Oh yes, "The 20-Minute Workout"...one of the 80s pop cultural representatives on North American television. Used to see this (and that is all) on the Canadian and American cable channels back in my high school and university days. I definitely remember Bess Motta as one of the aerobics demonstrators since she would later appear as one of the first victims (Sarah Connor's roomie, to be specific) on "The Terminator" when Arnie was playing the bad guy.
I knew from some of the dramas and movies that were showing up in Japan from that time that aerobics had also become a popular thing there, too. Headbands, leg warmers, big hair, etc....yup, the fashion was well represented. There was apparently even a TV show on TBS back in the day called simply "Aerobics".
Unfortunately, I couldn't find any YouTube footage of the show but I did find the 1982 soundtrack by fusion guitarist Yuji Toriyama（鳥山雄司）and keyboardist for the salsa band Orquesta Del Sol Ken Morimura（森村献）. Indeed, this music was made for exercising.
From what I've heard so far, the soundtrack is made up of some funky beats that kinda span the genres of R&B, technopop and even City Pop with the purpose of getting folks off their heinies and moving around rhythmically. The first track "Aerobic Fitness" is a cute blippity-bloppity intro to get those more hesitant home athletes up and stretching.
The second track "Running Aerobic" at 4:25 starts off with a bass synth to let you know that it's time to really get into the stuff now and then the funk with a touch of City Pop has you happy to start that running.
Meanwhile, Track 3 "Flag Signaling" at 9:13 (which skips a bit) is how I found out about "Aerobics" via Van Paugam's City Pop radio. Man, what would have Toriyama and Morimura done without that syn-drum? Heck, I was shimmying a bit in my chair while hearing this. Up and at 'em!
The last song that I will talk about is the last track "Night Together" at 35:00 which might represent the cool-down phase of the workout...and also a nice outing to the nearby trendy bar (for some deep-fried chicken wings). It's probably the most City Pop-sounding track.
Following the usual Holiday engorging, I can stand to lose quite a few kilograms. However, if I were to ever get a rare copy of "Aerobics", in all likelihood, it would be to listen to it rather than work out to it. In any case, you can have another gander at Bess and the gang below.
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