Fonda's VR fitness revolution: retro gets a futuristic twist

Old school meets new tech as Jane Fonda brings her fitness magic to Meta’s immersive VR platform.

New year, new you, flawed goals. If you’re looking to do a workout and feel overwhelmed about joining the gym, why not go retro-futuristic about it with a blast from the past?

Jane Fonda recently appeared as Meta’s new workout figure at the ripe old age of 87 for their Supernatural workout series, launched on December 25th, 2024, on the Quest platform.

Supernatural is a four-part series that features Fonda doing her Flow workout at Macchu Pichu, an immersive team class, a boxing session with rapper Ludacris set in a bubbling lava field, and the ever-important cool-down and stretch wrap-up.

What’s impressive here, is how using Jane Fonda reinvigorates what is to some – the boring chore of exercising – and has brought back to life a timeless era of home workouts in the process.

Graceful longevity: the key to staying active and inspired

Watching a recent interview with Jane Fonda on CBS news, it becomes apparent that the masses in society equate old age with disease and decline – but in fact, it’s the beginning and end of your life that can bring about a “u-shaped” sense of fulfillment, according to Fonda.

Fonda passionately states the need to “reframe having a senior moment” – that participating in group activities like art classes builds a sense of community which is key to graceful longevity. Her enthusiasm is infectious.

When watching the trailer for Supernatural on YouTube, it’s refreshing how self-referential the presenter is. She makes no bones about the fact that she was responsible for revolutionizing fitness and is here to do so once again.

Stereotypes about seniors not being able to use tech are as antiquated as antiques themselves. By bringing in Jane Fonda, the original face of fitness tapes in the 1980s, Meta has opted for the tried and tested formula, while simultaneously targeting younger demographics in the process – and that’s a shrewd move.

There’s also the positive goal of keeping boomers fit. By staying mobile and using technology such as a Meta headset, the older generation can be on-the-move and offset decline and dementia, and reduce a sense of languishing, both physically and mentally.

This restorative effect is in sharp contrast to The Substance movie I saw recently, in which fitness instructor Demi Moore’s character Elisabeth Sparkle gets laid off on her 50th birthday in exchange for a new, sexier pinup.

Ironically, and unbeknownst to the producers, this younger version is Sparkle herself, having undergone a menacing transformation thanks to a Black Mirror-esque supplement that she injects daily.

While pulling on a variety of Cinderella tropes, the film delivers in conveying the repulsiveness of modern beauty standards.

When someone like Jane Fonda leaps back into your life, you can incongruously boost your beauty, relevance, and even lifespan by staying active and true to yourself.

From VHS to VR: tech as a medium for fitness

Fonda's original 1982 VHS tape Workout was a cultural phenomenon, establishing her, along with other celebrities like Cindy Crawford, as the leading workout figure of a generation.

Thanks to VHS, fitness workouts were made possible for those pressed for time or intimidated by going to the gym.

Fast-forward four decades, and during the era of COVID-19, home fitness sessions were on the rise once more. Even the workout-averse among us dabbled in the occasional lunge.

This new series from Meta has consolidated various types of media, locations, and audiences into an exciting new format. The YouTube fitness instructor is highly saturated and tedious now, allowing for heightened allure for those such as Jane Fonda.

Another important element is allowing for inclusivity of all fitness levels instead of the 80s “one size fits all” design. Chuckling along to your Mom’s fitness videos is a thing of the past; instead, you can workout with her and gamify the process.

Perhaps the future of fitness tech will incorporate AI with wearables to customize haptic technology. This is also known as kinaesthetic or “touch-sensitive” automation to create highly desirable boxing, climbing, or yoga experiences for example.

But as it stands, Meta’s choice to spotlight Jane Fonda once again seems like the Midas touch for setting new workouts in motion.