If you read media blogs in order to learn something new, or find the next big thing, then I’d advise you skip this post. It won’t be worth it.
What I’m about to tell you is neither new or surprising. We all know about it. But, just as my Dad is often compelled to marvel at the mobile telephone, I often find myself thinking “Wow. Social media really very clever”.
The last time it happened was at Euston Station. Or to be a little more accurate, a couple of days after a trip to Euston Station. Read that little anecdote here.
Moving on. Readers, I’m getting a little fat. Since passing my driving test, and getting a job, I’ve spent more time sat on my arse than ever. As a result, I’ve got a bit porky. Now I know what you’re thinking — “Blogger in overweight shocker” — but I don’t like to be a bloater.
So I’ve taken a few measures to sort this out. First: lots of walking. Second: LESS CHIPS. Third: 8 Minute Abs.
8 Minute Abs, you ask? Ah! It’s my secret weapon:
Cheesier than a Westlife ballad. But I tell you what — it’s a bloody good workout. So there’s social media triumph number 1: the fact I found it in the first place after searching for ‘fitness’.
Triumph number 2: thanks to the ‘Related videos’ I now know that as well as 8 Minute Abs, there is 8 Minute Arms, 8 Minute Legs and a few others. Great! I’m sticking to the abs right now, but boy, can’t wait to see what the cool fella has in store for me next.
And he is a cool fella indeed. How do I know? Well, another user has posted this little chat with him on YouTube too.
But here’s where the fun begins. A search on YT for 8 Minute Abs brings up a fans. A couple of remixes — this is my favourite — and then this gem:
Haha! Now, those folk on the floor aren’t just a bunch of fatties. How dare you! They’re actually in a band called Combichrist. Of course, at this point I could take the route into social media and find out all about Combichrist. But let’s stick with abs for a time being.
Here’s Rachel, doing the routine, filmed by, I assume, her college roommate. Not the best video you’ll ever see, but check out those comments! Look who it is! It’s THE BLOKE IN THE CLIP. AHHHHHHHH!! I haven’t been this excited since I bumped into Bill Bailey in a lift the other week.
And here’s a — ohhhh! — clip of a bloke who — ohhhh! – is completely — ohhhh! — off his — ohhhhh! — face (confused? Just watch the clip). In an unexpected twist, turns out he’s a born again Christian.
Then on to Facebook. There are, as expected, tons of groups celebrating the brilliance of the clip. And with Twitter I find another load of people sharing their enjoyment too.
The quesiton is whether all this extra knowledge is pointless. Well I’d argue it isn’t. Through social media I’ve not only found the clip, but I’ve found tips and information about it and I’ve found a community (yes, it’s a community) of people who appreciate it like I do.
I quite like that. If the man in the video, Jaime Brenkus, was talking to social media, I’m sure he’d say: “Woo, you’re doing a great job!”
Great tip. One of the best ever workouts I did was a 15 minute abs attack class, which goes to show that intensive bursts of activity can often be better than longer workouts.
Rosie Niven’s last blog post..Beauty and the backpacking beast