Last week I wrote a little about the unbearable heat–more 40 days of 100+ temperatures in our area this summer, with no end in sight.  We are actually having roads closed as they buckle in the combined heat and drought, damaging cars and causing accidents until the roads are repaired.  With the ridiculous heat combined with an unrelenting drought, damage to surfaces and structures becomes inevitable.  Although it may seem like it will never rain again, now is a perfect time to patch cracks and leaks around the house.  The evidence of how temperature extremes can warp even concrete, asphalt, and steel demonstrates how important it is to repair your cracks with a flexible material that can withstand movement.

Flex Seal is an As Seen On TV product designed to seal cracks and leaks with a flexible rubber seal.  A liquid rubber sealant, Flex Seal sprays onto virtually any surface, drying quickly to a firm yet flexible seal.  It conforms to the crack to eliminate leaks, and it can be painted any color.  An easy to use aerosol spray, Flex Seal can be used to patch cracks and stop leaks on roofs, gutters, pipes, skylights, and more.  If past weather patterns are any indication, it would be wise to take care of leak repairs now, before the drought is ended by rains of epic proportions.

As I was considering Flex Seal as an As Seen On TV home repair solution, I couldn’t help but notice just how important “flexibility” is in marketing infomercial products–especially when it comes to As Seen On TV exercise equipment.

Note the following:

• Flex Belt – An electronic ab belt that uses Electronic Muscle Stimulation (EMS) to flex and contract the abdominal muscles
• Flex Mini – An EMS shaper designed to tone the butt, hips, and thighs
• Solar Flex – An infrared heated yoga mat designed to improve flexibility
• UltraFlex – An easy to use fitness tool to sculpt lean muscle through flexible resistance
• Flex Shaper – Combines resistance and aerobic training for total body fitness
• Bowflex - From one of the leaders in home fitness, Bowflex gyms feature flexible Power Rod technology for an effective workout

So go ahead and flex your purchasing muscles by checking out one of the many “flexible” As Seen On TV products available through SeenOnTVExpress.com.

And fix those leaks before it’s too late.

Life Mimics Art, and As Seen On TV Exercise Products are No Exception

Strangely shaped walking shoes designed to shape and firm your derriere have recently become quite popular.  On one hand, I’m intrigued, because anything that will give me a workout without me having to, you know, work out sounds a-okay to me.  On the other hand, I think these shoes with the bulky, curved soles look flat ridiculous.  Whenever I see them, I can’t help but think of the old Seinfeld episode, “The Jimmy.”

In “The Jimmy,” George and Jerry befriend Jimmy who wears special shoes that are supposed to help him jump higher.  Somehow, Kramer ends up wearing the shoes, and yada, yada, yada . . . Mel Torme thinks he’s mentally challenged.

This is what Jimmy’s shoes look like:

As much as I think the new shape-up, toning shoes look ridiculous and make me think of Jimmy’s shoes, I found As Seen On TV exercise equipment from the 1980′s and 1990′s that out-jimmies Jimmy.

Enter the Exerlopers:

The spring-soled Exerlopers are designed to:

• Reduce shock to the joints associated with running
• Maximize your workout by adding varied motion to your running
• Increase your speed and your vertical leap with spring supported action
• Make you look like a complete fool

Exerlopers were developed in the mid-1980′s by Canadian inventor Gregory Lekhtman, and enjoyed celebrity fame in 1993 when Lekhtman’s girlfriend, then-Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell, was seen wearing Exerlopers as she exercised.

Exerlopers are still available today, and you can even adapt them for an at-home workout using Insta-Runner.  According to the Exerlopers website, Insta-Runner is a “unique collapsible running stand which provides a workout for the upper and lower body.”  The handlebars on the Insta-Runner swivel to provide upper body resistance while you run in place wearing your Exerlopers.

As Seen on TV Exercise Equipment for Multi-Taskers

The idea behind Exerlopers is sound exercise advice.  Why simply run when you can run AND jump at the same time?  Why do cardio alone when you can combine cardio and strength training in one workout?  People want maximum results in minimum time, and infomercial exercise videos and equipment that allow you to combine effective fitness routines are among the most popular As Seen On TV products available.

The Bowflex Treadclimber combines the motion of a stairclimber, a treadmill, and an elliptical trainer to amplify fat-burning cardio.  FlexShaper is designed to combine resistance training with aerobic exercise for simultaneous toning and fat burning.

Products using Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS), like the FlexBelt ab belt or the FlexMini butt and thigh toner, let you discreetly work out your abs or lower body as you go about your daily business.

Of course, if modesty is not important when it comes to your As Seen On TV exercise routine (you’re not still wearing spandex pants, are you?) then Exerlopers are, er, leaps and bounds beyond discretion.

This post begins our Way Back Wednesday series, in which we look back at former seen on TV products and infomercials—the good, the bad, the ugly . . . and the downright strange.  From Thighmaster to FlowBee, we’ll look at the products that made us wonder, “What were they thinking?” and we’ll note how far we’ve come.  We’ll wax nostalgic over the commercials that made us laugh and the personalities who brought them into our homes.

We begin our journey down memory lane with one of the iconic fitness products of seen on TV marketing:  the Thighmaster.  Plugged in the early 90’s by Three’s Company actress Suzanne Somers, the Thighmaster promised, “We may not have been born with great legs, but now we can look like we were.”

See the 1991 Thighmaster commercial here:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkxFWVGqUCg

As one watches the commercial, one can’t help but wonder just how shapely surgeon Herbert L. Gould’s thighs must be—after all, he recommends it, and he uses it.

The Thighmaster boasted that it could be used not only for sleek thighs, but also for working the chest and arms.  While the commercial shows the limited practical use of the Thighmaster by current standards, we can look at some of today’s more popular and effective fitness products and see their roots in the Thighmaster.  The UltraFlex, Iso7x, and FlexShaper all take the Thighmaster’s good qualities and expand on them.  Like the Thighmaster, they are lightweight, portable, and easy to use.  They use flexible resistance as a way to tone muscles and burn fat and calories.  However, the UltraFlex, Iso7x, and FlexShaper reflect the evolution of the Thighmaster in their increased range of motion, two-way push/pull resistance, and greater number of available exercises per product.

While the Thighmaster may “feel the burn” of becoming obsolete, Suzanne Somers can take pride in launching a product that gave birth to some of the most effective exercise equipment available today.