Decades before Leslie Fhima was vying for Gerry Turner’s heart on The Golden Bachelor, she was part of the 1980s’ aerobics craze. Not only was she a national aerobics champion, she had her own studio and made workout tapes. Luckily, she’s proud of her past, because those neon- and spandex-filled videos are back, and they’re going viral on TikTok.
Let’s Get Physical
Fhima, 64, now has her own fitness company, Soul612, and she’s always been all about exercise. “Fitness has been a part of my life my entire life,” she wrote on the Soul612 website. Highlights from her bio include her past career as a professional figure skater, her studio, and, yes, the 10-plus workout videos she made.
Delighted fans have been sharing clips from her workouts and aerobics competitions on social media, and the footage shows Fhima in all her ’80s glory. Suspenders, belts, and legwarmers? Check, check, and check. You can practically smell the Aqua Net.
One fan, TikTok user @realityqueenbee, posted a compilation of multiple Fhima workout clips on Nov. 18. One features a “great low-impact aerobics workout” from 1987, and the other comes from the 1985 National Aerobic Championship, where she and partner David Gray performed a routine he described simply as “hot.” It’s pure ’80s gold.
Past Meets Present
Fhima has been seeing the throwbacks — and even sharing her own. She reposted the compilation TikTok to her Instagram stories on Nov. 18. Another TikTok with footage from the 1987 video earned a spot on her grid. “Back in the 80’s when I had my own aerobics studio! So fun seeing this circulating around the internet,” she wrote in the caption.
Her followers have also been treated to her May 1983 cover of Mpls. St. Paul magazine, which she shared on Oct. 4. Plus, Fhima posted “a little throwback from the 80’s” on April 11, 2021, before she was ever on The Golden Bachelor. Both included photos of her in ’80s workout attire, and the older post is truly giving “all the Flashdance Vibes,” as one fan put it in the comments.
Fortunately, fans who want even more of Fhima’s aerobics can find it. The Aerobic Championship’s YouTube account has uploaded numerous classic routines, including Fhima’s full routine with Gray from 1985. She was known as Leslie Chazin then, and the two competed in the mixed pair category with so. Much. Energy.
It remains to be seen whether or not Fhima will get Turner’s final rose on The Golden Bachelor, but no matter the outcome, she’ll always be the aerobics champion of our hearts.
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