16 Forgotten ’80s Health Gimmicks That Faded Away
These quirky and questionable ’80s health fads tried to reshape wellness culture but ultimately didn’t stand the test of time.
- Alyana Aguja
- 5 min read
In the neon-lit era of the 1980s, health wasn’t just about fitness — it was a full-blown cultural experiment. From vibrating machines to vitamin megadosing, people chased thinness and vitality through a mix of curiosity, desperation, and hope. While some ideas were rooted in real science, most crumbled under scrutiny or simply got left behind as better knowledge and trends emerged.
1. Relaxerciser “Passive Exercise” Machine
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This vibrating belt machine claimed you could lose weight by just standing still while it jiggled your body into shape. Gyms and homes alike had these contraptions humming in the background, offering the dream of effort-free fitness. As it turns out, shaking your hips wasn’t the shortcut to health that people hoped for.
2. Soloflex Resistance Training System
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Before Bowflex took over the home gym market, there was Soloflex, a sleek machine that used rubber straps instead of traditional weights. Its ads flooded TV and magazines, promising ripped bodies with minimal equipment. Though it had a cult following, it never fully delivered the commercial knockout it teased.
3. Ayds Diet Candy
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Yes, a diet candy named “Ayds” actually existed, and it was popular in the early ’80s before being wiped out by tragic coincidence. These appetite-suppressing caramels were marketed to help women curb cravings while enjoying a “treat.” Unfortunately, the rise of the AIDS epidemic devastated the product’s name and credibility beyond repair.
4. Nautilus Infomercials
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These bulky machines filled gyms with clunky charm and were often sold through hour-long infomercials hosted by overenthusiastic bodybuilders. Nautilus promised scientific muscle isolation for “targeted growth,” a concept that sounded genius back then. As fitness evolved toward more dynamic movements, the one-muscle-at-a-time logic lost its shine.
5. Vitamin C Megadosing Craze
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Influenced by Linus Pauling’s controversial beliefs, people began taking massive amounts of Vitamin C to ward off everything from colds to cancer. Health food stores couldn’t keep ascorbic acid tablets in stock, with some folks downing grams of the stuff daily. Science eventually cooled the hype, showing that more wasn’t always better.
6. Electro-Stimulation Belts (EMS Belts)
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These shock-delivering belts promised a six-pack while you lounged on the couch watching Dynasty. The tiny electric pulses would “activate” your muscles and burn fat without breaking a sweat. While EMS tech still exists for therapy, using it for effortless abs became a laughable gimmick.
7. Breatharianism
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This fringe belief took root in the wellness subculture, claiming humans could live on air and sunlight alone. A few practitioners even went on TV, swearing they hadn’t eaten solid food in years. Reality and basic biology won out eventually, but not before a few followers got dangerously close to starvation.
8. Deal-A-Meal by Richard Simmons
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Color-coded cards in a plastic wallet were all you needed, according to Richard Simmons, to master portion control. You’d move cards from one side to the other as you ate through your daily quota. It was charming, but the system’s complexity didn’t stand the test of time.
9. Alkaline Ionized Water Machines
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Back in the late ’80s, certain health circles began praising machines that “ionized” your drinking water to make it more alkaline. These pricey gadgets were sold as cures for fatigue, aging, and even serious diseases. Most of the medical claims were never backed by solid evidence, and the trend quietly evaporated.
10. Sweat Suits and Sauna Belts
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People wore shiny, trash-bag-like outfits during workouts to sweat off pounds fast. The idea was simple: the more you sweat, the more fat you must be burning. All it really did was dehydrate you and make you smell like a vinyl seat on a hot day.
11. Colon Cleansing Kits
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The ’80s were oddly obsessed with “detoxifying” the colon, with mail-order kits promising to flush out pounds of waste. Ads featured alarming illustrations of sludge-like build-up inside your gut. Turns out, your body doesn’t need help doing what it was built to do naturally.
12. Ear Stapling for Weight Loss
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Borrowing loosely from acupuncture, this practice involved placing surgical staples in the ear’s pressure points to curb appetite. Clinics popped up offering quick and “painless” procedures for desperate dieters. Results were inconsistent, and infection risks were very real, causing the trend to fade.
13. VitaMaster Vibration Platforms
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Another attempt at passive exercise, these platforms vibrated your whole body while you stood, hoping to mimic the effects of a workout. They were loud, awkward, and not exactly relaxing. Despite the sci-fi appeal, they never caught on long-term.
14. The Grapefruit Diet
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This low-calorie, high-repetition diet centered around eating half a grapefruit before each meal. Promoters claimed enzymes in grapefruit burned fat magically. Science later debunked the “enzyme” myth, and people moved on to tastier and more sustainable options.
15. Shark Cartilage Supplements
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Touted as a miracle anti-cancer compound, powdered shark cartilage became a health store darling. The idea was based on the false belief that sharks don’t get cancer. Later research showed sharks can get cancer, and the supplement trend lost its bite.
16. T-Tapp Workout
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This niche workout promised inch loss without heavy lifting, using small, precise muscle movements and “mindful” activation. Popular among homemakers and seniors, it was part physical therapy and part dance. Though some swore by it, the method never reached the mainstream and quietly disappeared from the scene.