Who was the first person to host a national fitness instructional show on TV in the United States in 1960?

The first person to host a national fitness instructional show on television was a woman, Debbie Drake (born 1931). The daily show launched in 1960 as ‘The Debbie Drake Show’ and later ‘Debbie Drake’s Dancercize’. It stayed on the air through 1978. In 2015, she was inducted into the National Fitness Hall of Fame.

Two years after her television program had aired, she was featured in the January 26, 1962 issue of ‘LIFE’ magazine. In the article she was quoted when she proclaimed, “I want to be the most important exercise girl in the world.” The story headlined ‘A Pretty Parer of Poundage’ and talked about how she grew up “scrawny” but then put on weight after an unhappy teenage marriage and divorce, before turning to fitness.

Her TV show was viewed by millions and her syndicated column appeared in 40 newspapers. She also released a record album of fitness instruction titled ‘How to Keep Your Husband Happy: Look Slim! Keep Trim’, in which the cover showed a lounging man thinking of Drake going through various exercise poses.