Joanna Rohrback’s video about her Prancercise® exercise program went viral in 2013. To date, it has been viewed nearly 15 million times. It featured ultra-confident Joanna demonstrating the program’s signature moves, which Joanna describes as “a springy, rhythmic way of moving forward, similar to a horse’s gait and ideally, induced by elation.”
With poise, she pranced and galloped in a palm-tree peppered Florida park in step with 1980s-style beats.
“Now it’s your turn!” she instructed the viewers.
Like the rest of the world, I watched the video on repeat with many questions running through my mind: Is this real?! Then: OMG. It is. Who IS this lady, wearing a Talbot’s sweater and my favorite stirrup pants from grade school, prancing around a park?
If you have never seen the original Prancercise video, I’m honored to be the one to introduce this to you:
What exactly is Prancercise?
Let’s get one thing clear: Prancercise is a legit exercise program with use of weights for a full-body workout. Despite the mindless skipping around performed in Prancercise parody videos, Prancercise rivals popular and respected fitness walking videos like Leslie Sansone’s Walk at Home.
Who is Joanna Rohrback?
Joanna is a 60-something-year-old fitness guru who lives in Florida. She invented Prancercise in the 1980s, but life brought challenges and setbacks that prevented the program from having her full attention. But when the time came for Prancercise to be shared with the world, she made it happen in an extraordinary way without expectations.
Here are the three life lessons the Prancercise lady taught us:
1. Never let go of your dreams. You’re never too old to make them come true.
For decades, Joanna pranced around in parks and on neighborhood sidewalks. People stared and laughed but Joanna did not care. She believed in her exercise program. I know very few people who are confident and determined enough to pursue something that does not align with what society says is normal or appropriate.
“Something drove me with this program,” Joanna told the Miami New Times. “But there was a lot of challenges…You get very disheartened when you believe in something so great, and you know it has such tremendous potential, but you don’t have what you consider to be the foundation to allow it to break out.”
Decades passed but Joanna never gave up on her plan to share Prancercise with the world. In 2012, she knew very little about social media but decided to hire a video production company to produce a Prancercise video that she hoped would reach a small number of people on YouTube.
Within days of uploading the video, millions of people around the world had been introduced to Prancercise.
“It’s changed my life a lot,” Joanna said.
Joanna appeared on countless national news programs and in a pistachio TV ad with Dennis Rodman. She was the star of a John Mayer music video.
Life was never the same. People began doing Prancercise, which promotes healthy living. This, of course, was Joanna’s goal all along.
2. Pay no mind to the haters.
Practically overnight, this sweet lady was known around the world. It threw her quiet life into the spotlight. How she handled the spotlight wowed me.
Joanna received smiles, kudos and well wishes from those fascinated by her be-true-to-you mindset. However, the worst of the internet came out in full force, spewing the cruelest comments. They called her crazy but most notably, they obsessed about her attire and how her pants fit in the viral video.
Joanna’s reaction was amazingly inspiring. She told CNN that she was grateful for Prancercise’s attention and that she’d take “the harsh and the goof” that came with fame.
Joanna continued creating Prancercise content and had strong words for her haters shared through silly rhyming messages.
“I’m the Prancerise reindeer and may be the pain in your rear because I’m going to insist that for your resolution, you try the Prancercise solution,” Joanna said in a holiday-themed video. “It worked for me. I’m free of what’s ugly – even a little bubbly. Change your bait and call out the hate. And if they persist, just tell them to kiss…your…grits.”
Solid gold, my friends. People noticed and were inspired to take this kiss-my-grits approach and ignore negative and critical opinions.
3. Be you – uninhibited.
One gallop at a time, Joanna encourages us to be true to who we really are.
“I’m a health nut and a patriot that likes to trot,” Joanna said in this Independence Day-themed video. “I also feel like Lady Liberty. I live in the land of the free and can be who I want to be.”
All these years later, I still quote Joanna. When I discover that a friend is unfamiliar with Prancercise, you better believe that YouTube link is in their inbox stat.
“There’s only one me,” Joanna said in this video. “I’m uninhibited as I’ve already exhibited. So, let them stare and gawk, I’m going to do my Prancercise walk.”
We all have our own special thing like the Prancercise walk. Most people are too afraid to show it because it is risky or different. They are held back by fear. As a result, they never come close to their true potential.
Don’t let the world miss out on what you could give us.
Be a little more like the Prancercise lady.
Get out there and have some fun.
