Personal trainer worked out in the Target aisles. People called her ‘ridiculous’
Sometimes, the best intentions just get you beat up on social media.
Take Florida personal trainer and mother of two Sia Cooper, keeper of the online Diary of a Fit Mommy.
Earlier this month she was shopping at Target with her husband and 17-month-old daughter when she decided to sneak in a quick workout.
She used the red shopping cart to do squats and stretches and lunges and had her husband film her. She posted the video to Instagram, where she goes by @diaryofafitmommyofficial and has more than 635,000 followers.
Her point: You can sneak in a workout anywhere.
Self magazine got it. It posted her video to its Instagram, giving it a viral boost and an endorsement: “OMG we’d totally do this in Target.”
“Getting it done in @Target because it’s only the most magic place in the entire world (besides Disney world),” Cooper wrote on her Instagram. “So if you saw a weirdo working out in Target today — yup that was me! Who needs a friggin’ gym.”
Well, apparently quite a few people thought she should have been at the gym, judging from the nasty comments that rushed her way on social media.
“This is totally ridiculous! Not a place to do exercises.”
“Go to your house to work out. You are obstructing the aisle.”
“This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen!! Target is a sacred place of awesomeness!! Don’t make me feel bad for roaming the aisles while snacking on cheese doodles!!”
Cooper brushed off the ridicule, telling Cosmopolitan the whole idea behind the video was to show people they can sneak in a workout anywhere.
Her followers have seen her do mini-workouts in hotel rooms, gas stations and airports.
“I mean, no, I don't expect (moms) to go grab their shopping carts, go to Target or Walmart and just do squats right there on the spot,” she told Cosmopolitan.
“But if you find yourself kind of just standing there, why not add a little pep in your step and kill two birds with one stone?”
Lots of people agreed, including one Instagram user who commented: “It bothered me to know that someone who is doing their best to stay active is being shamed for it. You’re a busy mom of two, speaking from experience, I know how tough it can be with small kids. You have to get it in where you can!”
So Cooper didn’t let the backlash slow her.
In fact, she filmed follow-up videos, moving on from Target to the aisles at Whole Foods and WalMart.
And yes, that was her using bottles of wine as weights in the liquor aisle.
This story was originally published October 27, 2017 at 3:28 PM with the headline "Personal trainer worked out in the Target aisles. People called her ‘ridiculous’."