January is the month when the gym is suddenly full of people in pristine Lululemon gear who have vowed to make this year the year that they actually start exercising. Since no one really wants to start working out — it’s more that you want to want to start working out — the whole gym-rat thing is hard to keep up through the cold winter months. But 2014! It’s a big year! We have a new mayor! Kim Kardashian is going to get married! So if you’re going to start working on achieving inner thighs like Beyoncé’s, now is the moment.
For an extra boost of inspiration, we’ve put together a slideshow of vintage ladies doing their version of exercising. From Marilyn Monroe raising a baton (or, according to the photo caption, “Walking is the only exercise Marilyn takes to keep her figure at its present proportions, perfect enough to win her the title ‘Miss Cheesecake’”) to Mae West lifting weights, see the best images of women working out.