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Book

A physical education : how I escaped diet culture and gained the power of lifting

Call Number

  • 921 J723 (CEN, OSH)

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Edition

First edition.

Publication Information

New York, NY : Grand Central Publishing, 2025.

Physical Description

xiii, 256 pages ; 24 cm

Summary

"A Physical Education traces Casey Johnston's journey of calorie restriction and obsessive cardio--making herself small in almost every way--to finding healing through the (unexpected) practice of lifting weights. As she progresses, carrying groceries and closing heavy doors become easier. As she diligently practices checking in with how she feels, she begins to question not only how she has treated her body, but how she sees herself and the world. This growth also fuels a deeper understanding: how the mainstream messaging she received about women's bodies has seeped into almost every other area of her life. Combining wit, rage, and a reporter's eye for detail, Johnston recounts how she learned the process of rupture, rest, and repair-not just within her cells and muscles, but within her spirit. A love letter to the science of female strength, this is a book for anyone who's ever longed to return home to their own body"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents

  • Preface
  • Part One. Twelve hundred calories a day
  • Cardio
  • The Reddit post
  • The loss of strength
  • The scam
  • Hall of the Iron Kings
  • Functional movement
  • Going heavy
  • The hunger
  • Enough
  • Part Two. A stadium of lights
  • Stronger than men
  • Deadlifts
  • The deadlift cowgirls of cyberspace
  • The untold story of American strength
  • A perfect online storm
  • Hold your breath
  • The struggle for American strength
  • False safety
  • The secret of doing nothing
  • The sandbox of failure
  • Body and mind
  • Part Three. Being watched
  • The beauty of a good bulk
  • The shirt dress
  • Generations
  • The worst-ever date ever
  • Cutting
  • The deceptively elusive pull-up
  • The final test
  • Back to the deadlift
  • Epilogue
  • Author's note
  • Acknowledgments
  • Notes.

Subjects