Four years ago, I leaned over the bathtub to pick up my then one-year-old son and something in my lower back snapped. It happened so fast: one second I’m bent right- angled at the waist, arms...
Fresh & Fierce
Speak Up to Hate Speech and Become a Master of Verbal...
Early in our relationship my future wife and I realized we needed to pack more than undies and a toothbrush for a visit to the folks. In particular, her mom had a knack for the offhand insult. She...
Survivor on the Mat: Trauma-Aware Training for Survivors of...
Halfway through our personal training session my client became disoriented, unfocused, and weepy. Before we began working together she told me that she was a trauma survivor. We were stretching in a...
D.I.Y.: Grow Your Own Sprouts!
Sprouts, the tasty, crunchy garnish of many a sandwich, salad or stir-fry, are not only bright and refreshing, they’re also nutritional super foods, bursting with vitamins, minerals, protein...
DIY Make Your Own Kimchi
Kimchi is Korea’s national dish and considered to be one of the world’s healthiest foods. Low in calories and with loads of vitamins and dietary fiber, Kimchi is an ideal food to kick off the...
(Soup and) Salad Days
When it comes to comfort food, few things fit the bill like a big bowl of warm soup and a fresh, crunchy salad. Not only is soup nurturing – it’s the food we go to when we’re not feeling well...
Ready, Set, Stretch: Mindful Stretching as the Main Event
You know you have to. The longer you put it off, the harder it will get. No, you can’t just skip it. Your mother tells you. Your doctor tells you. The internet tells you. Sometimes it seems like...
We Did It So You Don’t Have To: Three-Day Cleanse
The end of the year is a notorious time for over-taxing your system – overeating, eating poorly (dips, cheeseballs, cookies, eggnogs, anyone?) and over-imbibing. Between friends’ outings, family...
Your Workout is Not a War Zone: Rethinking the Language of...
“Fight through the pain.” “Target your problem zones.” “Learn her secret weapon!” Phrases like this are ubiquitous in fitness magazines, television shows, and social media channels, and...
Brokeback Lifter: How a Back Injury Helped Me Make Peace with My...
“The heaviest squat I did before my surgery will be my heaviest squat, ever,” I told my wife as we watched snippets of the CrossFit Games, our laptop perched on her right knee and my left...
My Secret Fitness Life
Here’s my big secret: I work out five days a week. Not that shocking, right? Are you waiting for me to get to the scandalous part, like where I steal priceless works of art so I can bench-press...
Asking, Telling, Accepting, Being: Why You Should Read Amanda...
Trying to describe Amanda Palmer in one sentence is like trying to stuff all of your possessions into a sock. Musician, impresario, performance artist, and writer, Palmer was adored for her...
Almost There: Trusting My Body Again, One Lifeboat at a Time
At my first triathlon, in 2012, squads of wetsuit-clad swimmers, 100 or so at a time, lined up for their turn at the starting line for four hours straight. Sorted by gender and age group – each...
I Am Okay: Living in the Aftermath of Assault
I was office-bound the Friday, August morning that I locked eyes with a passerby on the opposite side of the street. Already the encounter was strange; it was rare for me to come across anyone on my...
First Response: Showing Compassion and Care to Assault Victims
One in five women will experience a completed rape in her lifetime; over three quarters of these assaults occur when the victim/survivor is 25 or younger. One in two women will experience a non-rape...
I Did It: I Connected with a Community of Survivors and Hiked...
By Vanessa Spiller, as told to Rachel Friedman It was a Tuesday. I was shaving in the shower when I felt a lump under my arm; it was hard and small, no bigger than a pea. After the doctor told me I...
Cancer is Bullshit
Talking to Allison Gruber about Not Surviving Cancer and Her New Book, You’re Not Edith Two months after moving to Milwaukee for a job with benefits, and three days after her new health insurance...
Bad Romance: Getting Over Your Messy Break Up with Exercise
I travel around the country giving talks about body positivity, size acceptance, and Health at Every Size. In many of my talks, either in my introduction or during the talk, the fact that I am and...