{"product_id":"fit-nation-the-gains-and-pains-of-americas-exercise-obsession-9780226651101","title":"Fit Nation: The Gains and Pains of America's Exercise Obsession","description":"\u003cb\u003eHow is it that Americans are more obsessed with exercise than ever, and yet also unhealthier? \u003ci\u003eFit Nation \u003c\/i\u003eexplains how we got here and imagines how we might create a more inclusive, stronger future.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e If a shared American creed still exists, it's a belief that exercise is integral to a life well lived. A century ago, working out was the activity of a strange subculture, but today, it's almost impossible to avoid exhortations to exercise: Walk 5K to cure cancer! Awaken your inner sex kitten at pole-dancing class! Sweat like (or even with) a celebrity in spin class! Exercise is everywhere. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Yet the United States is hardly a \"fit nation.\" Only 20 percent of Americans work out consistently, over half of gym members don't even use the facilities they pay for, and fewer than 30 percent of high school students get an hour of exercise a day. So how did fitness become both inescapable and inaccessible? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Spanning more than a century of American history, \u003ci\u003eFit Nation \u003c\/i\u003eanswers these questions and more through original interviews, archival research, and a rich cultural narrative. As a leading political and intellectual historian and a certified fitness instructor, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela is uniquely qualified to confront the complex and far-reaching implications of how our contemporary exercise culture took shape. She explores the work of working out not just as consumers have experienced it, but as it was created by performers, physical educators, trainers, instructors, and many others. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e For Petrzela, fitness is a social justice issue. She argues that the fight for a more equitable exercise culture will be won only by revolutionizing fitness culture at its core, making it truly inclusive for all bodies in a way it has never been. Examining venues from the stage of the World's Fair and Muscle Beach to fat farms, feminist health clinics, radical and evangelical college campuses, yoga retreats, gleaming health clubs, school gymnasiums, and many more, \u003ci\u003eFit Nation \u003c\/i\u003eis a revealing history that shows fitness to be not just a matter of physical health but of what it means to be an American.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Chicago Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 12\/07\/2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780226651101\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 424\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 10\/01\/2022 pg. 72\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Natalia Mehlman Petrzela","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42439276953781,"sku":"9780226651101","price":24.65,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_db4412c1-c8b3-4e64-9157-504c1bcd582c.jpg?v=1665461531","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/fit-nation-the-gains-and-pains-of-americas-exercise-obsession-9780226651101","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}