Introduction to a New World of Fitness
It was, of all things, a Reddit post that changed the trajectory of Casey Johnston’s life in 2013. Up until that point, her workouts and diet were informed by tips from magazines, radio and other media that promised she’d look good and stay fit if she watched her calories and kept up her cardio. But the post she stumbled upon, in which a woman shared results from her new weightlifting workout, seemed to contradict that advice.
The Journey Begins
“Here’s this person who’s doing everything the opposite of what I was doing,” Johnston said. “She wasn’t working out that much. She was eating a lot. Her workout seemed pretty simple and short and she was not trying to lose weight. But aesthetically, she looked smaller and more muscular. I thought you could only make that change by working out more and more and by eating less.” That was enough to plunge Johnston into an entire subculture of women who were trading the latest exercise trend for a barbell. When Johnston decided to follow in their path, she was not only surprised by how her body changed, but the mental shift that came along with it. That journey inspired her to create her long-running “She’s a Beast” newsletter, and more recently, a book.
A New Perspective on Fitness and Diet
“A Physical Education: How I Escaped Diet Culture and Gained the Power of Lifting,” charts Johnston’s transformation through weightlifting in captivating scientific and emotional detail, articulating the sneaky ways that gender can inform body image, and what women in particular can do to reclaim both their literal and figurative strength. The Times spoke with Johnston, an L.A. resident, about how she braved the weightlifting gym as a beginner, her previous misconceptions about caloric intake and the way building muscle gave her the confidence to reshape other parts of her life.
Misconceptions About Muscles and Caloric Intake
I had not been aware that by eating too little, you can deplete your muscle mass. Muscle mass is like the main driver of our metabolism. So the less muscle mass you have, the more you destroy through dieting. The lower your metabolism is, the harder it is to lose weight. Also, the longer you’ve been dieting, the lower your metabolism is going to be. So it becomes this vicious cycle of the more you diet, the harder it is to diet, and the less results — as they would say — you’re going to have.
Overcoming Fears and Finding a New Approach
People are really intimidated by gyms. Even more so when it comes to weightlifting in them. You pinpoint this feeling in your book when you describe the moment you realize you would have to “face the bros.” How were you able to overcome your fears in that department? I wanted so much to see if this worked and how it worked, that I was able to get to the point of OK, I’m gonna give this a try and accept that I might be accosted in an uncomfortable way, or not know what I’m doing, and I will figure it out at some point.
The Value of Functional Fitness and Compound Movements
You’ve written so much in your newsletter about functional fitness and compound movements. Why is that so much more valuable than machine lifting? Machines are designed to work usually a limited amount of muscles, or even one muscle at a time. And they do that by stabilizing the weight for you in this machine. You’re moving on a gliding track for almost everything you could do. When we are handling weights, loads of things, like a child, groceries, boxes of cat litter, bags of dog food, I hear often you’re not doing it on like a pneumatic hydraulic. Your body is wiggling all over the place if you’re not strong.
From Fighting to Trusting the Body
One of the uniting themes of your book is this idea of fighting against your body versus trusting it. Would it be safe to say that you began your fitness journey in the former and landed in the latter? I definitely started off fighting my body. I just thought that’s what you do with your body. All of the messaging we get, it’s like deep in our American culture, this Protestant denial of your physical self and hard work. If it’s not hard, you’re not doing it right. And I did make a transition from it being hard to listening to my body, trusting it.
Conclusion
Johnston’s journey is a testament to the power of weightlifting and a balanced approach to fitness, showing that it’s possible to break free from the constraints of traditional diet culture and find a more holistic and empowering path to health and wellness. By sharing her story and the lessons she’s learned, Johnston aims to inspire others to reevaluate their relationship with their bodies and find a more positive and sustainable approach to fitness.
FAQs
- Q: What inspired Casey Johnston to start weightlifting?
A: A Reddit post about a woman who shared her results from weightlifting, which contradicted Johnston’s existing beliefs about fitness and diet. - Q: What did Johnston learn about muscle mass and metabolism?
A: That eating too little can deplete muscle mass, which is a key driver of metabolism, and that dieting can lead to a vicious cycle of decreased metabolism and less effective weight loss. - Q: How did Johnston overcome her fears of weightlifting in the gym?
A: By wanting to see if weightlifting worked and being willing to accept potential discomfort or uncertainty, and by giving herself space to get used to the gym environment. - Q: What is the value of functional fitness and compound movements compared to machine lifting?
A: Functional fitness and compound movements work multiple muscles at once and help improve overall strength and stability, unlike machine lifting which isolates specific muscles. - Q: How did Johnston’s approach to her body change throughout her journey?
A: Johnston transitioned from fighting her body to trusting it, learning to listen to her body’s signals and finding a more positive and sustainable approach to fitness.
