Physical Disobedience

Women have long been taught that their bodies are unruly, weak. We're taught to approach our bodies by shrinking, whittling-and, aided by the traditional beauty industry, constantly "fixing" ourselves. With a fresh voice in troubled times, Physical Disobedience says "stop it"-because mistreating our bodies that way is nothing less than an act of submission to gendered inequality. We need to focus on health, fitness, and strength-as we ourselves define it.

Hays Coomer knows that when we strengthen ourselves, we're making our activism personal, by reclaiming our right to a healthy self-image and bodies that function to the best of their ability. And, yes, at the same time we're building stamina for the literal work of activism-the marches and the protests, plus the everyday emotional resilience it takes to face the news. Hays Coomer shows us, step by step, how to reframe our idea of "fitness," reclaiming it and instead associating being fit with being powerful. And as women, now more than ever, we could use that collective fitness and reclaimed power.

“"Finally- a health and fitness manifesto for the rest of us!" -- Jessamyn Stanley, author of Every Body Yoga: Let Go of Fear, Get on The Mat, Love Your Body”

"A critically important, exceptionally informative, deftly crafted, impressively insightful book that should be a 'must read' for every woman of every age who is concerned with their physical appearance or who has suffered under any number of fad diets trying for that 'perfect' physique."--Midwest Book Review
"At times shocking, at times laugh out loud funny, and at times hugely enlightening and insightful, Physical Disobedience will help set you on the right tracks towards health and happiness-and provide you with plenty of practical tips and know-how on how best to stay there. We live in a world where it's all too easy to hold yourself accountable to impossibly high standards, and this book helps remind us it's OK to be us, to be happy in our bodies however they might look or whatever they might do."-- Emma-Kate Lidbury, professional triathlete and six-time Ironman 70.3 champion
"Coomer introduces a breathtaking new perspective on wellness by encouraging nonviolence toward the human body... ... If you are a woman from 16 to 86 and only have the time to read one self-help, self-improvement book, make it this one."--Midwest Book Review
"Coomer is a personal trainer and self-proclaimed diet abolitionist whose goal is to empower women and set them free from their negative thoughts about themselves and their bodies. Here she addresses such topics as fitness, food, alternative therapies, and motherhood, all woven in with themes of modern feminism and gender equality. Coomer's prose is inspiring and refreshing as she asserts that we need to listen to our bodies and minds and work with them, not against them."--Booklist
"Coomer's prose is inspiring and refreshing as she asserts that we need to listen to our bodies and minds and work with them, not against them."--Booklist
"Explores how fitness relates to feminism."--Refinery29
"Finally- a health and fitness manifesto for the rest of us!"-- Jessamyn Stanley, author of Every Body Yoga: Let Go of Fear, Get on The Mat, Love Your Body
"From playground to hospice, Physical Disobedience dives in to the intrinsic value of human bodies at work and at play-championing women's bodies, in particular, as uniquely powerful in their diversity. This book decodes the many ways physiological fluency can support both happiness and progress. A must read for any man or woman who strives to stand on equal footing with everyone, regardless of gender."--Daniel Pink, New York Times bestselling author of When and Drive
"In this spirited mixture of fitness guide and self-help, personal trainer Coomer argues that women can better fight injustice by keeping strong and fit, arguing that 'taking care of our bodies is a form of political action.'"--Publishers Weekly
"There is hope in this book. Physical Disobedience is a dystopian survival guide, a feminist's manual that debunks, redefines, and brings true beauty and health into the light."--Mary Gauthier

Sarah Hays Coomer, a self-proclaimed "diet abolitionist," is the author of Lightness of Body and Mind: A Radical Approach to Weight and Wellness (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016). She is a Certified Personal Trainer with the National Strength and Conditioning Association; a Certified Nutrition and Wellness Consultant and Pre/Postnatal Fitness Specialist with American Fitness Professionals & Associates; and a member of the American College of Sports Medicine. Her work has been featured in Huffington Post, Shape, MSN, Elephant Journal, New York Daily News, The Tennessean, Bustle, and LifeHack, among others. She kind of likes to exercise, kind of not, and loves all things sugared, salted, fried, or dipped in dark chocolate. Sarah lives and trains in Nashville, TN with her husband, son and sweet pit bull, Ringo.

Women have long been taught that their bodies are unruly, weak. We're taught to approach our bodies by shrinking, whittling-and, aided by the traditional beauty industry, constantly "fixing" ourselves. With a fresh voice in troubled times, Physical Disobedience says "stop it"-because mistreating our bodies that way is nothing less than an act of submission to gendered inequality. We need to focus on health, fitness, and strength-as we ourselves define it. Hays Coomer knows that when we strengthen ourselves, we're making our activism personal, by reclaiming our right to a healthy self-image and bodies that function to the best of their ability. And, yes, at the same time we're building stamina for the literal work of activism-the marches and the protests, plus the everyday emotional resilience it takes to face the news. Hays Coomer shows us, step by step, how to reframe our idea of "fitness," reclaiming it and instead associating being fit with being powerful. And as women, now more than ever, we could use that collective fitness and reclaimed power.

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