Exercise is more important than ever

Have you picked up a couple weights recently? Started walking, or jogging, or doing pilates?

So have a lot of other people. You see the fitness Instagram accounts and gym tips all over TikTok, but how does exercise culture fit into our broader culture?

And how does more enthusiasm for exercise square with the focus on fitness in our politics? Brittany gets into it with Jonquilyn Hill , host of Vox ’s Explain it to Me podcast, and Shelly McKenzie, author of Getting Physical: the Rise of Fitness Culture in America . (0:00) Americans are obsessed with exercise right now.

Why? (2:36) What exercise does for mental and financial health (5:59) How exercise became a status symbol for young people (10:13) Why gyms are seeking women over 65 (12:57) Why JFK and Trump both politicized fitness (16:33) What the government and its citizens have in common: body shame? Follow Brittany Luse on Instagram: @bmluse For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at .

See pcm. for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy