Like all women over 40, I’ve gotten really into strength training in the past few years.
(No, that’s not a moral obligation—even if you’re in perimenopause, although the Internet sure claims otherwise!) But I still workout at home in my family room with my emotional support cats.
I’m thinking about joining a gym — at some point, I need access to heavier/more weights than I can reasonably store in my house? But I don’t like the ambience of most gyms, I don’t like how steeped in diet culture and fatphobia they can be, I don’t want a gym bro mansplaining weights to me.
This week’s podcast conversation with Brooklyn-based personal trainer and power lifter Keri Harvey is… shifting my thinking a bit though.
Keri talks a lot about why gyms need to be for all bodies — and why, specifically, it matters for people who look like her (or me!) to show up there. She also has great advice for navigating workout motivation challenges, body changes, and more. It’s a must listen.
I also wrote up a little travel diary of our recent spring break in Santa Fe!
No, Burnt Toast is not a travel newsletter, but I personally love getting these slice of life pieces from my fav writers every once in a while. If you’re interested in where we ate, what we did, how we made travel fun for my ND kiddo, and pics of me and Corinne Fay together IRL, read it here.
Coming up on Sunday: What If I Just Don’t Want To Be Fat?
Over on Patreon, the Burnt Toasties have voted and we’ll be unlocking the paywall on this essay (which I wrote way back in 2022 and is still in second place for most paywall conversions ever!). I think this is because this just IS the question we all grapple with. Yes, yes, you think: I know fatphobia is bad, I support and love fat people… but I just don’t feel good about it for me. So, then what?
My thoughts —from 2022 with some slight updates — are coming Sunday morning.
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This Week’s Butter
I know this mask is the MOST ABSURD thing ever. But Jack got me one a few months ago and OMG, it is game changing. I wake up with a lot of early morning headaches, so I keep it on my nightstand to slip on — I can almost always eke out another hour of sleep. It also thoroughly blocks light, so is a great travel sleep mask. I don’t understand how it stays cold, but it feels so good.