A Physical Education How I Escaped Diet Culture and Gained the Power of Lifting

By: Casey Johnston

Published by Grand Central Publishing, 2025

Written by the creator of the She's A Beast newsletter, this mash-up of memoir and science writing is the rare story of a woman finding joy in a body that, for so long, she considered her enemy.



After an abusive relationship, the death of her father, and a running injury that left her limping, Casey Johnston was unmoored, alone, and burned out. Then she stumbled on a viral blog post about one woman's experience lifting heavy weights--no dieting, no cardio, no weight loss, and no shame or guilt. With zero experience and nothing left to lose, Casey took a deep breath and stepped into Brooklyn's grungiest gym. Then she began to question how she had treated her body, and what that treatment meant.



Combining wit, rage, and a reporter's eye for detail, Johnston embarks on a radical mission to understand the process of rupture, rest, and repair--not just within her cells and muscles, but also within her spirit. Her personal story frames a take-down of diet culture, and the ways we try to "get healthy" that actively make our bodies weaker, as she dives deep into the science of rebuilding mental, emotional, and physical strength. This is a sharp cultural critique for anyone who has ever longed to reclaim their body.