An interesting exploration of exercise and what was behind the turning points for women participating more over the years,

I think I was surprised at how interesting this was and it was very informative.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

A non-fiction look at the rise of women’s fitness and exercise culture.

I really enjoyed this in depth look at the different sports and exercises that have motivated women to exercise through the 20th and 21st century. Each chapter looks at a different form of exercise and moves roughly chronologically.

The writing style was really accessible but also felt thorough and well researched. My only quibble with the book is the final chapter. To me it felt tacked on and didn’t reflect the quality of the rest of the book.

I learnt so much from this and it really motivated me to look at other forms of exercise.

AD - This copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

In the book “Get Physical”, journalist Danielle A. Friedman explores the motivations and history of exercise and movement by women. It acknowledges women’s fitness history / “trends” / “fads” as perhaps dismissive of women’s independence and linked to female oppression. There’s something really fascinating about the examination of physical activity that both empowers and at the same time, perpetuates female insecurities.

The book ties female fitness to feminism but the context of the book is exclusionary to mostly the affluent white woman and the American narrative of female exercise. I wish it dove deeper into social stigmas between sporty women and being queer - that would be so interesting. Or the divide between the wealthy suburban woman and the poorer urban(and women of colour). On the whole I thought the book started strong but eventually hammered the same messages that exercise for women are contradictory, opportunistic and rooted in misogyny and inequality.

Exploring barre, jogging, aerobics, weight training and yoga, Danielle Friedman tells the story of how, with the rise of late-20th century feminism, women discovered the joy of physical competence - and how, going forward, we can work to transform fitness from a privilege into a right.
Recommend this one I enjoyed it.

Fascinating, funny, with a really relatable and engaging voice. I gobbled this up and would like to buy it for everyone I know.

This book details the development of women's fitness throughout history in the US by describing each new craze. It's interesting because it looks at fitness both in terms of the positives (women finding a place and time for themselves outside the home) and the negatives (women exercising to reach unrealistic body goals) and in that regard it is a well-balanced exploration of the subject. I found it very readable and interesting, and enjoyed it very much.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I loved how this explored movement and fitness from how it was pioneered by women. I liked the writing and this was generally an enjoyable read. I did think some of the sections weren't as interesting and not for me but i understood why they were in the book. The writing was very US-heavy and it would've been nice if more women outside of the US would've been mentioned especially in the earlier sections. I left the book feeling like my knowledge on the area had been expanded a lot and it made me look at certain areas of fitness in different ways.

On an enlightening history of women's fitness. I discovered this book last week by chance and read it straightaway for the most obvious reasons. For such a long time, I had a love-hate relationship with exercising as I always felt like it's something I had to do to be skinny. It was only when I found barre in 2015 that I started enjoying going to workout classes as I would leave the class feeling great about myself. Exercising has also helped my mental health. This book discusses the history of barre amongst many other things, and I realised I knew very little about the origin of the workout I love so much and I couldn't help but laugh.⁣
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Danielle Friedman has written a really informative book about the history of western fitness culture in the 20th century, covering various exercises, over and above the barre workout. She dedicates a chapter on each topic, from how exercise became important after the war, running, aerobic dancing, weight-training, yoga, and so on. In her own words, Friedman summarises what the fitness culture today means and how it has got to where it is. ⁣
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“While fitness culture today can feel sleek and sometimes sterile, the story of how women’s exercise developed in the twentieth century until now, I discovered, is weird and messy and awkward and glamorous. It’s rich with cinematic characters and forgotten pioneers of what we now call self-care. But more than that, it’s the story of a paradigm shift in the way women, so long accepted as the “weaker sex,” came to view their bodies. Because when women first began exercising en masse, they were participating in something subversive: the cultivation of physical strength and autonomy.”⁣
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I had a such joy devouring this book as it's also a book that tells the story of the rise of feminism in the 20th century, as well as the women's discovery of what strength means. Highly recommended!

First non-fiction of the year and I adored this book! Such a fascinating topic and one that Danielle covers extremely well. I like how the chapters are divided into different types of exercise, the linear narrative and the focus on one person before moving on to another- this made it much easier to read and less clunky than other non-fictions.

The name dropping in this book is phenomenal! From Barre, running, jazzercise, yoga to zumba this book really is a thank you to all the wonderful women who paved the way for modern day women (and men) today. I loved how Danielle does not shy away from talking about the negative side to the fitness industry and criticising of the 'guru's and fitness leaders. Overall definitely recommend this book, it still blows my mind that it has only been in the last 50 years that women were even allowed to exercise at all.

All there is to do now is to watch the fitness tape of Angela Lansbury on the daily in the hope of becoming a Jessica Fletcher myself.

The history of women in sports and exercising as a hobby (and as a right) is convoluted and complex. From the common misconceptions of the day (it’s still hard to imagine that they genuinely thought women’s uteruses would fall out if they exercised!) to the notion that two miles was the limit a woman would be able to safely run.

This book takes you through a journey of women’s liberation, when it comes to their looks, rights and their freedom to exercise. From tackling sexism, overcoming stigma and pioneering the way to women’s health and fitness.

From the origins of Barre, the birth of the sports bra (or jogbra) and the clothing which would allow women more movement than ever. It was so interesting to read and I loved reading how the ideals and looks of women changed throughout the times and years.

The book discussed the evolution of exercise classes to workouts in the home, yoga, strength training and the changing of ideals which were reflected in media and how women kept fit. It was a really interesting read!