Physical Disobedience

An Unruly Guide to Health and Stamina for the Modern Feminist

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By Sarah Hays Coomer

Read by Sarah Hays Coomer

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This item is a preorder. Your payment method will be charged immediately, and the product is expected to ship on or around August 21, 2018. This date is subject to change due to shipping delays beyond our control.

A manual for activism that begins with our most powerful asset — our bodies

Even as a wave of renewed feminism swells, too many women continue to starve, stuff, overwork, or neglect our bodies in pursuit of paper-thin ideals. “Fitness” has been co-opted by the beauty industry. We associate it with appearance when we should associate it with power.

Grounded in advocacy with a rowdy, accessible spirit, Physical Disobedience asserts that denigrating our bodies is, in practice, an act of submission to inequality. But when we strengthen ourselves — taking broad command of our individual physicality — we reclaim our authority and build stamina for the literal work of activism: the protests, community service, and emotional resilience it takes to face the news and stay engaged.

Physical Disobedience introduces a breathtaking new perspective on wellness by encouraging nonviolence toward our bodies, revitalizing them through diet and exercise, fashion and social media, alternative therapies, music, and motherhood. The goal is no longer to keep our bodies in check. The goal is to ignite them, to set them free, and have a mighty fine time doing it.

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  • "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
  • "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
  • "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
  • "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
  • "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

On Sale
Aug 21, 2018
Publisher
Hachette Audio
ISBN-13
9781549194535

Seal Press_SarahCoomerHeadshot

Sarah Hays Coomer

About the Author

Sarah Hays Coomer is a Mayo Clinic and National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach, a Certified Personal Trainer with the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and a Certified Nutrition and Wellness Consultant with the American Fitness Professionals & Associates. Sarah is the author of three books: The Habit Trip: A Fill-in-the-Blank Journey to a Life on Purpose (Running Press, 2020), Physical Disobedience (Seal Press, 2018) and Lightness of Body and Mind (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016). Her work has been featured in Thrive Global, The Wall Street Journal, Utne Reader, Huffington Post, Bustle, and The Tennessean, among others. She has spoken at organizations and universities nationwide including Google, Vanderbilt University, the Nashville Women’s March 2019, The University of the South, the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, Confluence, and the Girls to the Moon Conference. Sarah lives in Nashville, TN with her husband, son, and two rescue dogs, Ringo and Moon.

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