Fat is a description not a disease with writer, author, activist Ragen Chastain

I feel like I scored big to have Ragen Chastain on the podcast. She is a deep dive researcher, writer, speaker and font of information on fatness and medicine, sports, fitness and society. If you’ve thought it, she's written about it. I can't recommend her newsletter enough. I nearly cancelled our interview so I could take more time to collect my thoughts. Everything I want to talk about, she's there (including her two marathons and champion Dance career- time to NERD OUT ON DANCE AND RUNNING!).

It feels like we said so much and only scratched the surface of these important topics: making running and athletics ACTUALLY inclusive, GLP drugs like Ozempic and the sc-fi seemingly magic pill world we're now living in, what does it mean when being a Fat person is classified as a 'lifelong' disease, and so much more. I hope to have Ragen back, if only to keep nerding-out about running and dance.

You can find Ragen, Speaker, Writer, Researcher, Board Certified Patient Advocate and her work on IG, monthly Workshops, newsletter here.She is also the Co-author of HAES Health Sheets, Weight-Neutral Healthcare Guidesand does speaking engagements at sizedforsuccess.com as well as being a Fellow at Campaign for Size FreedomHer current Study is Experiences of Weight Stigma and Iatrogenic Harm in the Highest Weight Patients

Ragen mentioned several 'back of the pack' running influencers and fat activists:

Ilya Parker - Decolonizing Fitness

Mirna Valerio - The Mirnavator

Martinus Evans - 300 pounds and runningI talked up my Virtual Run Club for being actually beginner/inclusive.

And a piece I wrote on fitness being a hobby. Maybe you do eat too much and move too little… so what?

And bungled the joke of this very funny clip from Eastbound DownIf you liked this episode please rate review and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

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I teach beginner strength and stability via Kettlebells and Pilates as well as several restorative classes and workshops including Anti-Anxiety Cardio and Fascia Release™ .

All my programs are designed to gently shift our bodies into balance without the shame or ‘sweat is fat crying’ mentality that infects so much of mainstream fitness. I hope you can find something here that supports you.

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