The Journal, the student newspaper of Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Canada, posted a fantastic article last week about the benefits of fitness, how it relates to feminism, and the new Capoeira program that is starting at the university.  While the details of the Capoeira program are scant (there are times and dates listed for free intro classes), the article's discussion of how feminism and fitness intertwine and how media and advertising has derailed important parts of the conversation is definitely worth reading.

We have to reframe the way we think about fitness, not as a billion-dollar industry devoted to quick fixes, but instead think about what fitness can do for our bodies and minds.  Exercise releases endorphins, feel-good chemicals.  Exercise also helps you run farther and faster, and lives more exuberantly.  It is amazing how the empowerment you feel through physical activity can be transferred to other aspects of your life.  Many studies have shown that girls who participate in sports are less likely to become pregnant, probably because the sense of mastery they experience in sports leads to control over their sexuality.

Being physically active also makes you strong, which flies in the face of popular ideas that portray women as victims.  Yet, the mainstream fitness industry often discourages women from lifting anything over 10 pounds, feeding the myth that lifting heavy weights will turn women into raging She-Hulks.  Toronto-based feminist Krista Scott-Dixon runs the weight-training website www.stumptuous.com (well worth checking out).  She told Bitch magazine that “Our foremothers would have been in deep **** if they sat around fainting over lifting a bale of hay.”  Feminists are reclaiming fitness, focusing on the sense of strength it can give women...