📚 The Curious Link Between Reading and Fitness

Community Updates

💟 Today is the last day to nominate me for the 2026 Best of Ravenswood Award! For the "Favorite Wellness Provider" category, please.

⭐ My friend Naomi is launching the Fat Rebel Portrait Society, a snail mail art subscription, in January. Get a portrait, a write-up, and a quote sticker celebrating a featured rebel every month.

⭐ Did you know I'm in a great local book club? Our next meeting is on November 15th and we're reading Thick and Other Essays. There's still time to join – reply to this email or reach out on Instagram for more info.

⭐ See my friend Molly Z's art on display at Everybody's Coffee in Uptown. It's on display until December.

⭐ The midterm election is coming up! If you're in Chicago, vote by mail here. Better yet, permanently vote my mail by using this form.

One Thing I'm Enjoying...

📚 Reading this week: Stag Dance by Torrey Peters. A novel and three stories from a trans writer.

📺 Watching this week: Diplomat on Neflix. I'm on season 4 and all I can think is why can't they let Felicity have her curls?

🎶 Listening to this week: Hemlocke Springs, who I saw live at The Salt Shed. Indie pop that's quirky, romantic and theatrical!

🎉 Happy Friday, Friends!

Every day, you see people all over the world and the internet who blindly accept the fitness and wellness standards that have been put upon us. I've talked about that at length.

But you also see people who believe wholeheartedly that wellness starts and ends with the body.

We know that community and wellness go hand in hand. I've talked about how breathing and stress management are critical parts of managing your relationship with movement and generally, how they help you build strength.

Rest assured that there's still more to cover in the "expanding our view of wellness" category.

So today, let's talk about reading.

I've always loved reading, but in the last few years, sharing excitement about specific books or topics has been a true joy. I recently went on an audio tour and shared what I was reading (The Bulls Market) with a fellow attendee. He had a recommendation for me, too (Nature's Metropolis). It sounds like a small moment because it is, but it had an impact on me. Paired with the light movement of the tour, that little exchange reminded me how important it is to share knowledge.

What's more relevant for me to know than the topics that directly concern the people around me, in my physical, real-life community?

Connectedness is one of the best stress-reducers out there. But when you read as an act of connectivity, you're...

➡️ Training your focus
➡️ Reducing your blood pressure
➡️ Building new connections in your brain as you learn
➡️ Connecting with the writer across the time, space, and identities that separate you
➡️ And connecting with the person or group who made the recommendation, too.

Here's a bigger example. I joined an amazing book club this year (linked above!). It's given me more than just interesting reads; I now have a great group of people to spend meaningful time with. As I read, I think of the folx in the group in the back of my mind. I consider what I'll want to bring up when we meet. It keeps me connected.

Connection keeps you motivated, safe, and regulated.

Connection can be a skill. You have to decide to connect with others and then work to maintain those ties. Reading together is such an easy way to build a connection. I don't know why more people don't lean on book recommendations and clubs as a way to be involved with others, all while staying calm, taking are of your brain, and honoring your inner introvert.

Right now, we're reading Thick and Other Essays, by Tracie McMillan Cottom. If you'd like to join and get connected, I'd be happy to see you there!

With you as we stay focused,
Dana