The War on Cars A Physical Education with Casey Johnston
9 snips
May 12, 2026 
Casey Johnston, writer and newsletter author who helped many escape diet culture, talks about how health is shaped by structures not willpower. She connects lifting for function, the lost history of walkable streets, and how car-dependent design limits everyday movement. Short, sharp takes on strength, inequality, and reclaiming bodily experience.
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Health Blamed On Individuals Ignores Built Environment
- Individual responsibility framing for health ignores structural barriers like long drives to poor grocery options.
- Casey Johnston ties diet guidance failures to lack of access to walkable neighborhoods and active transport that provide incidental exercise.
Everyday Routines Provide Most Exercise
- Daily-life physical activity comes from built routines like commuting, errands, and stairs rather than scheduled gym sessions.
- New Yorkers' higher life expectancy is linked to incidental activity from transit and carrying groceries, not formal workouts.
Cat Litter Test Sparked A Strength Awakening
- Casey bought a 40-pound box of cat litter to save money and had to carry it multiple blocks and up two flights of stairs.
- That awkward chore revealed she lacked the functional strength city life demands and motivated her to lift weights.
