The Reach Out: Kevin Kruse
The Princeton history professor gets a lot of mileage out of his pre-pandemic treadmill, and wonders if virtual reality may be the key to getting kids to move more.
Kevin M. Kruse is a professor of history at Princeton University who studies the political, social, and urban/suburban history of twentieth-century America. His particular focus is on conflicts over race, rights, and religion, and the roots of modern conservatism.
Kruse’s books include White Flight: Atlanta and the Making of Modern Conservatism and One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America.
In Fault Lines: A History of America Since 1974, Kruse and his co-author, Julian Zelizer, outline the origins of a divided country, with a specific focus on political partisanship and social divisions along lines of race, class, gender and sexuality.
Kruse’s next book — also with Julien Zelizer and set for release in October 2022 — is titled Myth America: Historians Take On the Biggest Legends and Lies About Our Past.
Kruse was honored by the Smithsonian Magazine as one of America's top young "Innovators in the Arts and Sciences,” and selected as one of the top young historians in the country by the History News Network.
I spoke with Kevin Kruse about why it’s important to him to find time for regular exercise.
Is keeping active a priority for you?
Yes, but it's a challenge. Luckily, about a year before the pandemic, we bought a treadmill. I'm a runner and always have been, but it’s tough to run in the winter in New Jersey. So thankfully I invested in a treadmill, and during the first lockdown, I was probably doing four miles on it every day. I put more mileage on that thing than I ever thought was possible. It helped to keep me sane and active.
Unfortunately, I started to get foot and ankle pain, so I had to dial it back, and now I don't run nearly as much. But it's still something I've always done as a stress relief.
We also got a puppy right as the pandemic started, so we get out regularly for walks around the neighborhood with him.
Do you have a specific routine or do you fit exercise in whenever you can?
I do it whenever I can during the day. We're back on campus now, so I'm not in every day, but on the days when I'm home, I usually run in the morning. Since I can’t run every day anymore, my teaching days tend to be my rest days.
Do you wear a fitness monitor to remind you to get up and keep moving?
I certainly see the appeal of these apps, especially since the academic lifestyle can be pretty sedentary. But I don't even wear a watch, so a Fitbit seems a bit much for me.
Do you keep the news on or listen to a podcast while running?
I like to tune out the news and put something mindless on TV. Since I have to wear glasses when I watch anything, it has to be something simple to follow because I'm on the treadmill on the other side of the room. So I put on something that allows me to shut out the news because, for me, exercise is a moment to escape the things I'm stressed about, and the news is certainly one of those.
Is there a sport or a fitness trend that you might like to try?
It would probably be the Peloton. My wife got one for Christmas, and at some point, I'm definitely going to give it a try.
Any ideas about how to get kids to exercise more?
I think one way may be to lean into what they're interested in now. So virtual reality is kind of the hot new video game trend, but there are a lot of ways to exercise this way as well. I have a couple of friends who do boxing and yoga workouts through virtual reality. So maybe leaning into the technology side of things might get more kids interested in moving and active while still on a screen.
I’ve found that a lot of people, including Kevin Kruse, prefer to tune out the (stressful) news when they’re exercising. Makes sense to me!
Thank you, @KevinMKruse
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