The Reach Out: Sarah Kendzior
The political columnist, author, and co-host of the Gaslit Nation podcast prefers to exercise outdoors, which may explain her feelings about the treadmill and Peloton.
Sarah Kendzior is a political columnist, author, and podcast co-host whose commentary focuses on authoritarian tactics, kleptocracy, racism, xenophobia, media, voting rights, technology, the environment, and Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Her forthcoming book, They Knew, will be released in September. She is also the author of Hiding in Plain Sight and The View From Flyover Country.
Kendzior co-hosts the weekly podcast, Gaslit Nation, which addresses corruption in the Trump administration and the rise of authoritarianism around the world.
She is an op-ed columnist for the Globe and Mail, and has contributed to POLITICO, The Guardian, The Atlantic, The Chicago Tribune, and The New York Times, among other publications. Kendzior has also appeared as a guest on NBC, MSNBC, NPR, CBS, Al Jazeera, CBC News, and the BBC.
I asked Sarah Kendzior about the role that regular physical activity plays in her life.
Is regular exercise a priority for you?
I spend a lot of time outdoors. I’m a huge fan of national parks and especially of Missouri state parks. I love hiking, exploring caves, and looking for interesting flowers and trees and mushrooms. It’s morel season now, so I spend hours in the woods hunting those. In the winter, I look for frost flowers.
I love to swim, so in the summer, I go to the pool regularly or drive out and swim in the shut-ins. Sometimes my husband and kids come with me. This summer we’re hoping to do some float trips. We’ve had a lot of adventures. We all like geology and we hunt for crystals and geodes and other interesting rocks and fossils. We also like astronomy and during the new moon, we’ll hike at night in remote areas of Missouri where you can see the Milky Way.
I also like hiking to ruins and there are a lot of those in Missouri. My favorite tree is on a cliff next to a burnt down castle owned by a cursed man. I love the Ozarks.
Did your exercise habits change during the pandemic?
Yes. In the spring of 2020, a lot of parks were closed, along with everything else, so I started walking around the cemeteries more often because they never close. I love old cemeteries. You get history, art, and nature all in one place. St. Louis has massive cemeteries with elaborate crypts and mausoleums. I’ve learned so much Missouri history at the cemeteries. I write down the names of people who have interesting graves and look them up later. The local parks opened back up a long time ago, but I still go to the cemeteries on a regular basis.
What motivates you to stay active?
The exercise is incidental to the fun things I’m doing outside. I have never “worked out” on purpose. I’ve never gone to a gym. I read that the treadmill was originally conceived as a torture device and that seems right to me. I told my friends that if I’m ever kidnapped and need to send a signal, I’m going to tweet, “Had a great workout on my Peloton today!” and they’ll know I’m a hostage. Anyway, I like to explore the world and get fresh air, so that’s the motivation.
Does being active help you with creativity or coming up with new ideas?
Yes, absolutely. It’s not really the activity as much as witnessing changing seasons and natural beauty or historic sites and my mind filling with new ideas. Travel inspires me and I like to travel on foot most of all.
Do you find it helpful to wear a fitness monitor?
No, I don’t own anything like that. I don’t like devices that track my movements or quantify my life. I don’t even bring my phone with me on hikes if I can avoid it. I spend enough time online for work so I leave devices at home. If I think I’ll get lost, I’ll bring a paper map.
When exercising, do you listen to podcasts or music, or watch the news?
Never! I love listening to the birds and animals and rushing water. That’s a very special part of being in the woods. I don’t wear headphones when I walk in the city because city sounds are interesting, too.
Is there a sport or fitness activity that you think you might like to try?
I’d like to do more horseback riding. I love riding, but it’s expensive. There used to be a place in St. Louis where you could ride on a trail near the highway for twenty bucks, but it closed. I don’t want to learn the fancy stuff — I just want to ride in my simple way. I was able to do that unencumbered when I was living in Kyrgyzstan and really enjoyed it.
I also love caves and want to go spelunking for real. There are unexplored caves in Missouri and on social media, I follow some professional groups who are exploring them without disturbing the landscape and the bats. I respect that. But if a spelunker wanted to take me into an unexplored cave, I would happily go.
I agree with Sarah about being active outdoors (if only the weather always cooperated). I may never think about the treadmill and Peloton the same way!😄
Thank you, @sarahkendzior
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