As a 98-pound weakling, small and thin, I was constantly reminded of my condition by the big ads on the back of practically every comic book I read—the Charles Atlas ads in which the big guy at the beach kicks sand on the skinny kid and his girlfriend, who, though she feels sorry for her thin friend, can’t resist being impressed by the muscular bully. Charles Atlas promised that his exercises would make you strong enough to fight back. At that time, you couldn’t just Google exercises and get a set instantly, and I don’t think I ever actually did send off for the Atlas exercises, but I did order a book on jiu jitsu and learned how to use … Continue reading When Health and Fitness Wasn’t a Thing