Why Extreme Wellness Is So Popular

Marathons, fasting, and silent retreats—the psychology behind hardcore health

Markham Heid
Elemental
Published in
8 min readApr 11, 2019

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Credit: PeopleImages/Getty Images

EEmily Fonnesbeck says her issues with diet and exercise started after her first son was born. “I was a new mom and feeling pressure to recover from the pregnancy body, and I started eating less and exercising more,” she says. “I’m very much a perfectionist, so if I’m going to…

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Markham Heid
Elemental

I’m a long-time contributor at TIME and other media orgs. I write mostly about health. I grew up in Michigan, but these days I live in southwest Germany.