Acupuncture and Cupping – Part 1: Ancient Medicine or Pseudoscience?

Acupuncture

Note: this article is the first of a two-part series on acupuncture and cupping. You can read Part 2 here: Acupuncture and Cupping – Part 2: Alternative Therapies and the Placebo Effect. At this point, you have likely heard of acupuncture and cupping. Acupuncture was practiced in Asia at least … Read more

Health, Sports and Climate Change

Health, Sports and Climate Change

In 2015, the World Health Organization deemed climate change “the greatest threat to global health in the 21st century.” Unchecked global warming will lead to extreme heat, increased flooding, food and water scarcity and more prevalent disease. It will also impact countless other aspects of our daily lives, including sports … Read more

Butch Phelps on the Brain-Body Connection

Butch Phelps on the Brain-Body Connection

Butch Phelps is the founder of the Stretch ‘n’ Release Technique and The Muscle Repair Shop. He coaches clients to regain the freedom of movement they once had and age more pain-free. He is a Licensed Massage Therapist and holds a bachelor’s degree in aging sciences. His studies have allowed … Read more

The Virtuous Cycle of Fitness

The Virtuous Cycle of Fitness

Seeing exercise as a pointless vicious cycle can establish a barrier to physical performance, health and fitness. But changing your outlook and stepping into such a training loop can turn it into a virtuous cycle of fitness. The Exercycle In the early days of KineSophy, I shared this cartoon satirizing … Read more

A Review of Xero Shoes’s Minimalist Running Shoes and Winter Boots

Xero Shoes HFS minimalist running shoes

My search for the perfect footwear continues with Xero Shoes’s HFS minimalist running shoes and Alpine minimalist winter boots. Why Minimalist Running Shoes and Boots? As I’ve explained in previous KineSophy articles (e.g. this review), I prefer flat, thin-soled shoes with ample toe room. Such minimalist shoes allow my feet … Read more

KineSophy Hall of Fame: Billie Jean King

Billie Jean King

In 2016, I inducted Serena and Venus Williams into the KineSophy Hall of Fame for their individual excellence in women’s tennis, their social consciousness and their unwillingness to conform to the unfair expectations of their detractors. And the Williams sisters certainly deserve their place among the groundbreaking figures in sports … Read more

Ice Dancing, Artificial Snow and Other Thoughts on the Winter Olympics

Ice dancing gold medalists Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron perform a non-overhead lift

Figure skating, ice dancing, bobsledding and fake snow take center stage as I look at a variety of topics related to the recent Winter Olympics. The 2022 Winter Olympics wrapped up nine days ago, concluding a global sporting event often overshadowed by issues beyond sports. An ongoing global pandemic, the … Read more

Myokines: Connecting Movement, Muscles and Well-Being

Diagram of the action of myokines from muscles to other organs

KineSophy explores connections between physical fitness and movement and non-physical qualities like intelligence, resilience and overall well-being. Some of these connections are observational—for example, exposing oneself to physical challenges makes a person better equipped to face non-physical challenges. Others are based on scientific research, such as the strong connection between … Read more

2021 Year in Review

The KineSophy 2021 Year in Review

One year ago, I closed 2020 hoping for an end to the COVID-19 pandemic and optimistic that we had learned some hard lessons from the previous year. While the first wish hasn’t come to fruition in 2021, I do believe the past two years have forced all of us to … Read more