Somewhere in Missouri, Spring 2025: It’s morning, and I’m rushing to pack a stack of books, notes, and binders into […]
Clio in Motion
It’s not fitness. It’s life. This is a marketing slogan of a high-end fitness center where I have worked as […]
The Eternal Aesthetics of Youth
Originally published at Ultraphysical. A few months ago, days ahead of my 45th birthday, I reflexively clicked on a suggested […]
The Intimacy of Exercise: Sensuality and Sexuality in Black Women’s Fitness History
Exercise is an intimate act. It requires us to be well acquainted with our bodies—how far they can stretch, how […]
An Intimate Numbers Game: Histories of Quantifying Pelvic Floor Strength
The Elvie Trainer promises to “take the guesswork out of your workout.” Alongside other devices like the Elitone and the […]
First Lady In Motion: Betty Ford and the Public Eye
As with all modern First Ladies, photographs of Betty Ford are easy to find on the Internet. One striking image, […]
On the Move: How Sports Clothes Became Fashion?
Even if you are not a gym rat or a sport enthusiast, it is almost impossible today to escape the […]
It’s Wonderful How Ice Can Be So Warm
“It is a pleasure to the real lover of nature to give winter all the glory he can.” – Dorothy […]
Are We Becoming Ivan Drago? Analyzing Today’s Fitness Tech through Rocky IV
In Rocky IV (1985), American Rocky Balboa fights the USSR’s Ivan Drago in a boxing match that animates Cold War […]
Fit Nation: A Conversation with Natalia Mehlman Petrzela
Lara: Natalia, I really enjoyed your new book, Fit Nation: The Gains and Pains of America’s Exercise Obsession. I recognized so much […]
