Results tagged “fitness”

Almost two weeks after the story was broken by Miss Heather, the NY Post says they have learned that there's a scam artist running an illegal gym in Williamsburg. They spoke with the muscleman proprietor, John Suarez, who told them, "I can't own another gym, but I've got to make a living. I had a mistake six years ago. I'm trying to start a new life. It's not like I was scamming anybody." The problem is that he did scam 1,000 people out of membership fees for a gym that never opened in 2004, and then made a deal with state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo that he'd never operate a health club in the state again! To make matters worse for himself, when a Post photographer snooped around his new gym on South 3rd Street in Williamsburg, Suarez tackled him and damaged his camera—which of course brought on charges of assault, menacing and harassment. Following the incident he told the paper, "Things happen. I did what I had to do. And he did what he had to do."

After women have toned themselves with countless trips to the Stairmaster at the gym, Pilates classes, yoga classes, and broiling hot yoga classes, there is really only one final frontier of fitness to be addressed: their vaginas. That's why a physician in Manhattan has opened a gyno-spa called "Phitness," that is essentially a room down the hall from her medical practice. Per the New York Times, "At the spa, the signature treatment will be a $150 gynecological exam — in which a client contracts her pelvic muscles around Dr. Romanzi’s fingers — to determine by feel whether muscle tone is weak, moderate or strong." A workout regimen is then prescribed to promote pelvic fitness and health.

Police are searching for a man in his 30's who broke into a West Village apartment wielding a knife, only to be driven off by the occupant's furious response. The Post spoke to the resident, Jennifer LaPierre, a 41-year-old writer who lives in a basement apartment on West 11th Street. The article makes clear that when she's not pounding the keyboard, she likes to pump iron and work out at a nearby gym.

Long gone are the days of sitting on the floor in front of an Atari developing a hunched back and crippled fingers--right now, Nintendo is promoting the launch of Wii Fit, their exercise-based platform,by getting people moving in Central Park.

From a new NYC sports club bearing his name to the last season at Yankees Stadium, Derek Jeter has a busy year ahead of him. Gothamist asked the Yankees captain about his partnership with 24 Hour Fitness to bringing 24 Hour Fitness - Derek Jeter gyms to the city and his thoughts on the "house that Jeter built."

Not only are New York gyms poorly run, but the establishments that are supposed to make you healthier are doing the opposite. The Daily News reports on the germ-ridden gyms of the city in a fairly unsurprising article.

New Year's resolutions probably started out as some sort of gym propaganda to up membership. Every new year, fitness centers worldwide bulk up their ad campaigns, promote "deals" and promise a better body in just months. With so many options, how does one choose a suitable establishment in which to "get physical"?

While Williamsburg may have a lot to offer in the way of bars, restaurants and luxury condos...it's been lacking in one area: gyms. It looks like soon enough the void will be filled, enter Soma Health Club.

Filmmaker Ethan Coen has left his big brother behind and written three short plays all by himself. Called Almost an Evening, the triptych will be produced by the Atlantic Theater Company with a terrific cast that includes Elizabeth Marvel, who was riveting in Ivo van Hove’s unforgettable revival of Hedda Gabler, and Academy Award winner F. Murray Abraham. The plays “unsuccessfully tackle important questions. In Waiting, someone waits somewhere for quite some time. In Four...

Who says the Wii is only for the young - or those dressed as Luigi? The Carter Burden Center for the Aging on the Upper East Side had a Senior Fitness Day this past Friday Friday that gave seniors a chance to play Wii baseball, as well as Brain Age 2 (photograph below), the Nintendo DS game that has various ways to challenge people's memory and keep people sharp.

The 22-year-old St. John's University student who brought a loaded .50 caliber rifle to the Queens campus on Wednesday was arraigned in his hospital room at Bellevue yesterday. Communicating via a video link to the Queens Criminal Court, Omesh Hiraman appeared "frail in his blue pajamas" (NY Times), while he "hands shook and he "rocked back and forth" (Daily News), but seemed lucid during the proceedings. Judge Deborah Stevens Modica ordered that he be given a psychiatric evaluation to determine his mental fitness.

• Green lifestyle education including fitness and health topicsIt looks like green is the new black, with eco-fashions becoming more in style. The fest will also show some innovative designs which will be for sale (here are some shots from last year's fashion show). Kids, parents, fashionistas, gearheads, health nuts, artists...will all be coming together in the name of green, join them!

A spin class member at an Upper East Side gym became so enraged at the vocal exercise style of a nearby man that he got off his bike and threw the man against a wall earlier this month. Stuart Sugarman was the victim and the New York Post reports that the 48-year-old hedge fund manager admits that he was probably the noisiest guy at his gym. "He grunted a lot, admittedly. He war-whooped. He hollered, 'Great song!' and 'You go, girl.'" All of which became apparently too much for 44-year-old Christopher Carter. The Manhattan broker "snapped" and threw Sugarman and his stationary bike against a wall, causing a concussion and spinal injuries.

Before we dive into the Times' weddings and celebrations announcements, we'd like to note that the Styles section has an article for guests thinking about buying tableware gifts for upcoming weddings. The article suggests buying colorful accessory plates and bowls for couples who may have registered for white-only dinnerware. We're fans of white-only dinnerware, because it's very versatile, it doesn't have to be too expensive, and it can be dressed up or down. If you should break a piece, you won't be too heartbroken because it shouldn't be too hard to replace.

Today, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz will be kicking off another year of "Lighten Up Brooklyn" with a walk around Brooklyn Heights. "Lighten Up Brooklyn" was started a few years ago to encourage Brooklynites to lose weight and make their lifestyles healthier. And since he had stents put into his arteries last year, Lighten Up Brooklyn is a big deal to Markowitz. From his office's press release:

Markowitz, who underwent a stent procedure last summer, vowed to transform and lengthen his life through healthy eating and a committed fitness regimen. The borough president’s frequent energetic strolls through Prospect Park have helped him lose 26 pounds since last summer, and he kicks off the Lighten Up Brooklyn 2007 not only talking the talk, but also walking the walk!

One would think that in this white hot real estate market, New York condos just sell themselves. Apparently not. Free commuter daily AMNY takes a look at the fringe benefits that developers employ to entice those well off enough to buy into Manhattan's real estate promised land. Laundry rooms and a concierge are yesterday's news.

So how do buildings decide whether to offer a Turkish bath over a bowling alley?

Continue reading "It's The Little Things"

Thanks to a donation from Target, the city will be distributing free cycling helmets throughout all five boroughs in coming weeks, as part of a program called "GET FIT-TED." That's not an admonition for some guy named Ted to get in shape; it has to do with a dual emphasis on properly fitting cyclists with their helmets and encouraging physical fitness among New Yorkers through cycling and other outdoor activities.

Holy smokes! Giant fish on the MTA, Paris Hilton in jail, then out, then in again, Al Gore, goatses, blumpkins, Matt Damon, and baby art critics! It's been a busy week across the Ist-A-Verse, and here's a smattering of what's been going on.

After hearing from concerned residents and noticing the problem ourselves, we've been following the Racked report on a lack of gyms in Williamsburg with interest.

In a real shocker, a City Health Department report released earlier this week shares that people living in Harlem have fewer healthy food options than their counterparts in other boroughs. The full report, available here, found that despite Harlem's many bodegas and corner stores, they were half as likely to carry low-fat dairy products and far less likely to offer as large a selection of vegetables as a grocery store on the Upper East Side.

The Rapture Kill at Coachella

Studying for the LSATs is nothing compared to stripping down for Playboy TV! The Daily News reports that Adriana Dominguez is getting a lot of attention for a naked romp that is circulating on the Internet. Dominiguez posed for Playboy TV's "Naked Happy Girls" - episode, "Rock Star and the Lawyer" (here's a link - definitely NSFW) - where she gets spanked and poses with gavels among other things. Though the show aired in January, a clip has been forwarded to law schools and law firms in the past month.

The Department of Justice is suing the city's Department of Transportation, but not over traffic or accidents. The lawsuit claims the DOT has never ever hired a female bridge painter. Apparently the DOT has not given a civil service exam for bridge painting since 1992 and the DOJ claims the city has "evaded" the process by hiring temporary painters. From the city's Civil Service website:

The City fills many of its positions through the Civil Service Process -- a process guided by the New York State Civil Service Law. The law is in place to help ensure that the hiring process is competitive and fair. Generally, the City uses examinations to measure a potential candidate's "merit" and "fitness" for the particular position. Taking an examination is the start of the hiring process that may lead to you getting a job with the City.

Continue reading "DOJ Sues City Over Bridge Painting Hiring"

Barbed, by abmarfia.

If getting in shape is one of your New Year’s resolutions, there is a fitness program which instead of asking you to pick one gym location, hands you free passes for what seems like just about every fitness club in NYC, for a $75 fee.

Lawsuits claiming hostile work environments have now hit the gym. A group of janitors claim that while working at Equinox fitness club locations, the Post excitedly details, they were "exposed inappropriate, lewd, embarrassing and humiliating sexual behavior and activities occurring in the showers, saunas, steam and [men's] locker rooms."

Fascinating story in the NY Times about a man's gym membership being canceled after he grunted at a Planet Fitness gym. Apparently national chain Planet Fitness is trying to crack down on behavior, and grunting is a violation of club policy! While the gym's manager says she mainly revoked Albert Argibay's membership because he was being hostile, she did admit that grunting wasn't welcome.

Yeesh, there sure are a lot of new movies out this weekend. Choose wisely and you will be well rewarded.