Brooklyn Fit Chick

You Want a Piece of My Heart? Yes It's Loverboy

Friday Dance Break!

You want to be in the show? Come on Baby let's go!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E82ozXyNjk&playnext_from=TL&videos=rgMNybLPVuE

Workin' for the weekend. So true.

We can all relax--Madonna & Tracy Anderson made up, whew!

Extra! Extra!

Madonna is no longer mad at her former trainer Tracy Anderson.

We can all breathe a huge sigh of relief now.

What a nice way to start the weekend...

Here is the NY Post story:

Page 6 Item

In case you are wondering who the hell Tracy Anderson is, Gwyneth Paltrow and dozens of other high caliber celebs swear by her methods.

She is known for combining dance with isometric moves to create a lean, toned look. As you can see here: 

Tracey Anderson Workin' the Arms

Here is her "band system" that I freakin' want:

Oprah segment (ignore the 3 lb. limit)

Jezebel is not a fan of hers however (as well as some others who worked with her in the past):

Jezebel Tracy Anderson Link

Her name just keeps coming up in the fitness and celebrity world so I finally broke down and ordered her Mat Workout DVD.

Tracy Anderson Mat DVD

Here is her description:

This Mat video is very dear to me because it is the first time I have ever released my muscular structure work to the public. The purpose of this video is to re-engineer your muscular structure, wake up your accessory muscles, pull in your larger muscles and shift your shape into something that you never knew you could achieve.

No idea what any of that means but I expect to look like an A-lister when I am done. (We can dream right?)

Stay tuned...

What Did We Learn This Month? Health magazine May 2010

  

Health magazine; May 2010

Cover Model: Mariska Hargitay (whom is continually called "curvy" when she is thin and gorgeous.)

What Does She Eat or Do to Stay Thin: She is healthy, cool and normal. Mariska is fluent in several languages, is talented and kind, and prefers not to bore the planet with her ideas about detoxing and renewal. Pay attention boring A-Listers! My Olivia from Law & Order SVU is a class act!

Magazine "BIG" Story: Something in the back of the book about "America's Healthiest 100 Days." You log on once you have FINALLY decided to get healthy. And then you bring some friends and commit to a healthy future! And Michelle Obama is into it! And you can win free shit like bras and Bethenny Frankel's signed DVD! Oh hell, I have no idea what it is about. Its in the very back and there is no mention of it on the cover. Let's move on shall we?

Editorial Staff: One of the editors at Health is a newly certified "Jazzercise" instructor? This shit still exists? Sign my ass up!

WTF? Some stupid "British" research says that women can burn up to 20,000 calories a year shopping, yeah! (Until you realize in America we have food courts and broke people roaming the malls. Nice try though, next.)

I Call Bullshit: Cover line that reads "Wow! The #1 Flattering Swimsuit is Under $15" Said bathing suit is okay, not wow. And they have the brass balls to include this 'Dynasty"-inspired shite in the mix under the gently titled "Butt Blaster" section. Please to enjoy:

Story I Want to Be Included In: "8 Happy Hour Treats Under 80 Calories." Anyone who takes the time to calculate the calorie count for my Thursday night end-of-week and before Bravo TV marathon binge is after my heart.

Please to enjoy:

"Happy Feet": A whole article about keeping your feet healthy at every stage of your life. What-evs.  

"Yoga for Your Jiggly Bits": The title alone makes me smile. Very nice yoga moves that just about anyone can benefit from.

"Your Best Gyno Visit Ever": I like Dr. Wu but my visits with her don't have to be the best. (Actually a good heaping of advice for the Gyno phobes that exist out there. Good on you Health magazine editors!)

Overall Grade: A solid B. Love the cover model and good advice throughout . Could have done without the lame "car" story or the "bouncing back fast" feature which is a little rote by now, no?

What Did We Learn This Month: Skeptical Inquirer (May/June 2010)

Confession time, I am only a recent science enthusiast and am still struggling with the language and concepts. None of this is second hand, off-the-cuff, easy-as-pie reading (or writing) for me. But here we go...

I became interested in science and biology after entering the fitness and health profession. At first I thought having a fun play list and teaching a few cycling classes would be a great way to meet people and make some extra cash. Then something unexpected happened, people actually starting looking at me and treating me as a person who actually knows something about health and fitness. They would tell me about the medicines they take, the aches and pains they feel getting out of bed, the guilt of eating too much at the cousin's wedding, and on and on.

When I realized people expected me to know something it made me start to thinking that if I was to have any self-respect I better get my ass in gear and start learning, stat.

Sooooo, I decided to subscribe to science and reasoning magazines in order to teach my brain critical thinking skills. Okay I am boring you already. Here, pretend George Clooney is reading this to you now.

So one of my first subscriptions was Skeptical Inquirer (they have a snazzy web site here: Skeptical Inquirer)

The word "skeptical"  sounds so condescending. "Oh I am sure you are certain of your story but I remain skeptical." But I have really come to appreciate the skill and discipline it takes to have strict standards and am trying to apply them more in my reasoning. (Slowly but surely getting there)

So now we get into this sexy issue!

Picture Brad Pitt circa his "Thelma & Louise" days as we take a gander at the mother fuckin' May/June edition of the Skeptical Inquirer you hot bitches!

 

Jenny McCarthy is a Stubborn Fucking Moron:

Her autism "expert," Andrew Wakefield, acted unethically when he tried to establish a link between vaccines and autism. This is serious because he has not only hurt his reputation but he may lose his medical license as well. Not that Jenny McCarthy will ever own up to that nonsense. She will continue to confuse people and it will take years to undo the damage she (and Jim Carey and Oprah and Bill Maher and Robert Kennedy, Jr.) have caused. If there is one thing I have learned, it is very hard to "unscare" people. Heavy sigh.

Sweat Lodges are Bull Shit:

Just three days agoI said to a class we are "sweating out the toxins" but really there is no such thing. WTF?!

Simply put, sweating is the body's way of regulating temperature. It is just trying to get cooler. Not cleaner. Your liver works to collect and get rid of your body's toxins. Not your colon and certainly not your sweat glands. So stop thinking that sweating is getting rid of toxins, chemicals, gremlins, bad chi or whatever! It just means you are hot. Period.

To illustrate this the editors chose to include a picture of this sexy beast:

My eyes! My eyes! (Quick think of David Gilmour circa early era Pink Floyd)

Whew, MUCH better.

The BIG story is about why our brains (might) want to believe in a higher power. Here is a synopsis.

We want to "believe" because it feels good to believe. It makes you feel loved, wanted, accepted, included, important and/or necessary. Whether or not we should believe--I am not touching that. But it is interesting to think about in a non-emotional way.

Another article is titled: "War of the Weasels" An Evolutionary Algorithm Beats Intelligent Design."

I have a vague idea what they are trying to say but it may take more book learnin' for me to get there.  

The rest of the issue includes some sexy nature stores and book reviews. When I get confused, I pretend Tom Cavanagh from "Ed" is explaining it to me. How adorable is this guy?

I love dark, Irish dudes.

Where am I? 

Overall Grade: B (Good information but they need some SERIOUS help with layout and design. It looks like a college project--not in a good way!)

My final word in my first review of Skeptical Inquirer, go check it out. Your brain will say Namaste! 
  

Muppets Go Gangsta!

Now it's time for a dance break! Please to enjoy.

Ante Up!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21OH0wlkfbc

Aw yeah!

What Did We Learn This Month Dick Smothers? American Fitness magazine May/June 2010

 

American Fitness magazine; May/June 2010

The official magazine for members of the American Fitness Association of America {A.F.A.A.}

(That's right Bitches! I am certified to teach!)

 

Cover Model: They don't need underfed starlets or any Hollywood beefcake at American Fitness. Not when you can get Dick Mother-Fuckin' Smothers as the exclusive! Look out, we are gonna party like it's 1969!

What Does Dick Eat or Do to Stay a Silver-Haired Fox? Dick Smothers and his brother Tommy were a comedy duo popular with the counterculture movement in the 1960s and therefore were probably dirty hippies in my grandfather's eyes. Dick is now 72 and is looking hot and sexy because he spins (!), does resistance training and is a personal fitness trainer to boot. (Get his ass on Dancing With the Stars, stat!)

Unappealing Real Cover Line: "Teaching Clients: There is Always Time to Exercise." ("People Get Thirsty Sometimes: Show Them Where the Water Fountain Is") Yes the sentence is technically true but you can't make it sound just a little snazzier? It's a cover line for fuck's sakes!

Good Advice Given a Shitty Spot: Vitamin D is one of the few supplements we really SHOULD add to our regimen every day. In fact most of us should get at least 2,000 IU per day when the current U.S. guideline is 400 IU. This should not be hidden on the back page American Fitness layout people! (I will get to you in a minute.)

Big "Stretch" Story: Stretching good. Not stretching--probably bad. They have a side-bar on different kinds of stretching for different activities but when I tell you how fugly and jive the layouts are in this magazine--PU!  I will show you.

Look at this ugly nonsense, can you even read it?

 

 What is this fuckery? Is anyone even looking at it before it goes to print? Sheesh!

Dumb Trend Story: "Drums Alive: How Music, Movement and Rhythm Help Exhilarate the Mind and Body" I have seen at this every Grateful Dead show I have been to. It's obvious primal rhythms make people feel good and want to dance. Who cares? Next!

Great Biking City: Portland, Oregon is the biking mecca of America. Normally this would be enough to convince me to move there but shitty weather and overage hippies will keep me away. (Grandpa, can you hear me?)

Brooklyn Fit Chick Wants This: A standing desk. Please?

N.E.A.T. (Non-Exercise Activity Thermo-genesis): Simply put, every activity in your life technically burns calories so don't just think of BIG numbers and super intense activities. Instead, remember that every single movement throughout the day is important. Here is a list of what these common activities will burn calorie-wise in an hour.

I don't know anyone who showers or makes copies for more than an hour a day but you get the idea. My friend Kevin is a dog walker for a living and he can eat a whole pizza pie every day and stay slim. (68 calories per hour if you have a frisky pooch who needs a stroll around the block.) 

Overall Grade: B-  Some good solid information throughout but seriously, get a real designer to put it together. {Apologies to the person who has the job now. I'm an asshole.}

If this doesn't make you smile you are a heartless creep

Survival:

The New York Times had an amazing/inspiring article featuring cancer survivors. I have a few in my life that I love and wanted to get the message out there that you CAN survive cancer. But you must fight like a tiger.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/04/08/health/cancer-survivor-photos.html?ref=science

One of my bestest friends went through a battle with breast cancer last year and she gave it her all and so far (knock on wood) she is doing very well. Here we are at the Eddie Izzard show at Madison Square Garden. (Forgive the "Total Eclipse of the Heart" bright eyes but we are preserving our anonymity.)

The hat she is wearing says "Fuck Cancer" and you can get them at Jackie Farry's web site:

http://jackiefarry.com/cancerhat/

A portion of the proceeds have already gone to, and will continue to support the My Crazy Sexy Life Community, a free holistic wellness community, which was created by Kris Carr, subject and director of Crazy Sexy Cancer.

Proceeds also support
Planet Cancer, BMTinfonet, The SAMFund
and other worthy organizations.

Just do it!

To all of the cancer survivors and their families, we salute you.

BFC 

Gary Null's Nightmare; oh the irony!

This is why I avoid "controversial health gurus."

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/health_guru_nearly_killed_eating_hGIit27zRFN0UP3eMLWgKL

Time for a dance break! Did you know Eddie Murphy had a top ten hit? It was terrible. But Rick James (Bitch!) saves it from total suck-i-tude. Please to enjoy.

What Did We Learn This Month: Prevention May issue

 

Prevention magazine; May 2010

Cover Model: Andie McDowell

What Does She Eat or Do to Stay Thin: Hiking the Appalachian Mountains, walking her 100-pound Anatolian shepperd three miles every day and yoga. (It works, she is 52 and stunning!)

Magazine "Award" Story: The"Picture of Health" which is a profile of five people who have a commitment to healthy living. (Read their stories on prevention.com/pictureofhealth and vote for your favorite. Winner gets $5,000 for themselves plus $5,000 for the charity of their choice.)

Best Advice: Dr Arthur Agatson explains why we do NOT need to take as many vitamins as previously thought. This message needs to get out more.

Holy Shit!: One story describes why neti pots should not be used every day. I am so screwed if that is true.

Work-Out Pages: Very good. I am going to use some of the core moves in my own class.

Overall Grade: A solid B (Excellent advice and well-researched. Points taken off for being a bit dry.)