Serving in my capacity as a chair-bound fitness expert, I’m here to shed some light on the gym experience, and in particular, list some of the awful, awful people you’re about to meet on your self-improvement/desalination journey, and how you should deal with them. Keep reading »
Closets mean different things for different people. If you’re Carrie Bradshaw, it’s a sanctuary and shrine. If you’re a slob, it’s your cleaning quick-fix that houses any assortment of junk. And if you’re someone who lives in a cramped studio apartment in Chinatown, then you probably don’t have a closet, so for you it represents envy.
For workout fiends, your dressing zone could also be your home gym thanks to a company called Process that creates “fitness furniture”–aka wardrobes that open up to reveal bars that allow you to stretch, do crunches, or perform pull-ups. The design is kind of cool, but we’re not so sure we’d be down with sweating in such close proximity to a pile of newly dry cleaned cashmere sweaters. Process also makes a table that doubles as exercise bars when you turn it over … which might actually come in handy for the studio apartment crowd. What do you think? Cool idea or no? [InventorSpot] Keep reading »
Your old, worn-out running shorts are simply unacceptable for a post-work run on the treadmill, because heading to the gym isn’t just about sweating off those extra calories you drank this weekend. No, it’s about being seen by your fellow gym-goers. Nike realized that some people need to look fashion-forward while exercising, so the sports brand is launching their first fashion-inspired collection, Nike 6.0. Come July, you’ll be able to buy cute clothes and shoes for working out (or wearing around town on the weekend) at pretty reasonable prices; the pieces range from $24 to $120. Here’s the even better news: Sure, you’ll look cuter than you would in an old T-shirt with pit stains, but the gear’s also totally functional since surfers Carissa Moore and Monyca Byrne-Wickey and snowboarder Ellery Hollingsworth gave Nike input during the line’s development stage. I’m especially loving the worn-in blue sweatshirt that comes with a little zipper pocket, which is perfect for your iPod. Check it out after the jump! [WWD] Keep reading »
The Daily Mail reported on one woman’s harsh words for her former gym and asks: Why the hell did they let her join and work out when she was so clearly and severely anorexic? (As in skin-and-bones bad.) To the gym’s credit, it soon asked Jessica Bennington, 19, to produce a doctor’s note clearly stating she was healthy enough to work out. Turns out, just days later, she was admitted to the hospital for malnourishment and a host of other complications. Gotta say…
Keep reading »
File this in the “we-make-you-feel-bad-about-yourself-so-you-spend-money” bin: Gold’s Gym has designated July as “Cankle Awareness Month.” (Not kidding. Next thing you know, they’ll be making up brutal poop-brown colored ribbons to stick on lapels to raise awareness! Ugh.) According to their Web site: “The word comes from the combination of ‘calf’ and ‘ankle.’ It occurs when the calf merges with an obese or swollen ankle.” Yeah, we got it. But what we don’t get is why Gold’s is claiming that cankles are the “fastest growing aesthetic affliction in the United States,” beating out the dreaded muffin top and saddle bags. Say wha? Last I checked, teeny, skinny people can get cankles too—it ain’t all about weight. And it ain’t all that huge a deal. This is one fitness ploy that isn’t going to see me buying a membership. [Say No To Cankles] Keep reading »
Ten years ago, Gwyneth Paltrow was a Hollywood golden girl. She won an Oscar, she dated Brad Pitt, and then she married a rock star. (Okay, he’s more like an emo star.) She even popped out a couple of cute kids and nobody said boo when she gave Apple and Moses silly names.
But, with the GOOP blog and the rabbit-food-diet rumors, Goldilocks is so tarnished, it’s no wonder she’s out of touch. Nobody wants to join Gwyn’s new NYC gym, which she is starting up later this year with her (and Madonna’s) trainer, Tracy Anderson, because the price is so ridiculous. Girlfriend wants $4,500 just to join, plus hundreds of dollars each month in fees. Just to exercise! What recession?! Gym representatives are cold-calling potential customers, but instead of joining, they’re just laughing, padlocking their wallets, and calling the tabloids. [NY Post] Keep reading »
Working out sounds good in theory: tighten up your bod, wear comfy, colorful spandex clothes in public guilt -free, and get your endorphins going. But it’s ads like this one for David Barton Gym that reaffirm my commitment to my flabby physique. It makes working out seem like more of a spectator sport than a personal challenge. The creepy tagline, “I’d pay to see you sweat,” sends a chill up my spine even without some pervy lurker staring at me, breathing harder than me trying to work a Stairmaster. Seriously, this gym sounds like the Creepmaster 2000. The ad makes me want to keep my clothes on, save the membership fees and turn the lights off when I get naked. Problem solved! Gee, who would have thought a gym ad would make me feel a strong sense of body acceptance. [Ad Week] Keep reading »
Oh yes, it’s ladies night, but the feeling is not quite right — the actual perk may be as outdated as the song. Being a woman has its advantages when it comes to getting into nightclubs, but are they fair? When we flip the tradition and examine the idea of just a “gentleman’s night,” the discrimination is glaringly obvious. Las Vegas resident Todd Phillips is sick of being a second-class citizen in his city just because of his gender. Taunted by a gym club billboard that offered free enrollment to women, Phillips felt penalized for his penis. So he decided to take action by filing a complaint with the National Equal Rights Commission. “When you have one price for men and one price for women, that’s clearly discrimination, clearly sex discrimination,” Phillips argues. And the man has a point! Sure, the gender equality feminists fought for protects us all, ensuring our rights to the same wages, respect, and opportunity. However, Phillips is finding out that the statewide statutes about bias based on sex or sexual orientation are more like policy suggestions than prosecutable orders. Even the ACLU isn’t sure he has a leg to stand on. But Phillips is a male trailblazer and promises to fight for his right to work out the same way women do — for free! After he takes the gym to court, he’s planning on going after the clubs on the Vegas strip like the MGM/Mirage for favoring ladies. [Las Vegas Now] Keep reading »
The 670,000 women in the British service industry won’t let you call them sweetheart — or baby, or darling, or sweet cheeks, or even honey. Just like the women in 9 to 5 sans the ball-gagged boss, Women and Equalities Minister Harriet Harman is putting an end to womanizing in overlooked workplaces. Minister Harman has used her new position to create a statute that will require bar, restaurant, hotel, and even gym managers to be responsible for protecting their female employees from sexual harassment. Since service industry jobs are known for their client lip service, the change is expected to cost British companies 10 million pounds to enforce, according to the government office. So while sexist comments might make the employees feel cheap, the repercussions certainly aren’t. Keep reading »
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