May Center Tips from the Trainers: Get into the (O)zone
By Saima Huq, MPH, and Joel Matalon, USA Triathlon Coach
The 92nd Street Y May Center is home to the first commercial indoor pool in New York State that is primarily disinfected by ozone. Pools disinfected by ozone, or “activated oxygen,” stay cleaner longer and cause less damage to eyes, throats, hair, skin and swimsuits than chlorinated pools. This is just one of the reasons our pool offers an ideal environment in which to train or rehabilitate after an injury or surgery.
The May Center pool is also a great place to strength train, using the resistance of the water without impacting joints. Low back pain sufferers can increase mid- and upper-back strength and improve posture by performing the backstroke. Lie back, lift your hips and stretch your arm back as far as possible to get the full benefit of the stroke.
To rehabilitate knee or ankle injuries, walk sideways 10 steps in either direction in the shallow end of the pool. To elevate your heart rate, do this continuously for at least five minutes. Deep-water running is also a safe way to elevate your heart rate without impacting your joints. In moderately deep water (almost to your armpits), run in place for three minutes, rest for one minute, then run again for three minutes. Try to do this exercise for 11 minutes total, three to four times per week, for four weeks. After each week, add a few more minutes to each portion of the exercise. This training will help build your speed for road races.
For other water training and rehab suggestions, please consult a trainer or one of our private lesson swim coaches. Children seven to 11 years old seeking to improve their athletic skills may want to join the 92nd Street Y Triathlon Clinic. To register call 212.415.5500 or visit us at www.92Y.org/MayCenter. Swim classes and lessons are available for all ages and experience levels.
Flickr user Zuzu*Petals posted a few photos from last night’s improv class with Jacqueline Kabat. Jacqueline has studied with the likes of Second City’s Ann Bowen and SNL‘s Amy Poehler, and she knows how to run with it.
There will be more improv at Makor in April with Carl Kissin.
Everyone loves a parade, especially Ed Koch, then-Mayor of NYC.
“I am not for public executions, though I support the death penalty. One, it’s an appropriate punishment in horrific cases, and two, it’s a deterrent. There are studies that say that for every person executed, eight innocent people who might otherwise have been murdered were not.”
“I said, to be a New Yorker you have to live here for six months, and if at the end of the six months you find you walk faster, talk faster, think faster, you’re a New Yorker.”
“Maybe he just looks good compared to the bores he’s running against.”
“There was always a love-hate relationship with New York in the rest of the country, but I made them feel more love than hate.”
“The fireworks begin today. Each diploma is a lighted match, each one of you is a fuse.”
“The Republicans are coming—make nice.”
“Hey you, ... Move it. It’s Tuesday.”
“You punch me, I punch back. I do not believe it’s good for one’s self-respect to be a punching bag.”
Mikhail Svetlov is considered one of the great bass vocalists in the world and recently San Diego got a taste of his sonorous voice and comedic skills as the drunken monk Varlaam in Modest Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov. He was previously nominated for a Grammy Award in 2003 for a recording of Stravinsky and Telerama Award for recordings of the world premiere of Rachmaninov’s The Miserly Knight and Serov’s Judith on Le Chant du Monde. He is well known for his performances of Verdi’s Requiem throughout the world and is the first Russian bass to ever perform the title roles in Don Giovanni and The Flying Dutchman. Svetlov comes to the Y this Sunday with pianist Frank Levy for an afternoon performance, “Passion of Love in Russian Romances.”
Did you know that more chocolate is consumed in the United States on February 15 than any other day of the year? Actually, we just made that up but it sounds plausible. (Hey, do your own chocolate research!) In any case, whether you’re experiencing a sugar high or hypoglycemic low today, you must check out these 60 Minutesvideos with America’s premier matchmaker Janis Spindel. She is in such high demand by busy professionals that she can charge $25,000 and more for her personal services. $25,000. Let that crawl around your cranium for a bit. Lucky for you, she teaches a seasonal singles workshop—Kiss and Tell with Janis Spindel—here at the Y for a mere $30. Her next one is March 13. Don’t worry, that’s a Tuesday and it could be your lucky day.
In this week’s edition of Ask the Parenting Center, 92nd Street Y Parenting Center Director Sally Tannen addresses a question 92Y Blog reader Carrie left in the comments recently:
Carrie: I have a 9-month-old that wakes up quite frequently at night (will usually go back to sleep after a bottle, but will still wake an hour later). I’ve tried sleep training several times, but I now realize that I haven’t been consistent and that is why the plan has failed. I’m at the end of my rope and so I’ve made up my mind that something needs to been done and quick (before I lose my sanity). My question is what to do if my baby throws up during a crying spell? I usually pick him up, get everything cleaned up and then convince myself that this night was a failure and that I should start again another night. I’m also confused as to whether to use the “cold turkey” approach or the “gradual” approach. He does seem to get very upset if I enter the room and then leave again. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Sally Tannen: Carrie: You are right. Consistency is the key to success! Your 9-month-old will cry that much harder if he knows you’ll give in eventually. Do you give him a bottle every time he wakes up? I think you may want ask your pediatrician if you can give up the middle-of-the-night bottles. If he says yes, which I think he will, then you can concentrate on how to help him fall back to sleep. And while he’s still upset, he’ll have less to throw up. If you don’t want to go in to the room all the time, you and your partner (if you have one) need to come up with a plan that you can both follow.
When you go into the baby’s room, keep the lights off, speak very softly and reassure him that you’re there. Clean him up if necessary, rub his back and go out again, but come back in two minutes, then 3 then 4… Hopefully it won’t take more than a few days.
Sally Tannen
Director, 92nd Street Y Parenting Center
Video: Listen to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich talk about Iast year’s war between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
Since resigning from Congress in 1998, Newt Gingrich has been active in politics as an analyst, consultant and book author. While no official announcement has been made, he is now contemplating a run to be the next President of the United States. His most recent books, Rediscovering God in America and Winning the Future: A 21st Century Contract with America, show a man with the same convictions as the day he left office. What are the pundits saying about his chances of renewing a “contract” under more significant terms? Dick Morris, former adviser to Senator Trent Lott and President Bill Clinton, writes in The Hill:
To grasp what’s happening, don’t think of states like New Hampshire or Iowa or worry whether it’s too early or too late. The key to following the Republican presidential nominating process this year is to recognize its essential similarity to the tennis’s U.S. Open at Forest Hills. There are quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finals.
In the quarter-finals, the center and the right each sort out the nominees to choose their candidate. On center court, Giuliani seems to be gaining a decisive lead over McCain’s impoverished presidential campaign. But on the right-hand court, unnoticed by most pundits, Gingrich seems to be building a lead over Romney and a host of conservative wannabes. The ultimate winner of the Giuliani/McCain quarter-final will face the winner of the Gingrich/Romney match-up in the semi-finals.
In the immediate future, you have the opportunity to see Gingrich go one-on-one with Charlie Rose at the Y on Feb 15. Ball’s in your court.
When we mentioned the Six Points Fellowship awards yesterday, we should have also pointed out that dancer Saar Harari was picked for the performing arts cohort. It’s a tremendous honor and we wish him the sincerest of congratulations. After growing up on a farm in Israel, spending time in the Israeli army, performing in Liat Dror (Nir Ben-Gal’s dance company), he formed LeeSaar/The Company in 2000 with actress and playwright Lee Sher. In 2004, they moved to New York and have been impressing the local dance scene ever since. They kick off the Harkness Dance Festival on February 14 with a fusion of two recent works, Moopim and Herd of Bulls, the latter being described by the New Yorker as an “exploration of animal instinct [that] ranges past the violent and murderous impulses of the body to the sensual and seductive.”
What You Missed: Why Smart Women Still Care About Their Looks
Susan Sawyers, former Director/Curator of the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation and current Huffington Post contributor, reviews last month’s “Why Smart Women Still Care About Their Looks” talk with Dr. Gail Saltz, Alex Kuczynski, Caroline Weber, Jami Bernard and Toni Bentley:
Dr. Saltz kicked off the discussion by informing us that studies show that beautiful people move ahead (presumably in their careers) faster and that attractive individuals who keep a picture in their wallet are more likely than unattractive people to have their wallets returned when lost. Funny Jami suggested everyone put someone else’s picture, an attractive someone else, in their wallet, thereby ensuring they’d have their wallet returned if lost. And as for preferential treatment, I recently overheard a man who admitted that he only hires “pretty” babysitters because he believes that his children will be treated favorably when/if they are out with the good-looking care-giver. In the babysitter case, the good looker got the job over the not good-looking one and he or she gets better service. Never mind a parent having someone attractive to ogle over.
And whether, as the panel subsequently discussed, looks matter for biological reasons in order to attract a mate and procreate (Jami and Toni), or historically as evidenced via Marie Antoinette’s “unqueenly” glamorous attire which had an impact on France as a nation (Caroline), or driven, (Alex), by the plastic surgery industry where, for a fee, our skin’s surface and body’s shape can be tweaked and made to resemble the look of the day, there was consensus. The media, the fashion and the beauty industries fuel our hunger to look and therefore, “feel” good.
From the Dia Art Center’s Introduction to Annotations:
Glenn Ligon is known for his resonant works in multiple media that explore issues surrounding race, sexuality, identity, representation and language. For his first web-based project, Annotations, Ligon revisits the family photo album, a format rich in its potential for investigating the diverse sources that shape individual identity, in the artist’s words: “a site of invention, cheering fictions, hidden histories and unforeseen juxtapositions.”
In considering this medium for his project, Ligon was inspired by a notion of the web as a vast, anarchic library of material, where family histories are researched and documented in places as diverse as personal homepages and genealogical sites. He is interested in the web as a repository where public and private collide in myriad ways, where even intimate photographs may be posted for a few to visit, yet are ultimately accessible to millions, remaining in archives long after removal from their original location.
“It is one of the better uses of technology in art that I’ve seen because instead of being about bells and whistles, where the technical wizardry supercedes any other content, it uses really simple technology to create relationships between media that is familiar and low-tech.”
Interview with Makeup Artist/Cosmetics CEO Bobbi Brown
Bobbi Brown is one of the biggest names in cosmetics and when she’s not running her own company, she’s creating cover looks for magazines and makeup for fashion shows, appearing on television shows to dispense beauty advice, and making time for her husband and three sons. Did we mention she’s an author too? Her fourth book, Bobbi Brown Living Beauty, is set for release on February 15. Here’s your chance to meet her when she comes to the Steinhardt Building in early March for an intimate talk on Redefining Beauty. First, we provide a base foundation with a quick and light Q&A.
What are some beauty essentials for New York women on the go?
I like double duty products like a rouge that you can use on your lips and cheeks or a shimmer brick you can use on your eyes and cheeks. I never leave home without my customized palette. It’s the ultimate beauty resource for women that are on the go. It contains all the products I use in one condensed palette which fits into any purse and is perfect for touch ups throughout the day as well.
What are some beauty tips that will save women a future trip to the plastic surgeon?
Moisturize and wear SPF! Moisturizing is the key to keeping your skin looking healthy and young- It’s never too early to start! Sun damage may not show up now but the damaging effects like wrinkles and sun spots will show up as you age.
What’s the worst thing a woman can do to her face?
Get too much botox and other radical fillers injected into their faces or too much plastic surgery. It doesn’t look natural, it just looks like you have had work done.
What do you think of someone like New York Times “Critical Shopper” columnist Alex Kuczynski and her near-metamorphosis?
It’s sad when women think they have to look like the young celebs of today to keep up with the unhealthy obsession of today but I admire her for writing the truth about this obsession and how women are only striving to look the same as one another. It’s all about being who you are and feeling good about yourself.
What do you think are best/worst trends in the beauty industry right now?
I love that there are more formulas and colors coming out that are natural and give women more choices (like foundation that make your skin look like real skin) but I hate all the over the top products that make women look over done and ridiculous. Some things don’t accentuate the good in people- they just make you look like your wearing too much makeup.
What magazines/websites do you read regularly?
I read them all (even the weekly’s I hate to say) – I like to stay in touch with the trends.
You’ve worked with some of the most beautiful women in the world, from actresses to models—who would you say stood out for you?
Susan Sarandon is one of the most beautiful women in the world not only on the outside but on the inside as well. She is such a strong, kind and passionate woman who I admire greatly. She has a real presence about her that you can feel when she walks into a room.
Mazel Tov to bloggers in Israel, Harry and Ziva! Don’t worry, there are many types of “instruction books” on the market. We’ll send you a fun one.
The Six Points Fellowship for Emerging Jewish Artists announces the twelve winners of their first-of-its-kind artist development program which was initiated by $1,000,000 in funding from the UJA-Federation of New York’s Commission on Jewish Identity & Renewal.
By Saima Huq, MPH, and Joel Matalon, USA Triathlon Coach
Susan Sawyers, former Director/Curator of the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation and current Huffington Post contributor, reviews last month’s “Why Smart Women Still Care About Their Looks” talk with Dr. Gail Saltz, 
Bobbi Brown is one of the biggest names in cosmetics and when she’s not running 
