October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and it’s pink ribbon an internationally recognized symbol of breast health. Point of information: It was Evelyn Lauder and Self magazine that co-created the Pink Ribbon symbol of breast health. Evelyn offered some quick statistics on breast cancer:

The American Cancer Society estimates that 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to occur among women in the U.S. during 2009, of which about 1,910 new cases are expected in men. Worldwide, more than 1.3 million people were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007. Breast cancer continues to be the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women excluding skin cancers.

The Estee Lauder Companies have put out 7 points of “What You Can Do” to reduce your risk of breast cancer, including get screened, check yourself regularly, eat more vegetables and fruits, exercise, don’t smoke and quit smoking if you are, and drink less.

Lauder has a long standing commitment to supporting breast caner research and treatment, and The Evelyn Lauder Breast Center of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital just opened – an ahead–of-state-of-the-art research, diagnostic and treatment center right here on 66th street and 2nd avenue. Evelyn and Larry Norton, deputy physician-in-chief of Memorial Hospital, were the visionaries and guiding forces behind the Breast Center. Norton will be presenting a lecture here on Oct 22: Update on Breast Cancer to discuss the latest advances in the medical fields dealing with breast cancer. This lecture is supported by Evelyn and Leonard A. Lauder.

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They reviewed two classes for toning and fitness at 92Y May Center for Health and Fitness. Their first stop was Break-Thru fitness, (photo above) an active, physical workout that is well-known to burn the calories. TONY writes:

With three instructors and just 15 students, there’s nowhere to hide from the grueling reps of crunches, lifts and twists with medicine balls, kettlebells (imagine a bowling ball with a handle), and TRX, a total-body strengthening system where participants must use nylon straps to fight gravity. TRX was, by the way, designed by a Navy SEAL.

Next up for TONY was Splash Dance, a water based aerobics class. “It takes a while to work out how to move properly in the water,” wrote TONY, “but when it clicks, the added resistance, especially on the arms, makes it tough going (and, ipso facto, beneficial, right?).” And our pool has been using Del Ozone cleaning system for ten years, with Fit Celeb.com calling it: “...one of New York City’s cleanest public swimming pools.”

For more information on these and other classes offered at 92Y May Center, visit their page online. And call the membership office at 1.212.415.5729 to hear about fantastic fall discounts available to first time members.

After the jump, you can view a few more class videos.

TLC’s What Not To Wear is looking for the The Worst Dressed American. Unfortunately for all of you who no doubt have many men in mind, the contest is only open to women. 

The style and makeover show is hosted by Stacy London (right) and Clinton Kelly, and frequently features stores and boutiques in New York City. They have even created a very cool flash map of all the stores mentioned, broken down by neighborhood.

Stacy is one of America’s premiere style experts, helping women to boost their confidence by creating and celebrating their personal style. She told Diablo Magazine: “I have been every size in my life. I’ve been smaller than a zero, up through a size 16. I’ve had lots of issues with body image and weight my whole life and it really took a great deal of work to recognize that at all those weights, no matter how I felt, I could still find a dress that made me feel sexy and powerful.”

Stacy lectures across the country on the connection between personal style and self-esteem, and has spoken at Oprah Winfrey’s O You! Conference for the past three years. See what people are saying about Stacy London on Twitter.

On Oct 4, she will be here to explore these subjects and more with Dr, Gail Saltz.

The event is part of the Our Lives, Our Choices Series Subscription.

Upcoming Events at 92Y:
The Future of Women’s Fashion: Oct 21. Read more on the 92Y Blog.
Karim Rashid and Gaetano Pesce: Dialogues with Design Legends Nov 3

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As you can see, the children were ecstatic.

If you have a budding gymnast or Olympian in your household, you can try Gymnastics at 92Y.

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Shawn Johnson’s appearance sponsored by:

Speaking to this renewed interest in Baby Boomers, the New York Times has a relatively new column: Generation B. B for Baby Boomers, of course. The latest installment by writer Michael Winerip features a 58 year old former senior vice president for a private student-loan company who is now jobless.

And on Oct 7, join us at 92Y with some of the guests featured in the series and others, such as as Phil Donahue, Evan Handler, Gail Sheehy, Robert A.F. Thurman, Faye Wattleton, and Robert Lipsyte as moderator as they discuss the issues and questions raised in the series.

If you have questions for the panelists, leave it here in the comments, with your name and age, and we might use it on stage!

[Are You Ready for Life (Part 2)? Phil Donahue, Evan Handler, Gail Sheehy and others]

Upcoming events at 92Y:

Experience the aggressive fitness challenge in store for you in this 30-second video when you sign up for Relentless!, a 75-minute fast-paced class packed with intensive cardio strength moves to build upper, lower and core muscles. You don’t need a 92Y Health, Fitness & Sport Membership to register, though if you had one the class would be free, and there are plenty of health & fitness classes for all levels available now.

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As you can see in the video above, the Jazz/Hip-Hop Dance Class at 92Y is energetic, fun and will have you dancing like Justin Timberlake in no time. Taught by teachers who love music, dance, and teaching, the classes are inspiring. Or maybe we should we rephrase that. When we visit the classes to film or just say hello to the teacher, we are inspired and secretly wish that we could stay for a session.

And as you might know, there are many more dance classes available at the Harkness Dance Center for whatever your interest might be. Ballet, Israeli Folk Dance and Afro-Caribbean Dance to name only a few.

The fall class season is open for registration now.

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Marc Raimondi at Five Boro Sports wrote:

Richards showed flashes of brilliance as a sophomore, albeit against lesser competition. He closed his first high-school season with 33 points in a PSAL Class B first-round loss to eventual champion Brooklyn College Academy. He’s a 6-foot-4 shooting guard with length and athleticism. This winter, Richards averaged 15.1 points and 4.3 points per game for the Gators, leading them to the PSAL Manhattan B-3 regular-season title.

Richards also trains every day at the 92nd Street Y. Arriving around 3pm, he stays for hours and doesn’t leave until 8:30 p.m, putting even more time in on the weekends.

The basketball games here at the multi-level May Center for Health and Fitness have been played on these courts for over one hundred years. They are well known for their level of play and comraderie among the players, and professional players can often be found on the court keeping their skills sharp. So stop by Basketball Boot Camp for teens or the Men’s Intramural League, put your shorts on, and give someone a no look.

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We were happy to report (via Twitter, of course!) on our class montage video created for the launch of our fall season class schedule— and some people were excited to see it. So watch the video above and see away! If you’re feeling adventurous, leave a comment and tell us your thoughts.

We offer a wide variety of programming and classes here at 92Y; as an article in the Associated Press recently noted, every year we have over 4,000 classes and workshops are offered in art, dance, music, fitness, personal development, writing and more—for all ages. Un buffet vero di tutti i generi di codici categoria, compreso i codici categoria di lingua.

There is, literally, something for everyone. Enrollment is now open, and some of those classes fill up very quickly, so browse the list and make your choice.

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Via Twitter we asked: “...if we made a how-to video, what would you like to see? How-to what? ‘How to be Anna Wintour?’ ‘How to swim laps?’”

Our followers, who we LOVE, responded with awesome ideas. @greenpointmom suggested a how-to live like Anna Wintour on a budget, how-to blow dry your own hair, tennis lessons, and how-to “make a Starbucks triple venti latte in your work pantry.” @Jawsh_E chimed in with: “how to make a how to video on making a how to video.” And @Chriz10 from the Netherlands suggested: “How to....lay on the grass in Central Park...”

We really want to make these videos. In the meantime...let’s see what we have here in our little box of keepsakes under the desk that might be similar.

Here’s Anna Wintour talking about what she looks for in employees. Beauty tid-bits from Why Smart Women Still Care About Their Looks. Our Maycenter Health and Fitness page has a video, and though we’ve no tennis courts here, we do have everything else under the sun, including handball, which is like tennis, right?

A “How-to make a latte” video might be right up food historian and author Francine Segan’s alley, who is a frequent guest here and has discussed the topic of coffee before. The “How-to make a how-to make a video” will be a fun one to make. As you may or may not know, we like to make videos.

Lastly, there was our favorite suggestion for a video on “How to....lay on the grass in Central Park...enjoying the view, the joggers and the people eating their lunch out of brown paper bags.” Again, a superb idea. We enjoy Central Park as much as the next person, and have some upcoming classed and events there. Such as a Watercolor in Central Park class, Gouache Painting in Central Park, and the Central Park in the Dark—Nocturnal Creature Tour. Clearly we will need to bring the camera along next time and do a quick how-to lay in the park video.

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92Y the AP notes, has: ”more than 4,000 classes, some taught by leading scholars and writers such as Frank McCourt and Margaret Atwood.”

Indeed, at 92Y School of Music, you can take private piano lessons with acclaimed pianist Jenny Lin. In our craft studios featured on PBS, you can take jewelry classes with Klaus Bürgel, as seen in this video. With over 4000 classes, there are far too many to feature here, though we would like nothing more then to do so. Dance classes at Harkness Dance Center where Paul Taylor and others got their start, writing classes at Unterberg Poetry Center, where Kurt Vonnegut famously read from Breakfast of Champions, three years before it was published.

The AP continued:

“You get a lot of value in taking a course,” said Sean Gallagher, program director and senior analyst at Eduventures, a higher education research and consulting firm. “If you take a course for $200 and it meets weekly for eight weeks, that’s a lot of value compared to some other activities.”

Browse all the classes 92Y has to offer. 

Yesterday, a friend sent us a touching blog called “Caroline’s Cancer: Comedy, Class, and Chemo” which shares “the highlights and hijinks of a 28-year-old woman’s battle with breast cancer.” Here’s an excerpt from a recent entry, It Will Grow Back:

I knew I was going to lose my hair.  I was cautioned that after the second treatment is when the significant hair loss begins, so I was not surprised.  Traumatized?  Absolutely.  But like the good little Girl Scout I was as a child, I am prepared with a collection of adorable head scarves and a wig.  Once it started coming out in handfuls I handed my mother a pair of scissors and said one word:  “Chop.” She obliged, I cried, and ten seconds later it was over.

Now that I looked like my one-year-old nephew cut my hair, the next step was for the full on buzz cut.  I called up my hair stylist, Anthony, and asked him if he would do the honors.  He said, “It’s a date!” I reminded him that I was bringing my brothers to chaperone our “date,” which thrilled him because he cuts their hair regularly as well and finds them almost as hilarious as I do.

My older brothers are quite a sight to look at.  They are nearly 6’6”, built like linebackers, and are identical twins.  I happen to think they are the two funniest people in the world.  I knew shaving my head was going to be upsetting, but if anyone could make me laugh during this experience, it would be Frankie and Chris.

This Sunday, the Y is hosting The Partnership Symposium: Conquering Breast Cancer with Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Crusade, The Breast Cancer Research Foundation and the Greater New York City Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Medical research, health studies and public information oftentimes can provide women with conflicting information that can be overwhelming, confusing and rapidly changing. This unprecedented Partnership Symposium will help women gain the knowledge and power to make informed healthcare decisions and lifestyle choices about breast cancer prevention and disease management. This event provides a wonderful way to get your questions answered by health care professionals each chosen for their expertise in their noted field and to discover why the experts are saying breast cancer is conquerable!

[The Partnership Symposium: Conquering Breast Cancer: 4/26/09]

Here’s an interesting tidbit from the bio of American composer and Broadway legend Richard Rodgers (pictured):

Richard Charles Rodgers was born in New York City on June 28, 1902. His father was Dr. William Abrahams Rodgers, a prominent physician who served as the M.D. for the gymnasium of the 92nd Street Y (then called the YMHA) at the turn of the century. Young Richard went to public school in New York (P.S. 166, later renamed in his honor in 2003), as well as Columbia University and the Manhattan School of Music (now The Juilliard School).

This place oozes (ozones? sorry, bad joke) with history.

Martin Charnin, the 1977 Tony Award winner for Best Direction of a Musical (Annie) and last lyricist to have worked with Richard Rodgers on Broadway, honors him this weekend to kick off a new season of the Y’s Lyrics & Lyricists Series.

If you’re in the mood for singing in the shower after a workout, the Y’s gym is still staffed with some of the friendliest and most experienced health professionals in New York. Don’t miss the May Center Fitness Open House on Thursday.