Julia N.
HELLO
Julia N.
The Subject: 24 year old law student in New York City. Female. Fitness enthusiast. Desperately impoverished, but equally resourceful (we hope). The More...
Manhattan, NYC
Member Of...
Feats Completed
Buns of Steal
Gymhopping into Your Ex
New York's a big city, right? With lots and lots of gyms. And lots and lots of people. Right, well, leave it to BoS to inadvertently gymhop (quite unawares) to the favorite workout spot of a guy she had said her goodbyes to not even a week prior. Well done, BoS....
So here's how it happened: I was gonna do a boxing class with my fave fitness blogger, Mizzfit, but when that fell through I hastily decided to swing by the YMCA, one of the gyms I hadn't yet checked out. I show up at 6:30 P.M. and jump right into a "Fitness for Athletes" class, led by a former football player known as "Sexy Rob."
Buns of Steal
Buns of Steal Gets a Brazilian
Leandro Carvalho's Brazil Butt Lift DVD begins with the following words...
"The Butt... They Come in All Shapes and Sizes.... but what if you could have the perfect butt you've always dreamed about?....My Booty is my best feature. My booty is Round, Hard, Firm... I get Whistles and Cat-calls... "
Glamour magazine has dubbed Carvalho the "butt master." Alessandra Ambrosio raves about him. He's got a "booty blueprint guide" with a "pencil test" to help you determine if your ass is too big.
Look, I'm really not sure how I feel about all that, but my pseudonym is "BunsofSteal," so does that make me the pot or the kettle? For my first class back at Equinox Fitness, my favorite recent conquest, I decided I had to investigate.
Buns of Steal
Revenge is Sweat-y!
It's all tied up! Equinox: 1. Buns of Steal 1.
Loyal B.O.S. readers will recall that I was once kicked out of Equinox when the authorities caught me shamelessly sampling a Columbus Circle location after I had already used a guest pass at 96th street. That was back when the media was all over me, and, needless to say, the haters ate it up. This didn't bother so much, as I basked in all the additional blog traffic. But I did think my days at Equinox were over. That was, until my friend R. showed up....
Buns of Steal
Kangoo Hits Times Square with the KanGURU
I am bouncing wildly through Times Square on what can only be described as moon boots strapped to pogo sticks. Several feet in front of me is Mario, an incredibly fit, mohawked 28 year old who serves as America's most public face for the Kangoo movement. The tourists are going gangbusters, taking our photos as we bounce, flash mob style, between yellow cabs and city busses, sprinting across the street on our 6 inch extensions, dodging pedestrians and onlookers. The shouts followed us as we bounced along:
"That's sooo f'ing cool!"
"Where do you buy them?"
"Can you do tricks?!"
So how did I get there?
Buns of Steal
Keep It In Your Pants
Today's free workout, Bikram Yoga Harlem courtesy of a work-study arrangement (hooray for barter). So, this was my glorious post-rib return to Bikram Yoga Harlem, my absolute favorite yoga studio in New York! It was my first time back at yoga since my vain attempt two weeks ago, after the fall but before I knew the extent of the injury. On that visit, I got through exactly 6 postures before I began taking breaks to nurse my shoulder and rib. After 15 postures or so I just gave up and sat on my mat, staring helplessly at my sad mangled self.
Fast forward to today, and man, I was gonna do it! And I mostly did, until I got an eyeful of balls. Yes, I said it. BALLS.
Buns of Steal
Are Fitness Blogs Bad For Your Health?
Is blogging (and the reading of blogs) about dieting and exercise actually bad for you? That's the question posed by Jezebel and Marie Claire recently. In their article, MC profiled six well known fitness bloggers and argued that by chronicling, in painstaking detail (often with photographic evidence of everything they eat and how many calories they burn exercising, and often with public, self-critical rants whenever they "mess up") these bloggers are not only indulging their own diet/exercise obsessions, but also inspiring hundreds or thousands of readers to adopt the same borderline-disordered attitude. As a fitness blogger myself, as you might imagine, this hits close to home...
Buns of Steal
Crash Update: Fractured Rib, New Yorkout Plan Needed
So... the fall was worse than I thought, because I went to the doctor today (finally) and it turns out I have a hairline fracture in one of my ribs. It'll take 6-8 weeks to heal. AWESOME! So, that's the bad news. The good news (yes there's good news) is that apparently there's not really anything I can do, short of clubbing myself in the chest with a baseball bat, that will make the injury any worse. That means I can "proceed at my own risk" as far as any physical activity is concerned. Basically, if the pain is tolerable, I can go ahead and exercise (this according to the doc).
So, that leaves me with the question: What can I do?
Buns of Steal
SW Challenge Ends in Crash, Burn, And A Face Full of Sidewalk
This week's free workout: Crunch, 83rd street, courtesy of 2 week free pass. So scratch all that. Instead of gymhopping my way through a Sunday cardio class, I spent my morning lying on the sidewalk near Morningside Park, gingerly checking my body parts to make sure they were all still there.
There I was, happily jogging down the steep hill between 116th and 110th street, alongside the park, proud of myself for actually getting out of bed on a Sunday and starting a productive day. iPod blasting Juanes. Sun shining. Suddenly I'm flying, and I see the white of my untied shoelace before I face plant on the sidewalk. It was crazy I actually heard a crack when my right temple hit the concrete. Then I hear someone behind me, "Oooh shit! That was SOOO bad."
Buns of Steal
My Social Workout Challenge Begins With A Spin Showdown
Today's free workout: Crunch, 83rd street, courtesy of the Social Workout/Crunch Get Schooled Challenge. I've been in NYC for a week, but finally, today, I felt as if I had returned. To be honest, my workouts up to this point had been sub-par. I was sluggish, I was lazy, and it showed in both the quality of my gymhops and in my energy levels. But not today. No, today I started Social Workout's Crunch Get Schooled Challenge, which dares reader/exercisers to work out 20 times, do 8 Crunch classes, and log 20 healthy meals, all in the next 28 days.
Buns of Steal
My Day At Quidditch Tryouts
Today's free workout: Quidditch team tryouts, Riverside Park. "Are you here for Quidditch?" Now, this was a phrase I never thought I'd hear. But here I was, in Riverside Park, answering, "Yes, in fact I am." With those words, I descended into the fascinating and bizarre land of Quidditch, that magical game that until recently lived only on the pages of Harry Potter, though really we all knew it was a matter of a time before it sprung onto intramural sports fields across the world.
Ok, let me back up.
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Once, in the hamptons. would love to try again, though. Where do I do it?
Posted in response to: Revenge is Sweat-y!
Its funny, the more I think about the MC article, the more annoyed I become. I feel like now I need disclaimers all over my blog, warning people that no, I'm not a dietitian; no, I'm not a PT; and no, I'm not a professional health writer. That I'm just a normal, sometimes over-achieving, sometimes messed up, 25 year old trying to live her life in Manhattan and stay fit. I agree with 'thefatbridesmaid' that health blogs can often put things into perspective and offer some new ideas and tips for those trying to live well and stay healthy. Nothing more.
Also, come on, Marie Claire. Your website is full of calorie counters, BMI indexes, even specialty calorie counters for desserts. You're in the same game as all these blogs... why pretend you're anything different?
Posted in response to: Are Fitness Blogs Bad For Your Health?
Thanks! Running hurts a bit because I'm pumping my arms. Stairmaster and elliptical have been ok thus far though... but Im' quickly becoming bored!
Posted in response to: Crash Update: Fractured Rib, New Yorkout Plan Needed
This is so cool! I love it.
Posted in response to: The Inspirational Bathroom
Hey guys,
Thanks for the discussion. A few points to make:
msh258: it's interesting, I've tried food diaries countless times, and they just don't work for me. If I'm only accountable to myself, then I'm not accountable at all, and I end up quitting after a few days. Maybe for others its different, but for me, that extra pair of eyes reading my food diary makes a huge difference.
On the breakfast point - it's interesting, that point stirred up some debate on my personal blog as well. And, as Adam says, it's hard to just read one day's worth of entries and then evaluate from there (my fault for only putting one day up, but come on, I wouldn't want you guys reading the whole week :P ). My problem is that I'm used to eating a small breakfast (a piece of fruit can get me through) and when I eat a big breakfast I feel lethargic. I also need something portable, and Adam and I have had a lot of back and forth whether I can manage to make myself a bigger, better balanced breakfast before I go to work.
- As for the "are you really hungry?" point with the popcorn snack - my personal answer, when I read Adam's feed back, was, "yep, I was actualyl legitimately hungry." But I do take his point: that when its 9 p.m., you're still in the office and you're reaching for junk food, it's probably wise to think twice, wait 10 minutes and see if you're actually hungry or just bored and annoyed to be working late.
Posted in response to: Scrutinizing My First Week Of Online Fitness Coaching
men in uniform!?
Posted in response to: The Buffest City Workers: Garbage Men
The instructor playing the song, "'cuz I got high" on repeat during a 60 minute yoga class. I actually thought it was pretty funny (this was a class at the YMCA) but I think others were uncomfortable...
Posted in response to: What's the Most Ridiculous Breech of Yoga Etiquette?
Mr. Mohawk,
Thank you for this post! I find the fat pride phenomenon both fascinating and disturbing, and I wonder what these people mean when they say "fat." If these are ex-anorexics who promote accepting their "fat" size 6 selves, then so be it. We all need a little non-photoshopped reality in our lives. But if these people are using "fat" as a euphemism for "obese" then that's just irresponsible. I won't go into the data but we all know the parade of horribles that comes with being severely overweight. Why would any group that lives in a society where we DO have the choice to eat healthfully and exercise, promote this blatant disregard for themselves and their loved ones?
Also, I want to point out that there's a huge difference between BEING obese and PROMOTING obesity. The world isn't fair, and some people get the good genes while others have to struggle harder to maintain their weight. But I don't think you whould be promoting obesity (or fatness - whatever you're calling it). We've all seen the Biggest Looser. We've seen obese people take charge of their weight and get healthy. Accepting that you're not a model is one thing. But "accepting" your obesity is a cop-out. There. I've said it.
Posted in response to: Fat Pride
Thank for the feedback :) will keep the funny stories coming...
Posted in response to: Overheard: What the Reebok Kids Talk About While Lounging on Their Fancy Roof Deck
hah! he is so good, right!?!? Ugh, I have a weakness for Latin men. But he's also truly a great instructor...
Posted in response to: Why Hot Spin Teachers Are the Best Spin Teachers
Killercadoogan: not to worry, totally not a big deal, and I definitely got more than my money's worth at Crunch :)
I remember something similar happened to me at a gym in Miami, and the instructor actually went down the list and kicked out the offending exerciser... I was sure she'd be waiting for me after class was over :)
Posted in response to: Of Civilization and Spin Bike Thieves
Good job! I did this last year and it was killer. Such an accomplishment :)
Posted in response to: 30 Day Completed
Sassletics - I think you're right, part of the problem was that by the time I signed up, they only had size Large boots left (and I'd technically be a medium), so the fit wasn't perfect. The gashes were so worth it though... such a fun class!
Posted in response to: Boing! Kangoo, I'm a Human Kangaroo
Sounds pretty terrifying. But, just to point out: I've taken Bikram at several different studios, and "no water for the first half hour" is a consistent rule. The point is that they want to increase your internal body temperature, and if you drink during the first part of class, it messes it up.
My personal fav bikram studio is Bikram Yoga Harlem. No judgment, amazing instructors, great sense of community.
Posted in response to: Tabloids Take On New York's Meanest Yoga Teacher
LOVE LOVE LOVE! I was right there with you.
Posted in response to: Running in Madrid: A little sweat, a lot of nostalgia.
Wow. Thank you guys for the insightful comments, and the range of perspectives. I will keep you updated on how I progress. I definitely believe that when you stop thinking about losing weight, and stop fixating on food, it often comes off on its own. It's just hard to get there - it's like that saying, "whatever you do don't think about the pink elephant."
Hopefully one day the pink elephant will go back to the circus where it belongs... ok, that was taking the analogy too far, huh? :)
Posted in response to: Breaking the Addiction
Yep, they let you leave your stuff at the store.
Posted in response to: Time Trials at Lululemon
I took barefoot bootcamp with Benny last week, and it was pretty amazing! I wrote it up on my blog as well: http://bunsofsteal.blogspot.com/2010/04/barefoot-bootcamp-with-benny.html
Posted in response to: No shoes, no problem!
Sam Sifton is amazing! He should join our challenge.
Posted in response to: Eat, Workout, Eat Again: A Week in the Life of a Food Critic
where do you trapeze? sounds fun!
Posted in response to: TRAPEZE!!!!!!!!
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on 15 years 27 weeks ago by Julia N.