[my favorite park slope]: Winter running route

Hello, 2013. Nice to see you. I got all sorts of resolutions that I’m prepared to flake out on by mid-January, and one of them is getting into shape. However, if I don't end up flaking out, I plan on running, as there is a specific route I love to run in the ‘hood during the winter months.

It’s not a complicated route, nor is it long. But it’s especially beautiful after a snowfall. I begin at 9th Street and Prospect Park West, right by the Lafayette statue. I run north along Prospect Park West all the way to Grand Army Plaza. Then I turn into the park, run along the interior road (which has a name that I’ve never cared enough to learn), all the way down to the circle on the other end of PPW. Then I head out of the park, say “hi” to the Pavilion and trot along PPW back to 9th Street. All in all it’s about two miles. You can lengthen the run by heading west along 9th Street or doing another loop. There are lots of options.

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The Armory YMCA Reopened Today

Photo via WikipediaAfter being converted into a shelter for displaced Hurricane Sandy victims from October 28 - November 19, the Park Slope Armory YMCA has reopened as of 5AM this morning, and will resume its normal schedule. Members of this YMCA location had been able to use the Prospect Park Y location on 9th Street free of charge while the Armory was being used as a shelter, but those days are now over. Sorry, everyone who was just getting used to working out in a pool. Looks like it's back to the track for you!

[Via DNA info]

Cool or not cool: Making Your Bebe Work Out With You By Treating It as a Weight?

Photo via SUSAN WATTS/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

If you’ve been on the fence about whether or not to have a baby, the newest workout fad might be just the thing to knock your ass over to the reproducing side of the fence. Forget all about buying expensive dumbbells and pesky resistance bands.  There will be no more whoring around a stripper pole pretending you “just wanna dance." All you have to do is have a baby, wait until its neck can support its giant baby head, and BOOM: you’re on your way to weight loss, baby liftin’ style.

It’s pretty self-explanatory: the baby (tot, child, fruit of your loins, etc.) is the weight, and you hold it while working out. If interested, you can read about the specific baby-related workouts in this NY Daily News article.

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Your FiPS Guide To Surviving a Spin Class

Photo: Flywheelfit.com

Stop scurrying by the group fitness room at your gym -- it's time to take a spin class! I promise you, the vigorous workout isn't as intimidating as it sounds. For an average burn of 500 calories, you get a 60-minute cardio workout with low impact on your knees and minor hand-eye coordination skills (which if you're like me - is necessary.) It's pretty much like riding a bike, minus the hassle of the Prospect Park West bike lane and the police crackdown on inner park speeding.

But don't expect to sit on an exercise bike and page through the latest People magazine during this class. Along with 15 to 20 other sweaty individuals, you'll be riding while adjusting your weighted flywheel to focus on endurance, strength and interval training. There are three basic positions for riding in a spin class.

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The FIPS Fad Diet/Exercise Challenge: Week 2 – Running

It seems like every time I turn around, someone I know is on another fad diet or exercise routine. From the Master Cleanse to the Caveman Diet to P-90X to Cross-Fit, it’s hard to know what works and what’s total crap. So for the next four weeks, I’ve decided to try some of these for myself. I’ll tackle a different diet/exercise routine each week, and then report the results back to you the following week.

Note: I’m not a dietitian, nor am I a fitness guru. So I make no claims here that I’m doing anything properly. I’m guessing a lot of you out there might approach this sort of thing like I do: overhear someone talk about it, do some Internet research, give it a try for yourself. For those who follow that pattern, maybe you can learn from my mistakes. For those who don’t follow that pattern, maybe you can educate us in the comments section.

On my first week of the FIPS Fad Diet/Exercise Challenge, I decided to start with a pretty extreme diet: raw vegan. It wasn’t the easiest (I never mentioned the night I dreamt I was inside a pizza and had to eat my way out), but I ultimately felt good and slept well and lost a bunch of weight so it seemed like a total success.

Week two would prove to be way harder. Now, I was exercising.

Like last time, I should probably start by giving you a little history of my relationship with exercise: we don’t really get along. It’s not that I’m not athletic. When I was younger, I swam competitively and played tennis every chance I got (#CountyClubProblems). College introduced me to team sports like kickball and ultimate frisbee. These days, I basically live on my bicycle, averaging about 150 miles of road-time a week.

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