Alec Baldwin did an interview in this month's Elle Magazine that is almost worth buying the thing for. I kind of fell in love with him again reading it.
@HereComesMyBaby: I know a woman who has been doing yoga for well over a decade. She's a petite 5'2" in the first place, but she has the most incredible body and ripped arms of anyone I know. And she's also in the best shape of anyone I know, including my marathon-running husband. Also, she's 41 and looks maybe 30, tops. It kinda makes me want to try it.
@HarlemSnowflake: @Helen Valentine: @rckoala: @laliaberry: @KentuckyBabe: Psssh I do ashtanga. I just see yoga as way more than a workout. My yoga teachers are never talking about which "muscles we're working" during the lesson. I don't like the yoga instructors who talk about how "now we're going to work on abs" and such.
While my yoga classes are OBVIOUSLY a workout, there's a whole "mind" aspect to them that makes the word "workout" inadequate to me.
@KentuckyBabe: I think that for some people thinking of yoga as a "workout" is kind of missing a lot of what yoga is. Kind of like calling Jezebel a gossip website. Like, yes technically you can get gossip here, or get a workout from yoga. But to consider it just from that limited point of view is to miss out on the complexity of the practice.
why would you think that giving your girlfriend's super conservative dad your confessional book about drugs and hookers is a good idea? I mean, I'm not saying he should deny it but maybe handing the book to Katy Perry's dad is a little much, since I doubt the dad is going to come around after reading a memoir all about a lifestyle he stands against.
@noisy doll: I'm actually inclined to think the opposite. Hardcore Christians are big on sin & redemption stories. The rougher the life you led was, the more you need Jesus, goes the 'logic'.
It's hard-headed atheist intellectuals they really reject (says the hard headed atheist with ultra Christian in-laws).
@KLondike5: For serious. My very Catholic family not only knows less about Christianity and le Bible than I do, but they have a rather squishy moral code. Nothing pisses them off more when I'm all, "Oh, yeah, a racist joke. You know who loved racism? Jesus." or "didn't Jesus say something like "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, and render unto God that which is God's"?" when they start complaining about taxes 'n shit. It's like, the fact that I seriously considered whether or not to be christian, thought hard about it, and came up with very ethical and thoughtful reasons against it is so much more offensive than just not thinking about it and being bad. My ridiculously rigid morals, which are, as my partner likes to say, identical in structure to my family but with the content completely inverted, is far more strict and Jesus-y than theirs (for example, Jesus would totally not be into Glenn Beck, but my fam loves him). I inherited the refusing to budge about this shit tendencies from catholic ed, but replaced all the content with liberal, atheist, academic feminism. It makes them so, so confused. And confusion makes them angry. That's also why they like Glenn Beck.
@kellybones: His character acting work has been really interesting and varied. He has been in some great projects. He has also worked more steadily in the last 30-odd years than most actors I can name. That kind of longevity is extremely rare. So it's kind of insulting to the actors who haven't had a fraction of Baldwin's opportunities for him to be whining like this because the amazing opportunities he's gotten have been team efforts, not one-man shows.
The Departed (2006) .... Cpt. Ellerby
The Aviator (2004) .... Juan Trippe
The Cooler (2003) .... Shelly Kaplow
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) (voice) .... Narrator
A Streetcar Named Desire (1995) (TV) .... Stanley Kowalski
Malice (1993) .... Dr. Jed Hill
Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) .... Blake
The Hunt for Red October (1990) .... Jack Ryan
Working Girl (1988) .... Mick Dugan
Beetle Juice (1988) .... Adam Maitland
Yes, Alec, your career has clearly been a total failure. What a waste of time all of these movies have surely been!
jeez, alec baldwin is breaking my heart with all these comments about his failed acting career. can't he reprioritize and start thinking that being in TOTALLY AWESOME movies like Beetlejuice is just as good as "soaring critical success"?
Hey, Yoga People. Can you explain to me what doing yoga 5 times a week will do for your body? Does it really make you that toned and fit? I like it, don't get me wrong, but I find it kind of hard to believe that all these celebs claim they only do yoga, and they have these ridiculous gym bodies. I'm more of a western-minded person when it comes to exercise, I guess, but I'm starting to get more curious about yoga, at least as a supplemental form of exercise. I'd be curious to hear from real people, rather than Google search.
@bananaballs: When I do it regularly (read: not during school), it really does help me get slightly more toned. But then, I only do it twice a week, and I don't do a hardcore routine, just vinyasa, so. I'm sure if you did it more than twice a week + a specific routine to tone or build muscle or whatever, it would have major results.
@bananaballs: I understand that if you don't need to lose weight (because you're naturally slender AND you control your diet), constant yoga will give you an extremely toned, sculpted body. I base this on the brief period in my 20s when I was at my lowest healthy weight and started doing Pilates and looked AMAZING for like one summer. Of course, if you are not in the former category, and you don't do yoga every day, it will merely give you better balance and flexibility, and perhaps better tone that is not visible under a comfortable layer of pudge.
I went to a few yoga sessions (introductory ones) that friends of mine taught, and it was pretty boring, but the next day I always hurt in surprising places. A few months back I started with P90X's yoga session and daaaaamn but that's a workout. My legs still burn like crazy when I do it. Yoga's great for all of the in-between muscles that you never really focus on with the "big" exercises.
@bananaballs: It really depends on what type of yoga you practice. Some forms are centered around mindful breathing and gentle stretches, while others are very vigorous and challenging. I was a ballerina for years, and I find that yoga works my body in a very similar way as ballet did.
For example, a lot of the more advanced poses require a great deal of strength, flexibility and balance and to do them properly, you have to be in great shape. The one thing I will say about yoga, which I have found is a bit like running, is that it produces a wide variety of body shapes. What I mean by that is, if you look at a lot of yoga instructors, you'll notice that some are whippet-thin, others are ripped, and others are softer. So, it can make you very lean and cut, or it may just make you a healthier version of you.
Another thing is that yoga is supposed to be a lifestyle, not just a fitness regime. A lot of teachings in yoga center around making healthy life choices--which includes diet. So, it's kind of all a question of how seriously you dedicate yourself to the lifestyle, if that makes sense.
@Leucadia: That's what I thought. I constantly see these ballerina types doing yoga, but I'm not a ballerina type. So I do the stuff which works your "glamour muscles" (strength training/cycling) because it gets me the fastest results, and do yoga once in a while to avoid getting rickety, and because I heard it's good for your glands and blood sugar. Same goes for Pilates.
@bananaballs: Bikram yoga (or any truly vigorous yoga) done five times a week will change your body. Few of us have that kind of time, but it *does* work and you will appreciate the added strength, balance, and flexibility as you get older. I have been doing yoga (ashtanga and bikram) for 7 years and though I am not consistent with it, I get a lot out of it.
@bananaballs: If you do aggressive vinyasa yoga three to four hours a day, which I completely buy that some of these celebs do, you may get a fabulously toned body, depending on age, DNA, and a variety of factors. You will definitely get much stronger and more flexible. However, a low-key gym class a couple of times a week is not going to turn you into Madonna. I used to hang out with a lot of yoga instructors who were teaching classes 6-8 hours a day, and a couple of them would put Gwyneth Paltrow to shame when it came to toned arms. (They were also much nicer people, but we won't go there.)
@HelloTitty: Bikram kills me! It was so hot in that room, I was amazed I got through it without passing out. I wish I had the guts to go back, but I hate the heat in general, so it's not for me. I think I'll try ashtanga (that's the more vigorous one, right?) but at the same time, I probably wouldn't be doing it more than once a week, so is there even a point?
I will say, yoga instructors are the best. I love the way they speak. Truly an art form.
@bananaballs: Yes Bikram is definitely not for everyone but I always encourage people to try it just because they might be surprised at what they can take. I would still encourage you to take vinyasa or ashtanga as long as you have a good yoga teacher. The teacher makes all the difference no matter what kind of yoga you are doing.
@bananaballs: I only go to yoga 2 times a week. My arms have gotten a lot stronger, though my thighs are still jiggly and yoga ain't doing nothing for them.
However, there is this badass older woman in my yoga class, who I overheard talking about how her ONLY workout is yoga and she does it 4 times a week. The woman is RIPPED and can do all the insane poses. Her ripped son comes to class too, and he can't do half the shit she does.
So she is proof that yoga can make you insanely ripped. The end.
Dear Hollywood - Why on earth would you remake the Karate Kid? We don't need or want it. The original is good enough. We also hate your special effects. Thanks?
Poor Tom Petty. That story makes me sad. OTOH, it is kind of awesome that so many more people are OK with talking about the DV that happened in their homes now. That has really not been the case in the past.
Seriously, I'd much rather work out in the privacy of my own home than at the gym with people who know the machines better than I do and will make me feel pathetic.
@ablative: My biggest complaint with Wii Fit is that after you finish one exercise, you have to stop and navigate to the next one. I think it would be great to queue up like 10 in a row so that you get a 30-minute workout without a lot of stopping and starting, which certainly does nothing to improve endurance.
@formergr: YES! That would be great - some of the stuff is hard to do holding the damn remote so I always throw it in the chair then have to pick it up again.
@sybann: hahaha! after using the wii fit pretty regularly when i first bought it, i took a month long hiatus. when i got back on the board, that little bastard was all *bloop* "hi!! where have you been?" *sadbloop* "oh! it looks like you've gained some weight. why do you think that is?" and then GAVE ME A MULTIPLE CHOICE screen of reasons why i had gained weight. asshole.
@formergr: i absolutely agree. do you know if any of the other 'games' for the wii fit have this capability? i've been eying the jillian michaels disc...
@formergr: I just bought a Wii Fit last month, and yes, you can do that with the new version. You can also tell it "I want to work on these three parts of my body, and I want to do it for this long" and away you go.
Also, they added a whole bunch of games that are super fun.
@JoStockton: No! Sell away, this is good to know! I was a little bit underwhelmed by my Wii Fit, largely because of the issues mentioned here - the fact that I can now queue up exercises is making me think I should go and pick it up today!
@majin_chichi: alright, well, then, for what it's worth, I seem to remember noticing that, if you already had the hardware, the actual disk to upgrade to plus was under $30.
Dear Nintendo, I would like my commission, please...
I kind of love Nicole Richie. There I said it! The Simple Life was terrible, but she was pretty funny, especially compared to Ms. Hilton. She seems like she's really gotten her shit together lately. I give this my blessing, Nicole.
@18thfloor: I watched all the Simple Life, I wasn't proud but I was okay with it once I realized that for the most thing the whole thing was scripted and it wasn't just random people being treated badly. However Nicole was the only good thing in it, she was the funny one. Paris just stood around posing saying 'That's hot.' She really had no personality.
I love Nicole too, especially now that she seems to be so stable in her life. She is gorgeous - an adorable little nymph. I love pictures of her.
12/01/09
12/01/09
Especially if John C. Reilly and Phillip Seymour Hoffman (who are both talented and cute) made the list.
12/01/09
12/01/09
12/01/09
12/01/09
12/01/09
12/01/09
While my yoga classes are OBVIOUSLY a workout, there's a whole "mind" aspect to them that makes the word "workout" inadequate to me.
12/01/09
12/01/09
12/01/09
It's hard-headed atheist intellectuals they really reject (says the hard headed atheist with ultra Christian in-laws).
12/01/09
12/01/09
12/01/09
The Departed (2006) .... Cpt. Ellerby
The Aviator (2004) .... Juan Trippe
The Cooler (2003) .... Shelly Kaplow
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) (voice) .... Narrator
A Streetcar Named Desire (1995) (TV) .... Stanley Kowalski
Malice (1993) .... Dr. Jed Hill
Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) .... Blake
The Hunt for Red October (1990) .... Jack Ryan
Working Girl (1988) .... Mick Dugan
Beetle Juice (1988) .... Adam Maitland
Yes, Alec, your career has clearly been a total failure. What a waste of time all of these movies have surely been!
12/01/09
12/01/09
12/01/09
12/01/09
12/01/09
12/01/09
12/01/09
I went to a few yoga sessions (introductory ones) that friends of mine taught, and it was pretty boring, but the next day I always hurt in surprising places. A few months back I started with P90X's yoga session and daaaaamn but that's a workout. My legs still burn like crazy when I do it. Yoga's great for all of the in-between muscles that you never really focus on with the "big" exercises.
12/01/09
For example, a lot of the more advanced poses require a great deal of strength, flexibility and balance and to do them properly, you have to be in great shape. The one thing I will say about yoga, which I have found is a bit like running, is that it produces a wide variety of body shapes. What I mean by that is, if you look at a lot of yoga instructors, you'll notice that some are whippet-thin, others are ripped, and others are softer. So, it can make you very lean and cut, or it may just make you a healthier version of you.
Another thing is that yoga is supposed to be a lifestyle, not just a fitness regime. A lot of teachings in yoga center around making healthy life choices--which includes diet. So, it's kind of all a question of how seriously you dedicate yourself to the lifestyle, if that makes sense.
12/01/09
12/01/09
12/01/09
12/01/09
I will say, yoga instructors are the best. I love the way they speak. Truly an art form.
12/01/09
12/01/09
However, there is this badass older woman in my yoga class, who I overheard talking about how her ONLY workout is yoga and she does it 4 times a week. The woman is RIPPED and can do all the insane poses. Her ripped son comes to class too, and he can't do half the shit she does.
So she is proof that yoga can make you insanely ripped. The end.
12/01/09
12/01/09
12/01/09
12/01/09
12/01/09
Wii Fit. 'Nuff said?
12/01/09
12/01/09
My problem with the whole system is the nagging.
"Where have you been?" BUSY ASSHOLE.
"Your leg is shaking..." NO SHIT! I'M STANDING ON JUST ONE WITH MY OTHER FOOT IN MY CROTCH!
I may need anger management.
12/01/09
Seriously, I'd much rather work out in the privacy of my own home than at the gym with people who know the machines better than I do and will make me feel pathetic.
12/01/09
12/01/09
12/01/09
12/01/09
12/01/09
Yep. Gonna do that any minute now.
12/01/09
12/01/09
Also, they added a whole bunch of games that are super fun.
And now I will stop selling Wii Fit Plus.
12/01/09
12/01/09
Dear Nintendo, I would like my commission, please...
:)
12/01/09
12/01/09
I love Nicole too, especially now that she seems to be so stable in her life. She is gorgeous - an adorable little nymph. I love pictures of her.