The first thing I noticed when I walked into the Tai Chi for Beginners class was that I was by far the youngest student there…by far. I was an adventurous early thirty-something smiling from handshake to handshake with each pleasant senior. When I asked if the class was for seniors only the instructor, Sheila claimed "technically, yes" but that tai chi was for everyone. Hooray, I was in. Once upon a time three weeks prior to this class I was able to walk forty feet past a motion sensitive flood… Read More

The craze surrounding indoor fitness—what, with indoor suspension tracks, rock walls and spinning classes popping up in gyms all over—has allowed gym bunnies to get their workout on regardless of the weather. But one trainer in Santa Monica stepped up the options by creating a completely different kind of indoor cardio. It's called Indo-Row, and it brings the fantastic exercise and strength training of rowing out of the water and into the gym. Triathlete Josh Crosby pioneered the idea to create… Read More

On a recent Friday evening my doorbell rings. At the door, carrying grocery bags containing beef short ribs, Asian pears, Japanese cooking wine, a large jar of kimchi, and a variety of other ingredients is Jason, chef and cooking teacher for I WISH, Inc. I unload the food in my kitchen and Jason heads back to his car for pans, knives, and the other tools of his trade. My father is also present, and within minutes the rice is cooking and we've commenced with our I WISH Asian Cooking Class. These… Read More

Upon entering the Pilates studio at Body Endeavors one can be forgiven for mistaking it for a torture chamber designed by Ikea. The leather straps, steel springs, myriad harnesses and loops, and ominously named equipment like "Reformer" and "Spine Corrector" might give one pause before enrolling in a class. But don't be intimidated! Pilates is, in fact, a gentle, if energetic method of exercise. Developed by Joseph H. Pilates, the training regimen has evolved over the last eighty years from its… Read More

My earliest recollection of the New York Open Center dates back to a balmy Saturday evening in 1985. My friend Sylvia, a fellow European expatriate with a penchant for all things holistic, suggested we attend a "barefoot boogie" dance jam at a recently opened spot on Spring Street, in the heart of Manhattan's artistic enclave of SoHo. I distinctly remember climbing the stairs to the top floor, and negotiating a pile of shoes before entering a room filled with bodies in motion. Over the years I would… Read More

I am sitting on a rudimentary metal chair, slowly leaning as my torso explores the pull of gravity and the sensation of inhabiting spatial planes other than the familiar vertical. The setting is a group class led by instructor Mary Abrams in her New York City studio, Moving Body Resources. The movement approach is called Continuum, and although I have long been a student of the form and know to expect the unlikely, little do I suspect I am about to overcome my wrenching, lifelong struggle with motion… Read More

Established in 1863 in the aftermath of the War of Italian Unification, the International Committee of the Red Cross was the chief force behind the development of international humanitarian law. Its original mission included providing health care to wounded soldiers and civilians, and providing information to families of wounded or captured soldiers. 140 years later, the mission of the Red Cross still includes rendering strictly neutral and impartial protection and assistance to people affected… Read More

Health clubs used to conjure up images of sweaty, muscle-bound men pumping iron and admiring their physiques in mirrors. More recently the health club has metamorphed into a virtual cathedral of health, with endless rows of treadmills and stair-climbing machines facing television sets, with loud, hypnotic music blasting in the background. Juice bar serving smoothies and other healthy drinks have become a standard features, along with climbing walls, massage therapy, swimming pools, and as many other… Read More

With each Spring thaw comes the inevitable - soon you'll have to shed those comfy sweatpants and squeeze back into your summer shorts. It's not too late to make good on that New Year's resolution to get into shape. As winter whites dissolve into springtime greens there's no better time than now to start a running or biking program. For starters, it's always a good idea to check in with your doctor before starting any athletic program. Okay, so we don't have snowcapped mountain vistas, but Chicago… Read More