“We firmly believe that students exposed to the arts will not only lead more fulfilling lives, but be better prepared for higher education and careers in the 21st century economy,” Reynold Levy, president of Lincoln Center, said in a statement.

LINCOLN SQUARE GYMNASIUM OFFERS FITNESS CLASSES FOR KIDS
The Lincoln Square Neighborhood Center, 250 W. 65th St., is now offering dodgeball and general fitness classes for girls and boys ages 7 to 11.

Starting Tuesday, Feb. 5, there’s a fitness/dodgeball program for kids ages 9 to 11. Sessions are from 4 to 6 p.m.; $20 per session or 10 sessions for $180.

A similar program for kids ages 7 and 8 starts Thursday, Feb. 7. The times and prices are the same.
Register Jan. 24, 29, 31 and Feb. 4 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the center.

More classes are coming in April, including Saturday Recreation. All classes are held in the Lincoln Square Center Gymnasium and directed by certified PE teachers.

Learn more by calling 212-874-0860 or visit lsncny.org/.

STAND UP FOR WHAT IS RIGHT
Celebrate tolerance with the Jan. 29 panel “Making the Connection and Organizing for Change: Anti-Muslim Hate Speech, Government Policies, Police Surveillance and Stop and Frisk.” This event will be held at the Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew at West 86th Street, with panelists including Muneer Awad, the executive director of the New York Chapter for Islamic Relations, and Alan Levine, a civil rights attorney.

This is the second in a series of three civil rights talks sponsored by the Jews Against Islamophobia Coalition.

RESTAURANT WEEK UNDER WAY
Restaurant Week, which is now more like three weeks, kicked off on Monday, Jan. 14. Hungry customers can choose from a wide array of NYC’s best restaurants, and eat a three-course gourmet dinner for just $38 per person ($25 for lunch). The deals end on Feb. 8. Upper West Siders wanting to stay in the neighborhood can enjoy a meal at participating restaurants like the famous Bar Boulud (Broadway and 63rd Street), the Mediterranean seafood joint Fish Tag (79th and Broadway) or the upscale Mexican Rosa Mexicano (near Lincoln Center).

HELP FIND TRACY HARPER
A missing-person poster has appeared at a bus stop at Amsterdam Avenue and 66th Street. Tracy Harper, an African-American woman, age 48, was last seen at this intersection. She was last seen on Jan. 7 wearing a gray peacoat, jeans and black shoes. Anyone with further information is urged to call the NYPD tips hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.

By Sharon Feiereisen

There’s nothing like the month of January to make you swear up and down that this will be the year you opt for fruit over chocolate or never skip spin class for sleep. If history holds true, however, things probably won’t go exactly as planned. In an effort to do all that we can to make sure that 2013 is unlike years past, we’ve scoured the city for the best treatments to keep your health and fitness resolutions in check.

The aptly named “New Year, New You” is a spa package offered by the Mandarin Oriental through March 31. For $1,925, you get accommodations at the posh hotel, The Spa’s detoxifying Clearing Factor treatment (a three-hour treatment that includes a body scrub, Swedish massage with lymphatic drainage, cupping and a body wrap), a private yoga class, one day’s worth of BluePrint Cleanse juices along with the 3-Day Cleanse book, and a complimentary spa gift.

Over at Bliss, you can indulge in their “Fatgirlslim Lean Machine” treatment. The circulation-promoting treatment—tailored to your trouble spots—includes a top-to-toe dry brushing to exfoliate, application of Bliss’s Fatgirl slim cream and a demo massage with their lean machine body contouring tool to help smooth, tone and visibly reduce the appearance of cellulite. A bargain at $195, given that you get to take home the contouring device (worth $145), the treatment lasts 30 minutes.

Body Sculpting ($285 per treatment—you get 10 percent off if you purchase a series) is now offered at Mecca Paul Labrecque; it combines endomologie and colon hydrotherapy to improve blood circulation, increase your metabolism and eliminate toxins from the liver and lymph nodes. The treatment also purports to increase collagen and elastin, thereby decreasing volume and bloating and generating a healthier, rejuvenated skin tone.

Get even more high-tech at Pure Flow Fitness, where treatments include Pure Pulsation ($200 per session) and Pure Oxygen ($125 per session). During the Pulsation treatment, your legs are strapped to a bed with heart rate monitors attached to your body; the straps around your thighs and calves tighten and release in synch with your heartbeat to accelerate your blood flow. By boosting circulation, this treatment claims to increase energy levels, improve fitness, enhance mental clarity and build endurance while revitalizing and oxygenating the tissues. The Oxygen treatment entails lying in what looks like an oversized body bag while your body absorbs pressurized oxygen. The treatment claims to stimulate healing, improve physical fitness and recovery, increase circulation and boost energy levels.

If you’ve been blaming an injury for your lack of physical activity, head over to Yamuna, a yoga and Pilates studio that also offers foot fitness and body rolling classes using 6-to-10-inch balls to release tension and discomfort ($20 per class). Or, get a diagnosis at the Hospital for Special Surgery where diagnostics are offered for various sports and activities. Their Running Mechanics Profile ($320), for example, lets you know how your running form is, whether you pronate, if you’re a heel-striker, if you’re in the right shoes, whether your running form is putting you at risk for injury and much more, so that you can have all the tools you need for safe workouts in 2013.

Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

Some city gyms have all the bells and whistles, while others take the no-frills approach. Then there’s the whole continuum in between. You can find just about anything you can dream up in NYC, but ultimately what you want from a workout is a personal choice. Furthermore, what may seem thrilling at signup, can quickly devolve into more of a burden than a blessing when you just want a quick lunch hour workout. Below is a variety of hot NYC gyms from the over-the-top extravagant to the stripped-down, bare bones, in-and-out experience, all for a reasonably good deal for what they offer.

(by Alissa Fleck)

1. Ludlow Fitness ($49/mo, LES)

One major perk to Ludlow is it’s open 24/7 on weekdays, which cannot be said for many City gyms. The size is small, but the crowd (generally young) moves quickly, and a recent expansion makes for more open space. There’s lots of equipment, clean amenities and a variety of classes, which gym-goers describe as “intense,” but in a good way. Staff is reportedly very friendly and helpful. One major bonus according to a Ludlow reviewer: “non-pretenious yoga classes.”

2. Yoga Vida ($110/mo/unlimited yoga, Union Square)

We thought we should include an alternative type of gym on here, particularly because Yoga Vida is such a popular choice among local yogis. Yoga Vida continuously has great deals on classes for people looking for all sorts of yoga-related experiences. Deals on unlimited yoga are always changing, and Yoga Vida offers great startup packages for people just looking to get their toes wet first. A variety of classes target every skill level in a beautiful, relaxing setting.

3. The Sports Center at Chelsea Piers ($160/mo, Chelsea) 

Okay so this massive gym is on the expensive end, but we couldn’t pass it up with all the stellar reviews it’s garnered (it seems to have something of a cult following). The Sports Center is definitely for the “sportier types,” as it has just about everything you could possibly imagine in a gym. There are tons of classes, a boxing ring, an eight-lane swimming pool, a climbing wall, a food and juice lounge, a sundeck, etc. Most classes do not cost extra and the weight room reportedly does not get overly crowded. Sports Center members also report the “beautiful” gym is regularly kept very clean, and there are tons of complimentary amenities. “The only problem with Chelsea Piers is that it will ruin every other gym for you,” writes one reviewer on Yelp.

4. Blink ($20/mo, NoHo)

Blink is the ideal gym for the less hardcore crowd. Owned by Equinox, it’s the less roomy, cheaper offshoot, with fewer extravagances, but which gets the job done nonetheless. The amount of cardio equipment is reasonable for a large crowd, but weight availability may be more limited, particularly during peak workout hours. Locker rooms are small and do not offer the amenities available at larger, pricier gyms. Unfortunately it sounds like Blink’s offer is almost too good to be true, as members report it’s only getting more and more crowded (with possible new locations to open soon, unless that’s wishful thinking).

5. Mid-City Gym ($20/mo, 42nd St., 49th St.)

Mid-City Gym does not boast the amenities of many other gyms—there is no TV for instance—but customers report for price and location, the gym is a deal. It’s never too crowded, say gym-goers, and the facilities are clean. Weights, free and not, are plentiful. “No-frills whatsoever,” but everything you’d need in a gym, describe users. It’s also welcoming to everyone on the workout spectrum.

Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

Bloomberg may think we need to cut our sugar consumption, but it turns out New Yorkers are only getting fitter. Last month the New York City metro area ranked 22nd in the American Fitness Index, a report released annually from the American College of Sport Medicine which looks at health and fitness in the fifty most populated metropolitan areas in the US. The report analyzes personal health indicators related to health behaviors, chronic health problems and health care, as well as community and environmental indicators of health and fitness.

A 22nd place ranking may not sound so hot, but it’s an eight point jump for New Yorkers from the prior year. The City still has a ways to go before it can compete with Minneapolis, which pulled the top spot for fittest city this year.

AFI Advisory Board Chair Walter Thompson, Ph.D. said: “For cities to compete for talent in the future and to provide a high quality of life for residents, it’s critical to regularly evaluate the infrastructure, community assets, policies and opportunities that encourage healthy and fit lifestyles,” according to a press release.

—Alissa Fleck

More information on rankings is available on the AFI website.