FitSugar

What's the Deal with: The Bar Method?

FitSugar — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 14:30:00 PDT

Looking for a new way to get fit? Maybe you should try the bar. Not that type of bar, silly...

The Bar Method exercise system is another way to create a lean, firm, sculpted body by reshaping and elongating muscles while maintaining an intense pace that burns fat and increases stamina. The class is usually an hour long and composed of eight or nine strengthening exercises followed by stretching. The strength work combines holding positions that use the body’s own weight with small, controlled moves that increase range of motion and stamina. Stretching is focused on the hips, chest and lower back to improve posture and body alignment. Students begin the class with free weights and push-ups, move to the ballet bar to work their legs and abdominals, and finish on mats for more core work and stretching (basically interval training). The Bar Method is great for working tight muscles, especially those around the hips and lower back that get that way from sitting hours and hours a day at your desk.

To learn more about where you can take it as well as to see a few examples of the kind of exercises you'll be doing in a class,

read more I sense a little friendly competition between The Bar Method with Pilates and Yoga folks, but the bottom line is that with any method you choose, you'll be doing something good for your body. Personally I like The Bar Method because it brings out the dancer in me -- Who doesn't have fun pretending to be a prima ballerina doing bar work? To learn more including where you can take a class, visit BarMethod.com. Right now there are only studios in California and Connecticut, so if you don't live in those areas, you may want to check out the The Bar Method DVD's. I did it, so check out my review on it. Here are some sample exercises you may find in a class:

View 10 Photos ›

DVD Review: Bar Method Dancer's Body Advanced Workout

Angelica Marden — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 11:20:43 PST

Barre-based workouts have become increasing popular thanks to Natalie Portman's dancer bod in Black Swan, the Tracy Anderson Method, and barre3; and Bar Method, a ballet-inspired sculpting program with studios across the US, is no exception. The method, which is taught as an hour-long class, focuses on isometric movements, light weight work, stretching, and subtle moves at the barre. It is also one of the workouts Kelly Osborne used to get fit. As someone who practices it weekly, I can attest it's a serious workout, so I was excited (and even a little scared) to challenge myself with the Bar Method Dancer's Body Advanced Workout DVD ($20).

Led by cheery and pretty-to-look-at-while-you-are-sweating Bar Method teacher and actress Marnie Alton, the DVD offers a variety of the method's staple moves. Like the class, it starts off slow with leg lifts, light arm exercises (it's recommended you use two- to four-pound weights), and then jumps into the method's secret sauce: intense leg work at the barre. They recommend you use a chair or portable barre, but I found a ledge in my living room worked just fine for the "water-ski thigh-work" and more balletic "arabesque" exercises, and the floor and my yoga mat worked swell for the abdominal "clam shell" exercises. The routine was tough, and like the last "Accelerated" Bar Method DVD the ab exercises were killer. I wish the DVD included a chapter showcasing a few of the moves that are easier to perform with a makeshift barre, but the chapters with form instruction made up for it.

Is this DVD good for beginners? Keep on reading for the answer and a video clip of the workout.

Sorting Out the Differences of Bar Method, The Dailey Method, Body Bar, and More

Heather Dale — Thu, 05 May 2011 17:26:48 PDT

Your parents will be happy to know that those ballet classes you took as a kid aren't going to waste, thanks to a new wave of ballet-inspired workout classes popping up in cities all across the country. Put on your yoga wear, find your place in front of the bar, and stretch your way to a elongated, lean body - Black Swan style. But what class does what? Or are they all quite similar? Here's a rundown of some top classes across the country that use a bar as their main exercise equipment.

Source: The Daily Method

Anna Paquin Covers Health: "There's a Big Difference Between Looking Healthy and Being Healthy"

FitSugar — Fri, 20 May 2011 13:27:42 PDT

Happy, healthy, and gearing up for a new season of HBO's True Blood, 28-year-old Anna Paquin (aka Sookie Stackhouse) can be found gracing the cover of Health's June 2011 issue. Inside the magazine, the actress talks about her go-to exercises for staying in shape, her thoughts on diets, and some of her favorites, including her workout motivators and fave workout song. Here are the highlights:

On the areas of her life that are the healthiest, and not so healthy: "Well, I could probably drink less coffee and drink more water. I try to eat well, but sometimes you can be a little too obsessive. It's good to remember it's actually not the be-all and end-all, and if you're absolutely falling down with exhaustion, really, do you need to go to the gym?"
On whether she owns a scale: "Truthfully, I'm usually happiest when I'm not going anywhere near it. But you know what size your body is. And if you're working out and have a lot of muscle, you're going to weigh more. I feel good when I feel like I'm really strong. And that's not necessarily when I'm at my numerically most gratifying weight."
On workouts she's loving right now: "My favorite workout by far is boxing . . . I do The Bar Method. Then there's also this place called Hot 8 Yoga, and they do [Yoga Barre]. It's like The Bar Method, but it's, like, 105 degrees. It's psycho, but kind of awesome."

Celebrities Who Love Ballet-Inspired Fitness

Leta Shy — Sun, 15 May 2011 15:12:10 PDT

The success of last year's Black Swan only added to the popularity of ballet-inspired classes. For years, celebs have touted the workouts' abilities to sculpt long and lean physiques, and thanks to ballet's newfound spotlight, new barre workout styles and studios have been popping up all across the country. Whether they are fans of Bar Method, Pure Barre, or any other of the ballet-inspired classes offered, here are celebrities who love to let their inner ballerina show!

Celebrate Her Inner Dancer With These Barre-Inspired Gifts

Michele Foley — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 18:37:17 PST

Ballet-inspired workouts are all the rage this year; it's likely that you know someone who spends time on the barre. Whether she loves Bar Method, Pure Barre, or Barre3, we have the perfect fitness gift for her!

Now You're Cooking: Alex Guarnaschelli's Tech Tips For the Kitchen

Kristy Korcz — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 05:32:28 PST

The mother of all cooking holidays is fast approaching, but you don't have to let it stress you out. Thanks to technology, you can keep your kitchen in order and clutter-free. Take it from the Food Network's Iron Chef America star, Alex Guarnaschelli - she's partnered up with Microsoft to mix food and tech to help you move gracefully from Thanksgiving to Christmas and beyond, without burning your nerves.

Ditch the Paper: I used to have a million scraps of paper for grocery lists and recipe ideas, but now I organize it all on my phone instead. There are a lot of apps out there for this, but I really like OneNote, available on Windows Phone 7 phones. OneNote also has an audio-notes feature that I can imagine my mom using to record some notes for me on our family recipes.
Simplify Cooking: Cookies are always a holiday staple and can be made in advance to save time on the big day. I can make my favorite cookie recipes from memory - the ones my mom and I bake every year - but when I’m looking for something new, there are search tools that make recipe hunts a lot easier. For example, Bing has a recipe search tool that includes pictures and can narrow down results by cooking method and occasion.
Keep It Clean: I always feel better when my counters are clean - and I’ve found the same is true for my PC. I like to keep recipes and notes off of my desktop and online. SkyDrive is an easy tool to use to store files for free, and I can access my SkyDrive from my PC or phone, and send photos or meal ideas to my family and friends.
Get Out: As much as I enjoy creating a fulfilling meal for my family, sometimes you just have to let someone else do the work. One of my favorite Windows phone features is Local Scout - anywhere I go I can scroll to Bing on my phone, press the Scout button, and see what restaurants and bars are close by, including reviews.

Hear about the gadgets Alex hopes to find under the tree this year after the break.

5 Ways Spending Less Will Create More Happiness

LearnVest — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 00:15:49 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

Recently, New York Times columnist David Brooks wrote an op-ed piece about the “Haimish Line.” The Haimish Line is an invisible line sometimes crossed when you go from spending less to spending more - in doing so, Brooks contends, you often sacrifice warmth and connection to attain luxury and space. According to Brooks, “haimish” is a Yiddish word that suggests “warmth, domesticity and unpretentious conviviality.”

An exclusive, white-tablecloth, four-star restaurant where servers disappear and diners are on their Blackberries would be north of the Haimish Line. A small, casual diner on the corner bustling with loud conversations from neighborhood folks talking over each other would be south of the Haimish Line. A new dorm building with a shiny, new, unused lounge would be north of the Haimish Line; the well-worn lounge of ratty furniture that students veer toward would be staunchly planted south of the Haimish Line. The Haimish Line even slices across neighborhoods: densely packed urban neighborhoods where kids run home from school and and people have stoop conversations versus spread-out suburbs of isolated living in separate homes and cars.

Brooks advises that we learn to spend our money well and stay south of the Haimish Line.

I found this essay so compelling because money often buys privacy, space, exclusivity and “luxury”-all of which are the very opposite of “unpretentious conviviality.” In America, the picture of success is a bigger house (where the family is more spread out), moving to the suburbs (with more distance between neighbors), a nicer car (to be more vigilant about spills in), and flying first class (ok, so some things are not worth getting all concerned about “the Haimish Line” over).

Read on for ways to spend less and create happiness.

The Vampire Diaries "Ordinary People": The Good, the Bad, and the Bloody

Marisa Tom — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 07:46:06 PDT

On this week's episode of The Vampire Diaries, we pick up where we left off - perplexed by the mysterious writings on the cave walls beneath the Lockwood property. It's imperative that Alaric, Elena, and Damon unearth the meaning behind these ancient cryptic inscriptions, for better or for worse. With Stefan locked up, Rebekah basking in her new-found high school popularity, Klaus nowhere to be found, and Katherine stirring up trouble with Mikael (we presume), it'll take more than a little luck for the motley trio to decipher the cave code.

For Elena that means making nice with Barbie Klaus in order to press her for information about her past, while Damon tests out a riskier method of research, and Alaric continues to work tirelessly to crack the "vampire Pictionary" messages the old-school way. If you're ready to dive right into the good, the bad, and the bloody, just keep reading.

You're Paying Too Much: How to Score Cheap Deals on Fitness

Michele Foley — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 13:36:01 PDT

Gym memberships, Bar Method classes, and Lululemon capris - this stuff doesn't come cheap. But what if I told you that you don't have to pay full price? And that in some cases, you may even get it for free. It may sound too good to be true, but with the right approach, you can exercise for next to nothing (while also taking the hottest new classes and wearing the latest gear). Keep reading to learn how to score major deals - and save major bucks - on all things fitness!

Negotiate a Gym Rate
It's easy to get a deal on gym membership - you just have to ask. Once you've picked the right gym, do your homework before meeting with its membership representative. See what rates other gyms are offering and the types of deals your gym of choice has used in the past; this information will come in handy when negotiating. Also, be honest about your income and monthly expenses; it's not unusual for membership reps to cut a deal based on an individual's financial profile. Ask if they can offer a discount based on your profession (students and educators are usually good candidates) or if they will give a better deal if you agree to a long-term contract. At the very least, you should be able to have the enrollment fee waived.

Use Coupon Websites to Get Almost-Free Classes
Daily coupon sites like Groupon, PopSugar City, and LivingSocial can help you save major bucks on the hottest new fitness classes and studios. These websites work by helping strangers form a buying collective, which is then leveraged for major discounts. Depending on the day, you're likely to find upwards of a 50 percent discount on rock climbing classes, Zumba, or Bar Method classes.

See more ways to save on fitness - including scoring free classes! - after the break!