Exercises For Gentlemen

T Magazine’s blog brought my attention to one of the most fantastic books I’ve seen recently. Exercises for Gentlemen illustrates exercises that the busy gentleman can do in his suit, in case he lacks either the time or the desire for more intense exercises that might lead to perspiration or other similarly unwanted side effects. Originally published in 1908, this book claims that “a daily regime of a mere fifteen minutes of be-suited exercise is guaranteed to ‘reduce undue fullness at the waist, square the shoulders, round out the arms, improve leg development, and, in short, make a more graceful, strong, and symmetrical man.'” Needless to say, I feel that I must own this book and that all the gentlemen I know ought to own it as well. Symmetrical men are, as everyone knows, extremely attractive and highly desirable.

{Read the T Magazine post, contact the publisher Rizzoli, or purchase it on Amazon}

An Experiment in Exercise

The West Side Highway doesn’t look quite like that anymore, but it does have a lovely running/bike path. Since the weather started getting warmer I’ve been going for runs on the weekend. It’s fantastic: running outside, the view across the water even if it is Hoboken, watching the ebb and flow of the Manhattan neighborhoods. I love it. Seeing as I work a block and a half away from the highway, I figured I would try running home from work. Today was my first day and I LOVED it. I love that I’m commuting and working out at the same time and that I get to watch the sun set over the water. I love that I don’t have to go underground when the weather is so gorgeous. I love being able to get home and laze around on the couch instead of having to motivate myself to go be a slave to a gym machine for an hour. My goal is to run to and from work every day. If you live in New York, particularly on the west side, and haven’t checked out the running path yet, I strongly recommend it.