Entertainment

I.AM.YOU. studio is Little Italy’s latest draw in Manhattan. It’s a yoga studio founded by Princeton graduate, Lauren Imparato, who left her job at Morgan Stanley to evolve the practice of yoga. And boy, has she given it an edge! Lauren teaches her I.AM.YOU. classes in a lofty studio with bricks walls where yoga mats and all the essentials are neatly arranged in rows, incense burns (oh so subtly), modern art hangs from the walls, natural light fills the room and a DJ spins fresh beats. Classes accommodate up to 25 lucky New Yorkers who must reserve their spot with Lauren by email. She personally knows most of her clientele and will have a mat waiting for you even if you’re running late from work.

I.AM.YOU. is yoga at its core, but it’s also a brand that acknowledges New Yorker’s penchant for chaos and culture. Yes, we need to slow down and relax…but that doesn’t mean we have to turn out the lights and cut the volume. It means we seek out people like...

If so, head to Gantry Park in LIC at 6.30PM TODAY for a full-body conditioning workout led by certified personal trainer, Dan Danieluc. Dan is the very handsome founder of D&D Health & Fitness which boasts a high profile clientele (like Isaac Mizrahi from The Fashion Show). The class is absolutely FREE and begins with a warm-up followed by upper body, lower body, core and abs conditioning. Class ends with a 5 minute cool-down stretching routine and one spectacular view of the New York skyline.

Directions: Take the 7 train to Vernon-Jackson avenue station. Walk down 48th avenue to the river and look for Dan’s group.

For more info on Dan Danieluc and D&D Health & Fitness: www.dandanieluc.com

* Moments from the NYC Half Marathon on August 16, 2009 *

Paula Radcliffe of Great Britain and Tadese Tola of Ethiopia triumphed in the women’s and men’s professional division, each taking home a prize of $10,000.

Paula ran 13.1 miles in 1 hour, 9 minutes, and 45 seconds—not bad after a nine month hiatus and recovery from foot surgery. Paula is a three-time ING New York City Marathon winner. She won last year and could take the prize ($130,000) again on November 1st. I’ll be rooting for her but right now my favorite runner is Nadia Ejjafini from Bahrain who placed 4th in the half marathon (1:12:47).

As I was rushing to my assigned corral at the start of the race (late of course), I passed Nadia and was star struck. She caught me staring and smiled. It was a bashful moment and one I’ll always remember because she was literally walking to the start line to take her place. I was touched that she broke her concentration to smile at me. Nadia, you rock.

Calling all Fitness Hipsters! Try Hip Box for free in Times Square at Radio Shack’s Netogether event this weekend: 

Friday, Aug 7th at 5pm Times Square (Military Island)
Saturday, Aug 8th at 12pm Times Square (Military Island)

Hip Box is a boxing aerobics class that incorporates the fundamentals of boxing and is set to hip hop music. Expect a great cardiovascular workout and a 200-500 calorie burn. All levels are welcome.

Netogether is a 3 day event connecting pedestrians, celebrities, tech experts and performers in Times Square.

HERE for more information on Hip Box.

How are you celebrating the 4th? The Lululemon store in Union Square invites you to a complimentary, hour-long hatha yoga class in the store’s Sunshine Studio with Netri LaLumia, co-director of Yoga Yoga.  Hatha is a form of yoga that promotes alignment, strength and flexibility. And you can always drink yourself silly afterwards! Time: 9am - 10am (Please arrive 10 minutes early).

For all you twitter birds, you can now find me and my blog posts on the highly addictive twitter.com. High-five me, blow me kisses, and tweet me here:www.twitter.com/mizzFITnyc