Last-Minute Father’s Day Gift: Wall Street Noir

Still haven’t gotten anything for Pops? Want to supplement that four-dollar card you dropped in the mail? Consider the new Wall Street Noir, which is hitting bookstores as you read this. Published by the people who brought you Brooklyn Noir, Wall Street Noir is a collection of original stories from 17 crime genre luminaries, many with financial backgrounds. Think of it as Financial Pulp Fiction.

Highly readable (even for guys who aren’t “readers”), it’s full of the juicy stuff that CNBC doesn’t tell you about: greed, backstabbing, desperation, adultery and murder. (The first sentence of writer Stephen Rhodes’ story: “On the day they conspire to put a bullet in my head, I experience an epiphany.”) After finishing this collection, your dad will feel like he’s been a derivatives trader on the Street for decades–even if he’s actually a periodontist in Illinois.

Plus, it’ll set up next year’s gift: the forthcoming Lagos Noir.

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Lift Tip #88: (Ski) Lift Your Wardrobe

SERIOUS SNOW RIDERS NEVER hit the mountain without a breathable, moisture-wicking first layer. The only problem? Most are so bland, they do little for your look when you strip down for après-ski.

Fortunately, one company has dedicated itself to this problem. Eesa first layers boast all the best technical features of other brands—including satin-stretch fabric and keep-your-sleeves-down trigger-finger loops—yet are also fashionable. Their six colorful varieties range from the Rucker, a rugby-style shirt, to the cowboy-inspired Shooter.

Check them out at eesa.com, and you’ll be the sharpest cat in the ski lounge…or the dive bar.

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Lift Tip #87: Work the Booty

LOOKING TO GET MORE bang for your buck–and your butt–from your cardio workouts?

A new study out of Nebraska—the Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital’s Movement Sciences Center in Lincoln, to be exact—tested subjects using five different cardio techniques to see which provided the greatest simultaneous glute workout.

The top finishers were jogging and elliptical training, which work the butt harder and longer than the stair-stepper, walking and the recumbent bike.

So step up to the treadmill and elliptical, and your derriere may never be the same—in a good way.

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Lift Tip #86: Hot Towel Off

Here’s a great relaxation tip from Jena la Flamme at Jena Wellness.

A simple technique that is free and fast is called the Hot Towel Scrub. It originated in Japan and is popular among practitioners of macrobiotics. Here’s how to enjoy it.

Fill your bathroom sink with water that’s as hot as you can tolerate. Take a plush thick face towel, fully saturate it in the hot water and then ring it out. 

Use the steaming towel to gently scrub your face, neck and ears. Do this for two minutes in the morning and at night.

As you wake up it will refresh and invigorate you, and at night it will help you to relax and unwind for a good night’s sleep. (We’re not sure how the towel knows which one to do when, but we don’t argue with the Japanese on matters like this.) (more…)

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Lift Tip #85: Chew the Caffeine

WHEN YOU DON’T HAVE time for coffee, get your buzz on the run with Life Fitness Rapid Energy Gum. Available in cinnamon and spearmint, this all-natural chewy stuff provides a 300% RDI blast of Vitamin B-12, a metabolism- and energy-boosting essential vitamin.

We tried it, and not only does it taste pretty good, but it might have provided the edge needed to dive into that closing subway car this morning.

$2.49 for a 12-pack, available at CVS

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Lift Getaway Contest Winner…Revealed!

After months of contest entries, we’re excited to announce a winner to our Lift Getaway Contest. David H. of New York City has been selected—and has claimed—the mountain escape at Lake Placid’s beautiful Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa.

David and a guest will enjoy a four-day, three-night respite at this award-winning resort. They’ll hike trails, go boating and canoeing, dine lakeside at The View—and, if they’re smart, take in a maple sugar body scrub.

Enjoy your Lift Getaway, David—and thanks to everyone for entering!

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Lift Tip #84: Build Abs at Your Desk, Part II

WANT MORE ABS WORK? Hit your obliques with this second seated move from Pilates instructor Linda Farrell, creator of LindaFit Pilates.

Starting from the position described in Lift Tip #80 (below), raise your arms to shoulder height and bend them so that each hand holds the opposite elbow (think I Dream of Jeanie).

Inhale and lengthen up through your spine, then exhale and twist your spine to the left, keeping your butt rooted to the chair and your feet rooted to the ground.

Hold the twist for a moment, inhale again, and exhale while twisting back to your starting position. Then twist to the other side. Repeat five times.

Tips: Make sure the rotation is coming from your spine, not just your shoulders. Keep your shoulders relaxed, your spine nice and tall and your feet, legs and butt rooted and stable.

For an advanced challenge, add two small pulses to each twist.

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