fitmuncher: January 2021

Sunday 31 January 2021

Shilpa Shetty's Delish South Indian Spread Is Giving Us Breakfast Goals!

Shilpa Shetty devoured a delicious and wholesome breakfast, comprising Dosa and an array of accompaniments. Take a look!

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Bhumi Pednekar's 'Winter Essential' In Dehradun Is This Yummy And Cozy Drink

Bhumi is a coffee enthusiast. She often makes it herself and doesn't like to start her day without it.

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Watch: Rahul Gandhi Turns Chef On Online Cooking Show; Makes Tamil Nadu's Popular 'Kaalan Biryani'

Rahul Gandhi enjoyed cooking kaalan biryani with chefs of online cooking show 'Village Cooking Channel'.

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Kareena Kapoor, Malaika Arora Celebrate Amrita Arora's Birthday With Chai And Chaat

Former actress Amrita Arora is the younger sister of Malaika Arora, she is also best friends with actor Kareena Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor and businesswoman Natasha Poonawala.

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Aloo Ka Achar Recipe: This Spicy Potato Dish Will Leave You Want For More

Aloo ka achar is an indispensable part of Nepali cuisine and sees multiple variations in different households. We bring you a quick and easy recipe.

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Make Kakke Da Dhaba's Famous Tomato Chicken At Home With This Recipe

Tomato Chicken Recipe: This simple yet feisty dish packs a whole gamut of flavours. It is spicy with a slightly tangy undertone, no ingredient overpowers, everything seems to have its own sweet place...

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Saturday 30 January 2021

6 Vegetarian, Crispy North Indian Snacks We Can Never Get Enough Of

North Indian snacks: Be it the flavour or the texture, or the colour, these North Indian snacks always guarantee a memorable experience.

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Bandel Cheese: The Artisan Bengali Cheese You Need to Know About (With Bandel Cheese Salad Recipe)

Bandel Cheese originally was a fresh cheese made of cow's milk curdled with lemon juice, and was then preserved in saltwater.

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What To Make For Sunday Snacking? This Easy Paneer Lollipop Recipe Is A Must-Try

Paneer lollipop recipe: The tiny paneer balls with tooth picks stuck in them to pick and hold make for an ideal finger food. Pair them with tomato sauce or chutney and enjoy the delicious snack.

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Indian Cooking Tips: How To Make Moong Dal Badi At Home (Recipe Inside)

A soft and nutritious, two-ingredient moong dal badi can be prepared to use across curries and chaats.

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Cooking Tips: How To Make A Yummy Mixed Sauce Pasta At Home

A perfect balance of cheese and red sauce, mixed sauce pasta is slowly becoming a favourite across pasta lovers!

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Sonam Kapoor Reveals Her Breakfast Smoothie Recipe; We Are Definitely Going To Try!

In her latest Instagram story, Sonam Kapoor revealed the recipe of her breakfast smoothie which is a perfect combination of tasty and healthy!

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Friday 29 January 2021

Mindy Kaling Likes Her Salad 'Spicy And Flavourful', Here's Proof!

Mindy took to Instagram to share a screenshot of one of her orders for a salad.

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Malaika Arora's Friday Feast Was A Lavish South Indian Treat (See Pic)

Malaika Arora is a self-confessed foodie and keeps sharing a glimpse of her meals on Instagram.

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Ryan Reynolds Announces New Snapchat Show 'Ryan Doesn't Know'

Irrepressible ham and Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds will bring his goofs and groans to a new Snapchat series called Ryan Doesn’t Know. The 12-episode show will feature Reynolds learning new skills—or at least attempting to—from experts in a variety of crafts. “You could fill a gymnasium with the things I don’t know,” Reynolds says in the recently dropped trailer. “In the hopes of becoming a less boring husband and father, I’m meeting up with talented new artists to learn a little about a lot of new things.”

After some foolishness about how to properly shoot a video—not sideways, after all…and since it’s Snapchat the show will apparently be displayed vertically, not horizontally—the self-anointed “stuff learner” breezes through some of the distance learning he will do with the folks in the know for varies pursuits.

Among the new tasks he’ll be learning are things like axe throwing with Cliffton Creque, ice sculpting with Shintaro Okamoto, floral sculpting with Aurea Molaei, and lifting weights with Ulisses World (he may already know how do this one judging by his oft-displayed superhero physique). Throw in a little sarcasm and silliness, along with attempts at nail art and creating visual effects, and the declaration that “whatever I do, is going to suck” and you’ve got what should be a fairly entertaining little show with a gregarious goofball.

And who knows, you may even pick up a new hobby or pandemic passion.

The Snapchat show, which will stream every other day on the app starting on Saturday, Jan. 30, is co-produced by Will Smith’s Westbrook Media.

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First Drive: Ford Bronco Sport

After she swiped my credit card, the cashier at the diner asked, “Is that your Bronco out there in the parking lot?”

After I explained I was test-driving it, she told me about the two Broncos she’d previously owned (her ex-husband mistreated them both), and how badly she wanted the 2021 model (very, very badly).

She’s not alone. The Bronco’s original run spanned the years between 1966 and 1996, and after Ford announced the brand’s return in 2017, Bronco fever set in. The auction house Barrett-Jackson reported that over the next three years, the average sale price on old models jumped by 88 percent. One restored ’76 edition brought in $195,000.

Last year, Ford finally announced details on the new lineup, and three months later, more than 190,000 people had already spent $100 to reserve their spot in line to buy one. It’d be accurate to say that anticipation has been running high.

So what does the new lineup look like? The most iconic models are the two- and four-door SUVs, complete with a removable top and spare tire mounted on the tailgate. But the model that will likely sell the most is option number three: The smaller, zippier Bronco Sport. That’s the one that has the diner cashier ogling, the one I’m test driving.

Unlike the two true SUVs, the Bronco Sport falls into the crossover category alongside the Toyota RAV4 or the Honda CR-V. It’s essentially an SUV-shaped wagon built on the frame of a sedan, and it shares DNA with the more suburban-focused Ford Escape. The big difference is that it comes with power and flourishing that appeal to the growing base of customers who spend their free time camping, climbing, and kayaking.

The Sport makes good businesses sense: It’s the most practical off-road entry point for most car buyers. As a category, crossovers account for about 40 percent of new auto sales. While SUVs are nice to look at—and they’re great if you do heavy towing—their smaller cousins cost less and offer better fuel economy, so you don’t pay extra for power you don’t need.

While Ford has yet to release the full-size Bronco SUVs (COVID allegedly delayed production), the Sport is out now. It became available in the fourth quarter of last year, and a few months later, Ford announced it had sold 5,120 units. Those that make it to dealership lots sit for an average of just six days before someone drives them home.

For my test drive, I planned what felt like a likely use-case for people who buy the Bronco Sport: A long weekend in nature. Two friends and I met up on a Saturday at 5:30 a.m. in New York City. We loaded the cargo hold with camping gear and set off for a 4.5-hour drive into the Adirondack mountains. We’d go from city to highway to snow, spend two nights in our tents, and then drive back to civilization.

The Bronco Sport comes in five trim models, and I was driving Badlands ($32,820). It’s geared toward off-road use with a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine (compared to 1.5 liters on the base model), 28.5-inch all-terrain tires, and a beefed-up suspension system.

As my crew and I loaded up in the predawn darkness, I appreciated that Ford thought to stick a floodlight in the cargo area. The visibility made our complicated loading project easier, and ultimately it got us on the road quicker. I also admired the Bronco’s sturdy rubber flooring, which runs throughout the entire cabin. It proved more than capable of deflecting barbs from snowshoes and hiking poles.

Ford Bronco Sport Badlands Edition — Clint Carter

After loading three packs ranging from 55 to 85 liters, plus a couple extra bags of emergency gear, we set off to beat the morning traffic. From inside the cabin, the Sport runs as quiet as any new crossover, but as I toggled among the seven drive modes, I found more oomph than I’d expect. There’s a whole lot of power there—especially in Sport mode. (The other modes are Normal, Eco, Slippery, and Sand. Mud/Ruts and Rock Crawl modes are available only in Badlands and First Edition trims.)

On the highway, I set the adaptive cruise control to handle acceleration and braking. The feature is sophisticated enough to bring the vehicle to a complete stop, if necessary, and it freed up some brains pace so I could talk through critical trail and camp plans during the drive.

The Badlands edition comes with a suite of off-road perks that I was unable to test. It’s designed to wade through 23.6 inches of water, for instance. And the Trail Control feature works like a low-speed cruise control, working gas and accelerator for ideal traction over rugged, tricky terrain. Car campers will appreciate the two standard 110-volt outlets—one behind the front seats and one in the cargo area—along with dozens of Ford-approved accessories and carriers for kayaks, snowboards, bikes, and more.

The feature that proved most germane to my trip was slip control. With about an hour left to the trailhead, we ran into snowfall, and shortly after, we began seeing the usual casualties of icy roads—cars in ditches, surrounded by road flares, tow trucks, and state troopers.

A few of the moving vehicles flipped on their hazard lights and slowed to a crawling pace. And while I certainly dropped my speed, I kept cruising confidently in the Sport’s Slippery drive mode, which moderates sudden changes in tire speed from rapid acceleration or potentially jarring gear changes.

I tested the system at low speed by pumping the gas a little too hard and cutting the wheel. The traction didn’t budge. The Bronco’s brain effectively smoothed out my driving and kept me rooted on the road.

I’ll spare the details of the camping trip, but after miles of snowshoeing and two exhausting nights sleeping in the snow, it was nice to return to a vehicle that didn’t make me feel guilty about filling it with ice-crusted gear. In addition to the rubber flooring, the Bronco’s non-absorbent upholstery wipes down easily.

I started the car with the keyless ignition and settled my tired body into the heated seat. Then I made my way to the diner, where I met the cashier who was more interested in my Bronco than my two nights in the snow.

After breakfast, my crew and I set out to return to our homes. The drive back—quiet, smooth, and partially piloted by automatic features—illuminated the Sport’s most salient attribute: It’s equally comfortable in the city as it is in the wild. And that’s perfect for those of us who like going back and forth.

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Back-to-Back Sierra Storms Cripple Yosemite and Surrounding Towns

Weeks of unusually clear, warm weather turned blustery and frigid recently in Yosemite Valley and the Sierra foothills. It began with the Mono wind event that brought gusts up to 100 mph and toppled trees onto park facilities and private homes. Days later, an atmospheric river flowed in from the Pacific. The storm dropped, in some places, 10 feet of wet, heavy snow and caused further damage. There are no reports of injuries.

“We have extensive damage in the park, millions and millions of dollars,” Scott Gediman told the Mercury News. Calls to Gediman by Men’s Journal were not returned.

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The storm, damage-wise, is being compared to the historic flood of 1997 that caused $200 million in damages. That flood brought the highest water to the Park in 80 years, damaged campgrounds and employee housing, and caused the Park to be evacuated.

On January 18 and 19, Mono winds tore through Yosemite National Park and the gateway towns on the Park’s west entrances, snapping trees and powerlines, and crushing park facilities and cars. Compounding the wind event’s damage, the same area received heavy snowfall this past week via an atmospheric river. Due to the extensive damage, the Park remains closed until February 1, at the earliest.

Combined, the damage includes dozens upon dozens of downed trees in Yosemite Valley and 15 downed giant Sequoia trees in the Mariposa Grove, reports Mercury News. The Mariposa Grove is home to 500 giant sequoias. Gediman told Mercury News that 20 homes and 20 cars were damaged in Wawona. Fallen trees resulted in leveled houses in Wawona, Mariposa and Sugar Pine.

mono wind event Yosemite National Park — An incense-cedar that fell through a house in Wawona during the recent Mono wind event where high winds that battered much of California knocked down two giant sequoias and caused millions of dollars in damage. Uncredited/AP/Shutterstock / Shutterstock

Mariposa declared a local emergency due to property damage and damage to roads and bridges. Down the street from where I live, numerous oak trees lay splintered across properties and over downed power lines. “I saw extensive powerline carnage, and most of the damage was on Triangle Road” said Aaron Martin, a pilot for Capitol Helicopters. The company was contracted by PG&E to assess the damage in Mariposa after the Mono wind event.

“I’ve heard of a lot of tree failure that’s crushed cars and property,” an anonymous local source told me. “That Mono wind event made it way worse. Maybe that shook a bunch of stuff loose, and then it got weighed down with all that snow. Then it just falls.”

Another source in the Park told me he saw 18 inches of heavy, wet snow on the Valley floor out of his office window.

heavy snowfall in Sugar Pine on the southern end of Yosemite National Park Jason Torlano

The damage resulted in a week-long power outage in Yosemite, Mariposa, and Sugar Pine. Shortly after the power was restored, some areas lost it again when the season’s biggest storm poured in.

“We lost 10 trees on the property, including a 220-foot Douglas Fir,” said Sugar Pine resident Jason Torlano. Sugar Pine is at 4,400 feet. “We lost power at the wind event, got power for two days, and then lost it again. The power is still out, and it may stay out for five-plus days. And it’s still snowing.

“I hear the trees are a nightmare in Yosemite.”

Torlano, 45, grew up in Yosemite Valley and says that wind events come to the area every few years, but he’s never seen anything like this.

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January brought a triple threat to Torlano and his family – early in the month, unusually warm, dry conditions had him worried about fires. He was still reeling from the 379,895-acre Creek Fire that nearly burned his home last autumn. Warm temperatures followed this — shorts and tee shirt weather for weeks in January — followed by the Mono wind event. A week of heavy falling snow followed.

“It’s never normal here anymore,” Torlano adds. “It’s either 70 degrees or there’s five feet of snow on the ground.”

Says YosemiteNPS on Instagram, “Yosemite’s road crews continue to do an amazing job to clear park roads and parking areas. However, with ongoing falling snow and tree failures, it is not safe for the Park to reopen.”

snow in Yosemite — Anonymous local/park employee

Yosemite will reopen on February 1 at the earliest, and when it does, it will be open 24 hours a day. The Ahwahnee Hotel and Yosemite Lodge will open February 5 and Upper Pines Campground will open February 8. Highway 41, which accesses the Badger Pass Ski Resort (closed for the season), Wawona, and Mariposa Grove will remain closed.

Due to the pandemic, day-use permits will be required for all visitors, click here, and masks are required due to an executive order. The permit system will stay in place at least until February 28. Facilities remain limited, and the shuttles are not running.

Click here to learn more here about traveling to Yosemite during the pandemic.

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Where to Buy Jewelry Online for Women

If you can shop for a pair of diamond earrings or a gold cuff bracelet in your underwear, why wouldn’t you? Forget having to go to a brick and mortar to peruse the latest jewelry selection from big box chains. You’re living in the future, my friend. Buy jewelry online.

Gone are the days of having a store clerk breathing down your neck, suggesting the highest-priced goods all in an effort to make a sale. Instead, that experience has been replaced with internet storefronts where you can experience virtual try-ons, 3D modeling, and the ability to one-click purchase jewelry for yourself or a loved one, and have it delivered straight to your door.

But we also know that finding just the right piece online can feel overwhelming too. (After all, a Google search for “online jewelry store” returns some 1,530,000,000 results.) To help narrow down the options, we’ve listed 10 of the best places to buy jewelry online that deliver at every price point, on every need, so you can get just the thing for Valentine’s Day, a birthday, anniversary, or just because.

Ellie Vail Arielle bangle bracelet Courtesy Image

The Best Sites to Buy Jewelry for Women Online

Best for Affordable Finds: Ellie Vail

Founded in 2014 by former celebrity stylist Ellie Vail, the eponymously named brand is made for “the everyday woman.” Her pieces are made out of gold-plated stainless steel so they’re water- and sweat-resistant and hypoallergenic.

Must-have piece: Arielle Bangle Bracelet ($59). It’s effortlessly cool, timeless, and pairs well with other stacking jewelry, making it a staple piece in any woman’s personal jewelry collection.

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Best for Luxury Goods: Auvere

Auvere is the perfect place to shop for someone you adore, because the brand itself is born out of love. Cofounders Gina Love and Steven Feldman also happen to be partners in life as well. The couple came together to launch their jewelry line in 2017, exclusively making pieces from True 22 and Pure 24 karat gold.

Must-have piece: Byzantium Ring ($5,300). Made using 23 grams of 24 karat gold and rubies, this is a piece that wows. Though you really can’t go wrong choosing any of its men’s or women’s rings.

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Catbird Dollhouse Heart Locket Courtesy Image

Best for One-of-a-Kind Pieces: Catbird

The brick-and-mortar and online store not only features its own brand, but it also sells goods from some of the coolest artisans on the block. The company prides itself on its diverse hiring and purchasing decisions, which have helped it have a truly wide range of products to select from.

Must-have piece: Dollhouse Heart Locket ($168). The charming necklace is the perfect way to say “I love you.” The necklace is made in a studio that’s “been family owned and operated since the 19th century,” so you know it’s got to be good. Pop in a custom photo with a touch of glue for added personal flare.

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By Chari Spaced Letter Necklace Courtesy Image

Best for Personalized/Custom Offerings: By Chari

Established in 2012, designer Chari Cuthbert’s line pays homage to women who “appreciate simplicity but demand luxury.” Each piece is handmade and sustainably produced in Los Angeles, CA, making it no surprise the line is beloved by Hollywood A-listers. Though her entire line is top-notch, it’s Cuthbert’s customized letter jewelry that really shines.

Must-have piece: Spaced Letter Necklace, small ($235.) Delicate and light, the small spaced letter necklace is all the statement one needs.

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Oradina Positano Classic Hoops Courtesy Image

Best for Minimalist Pieces: Oradina

Oradina is a masterclass on the concept of “less is more.” The company, run by third generation jewelers, specializes in solid gold jewelry meant to impress, not overpower. The company also offers transparency in its gold sourcing, ensuring each piece is ethically sourced so you can feel good about gifting and wearing.

Must-have piece: Oradina Positano Classic Hoops ($125). It doesn’t get more chic than hoops. Choose from yellow, white, and rose gold for a custom gift.

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Best for Sustainable Sourcing: Vrai

Purchasing gemstones can take some serious detective work to figure out where it came from, who mined it, and if they were paid fair wage. But not with Vrai. That’s because its diamonds are sustainably grown in the United States. That means they come with zero carbon footprint and zero mining, and are cut by the company’s own master craftsmen.
Must-have piece: Diamond Bezel Bracelet ($260.) Dainty and cute, this diamond bracelet is a cute sparkler. Pair it with the Ellie Vail bangle for a one-two punch.

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Stone and Strand Unicorn Gemstone Ring Courtesy Image

Best for Rare Stones: Stone and Strand

Sometimes you just need to find a piece of jewelry that’s as unique as the person you’re gifting it to. Don’t worry, Stone and Strand is here for you. The company lives by its Good Girl Mission, which “champions women who inspire us. Women who are unapologetically themselves and unafraid to do things their own way.” Their colorful pieces most certainly reflect that.

Must-have piece: Unicorn Gemstone Ring ($250). This is a colorful showstopper—made of amethyst, peridot, pink sapphire, blue sapphire, and blue topaz set in yellow gold.

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Best for Trending Goods: Machete

Being on-trend can be a good thing. Atlanta brand MACHETE is made with eco-conscious materials including its tortoise acetate, cellulose acetate, and bio-acetate, which are all natural and renewable materials. The jewelry is even shipped in custom, eco-friendly UVA zip bags as an added bonus.

Must-have piece: BIWA Pearl Anklet ($72). The ‘90s are back, which means anklets are too. Level up from the kid stuff to high-end designs like this goodie made from freshwater pearls.

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Mejuri Baby Box Chain Necklace Courtesy Image

Best for Classic Taste: Mejuri

Mejuri is the place to go for getting instant heirloom pieces that are cool today, tomorrow, and generations to come. Or, as the company describes, its jewelry is “handcrafted like the olden days, but designed for the golden days ahead.”

Must-have piece: Baby Box Chain Necklace ($195). This 14-karat gold necklace goes with literally everything from a classic white T-shirt to black tie, making it the ideal piece for the top drawer in your jewelry box.

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Best for an Artisan on the Rise: Sophie Monet

Sophie Monet is redefining what jewelry needs to look and feel like. Sophie Monet Okulick made her entire first collection out of wood, a material you have to see to appreciate. Each piece is so damn cool you’ll want to buy something for yourself too. When buying jewelry online is this easy, why not?

Must-have piece: Black Pearl Midi Hoops ($150). The mixed materials will have people looking twice. Made out of peacock black pearl, pine wood, and 16-karat-gold-plated sterling silver, it’s a gift that’ll leave recipients saying thank you for days.

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Danny MacAskill's Insane MTB Descent on The Slabs Would Make a Grown Man Cry

When Danny MacAskill, legendary Scottish trials bike rider (and all-around god on two wheels), says at the beginning of his new short film, The Slabs, that what he’s about to ride is “pretty scary,” then you know goddamn well that it’s going to be a truly epic descent. One that would make mere mortals like us crumple to our knees, whimpering as we tearfully bail on the ride and slide back down the steep trail on our butts.

“I am a big fan of rock climbing and have been inspired by the various men and woman who set new routes and test themselves on some amazing faces around the world so I set out to find some challenging Slab Rock routes on my home Island of Skye with an aim to ride them in a continuous line and test what was possible on my bike,” MacAskill writes in the intro to the insane video.

He starts the show off by climbing to the top of The Slabs, located off the coast of Scotland, for his 1,600-foot ride down to Loch Coruisk below. The initial downhill seems fine, tame even. It doesn’t look that hard as you mumble to yourself. “Ah yeah, I could take that line, no problem.” And as it progresses, “I huck drops like that on [insert local trail here] all the time. No big deal.”

Then come the massive rocks and the gaps and the steeps. MacAskill goes from a languid but intense mountain bike ride down gently sloping side of a huge slabs of gabbro (a grippy, coarse type of rock similar to basalt) to dancing across boulders and bounding over huge gaps. The scale and steepness isn’t quite comprehendible until the drone shooting the descent starts to swoop and spin, showing the true angle with MacAskill silhouetted against the mountains behind him.

Craziness ensues as at one point he seemingly is about to run out of room on a precipitous knife-edge of rock that shoots down to the valley below. But MacAskill, being who he is, bounds up and out of the predicament, climbing like a goat and then continues to drop 650 feet down an even steeper, almost vertical, slope.

“I specifically picked lines that funneled me along a one-foot-wide ledge with cliffs dropping to the side,” said MacAskill in a recent interview with website UKClimbing. “It was quite a powerful feeling up there actually, I really quite enjoyed it,” he says. “Normally I’m used to doing tricks, so you’re maybe exposed for seconds at a time, whereas up there you’re doing a run where you’re exposed for a lot longer than that. It’s a bit more like climbing, I suppose.”

Check it out for yourself and bow down to the king of the death-defying stunts on two wheels.

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The Charge XC Is the Do-It-All E-Bike for Any Type of Rider

Let’s face it: E-bikes are all the rage right now. When the COVID-19 pandemic slapped the world in the face and lockdowns began, many people took to their bicycles for some much-needed physical relief. Bike sales skyrocketed and e-bikes of all shapes and sizes hit the streets. And while we’ve tested several e-bikes in the past year, our hands-down favorite is the XC from Charge.

This thing fits the bill for everything from grocery store runs, to a cruise down the beach boardwalk, to ripping a rugged trail up in the hills. While it’s definitely on par with any of the city bikes we’ve tried when it comes to urban cruising, it’s built to withstand much more. With impressive full front suspension forks and all-terrain Goodyear tires, this e-bike is no slouch on the MTB trail. Seriously.

Its 250W mid-drive motor offers an amazingly smooth pedal-assist up to 20 mph, and it boasts up to a 50-mile range on a single charge with its removable Shimano E8035 504WH batter. The result is an unparalled experience that allows the rider to fly down the roadway or trail with minimal effort and maximum enjoyment.

It has a bright LED screen for easy function and toggling between settings, it comes standard with front/rear integrated lights for rides after dark, and its seat and grips are by far the most comfy we’ve ever felt on an e-bike.

Our favorite part about the whole package is that your ride doesn’t end when the pavement ends, unlike many e-bikes on the market these days. We equipped the XC with surfboard racks and a rear basket, and have been loving trips down the beach trail to the more remote surf spots in the area where cars aren’t permitted. What used to take us a good 45-minute walk to the beach, now takes a quick five minutes of just cruising along in the brisk morning air. The XC muscles its way through soft sand, shifty mud, bumpy gravel, and everything in between with its Shimano Rapidfire Plus 8-speed shifter.

We haven’t found a road that the XC can’t handle, and doubt we ever will.

We also took the XC on some moderate MTB trails in town, and had a blast. While you shouldn’t expect top-notch MTB performance out of this bike, it most certainly can hold its own on almost any descent with its Shimano MT200 hydraulic disc brakes for optimal and dependable speed control, while giving you that extra little push when you’re pedaling back to the top. It really is a pleasure off road.

If you’ve been scratching your head over this whole e-bike revolution, but haven’t yet pulled the trigger on one, we’d highly recommend taking a good look at the XC from Charge. We haven’t ridden an e-bike this year that’s blown our hair back quite like the XC.

Bonus: Its handlebars rotate and fold 90-degrees, as well as its pedals, so storage and transport is so damn easy.

[$2499; chargebikes.com]

Get it

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Matthew McConaughey Is on a Mission to Just Keep Livin'

In the new year, Matthew McConaughey is looking beyond the pandemic—and movies—toward a much bigger picture. Could politics be his next frame?

The other night, Matthew McConaughey dragged a couple of djembe drums out. Pulled out some congas, too. “Didn’t have anything the next day until, like, noon,” says the actor. “Went late, another cocktail, sure.” After the Magic Mike actor beat the drums—and the quarantine blues—for a bit, he says, he dialed up the volume of his speakers—“concert-size,” emphasis on the Z—played some tunes, and danced until sweat soaked the floor.

“Got my cardi-ooo, heh, heh, heh…I woke up the next morning with my hands completely swollen. I’m on a proper-tee where I ain’t waking the neighbors…and I’m pretty sure no one called the cops.”

So…you are not alone, reader. McConaughey is also going through it, dancing through the darkness, trying to make the best of a pandemic year when just keep livin’ —the actor’s most treasured piece of advice, seems of fresh, literal import. As in…try not to die.

And that is just what the actor is doing, posting up with his multigenerational family—three kids, his wife, Camila, and his 88-year-old mother, Kay, on an eight-acre spread on a hilltop outside of Austin, Texas. Tonight, he’s on the other end of a Zoom call, fingers stretching a rubber band, legs kicked up, eyes peering through a pair of clear frames. Scheming, sipping his Wild Turkey Longbranch whiskey, intonating.

Matthew McConaughey at home — Matthew McConaughey posing at home Photograph by Camila Alves McConaughey & Levi Alves McConaughey

Tonight the 51-year-old Oscar winner is celebrating a first: He’s now the author of a New York Times No. 1 best-seller. For those who want to get on the McConaughey level—er, find his frequency—well, Greenlights is your guide. The Texas-bred actor’s autobiography combines memoir, aphorisms, poems, and advice, all culled from journals that date back as far as age 14.

You’ll find the pillars of McConaughey myth, from a retelling of the actor’s infamous naked 1999 bongo-ing arrest, to his career reinvention with films like Dallas Buyers Club during the “McConnaissance”—a phrase the actor admits in the book to inventing and seeding in interviews.

But the most revealing stories in the book date from before McConaughey was a star. There’s the night at age 12 his mother waved a chef ’s knife at his father, and the two tussled until they made love on the kitchen floor; the time he saw his brother Mike swing a two-by-four at his dad’s head; the morning his father died while having sex with his mother, while Matthew filmed Dazed and Confused, his first picture. It’s raw, bracing stuff.

“I always saw them as beautiful stories of how hard my mom and dad loved—the physicality of how they communicated—although on paper, the facts might make people cover their mouth. Or think I need psychiatric help,” McConaughey says.

IT’S A CHALLENGE. YOU COME THIS WAY, I’LL COME YOUR WAY. THAT’S HOW DEMOCRACY WORKS.

At Camila’s urging, McConaughey took a trunk of his old journals out to the West Texas desert, and re-read them while writing the book in isolation. “I found consistencies. I am still interested in the same things at 51 that I was at 14. I’m still asking those existential questions. Who am I? What are we doing here? What’s my relationship with the world? What’s it all mean?”

While McConaughey searches for answers to some of those questions lately, one particular pre-pandemic memory comes to mind: back in November 2019, when the actor turned 50 and celebrated with a long weekend out at El Cosmico, the teepee-and-trailer resort out in Marfa, with a carefully selected guest list of 90.

“Those three nights are probably the antithesis of what I’m not doing now. Friends, midnight, music, arms around each other, kisses, sweat, laughing in each other’s face.”

A few months later, of course, COVID hit. “Well, 2020 sure jackknifed things, didn’t it?” says McConaughey, laughing.

Early in the pandemic, McConaughey filmed pro-mask PSAs, and interviewed Dr. Anthony Fauci on Instagram; lately he’s been lamenting how politicized mask-wearing has been made by both sides of the spectrum. “It became apparent that there was no plan. Our leaders were scrambling.”

Matthew McConaughey half-submerged in pool Photograph by Camila Alves McConaughey & Levi Alves McConaughey

“I hope we’re gonna look back at 2020 as the year where we cleared up our vision quite a bit. Everybody, to some extent, has been reminded that hey—this is liiiiivvvve, man. Just when we thought we had things figured out.”

Ripping “December 2020” off the calendar won’t make things magically better, McConaughey says. “With the new year people will certainly reenergize in certain ways. But it’s foolish to think, oh, tomorrow we can go back to how it was. There is no more ‘how it was.’ So we got to turn the page.”

And what’s on McConaughey’s next one? “I mean, I’ve got some ideas I’m open to looking at. How can I be useful in a leadership role? I don’t know what that category is for me at this point. Not necessarily in film and TV, right?”

For a few days prior to our virtual happy hour, the actor’s name popped up on social media feeds with news that he seemed open to considering a run for governor of Texas, an office up for grabs come 2022. When asked by conservative talk radio host Hugh Hewitt whether he’d consider a bid, McConaughey replied that “It would be up to the people more than it would me.” Two days later, appearing on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, McConaughey clarified: “I have no plans to do that right now.”

I had dismissed the news as clickbait, but here McConaughey is, Zooming in the same wood-paneled room that he appeared in on Colbert—except this evening, a tall, gold-fringed American flag stood behind his shoulder.

Matthew McConaughey driving his car in Texas Photograph by Camila Alves McConaughey & Levi Alves McConaughey

I ask, “So, you’re really not going to run for Texas governor?”

“I said, I have no plans to,” McConaughey replies, sipping.

“OK, so what about the White House?” I chuckle; McConaughey doesn’t.

“Listen, I think everybody should at least entertain the idea. It’s a form of actually defining your values: ‘What if I was president of the whole world?’ You’re forced to consider your priorities.”

Just hypothetically speaking, I say, what would his campaign slogan be?

“Ha, ha, ha. Oh, I get sent a lot of ’em. I love it. There was one I really liked: ‘Make America All Right, All Right, All Right, Again.’ That’s a fun one.”

“But for me…” he pauses a second. “It’s ‘Meet Me in the Middle—I Dare You.’ ” He held up his thumbs and fore-fingers, and mimicked reading the campaign slogan on a bumper sticker. It’s the same type of social pragmatism that fills his book: When facing any crisis, I’ve found that a good plan is to first recognize the problem, then stabilize the situation, organize the response, then respond. (Folks, he’s running.)

Matthew McConaughey relaxing at home Photograph by Camila Alves McConaughey & Levi Alves McConaughey

“You can’t have unity without confrontation. And to have confrontation, you have to at least validate the other’s position. We don’t even do that. So I’d say, I’ll meet you in the middle. I dare you. It’s a challenge, a radical move. You come this way, I’ll come your way. That’s how democracy works.”

After batting the idea around, McConaughey demurs. “Really I don’t know if politics is my category to be the most useful. I’m not interested in goin’ and puttin’ a bunch of Band-Aids on things.”

McConaughey takes a sip of his Longbranch. Shadows move quickly across the louvered doors behind him, his kids horsing around. Dad’s about to join them.

So, if it’s not the campaign trail, is he headed to a movie set in 2021?

“Nothing’s set in stone. I’m circling a couple projects, but it’s gonna have to be really tasty to get me to quit playing the character I’m playing right now. Twenty-four seven, man. ‘Action’ was called one time: November the fourth, nineteen-sixty-nine. ‘Cut’ will be called one time, the day I die. I’m really liking the tape.”

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Go Full McConaughey With the Actor's Favorite Unorthodox Workouts

Struggling to get a consistent workout regimen at home? Matthew McConaughey’s workouts are anything but traditional, but they’ll boost your mood, health, and the monotony of isolation. Is it any surprise the actor’s got some unorthodox tricks up his sleeve to make movement a movement?

1. Run From Home

“Like any mammal, we’re always gonna make it back home. I like to run 20 minutes out, turn around, and drop and do 20 pushups 10 times during the run back.”

2. Dance All Night

“I could and should probably do it more often. It’s my favorite cardio. I don’t mind having a cocktail during some of my workouts.”

3. Have Some Sex

“The original exercise,” McConaughey writes in Greenlights. “It makes our companion see us in a more flattering light, which psychologically makes us feel like we look better.”

4. Wrestle…or Not

“I love it, but blew my ACL during a match. So now I spend a lot of time on the elliptical instead.”

5. Just Schedule It

“You don’t have to actually work out, just plan on it, that’s enough.”

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