On cold winter days I’m among those of you who yearn to be in a warmer climate.  It’s 25 degrees in downtown Baltimore today and icy sidewalks are creating walking barriers in our normally pedestrian-friendly neighborhood.  I’d rather be in Sarasota, Florida right now where it’s 65 degrees.  Although it would be too brisk to be on the beach in a bathing suit, at least walking outside wouldn’t involve donning multiple layers of clothing and clunky water-proof boots.

After watching a few “House Hunters” episodes and seeing the many remote tropical locations people move to, I realize I wouldn't want to trade my neighborhood’s  

A number of years ago before giving a fitness presentation to a group of public health professionals, I asked a small group of attendees what physical activity barriers they faced.  One woman spoke of how she had been active during the spring, summer, and early fall.  She walked daily after work and biked with her family on the weekends.  “Everything was great until the clocks changed and it was dark by the time I got home from work,” she lamented.  “Now I’m just waiting for more daylight and warm weather so I can start my evening walking routine again.”  I think of her whenever daylight saving time ends as it will this Sunday, November 3... 

Kayak is my favorite palindrome and time spent kayaking is one of my preferred forms of outdoor physical activity.  Kayaking allows you to view extraordinary natural beauty in remote shallow waters that are inaccessible using other watercraft.  Once you find a good stream, river, or bay “put in” you’ll be able to travel into aquatic areas that many boaters miss, including places with water depths less than one foot.

You’ve probably heard the old joke about the two happiest days in a boater’s life - the day they purchase a boat followed by the day they sell it.  That may be true about owning certain boats and yet, in my opinion, small watercraft including kayaks are an exception...

When Olympic gold medalist Missy Franklin said she couldn’t recall a time that she didn’t love being in the water, I knew exactly how she felt.  Of all the physical activities that I've participated in, none offer the same level of joy that I feel during and after swimming.  As a child I constantly begged my parents and older siblings to take me to a swimming pool, pond, or lake where I swam until my finger tips resembled prunes.  Although my first teen job was teaching swimming, I never took formal lessons or had the opportunity to swim competitively.  Maybe the lack of competition is why I still enjoy the sport as much as I do today.

Swimming improves physical health and it keeps me balanced emotionally. I've overcome some seemingly insurmountable problems lap swimming.  The rhythmic breathing necessary to swim freestyle evens out any emotional turmoil I’m experiencing.  By the time I’ve finished swimming a mile in the morning, worries tend to roll off of me for the rest of the day like water off a duck’s back...  

Years ago during an American Council on Exercise conference, I was amused to find many of my colleagues riding escalators and shunning the adjacent set of stairs at the conference venue.  After opening day, an exercise researcher placed a large sign at the base of an escalator that read, “Be A Role Model, Use The Stairs!”  That point-of-decision prompt was all it took to get the majority of conference attendees off the escalator and onto the stairs...

We’re in the middle of a July heat wave that’s very typical of our Baltimore summer weather.  When the temperatures reach the 90s, our deck thermometer can register 100 degrees or more by late afternoon.  The heat is one thing; it’s the humidity that makes many Marylanders feel miserable.  When I moved here in my early 20s, it was the first time I remember hearing “dew point” mentioned during a weather report.  It’s the temperature that water vapor in the air becomes saturated and "dew" or water droplets begin to form.

The Baltimore Inner Harbor temperature is 97 degrees right now with a dew point of 68 degrees and a heat index of 102 degrees. Any time the dew point level is above the mid-60s there’s a high level of moisture in the air and it feels uncomfortable and sticky outside.  Heat index, or how humans perceive temperature, can easily be calculated using air temperature and relative humidity...

Happy Independence Day!  This July 4th holiday has taken on new meaning because my husband and I both joyfully retired at the end of June.  We’ve been working and saving most of our lives and we’re looking forward to living workplace-free.  Work has kept us from leisure activities we’ve wanted to pursue such as rail-trail biking, kayaking, volunteering, and travel.

We’re certainly both very fortunate to be in good health and capable of enjoying the free time headed our way.  Some people have remarked, “You’re so lucky!” and yet I always replace that phrase with, “Chance favors the prepared mind.”  We’ve kept physically active, eaten healthy foods, and saved throughout our lives, which will help us maintain our physical and fiscal independence…

Walking is one of the better physical activity choices available for adults because there are no special skills or equipment required other than a comfortable pair of walking shoes.  Although some people wonder if walking is challenging enough to be beneficial, it is a moderate-level physical activity that leads to health improvements when it's done for 30 minutes a day at least five days per week.  The walking duration can be broken into 10 minute segments and still be effective if the daily activity total is 30 minutes...

A young mother in my neighborhood recently told me how she is managing back pain she has never experienced before. A healthy back is something everyone takes for granted until the moment back pain strikes, as it will for 80% of the adult population. Of this group, 5% will go on to develop chronic low back pain that accounts for 25% of all days lost from work.

Low back pain is the most expensive benign health condition in America...

During our vacation last week we biked on Florida's Legacy Trail.  We had a wonderful time with our family in Siesta Key, Florida.  Located on the Gulf of Mexico near Sarasota, Siesta Key was voted America’s #1 beach in 2012 and I noticed during our visit that the ranking is still proudly posted throughout the area.  The white, flour-like sand is derived from quartz mineral deposits. It feels cool on your feet when you walk barefoot on the beach, even on scorching-hot days.

We visit with our kids and their friends around this time each year to get a jump start on summer weather.  Our daughter describes Siesta Key as her 'happy place' and she looks forward to the mid-Atlantic winter break...