By Virginia Eaton — I’m not sure who decided that an exercise class ought to be an hour long. Why not 40 minutes, or 70 minutes? I think human beings squeeze appointments into a calendar to accommodate the calendar rather than the human being! The body needs regular movement and exercise throughout the day, and a single 60-minute session a ...

Submitted by Mountain Area Merchants Association OAKHURST — After one full year of meetings and development, Mountain Area Merchants Association (MAMA) met recently to formalize its organization. Nine local businesses paid annual dues as founding members, and reviewed and accepted the bylaws into record. The businesses are CLASS – The Body Pastiche, Moss Web Works, Back 2 Basics, Crab Cakes ...

By Virginia Eaton — I have the best job in the world! I work with some amazing men and women who are improving their health, their fitness and their outlook on the world. Life is an amazing, twisty-turny roller coaster ride and, if you’re lucky, it’s full of crazy adventures with endings that give you a greater appreciation for your ...

By Virginia Eaton — New dietary guidelines have been published and, amazingly, the powers that be finally recognize that the amount of sugar consumed in one’s diet plays an important role in overall health. The part that amazes me is that sugar lobbyists were not able to overcome the tremendous amount of scientific data showing the relationship between added sugar ...

By Virginia Eaton — The advertising blitz around diets as we approached the New Year was overwhelming. I am inundated with diets, dieting techniques, do-and-don’ts, and lists of foods “you should never eat.” My go-to attitude around food and drink is eat real food, meaning food that doesn’t have a list of ingredients that I cannot pronounce. My experience with ...

By Virginia Eaton — When my children were young, I saved my resolutions for September when they went back to school, when I could organize myself enough to begin thinking about making positive changes. Over the years I resolved all the usual things: to be more organized, lose weight, gain weight, cut coupons, learn French, learn Spanish, clean out the ...

By Virginia Eaton — One of the most important professional relationships you have (especially as you age) is with your doctor, and this relationship should be a partnership where each side is engaged in asking questions. The days when you sit silently across the desk from your doctor, listening intently to his or her words has long since passed. Doctors ...

I’m not sure which is more difficult — hosting houseguests, or being a houseguest. However, the key to enjoying either of these states of being is the same: maintain your rhythm and routine in spite of the chaos around you. If you’re an exerciser, don’t let the kids and grandkids knock you out of that routine. Go for your walk ...

By Virginia Eaton — I do not have cable or network television at home because my peace of mind cannot handle crisis media, which seems to be all that is offered these days. During the last few months, we have been inundated with horror, terror and sadness, as our world seemingly devolves into a post-apocalyptic zombie movie. There is a ...

By Virginia Eaton — An explosion in exercise classes has pushed participants to the edge of their fitness level — think CrossFit and boot camp-types of classes. While there’s much to be gained by sweating and grunting for an hour, the goal of sustainable, well rounded fitness requires skills that you often don’t get in these high energy classes. Boot ...