ArcaMax

When was the last time you fired up a pile of logs and celebrated the summer solstice? Probably never. It's an ancient ritual that has fallen out of fashion, not unlike human sacrifice.

But this year, inflamed and shaken as we are, there are many good reasons to think about the meaning and the symbolism of summer solstice and why honoring it ...Read more

Have you heard of the "Me Decade"? I hope so. I've been thinking about it a lot lately, ever since the recent death of Tom Wolfe, the journalist, author and natty dresser.

Wolfe coined the term in his landmark New York magazine cover story "The 'Me' Decade and the Third Great Awakening," published in 1976, the same year this column got started....Read more

Personal well-being is very personal. It's not about the size of your belly or how many crunches you can do, and it's certainly not about how many times you've been to the gym in the last week. Or year. Decade, anyone?

So play along with me here: On a scale of one to 10, with 10 being the top of Mount Everest for health and happiness, where ...Read more

I've been a cheerleader for adventure travel since the first time I jumped on my Schwinn one-speed and yelled, "Giddyap!" What's ahead, around the corner, up the trail? Whom will I meet? What will I see? Why am I here?

I'm here to tell you that spring is the perfect time to plan an adventure travel trip of your own. What will it be? Where will ...Read more

I've never been much of a binger, but recently I had a humbling experience that gave me new insights into binge-eating... not to mention a bad case of the bloats.

Suddenly, without warning, away from home and visiting family in Florida (who are blameless), I found myself unable to resist Cool Ranch Doritos. Morning, noon and especially at night...Read more

Let's celebrate! May 18 is National Bike to Work Day, which is part of Bike to Work Week, which happens to coincide with National Bike to Work Month.

It's all part of the healthy-lifestyle revolution, of which I am a tireless spokesperson.

From 2000 to 2013, the number of bike commuters in the U.S. grew by more than 62 percent. Bike-sharing ...Read more

Your mind attaches to the negative.

Who cares? So what? Why is that even helpful?

See? You're doing it already. You're thinking negative thoughts about thinking itself instead of relaxing into the fact that your brain is hard-wired to be fearful and anxious. The trick is to consciously shift to the positive, taking full advantage of ...Read more

This is my first time on Kauai, a 6 million-year-old speck of volcanic rock in the chain of ancient Hawaiian Islands that are 2,500 miles away from everywhere else. And yes, there is a Starbucks.

Kauai -- rhymes with Hawaii -- is the lushest, wettest island on earth, and it offers more forms of spectacular and insane outdoor adventures than any...Read more

You're in the park, on the track, at the gym? Terrific! You've squeezed a workout into your crazy busy day. You deserve a Snickers just for showing up.

You've done your stretches, and your muscles and tendons are warmed up, ready to have some fun.

Bravo! May all your dreams of thinner thighs and tighter butts come true.

But, wait ... just ...Read more

Spring cleaning isn't just for crowded closets and messy garages, and it's certainly not just for the women folk.

It's something we all do because it makes us feel so satisfied when it's over, and spring is the perfect time to take it on. In fact, I've read about communities that spring clean together, meeting in little groups, moving from one ...Read more

Just for fun, I started writing today's column, which highlights "4/20," at precisely 4:20 -- the ideal time to draw attention to April 20. That's the day set aside in the '70s to honor America's favorite healing herb, a powerful plant that has been part of human health, well-being and giggles for thousands of years.

Yes, we're talking cannabis...Read more

There are worse things in the world than inner-thigh jiggle, but with shorts season on the way, it's right up there.

The problem is weak and wobbly adductors -- those oft-neglected inner-thigh muscles. Leave them alone and flab happens. You can't lose it completely, but if you connect to them and make them stronger, you will not only ...Read more

Spring has sprung. So what? So now's an extraordinarily good time to notice that the birds are chirping, the buds are popping and your own body is primed and pumped to push you down the path to your own personal well-being.

"Springtime is in the air," writes Kenneth Cohen, a qi gong master. "A good time for spring cleaning of mind and body ...Read more