Walking through Festival of Trees in West Palm Beach

The 'Marmion' tree with a Santa on its side greeted us
as we entered through a side gate.

The Festival of Trees creates a Christmas mood in me, regardless of the 80-plus-degree days that is our winter weather this month.

The sights and smells inside the walls of the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens create a magical world that brings out the holiday joy in me. The West Palm Beach event is my favorite Christmas festival.

Doing the Turkey Trot through Palm Beach

Shiny Sheet staffers pose after the Turkey Trot. A few ran, the rest jogged,
walked or strolled.

I knew the 5K Turkey Trot would be a special race. The swag befitted its Palm Beach location. With our registration package, they gave each participant a bag of goodies, which contained a soft T-shirt, Onli lemon watermelon sparkling water, Fiber One nutrition bar and reflector to wear, along with the registration bib.

It was more than enough to make me want to take up running. I did start the 5K jogging -- mostly because I was in a pack of runners.

Dancing outside in West Palm Beach and Thanksgiving challenge

Dancing at Ginger's Dance Party -- November 2013

Young or old, age doesn't matter at Ginger's Dance Party. The outdoor dance attracts a crowd on the first Saturday of each month. The free event takes place at the Waterfront Commons, courtesy of the West Palm Beach Community Events. That department pays for the DJ -- Full Throttle Entertainment -- and the lights. 

Teens wake early for Jupiter 5K

Volunteers run the race-day registration.

While many teens were sleeping in Sunday morning, a dedicated group were at Carlin Park early for the 3rd Annual Zoe Loren 5K.

They volunteered at the check-in and race-day registration tables, at the snack tent where some danced to the rhythmic music provided by a DJ and at the water and drink stations. They also came to run in the 5K held in honor of Zoe Loren.

Experience circus in Lake Worth

Molly, of Boynton Beach, flies through the air while holding onto the trapeze.

Ever dream of running away to join the circus? With Circus Experience opening last month in Lake Worth, circus arts classes are now available in Palm Beach County.

Late Saturday afternoon, three women came to the Trapeze class. Molly, 22, was the most experienced, having tried the trapeze while vacationing at various Club Med locations in the Caribbean. Mande tried it once before and returned for another session. Maria, who heard about the trapeze class from Mande, was the newcomer.

Costumed dogs in West Palm Beach

This golden retriever was wearing a "Wide Retriever"
football jersey. But he didn't stay to join the contest.

Saturday mornings, before yoga at the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach, I park in the Banyan Street garage for free and make my way down to the GreenMarket.

I buy greens from my favorite vendor, Stephen's Produce. The proprietor of that stand and Stephen's dad, Ken Shuler, often sells out of what-I-consider the primo greens by the time yoga is over. I select and pay for my greens before yoga, and Ken is nice enough to hold them in his coolers for me.

It also gives me a chance to scope out the market and their special events. This past Saturday, they had a Halloween costume contest for dogs at 11 a.m.

Walking trail at Berkshire Elementary in West Palm Beach

Berkshire Elementary has a walking trail that anyone
can use on weekends and holidays.

When a teacher friend told me that Berkshire Elementary had a newly opened walking trail, I added that suburban West Palm Beach path to my list of fitness places to rate.

The school sits on Kirk Road, between Summit and Forest Hill boulevards, just one block north of Happiness Street.

Walking, eating and drinking my way through CityPlace

Even the fire truck was pink!

When a Taste of CityPlace happened on Thursday evening, the West Palm Beach restaurant and entertainment venue was awash in pink.

Female patrons wore pink blouses, belts, purses or shoes. Some even wore pink dresses to call attention to breast cancer awareness. The men were more subdued in their clothing, but a few donned pink shirts. And Palm Beach County sent its pink fire-rescue engine that allowed people to write messages on it.

Defying gravity with aerial yoga in Delray Beach

Yoga inversions are made easier with the help of a fabric swing. (Photo provided)

Defy Gravity Yoga held a chic grand opening last week in Delray Beach, complete with organic juices and small, healthy bites.

But for me, the real draw was the studio's name. I wanted me to find out what type of yoga was practiced there.

Practitioners sit in silk fabric hammocks to get into the more difficult inversions. That's what led owner Lisa Midlarsky to try aerial yoga. "I was able to do inversions that I couldn't do on my own," she said.

Heart Walking in West Palm Beach

Crystal Herrera, wearing the tutu she made in University of Florida colors,
created the Heart Walk team in memory of her husband, Jorge, a proud UF grad. 

When my friend, Crystal Herrera, said she wanted to field another Heart Walk team, I had to be there.

Her husband died nearly 2.5 years ago, cradling their 13-month-old daughter Isabella in his arms. Jorge was just 29. He never met the son Crystal was carrying.

He didn't have a heart condition, nor any risk factors for heart disease. Even so, he died from sudden cardiac death, the largest cause of natural deaths in the U.S. It's not the same as a heart attack, which is more of a plumbing problem, clots clog arteries. In sudden cardiac death, the heart's electrical system malfunctions, making the heart beat so fast that the person loses consciousness. Death usually follows unless treatment is given quickly.

Watching Masters swim at Lake Lytal Family Aquatic Center

Sarah Andrews, relatively new coach of the Lake Lytal Masters, wore this
T-shirt to swim practice last week.

The Masters swimmers come to the Lake Lytal Family Aquatic Center for a variety of reasons. Some simply want to swim laps, others train for competitions such as an Ironman triathlon. 

One swimmer is a world record holder in the 200 free short course meters, in the 65-69 year-old category, which he won in 2009, brags his coach, Sarah Andrews. Dave Quiggun, 68, also holds several world records in relays. In addition, he was the first 60-year-old male to break 1 minute in the 100-yard freestyle, she says. 

Doing Bus Loop in West Palm Beach

The West Palm Beach Bus Loop sounded like a fun way to spend a Saturday night. Pay $20 and get a free drink or item at 10 different bars and restaurants in the downtown, CityPlace and Northwood Village sections of West Palm Beach.

The money was going to a good cause: the West Palm Beach Downtown Neighborhood Association. I later found out that the Palm Beach County Gator Club Scholarships was the other beneficiary.

Tropical Triathlon shows off Lake Worth's beach

Lake Worth's beach renovations were finished earlier this year.

The Tropical Triathlon gave Lake Worth the perfect weekend to showcase its beachfront.

Saturday afternoon, the event organizers held a packet pick-up with a Health and Fitness Expo on the second floor of the casino building. The expo, sponsored by The Zoo Health Club, was free.

Salsa dancers at West Palm Beach library

If you happen to take the elevator this Thursday evening at the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach and stop on the third floor, you'll see adults lined up in rows as they learn how to salsa dance.

Instructor Ruben Sanchez will be there, too, guiding students through the paces of the pulsating rhythms of L.A. style salsa.

"It's one of the most common styles to learn, and that style is danced a lot in this area," he said.

Ode to my dog in Lake Worth

My dog in spring 2004 strikes a vigilant pose.

The dog days of summer remind me of my dog, Miska.

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the thought that terrorists were living here, I thought I need to quit procrastinating and get a dog. Growing up, my family had a black dog, a mixed-breed beagle lovingly called Blackie. As an adult, I always wanted a dog. The terrorists' acts brought that desire to the forefront.

I wanted a shelter dog, about medium-size, one that would walk and help me get back into shape. Pure breeds came fraught with too many problems, plus I did not want to spend that kind of money on a dog.

Belly-dancing lessons at West Palm Beach library?

Dawn Rhys shows students the basic of belly dancing.

Music playing and people dancing inside a library?

If it's the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach, librarians want to lure residents up to the third floor with offerings of dance and fitness lessons. Then these curators hope the class-takers will stay and pick up a book or two.

The latest offerings include free Belly-Dancing Lessons on Monday afternoons with local instructor, Dawn Rhys.

Finding balance through yoga in Boca Raton

Craig Richman leads a yoga class in Boca Raton.

By any measure, Craig Richman's life was out of control last August.

Overweight with a torn meniscus, the Boca Raton financial adviser could no longer run or swim to relax from his stressful business life. He saw everything as a competition and had borderline high blood pressure as a result. "Impact sports were out of the picture," he says.

Richman tried tai chi but didn't like it. He eventually found his balance through yoga.

Joys of bike riding to work in Palm Beach

Lilly Leas rides her Palm Beach Lately beach cruiser to the office
of Beth Beattie Branding on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach.

I admire Palm Beach County people who ride bikes to work, especially in the hot and humid months of summer.

One such person is Lilly Leas, pr and event coordinator for Beth Beattie Branding in Palm Beach.

Leas started biking to work last year, "but mostly in the summer when it is slower and I don't have to rush to get to work," she says.

Exploring Mango Festival at Fairchild

Mangoes for sale at Fairchild include some grown on its farm in Homestead.

This time of year, I dream of mangoes. Their sultry, sweet taste calls out to me. I really wanted to return to the International Mango Festival at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables, but I didn't want to pay the $25 entrance fee.

Then I remembered my membership to the Mounts Botanical Garden in suburban West Palm Beach. It has a list of reciprocal gardens that offers free admission, and Fairchild is on that list. I called to make sure Fairchild would accept the Mounts card to enter the Mango Festival.

Next, I needed to find another Mounts member who would travel with me. I thought of Carol Carnevale, friend and former boss, who went to the Tropical Fruit Festival at Mounts. She readily agreed to drive with me the 70-some miles south to Fairchild.

Lake Worth Yoga Lounge underway at casino ballroom

The start of the Sunday morning yoga class in the Lake Worth Casino
Ballroom. Notice the disco ball hanging from the ceiling.

Troy Mills has a dream for the city's new casino ballroom: Create a Sunday morning destination for yoga.

He and partner Valerie Vermeulen are establishing the Lake Worth Yoga Lounge in the ballroom space above Mulligan's at the city's newly refurbished beach.

"It will be a Sunday morning event," he says. "I see it blossoming to about 100 people who come from all over the county" to see the beauty of Lake Worth. He hopes that after the class is over, students will go out to eat together or perhaps stay to help clean up the beach.

'Tween Yoga at West Palm Beach library

At the start of the class, the preteens sit in a circle, say their names and
a descriptive word. Plus, like Dylan (right), they got to ring the bells!

 Would preteens like to practice yoga?

To answer that question, I headed to the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach on a Monday evening. The third floor auditorium, site of Yoga for 'Tweens, was buzzing with kids, ages 9-12, of all sizes, shapes and colors.

The instructor, veteran yoga teacher Sara Beth Force, greeted the 'tweens at the door. Her son Eddie passed out books with this title, My Daddy is a Pretzel, to the kids who missed the first class.

Crystal bowls resonate at West Palm Beach yoga class

Judi Love plays her crystal bowls at the Mandel Public Library.

Three crystal bowls were lined up on the stage Saturday in the auditorium of the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach.

The bowls were of varying sizes, making me wonder what the substitute yoga instructor would do with them.

Soon, Judi Love introduced herself and began reading to us and then playing the bowls, made of crushed quartz crystal.

Yoga at Lake Worth beach

Yoga class underway on the northend of the Lake Worth beach

I went to the Lake Worth beach on Sunday morning, expecting to find a yoga class taught by the same instructor who teaches at the Society of the Four Arts.

But Rassika Sabine Bourgi wasn't there.

Instead, I found my old Palm Beach Post pal Ken Bohannon at Beach Yoga by Kerri. Ken and I go way back at the Post, we started there in 1989 as business reporters. 

Exploring renovated Science Center with 9-year-old

The line to get into the Science Center Friday snaked around the building.

The South Florida Science Center and Aquarium created a perfect storm on Friday.

The West Palm Beach center publicized its grand re-opening with a splash in local media outlets and offered free admission for that day, also the first day of summer recess for the 175,000-plus students in Palm Beach County public schools.

At times, it seemed like at least half of those students were waiting on line to get inside and get an up-close-and-personal look at what $5 million would buy. The stories promised an 8,000-gallon aquarium.

Yoga Buds go to moon and return in one hour!

At the start of the Yoga Buds class, few are relaxed.

They came for a yoga class at the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach.

Soon, they blasted off for the moon.

Later in the hour, they returned to earth in a relaxed state of mind.

A new version of Space Oddity (better known as Ground Control to Major Tom)?  

Skating sorority rolling in Lake Worth

Dee Klairs War/
stay-at-home mom

What do a corporate lawyer, an environmental scientist and a stay-at-home mom have in common?

If I told you, they love to roller skate -- what would you guess? If I said they like the full-body contact of this sport, you might correctly guess roller derby. 

The three women from diverse backgrounds love playing for the Dub City Derby Girls.

"What other sport can you be physical with a woman and not get in trouble for it?" says Dee Klairs War (aka Danielle Dodson), one of the founding members of the nearly 4-year old team.

Sparta-Kiss #300/
corporate lawyer

Heat players and young kids turn to yoga

LeBron James

When the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach was searching for more programs to offer patrons, it found articles written about yoga benefits to athletic teams.

Specifically, the Miami Heat basketball team now in the playoffs.

The Heat were NBA champions in 2006 and 2012. At least two of its stars, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, practice yoga in the off-season.

Dwyane Wade

Practicing yoga at Four Arts in Palm Beach

The babbling fountain in the Four Arts garden can be heard
 inside the Pannill Pavilion where the yoga classes are held.

Every time I drive over to Palm Beach, my mind automatically relaxes.

A friend introduced me to The Society of the Four Arts Friday night movies that cost only $5, a real steal to see artsy movies these days.

And when I found out that the Four Arts also offers yoga three mornings a week until May 31, I knew I would be going.

Trying not to snack in Lake Worth

Cheese-flavored puffs used to be my guilty pleasure.

This past year, I've become increasingly aware of how addictive snack foods can be.

Investigative journalist Michael Moss just finished a whole book on how food manufacturers and their scientists conspired to create salty, fatty and sugary foods that target the pleasure centers in our brains, similar to what cocaine does.

His Salt Fat Sugar book makes a compelling case for the food industry's role in our current obesity epidemic -- similar to what the tobacco industry did to hook people on smoking cigarettes. When food manufacturers dialed back one ingredient, reduced the fat as an example, they amped up the other two: sugar and salt.

Exploring Dyer Park near West Palm Beach

Sunday morning provided a brief respite to the sweltering weather of the past few days, making me think it was a perfect day to explore Dyer Park.

Built on a former landfill, west of West Palm Beach, the 560.4-acre park is one of the few places in the county with hills -- other than the bridges that connect the mainland with the barrier islands.

'Waist Watchers' packs theater in Manalapan

"Waist Watchers" cast: Katie Angell Thomas
(in blue), Missy McArdle,  Shelley Keelor,
and Jeanne Bennett (provided)

Even in the 21st Century, most women still wrestle with their body image.

South Florida styles magnify the insecurity because they reveal more of the body shape than in colder climes where sweaters and coats can hide extra pounds.

And then there are slender women here who believe they are too fat as they obsess about how much they eat.

It's no surprise, then, that "Waist Watchers The Musical!" resonates with audiences at the Plaza Theatre in Manalapan. The show is held over until May 12.

Another Strava user in Lake Park, Internet crisis created and solved by AT&T

Zach Wolz at the Tropical Triathlon in Lake Worth (provided)

I am fascinated by the geekiness of cyclists and how data-obsessed the serious ones can be.

Enter Strava, a fitness app that is changing how cyclists ride. It allows cyclists to track their rides and compare their segments with earlier rides or against other cyclists.

"I heard about it through some friends who were using it, and saw some ads for it on TV," says Zach Wolz of the OYM Performance Bicycle Shop in Lake Park.

Ready for National Walking Day in Palm Beach County?

A walking family (Photo provided)

What are you doing this Wednesday to improve your fitness level?

The first Wednesday in April is National Walking Day, designated by the American Heart Association to encourage people to walk more.

The Heart Association touts these grim statistics of our inactive lifestyle:

*65 percent of adults are overweight or obese,

*sedentary jobs are increasing while physically active jobs are decreasing and now make up only 25 percent of our jobs,

*and our average work week is lengthening to approximately 47 hours per week.

Team SpenWen takes walk around Jupiter park

Susan Spencer-Wendel sits surrounded by her SpenWen teammates.

About 50 of Susan Spencer-Wendel's relatives, friends and former co-workers gathered Saturday for a mid-morning walk through Jupiter's Carlin Park.

Walking as Team SpenWen, we raised over $15,000 for ALS Research. Susan who was diagnosed with ALS in June 2011 paid for the team T-shirts as a way of thanking those who joined the walk in her honor.

Susan spent last summer writing her memoir "Until I Say Goodbye" on her iPhone using only her right thumb. It will debut on the March 31 New York Times bestseller list as No. 3 in the hardcover non-fiction category and No. 2 for nonfiction ebooks. She spent her past year making memories with her family and friends.

West Palm Beach entrepreneur vows to create Surfr app

The Surfr app is moving forward, says Internet entrepreneur Nicholas Mohnacky of West Palm Beach.

He is now searching for angel investors or money from a venture capitalist to pay for his Surfr app development. 

He tried to raise $50,000 on Kickstarter, a crowd-source funding site, but raised only $7,037 from 93 backers by the February deadline. 

Building young girls self-esteem in Palm Beach County

Have you heard about Girls on the Run Palm Beach County? The innovative program provides girls, from third through eighth grade, with character development lessons while training them to run a 5K.

The secret, Director Lynn Martin, says is to keep the running fun so that the girls don't even know they are in training.

The county council, part of a national program with over 200 local affiliates, operates out of at least 12 public schools and four community centers in Palm Beach County.

Tips for staying fit while working from home in Lake Worth

I like the freedom and flexible schedule I have while freelancing from my Lake Worth home. 

But I don't like the nearness of my kitchen with its endless possibilities of snacks. I don't buy junk food or diet sodas any more, but even apples have a way of adding to your waistline when you eat more than one a day.

At a Thanksgiving feast last year at my friend's house, I met her cousin who also works from home. When I mentioned my fitness blog, she asked me to write about "Staying fit while working from home" because she's gained extra pounds since she started working from home.

Yoga in Spanish class in West Palm Beach

Yoga instructor Monica Hornung assists students
in the Yoga in Spanish class.

Como se dice "downward dog" en espanol?

I didn't know either, that's why the Yoga in Spanish class intrigued me at the seventh annual Yoga Day in West Palm Beach. The full day of free yoga took place Sunday, Feb. 24, at the Meyer Amphitheatre, near the recently redeveloped waterfront.

I also wanted to experience yoga in another language, trying to feel like a  foreigner in my own land. When I couldn't understand what the instructor was saying, I looked at the students next to me for clues on what to do.

For longtime yoga instructor Monica Hornung, it was the first time she taught a class in Spanish in West Palm Beach. She's taught in Spanish when hosting yoga workshops in Mexico and Venezuela.

She also said there are several ways to describe the yoga positions, depending on what dialect of Spanish you prefer. Plus, there are the Sanskrit position names, which she also gave in Spanish.

Lake Clarke Shores woman checks off private farm tour from bucket list

Husband John pushes Susan into the van
for ride to Green Cay.

Susan Spencer-Wendel didn't know a private farm tour would be part of her bucket list, until Nancy Roe offered one.

Nancy, who runs Green Cay Farm west of Boynton Beach, operates the farm through the community supported agriculture program. She sells subscriptions "shares" to her farm, and in return, subscribers receive produce that she and her crew grow. 

One weekend each February, she opens Green Cay to her subscribers and their friends to see how they grow the vegetables and the innovative methods used to control pests and provide water to the crops.

Nancy graciously offered the private farm tour as an option when I asked whether the farm tour was wheelchair-accessible.

Lake Worth cyclist uses Strava to have fun while competing

Bill Bove (photos provided)

Cyclist Bill Bove was surfing the web one day when he found Strava and tried the app.

"One of the things I like most about the app is I can compare my times on the courses that we race with the times of the younger guys and the pros who do the same race but in different age groups or categories," says Bove, of Lake Worth.

The "performance website" just ended a cycling challenge to its members to ride the most miles in the month of January. 

Over 46,000 riders around the globe participated. Bove came in 16th, riding 2,237.6 miles, the leader from Guadeloupe rode an astonishing 4,029.2 miles. Total miles ridden by cyclists: 12.2 million.

Inflatable colon returns to West Palm Beach waterfront

I wondered whether the inflatable colon would return to the Meyer Amphitheatre for Saturday's Undy 5000. I was happy to see it because the tunnel provided some relief from the winds that were whipping around the West Palm Beach waterfront. 

It was a mere 54 degrees when I left my house in Lake Worth. 

Inflatable colon provides relief from the wind while showing colon cancer cells as scary red blotches.

But I did not go inside the tunnel. Last year, I learned my lesson while walking through that inflatable: Colon cancer is scary ugly, something you definitely don't want to have growing inside you.

Running and spinning in Palm Beach Gardens

Aimee Lucas

Meet Aimee Lucas, a customer consultant who often travels for work but still finds time for her fitness routine. 

She's actually a "customer experience analyst" for the Boston area Temkin Group. That means she researches and consults with companies to improve their customers' experience to increase customer loyalty.

Lucas, of Palm Beach Gardens, took some time from her busy schedule to answer questions about staying fit while keeping a demanding job. 

How does your job affect your running schedule?

The only time my job affects my running is when I am on the road (between 25-40 percent of the time). Often, business travel days are booked from morning to night -- which can limit time to run. Sometimes I'll get up early to squeeze a workout in before the day starts.

But every destination typically has a hotel fitness center -- and sometimes great outdoor locations to run when the weather cooperates. Other times, I just plan ahead and use travel days as rest days.

Surfer app under development in West Palm Beach

When Internet entrepreneur Nick Mohnacky was talking with his surfing buddies about prior sessions, they had a hard time remembering the surfing details. They debated the height of swells, the date, the location and even who was there.

He reasoned it was 2013, and there should be an iPhone app for this. He wanted to record that surfing info in data and photos, but he also wanted alerts when the waves were kicking up at his favorite surfing locations.

As a member of the Pixil Agency in West Palm Beach, Mohnacky was able to call on app designer Noe Ruiz. He created a wireframe, tech talk for a visual representation, of what Mohnacky wanted in the surfing app, including wave height, swell direction, wind speed and direction, and air and water temperature.

The Surfr app uses social media to check surf reports, allow
check-ins, share photos and update a Facebook status.

Running in my undies in West Palm Beach

Inflatable colon was a highlight of last year's Undy 5000.

If you're looking for me on the morning of Saturday, Feb. 2, you can find me running in my boxers on Flagler Drive in West Palm Beach.

I signed up for the Undy 5000 as part of Team Clematis. The 5K Run/Walk  raises money for the Colon Cancer Alliance. The group provides hope, support and awareness to colon cancer patients and their families, while educating people about the need to be tested early. They are giving out boxers to 5K participants to call attention to the area that colon cancer affects. Hence the name, Undy 5000.

Healthy start to New Year in West Palm Beach

Patti Kadis and her dog Lily in the Run and Roll store

While many people were just crawling out of bed Tuesday morning, a dedicated group of about 70 met at the Run and Roll store in West Palm Beach.

The free, 3-mile family fun run/walk started precisely at 10 a.m. on New Year's Day with a countdown outside the fitness wear store in the 300 block of Clematis Street. The event was sponsored by the store and the Palm Beach RoadRunners group.

Store owner Patti Kadis says she also sponsors other fitness activities throughout the week. On Tuesday evenings, a group of power walkers meet at the store. Wednesday evenings are for runners, as are Saturday mornings. Kadis, who has been a runner for over 4 decades, recently moved her story from CityPlace, a shopping and entertainment complex about .5 mile southwest of downtown.