The Bloom — health

Like everybody else, I’ve got it in my head to live forever. And just like everybody else, there’s no way I’m gonna. But that doesn’t mean I’m not gonna to try. And it starts with taking care of myself now so when my bones start to creak in a few dozen years, they’ll creak a whole lot less. I think it’s good advice no matter where you are on life’s journey. Except that conventional health wisdom changes faster than dresses during a pre-night-out fashion crisis. One day, fats are the enemy. The next, carbs. Or not. Who knows? Not me....

When I was a kid, more than one teacher said I was a daydreamer. They didn’t mean it as a compliment. It was their way of accusing me of lacking focus and having a wandering mind. And I did—it’s always been a little too easy for my thoughts to take off on a little meandering head trip of their own no matter what’s going on around me. I spent years worrying about it, convinced that I was a little too spacey for my own good and that I needed to really focus on focusing or there’d be trouble. After all,...

The hunt for the healthiest possible me continues. And so far that quest is taking place at the salad bar. Because it’s farmer's market season, and salads are fresh. Salads are cheap. Salads are quick. But I gotta say… eat enough of them and salads are boring. The usual lettuce-tomato-onion-carrot-cucumber routine wilts quick. And while I know it’s about the best thing I can feed my body, my other less helpful self is screaming for something—anything—to break up the monotony. Forget dressings—that’s caloric fluff wrapped in a fat bomb. Croutons are carb cubes. And though I love those crispy little-fried...

Check this out. It’s a portrait of yoga insanity my teacher shared with the class last night called the Double Buddhasana. I know, right? I hurt myself just looking at it. My first thought was somebody’s going to need a good orthopedic surgeon. My second was that person won’t ever be me because there’s just no way. I mean, seriously. Did you see that pose? My instructor said you actually have to have somebody help you into it. That’s how hard it is. Then again… maybe that’s the point. Because for me yoga is all about the challenge. It’s not...