Men, this one’s for you… our special Men’s Wellness issue. Ladies, please pass this issue along to beloved men in your life after making the most of relevant news, calendars and articles.

We lead off with 25 ways men can take charge of achieving a better and longer life for themselves. Dr. Mehmet Oz delivers solid information in accessible sound bites, so that you can make informed decisions about your health, fitness and general well-being. It’s easy to check yourself against this list to see how you’re doing and might improve.

For most of my life I’ve been blessed with good health and readily kept myself in decent physical shape by including exercise in my daily routine. I never expected it to be tough to stay in shape. But in recent years, I’ve caught myself finding more reasons why I can’t find an hour a day to work out and infinite justifications to treat myself to another Tastykake.

Waking to my new reality, I now realize that unless I take responsibility for my own personal well-being, it won’t “just all work out” by itself. With grocery aisles loaded with unhealthy processed foods and fructose corn syrup, I can no longer take anything for granted. I need to educate myself and make better choices as to how I nourish myself and care for my body, especially as the years go by.
I was happy to attend the Healthy Grocer’s 15-year anniversary celebration in May, as well as one of the workshops on that day. There, Debra Coulston and Dr. Jessica Shoemaker from The Family Wellness Center furthered my education with their compelling presentation on nutrition (like me, Debra grew up on Tastykakes).

Probably the easiest step in eating healthy for me is becoming a customer of BHealthy Meals. Like most of us, I’m generally on the go and pressed for time, and Leslie Bures’ service supplies me with delicious prepared meals that are not only organic, but sourced locally.

In addition to good nutrition and regular exercise, the next step in my self-care puzzle was finding an enlightened one-stop medical provider. I know that you’ll join me in welcoming Capstone Medical Associates to our Natural Awakenings community. Dr. Jeffrey Backenstoes’ new practice in Palmyra integrates top-drawer traditional and complementary medical options, while educating and treating patients, not symptoms. I’m also glad to know the forerunner of holistic dentistry in central Pennsylvania, Dr. Pentti Nupponen. We all like the U.S. government’s new move away from mercury amalgam tooth fillings.

As local author Doug Eadline clues us into what it’s like to be a real man, we wish a Happy Father’s Day to dads everywhere, including my own dad, Simon, shown here. Growing up, my brothers and I were often up at 5 a.m. to accompany him on his Tastykake delivery route; after 50 years of indulging, some habits are hard to break.

We love you Dad,

Dave Korba, Publisher