In the fall of 2007, I was hired as Utah State University’s Employee Wellness Director. Soon after, I began writing a monthly wellness column for The Herald Journal. Here it is, 12 years later, with over 140 articles published. As I reviewed them for this, my last column, I surprised myself …

There’s been a recent surge in promotions for vegetarian burgers. Veggie burgers aren’t new. For centuries, vegetarians experimented with combinations of grains, nuts, and oils to perfect a tasteful patty. The original Gardenburger (a blending of brown rice, mushrooms, and rolled oats) was a…

As I help steady my 9-month old grandson’s hand, guiding his little spoon to his mouth, I am utterly filled with joy. As a new grandparent, I never knew life could be this good! I love that he’s eating (or tasting) everything I offer him — oatmeal with peanut butter and bananas, peach chunks…

Wouldn’t it be super cool if quick fixes to your health actually worked? You could do whatever you want, and eat whatever you desire. Then, when you find that you can’t bend over and tie your shoes anymore, or you have constant heartburn, or your medical tests just confirmed that you have Ty…

Along with hundreds of other people, I completed the 50-mile Cache Gran Fondo bike ride a few weeks ago. Wow! Some of the bicycles there cost more than my car is worth!

“Water is life” is a phrase that exists in some form throughout the world, both in language and culture. Few would deny the fundamental importance of water to people, and indeed, to all living organisms.

Editor’s note: The following column is part 2 of a two-part series on sleep. The first installment ran on May 7.

Editor’s note: The following column is part 1 of a two-part series on sleep. The second column will run in June.

Julia, 12, of Logan, tested her physical endurance on Saturday at Utah State University’s Maverik Stadium as she crawled on her hands and knees under steel hurdles, completed pushups and kicked a football into a goal post.

We are not great at evaluating our own health. Sure, our sniffles tell us if we have a cold, and back pain is pretty obvious. However, we probably tell ourselves that we weigh less and exercise more than we really do. The 2017 Utah Health Values Study noted that only 45 percent of people in …

Compared to the summer months, I always feel housebound during Utah’s winters. It’s not that I’m inactive. Rather, the limited daylight hours put a cramp in my style. I like running up Green Canyon on early summer mornings. I enjoy riding my bike around the neighborhood with my hubby, Robert…

The seasons help us schedule and plan our lives. Currently, we are enjoying the football season — Go Aggies! The camping and fishing seasons are winding down, and ski season is just over the horizon. Unfortunately, flu season is upon us (don’t forget your flu shot), and the upcoming holiday …

Road trip — You pack your bag, gas up the car and set off. Maybe you are anticipating Aunt Martha’s pineapple pancakes on her birthday, or freshly caught Montana trout. It could be a short trip to Boise, or a much longer journey to New Orleans. In any case, you probably are going to pack som…

I consider myself a “glass half full” kind of person. I tend to be upbeat and positive about things around me. My laugh is hearty and full, I smile a lot and I like to be mindful. I make sure I walk by my favorite flower beds, rejoice in the crows and magpies that sing in the mornings and ha…

In May you might have noticed a change in signage and labeling at your favorite restaurants. On May 7, a federal rule by the Food and Drug Administration went into effect, requiring “… restaurants and similar retail food establishments that are part of a chain with 20 or more locations... pr…

ODGEN, Utah (AP) — If anybody needed cheering up, it was Kim Call.

“I could not say I believe. I know! I have had the experience of being gripped by something that is stronger than myself, something that people call God. …I find that all my thoughts circle around God like the planets around the sun and are as irresistibly attracted by Him. I would feel it t…

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. military officials have sought to ward off congressional efforts to address child-on-child sexual assaults on bases, even as they disclose that the problem is larger than previously acknowledged.

Three years ago, Gail Williamsen visited Utah State University and saw what help it had to offer for people with disabilities and fostering clinical research.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Acting Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie said Tuesday the messy room and long wait times provided to an Army veteran at a Salt Lake City VA clinic were “unacceptable,” and that he was intervening in the case.

More than 300 pairs of children’s shoes were displayed at the Cache County Courthouse on Monday, one for each substantiated case of child abuse in the county in 2017.

When Alice Hillyard had her son, Matt, and doctors told her he had Down syndrome, she had never heard of it.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah Gov. Gary Herbert said Thursday he opposes ballot initiatives allowing medical marijuana and expanding Medicaid in his state but is OK with two other potential measures that may come before voters.

PRESTON — Mayor Mark Beckstead said rural towns either grow or die. With a 15,000-square-foot expansion of the Franklin County Medical Center underway, Preston is choosing to grow.

POCATELLO — A Pocatello woman who made international headlines in 2015 after she was fired from her job as a middle school cafeteria worker just days before Christmas has died.

Students in Logan City School District who qualify for reduced-price school lunches will no longer have to pay for lunch at all, after a school board vote to eliminate reduced-price lunch charges.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A medicine made from the marijuana plant moved one step closer to U.S. approval Thursday after federal health advisers endorsed it for the treatment of severe seizures in children with epilepsy.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The push for legalized marijuana has moved into Utah and Oklahoma, two of the most conservative states in the country, further underscoring how quickly feelings about marijuana are changing in the United States.

It’s a sign of the times that choosing the food in our diet has become a complicated activity.

Most kids spent last week looking forward to chocolate and Easter egg hunts, but 5-year-old Elliot Sherlock was excited for something else.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s selection of his White House doctor to run the massive Department of Veterans Affairs triggered concern Thursday among lawmakers and veterans groups about whether he has the experience to manage an agency paralyzed over Trump’s push to expand private care.

On Wednesday afternoon, Cache Valley students braved the rain on the USU Quad to raise awareness of the dangers associated with tobacco use as part of Kick Butts Day, an annual event organized by the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Women in conservative Utah will soon be able to get birth control directly from a pharmacist rather than visiting a doctor each time they want to obtain or renew a prescription, a move taken by only a few other states, many of them liberal.

SALT LAKE CITY

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke told tribal leaders in the Phoenix area on Monday that federal law enforcement will work with them to fight distribution of opioid drugs in Indian country.

On Monday inside the Taggart Student Center at Utah State University, Mollie Embody observed a wall covered in Polaroid pictures and tried to decide where to place the one just taken of her.

Whenever she comes to Smith’s Marketplace in Logan, Dreena Barker, who has multiple sclerosis and uses a wheelchair, always gets a helping hand from cashier and friend Janie Curtis.

Last night at the George C. Eccles Ice Center, no truer champion could have been crowned.

Scott Lawson has lost a brother, an uncle and a good friend to suicide — two of them related to post-traumatic stress or other mental illness from their time in the military.

A potentially lifesaving drug that temporarily reverses the effects of an opioid overdose will be available for free next week at a local outpatient recovery center.

In Logan, my household consists of hubby Robert, our 2 cats and me. I take responsibility for my family’s wellness. I practice what I preach and I encourage Robert to live well. Luckily for me, Robert sees the benefits of a good diet, regular exercise, stress management and keeping me happy.…

A Utah State University student’s recent research could eventually result in ending side effects of diabetes.

Have you ever noticed that when adults are socializing, if someone mentions that they are struggling with a mental health issue, it’s usually greeted with about as much enthusiasm as if the person had offered to show everyone their rash?

Jason and Lacey Fellows of Weston have been through more than many in their journey of parenthood.

In 2017, I had the opportunity to check off a bucket list item by living and working on a luxury cruise liner for 14 weeks. This experience was thrilling, amazing and inspiring.