Healthy Living

Up a river with a paddle and friend

Facebook groups bring paddle boarders and kayakers together while providing a sense of community. Photos provided by Katie Hays. Their stories of paddling down lakes, rivers, and springs spark intrigue. The pictures and videos are breathtaking. Rhesus monkeys scurrying up…

Healthy Inspiration: Victorious loser

Erica Majors weighs in on her life-changing transformation. It’s the small changes in life that have Erica Majors living large. Attending social functions without fear of others staring at her. Feeling more motivated and energetic. Going from a size ten…

Healthy Inspiration: Tim Totten

Lake County’s masked man comes to rescue with over 30,000 masks. Photos: Nicole Hamel Tim Totten, owner of Final Embrace, found a creative solution when hospitals and health facilities were quickly running out of personal protective equipment (PPE) and n95…

A shot in the right direction

Lake County, state officials working together on getting as many people vaccinated as possible. Photos: Nicole Hamel A few months ago, Betty Lemley arrived at her new doctor’s office in Leesburg carrying a cardboard sign reading “Will work for food” with…

Healthy Inspiration: Hungry to help others

Needy get filled, volunteer couple in Mount Dora get fulfilled. For 18 years since retiring to Florida from North Dakota, Cal and Shirley Rolfson are pretty much living the dream. They enjoy a decent lifestyle in Mount Dora, they are…

Food as medicine

A diet of 80% whole foods does a body good. Food as medicine is by no means a new concept. The idea derives from 5th century science and Hippocrates, the “founder of medicine,” who reportedly originated the phrase “Let food…

Healthy Inspiration: The Healer

Clermont woman devotes life to healing mind, body and spirit by targeting trapped emotions. Photos: Nicole Hamel Salina Rubio’s curiosity was sparked the moment she heard about The Emotion Code, nearly two years ago. The Clermont resident was intrigued while…

Farm to Skin Plant-Based Makeup

Health diagnosis leads Eustis woman to start skincare brand with natural, homegrown ingredients. Photos: Anthony Rao Patricia Walker began paying closer attention to what she was putting into and onto her body after being diagnosed with thyroid disease in 2004.…

Healthy Inspiration: Feel the beat

Clermont woman spreading the healing joy of drumming. Photo: Nicole Hamel Marcela Malvido is known for drumming on her African djembe, or anything else she can tap a rhythm on. Marcela drums daily, and recently started the Clermont Drumming Circle,…

Seeing double

In Lake County, a set of twin first responders are ready and raring to save the day, but can you tell them apart? Photos: Nicole Hamel As kids, twin brothers Zach and Austin Sullivan frequently caused confusion since they looked so very…