LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT—AND WE CAN HELP.

The late John Lennon hit the nail on the head when he said, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.”

It seems like yesterday I was a high school student typing in bowling results at the once-great Kokomo (Ind.) Tribune. You’ll notice I said “typing”, not keying. Yes, we used electric typewriters in 1976.

Across the room, furiously puffing his beloved briar pipe and scratching his flattop, sat Sports Editor Bob Ford, wearing enormous Harry Caray eyeglasses and a cardigan sweater.

Ford was a treasure, a crusty veteran who embraced change like we welcome lovebugs. “Burrhead Bob” had been around, so when he dispensed pearls of wisdom, us young pups clung to his words like a man grabbing the rail of a departing train.

Ford didn’t have much use for mouthy upstarts like me, but he’d occasionally offer a life lesson. For instance, each Thanksgiving Eve he’d tell me, “Don’t fall into a turkey’s butt,” although he didn’t say “butt.”

Ford was a character. And a brilliant writer. But he didn’t know much about healthy living. He was never part of the community he covered. His routine never varied. He’d leave at 5, drive to the Elks Club, knock back a few scotches, tell some dirty jokes, and be home by 6:30. Then he’d drink martinis, eat dinner, and walk the dog.

There was an entire world waiting to be explored, but Ford wasn’t interested. One day, someone mentioned Kmart. “Where’s that?” Ford asked. I nearly fell out of my chair. Kmart was on the main highway of the city Ford had lived in for 23 years. Couldn’t miss it. And it had been there for 20 years.

I’m happy to say I never fell into a turkey carcass. But that’s about the only piece of Ford’s advice I followed.

You see, I’ve been well acquainted with every Kmart in every town in which I’ve lived in. Dittos for the best BBQ stand, most popular thrift shop, that honest mechanic, most spirited ball team, and laziest public park. I immerse myself in my surroundings, and I get to know people. It’s my responsibility as a writer to do so.

So don’t be surprised if I show up on your doorstep to see what’s happening in your life. I’ll be asking how you maintain your physical, spiritual, financial, and mental health.

Understand that this magazine will never be filler and fluff. Healthy Living belongs to you, and we refuse to fill these pages with syndicated material by writers who can’t find Central Florida with a GPS.

Our staff is dedicated to plugging into the community to pinpoint issues and find secrets to success — in all facets of life. So tell us what’s working for you. I’d love to hear from you.

Life does indeed happen when we are busy making plans, but it doesn’t have to pass us by. Count on us to show you how to be stronger, wealthier, wiser, and healthier.

KENDRA AKERS publisher/editor-in-chief kendra@akersmediagroup.com

DOUG AKERS vice president doug@akersmediagroup.com

JAMIE EZRA MARK chief creative officer jamie@akersmediagroup.com

EDITORIAL // DESIGN // PHOTOGRAPHY

GARY CORSAIR executive editor gary@akersmediagroup.com

SHEMIR WILES managing editor/writer shemir@akersmediagroup.com

MARY ANN D ESANTIS editor-at-large maryann@akersmediagroup.com

JAMES COMBS staff writer james@akersmediagroup.com

FRED LOPEZ chief photographer fred@akersmediagroup.com

MATTHEW GAULIN photography assistant matt@akersmediagroup.com

STEVEN J. CODRARO associate creative director steve@akersmediagroup.com

JOSH CLARK senior designer/advertising josh@akersmediagroup.com

ANTHONY CASTO senior designer/editorial anthony@akersmediagroup.com

MICHAEL GAULIN production director michael@akersmediagroup.com

CONTRIBUTING contributing writers RICHARD T. BOSSHARDT, MD, FACS RICHARD BURGUET

RUTH ANN BYRD LORI ESAREY, ARNP, CFT ROBERT AND THOMAS FROSS

ANGELA GIANGROSSI

FRED HILTON contributing photographers SHAENA CHASTAIN RON VANDEVANDER

SALES // MARKETING

TIM MCRAE vice president of sales and marketing tim@akersmediagroup.com

MIKE STEGALL senior marketing representative mike@akersmediagroup.com

LORI STRONG marketing representative lori@akersmediagroup.com

MELANIE MELVIN marketing director melanie@akerscreative.com

HEIDI RESSLER marketing representative heidi@akersmediagroup.com

AUBREY AKERS production coordinator aubrey@akersmediagroup.com

LACEY MORGAN marketing assistant lacey@akerscreative.com

ADMINISTRATION

TINA MORRISON office manager tina@akersmediagroup.com

BRITTANY BUELL administrative assistant brittany@akersmediagroup.com

DISTRIBUTION

SCOTT HEGG distribution manager scott.hegg@akersmediagroup.com

Until next time,

Gary Corsair

Until next time, Corsair

Executive Editor

What Causes Those

‘HOUND DOG EYES?’

WRITER: FRED HILTON

You have to love small-market television newscasts. They are more entertaining than most sitcoms. Every member of the news team is desperately trying to develop some special onair persona that will attract the attention of a large-market station. All of them are looking for some signature phrase that will set them apart from the competition and land them a big metro job.

Sportscasters are the main culprits. One that I used to watch on a small-market station stood out from the rest. When he was on the air, he would literally bounce up and down as if he really, really needed to go to the bathroom. And he had a couple of those “signature” phrases. One of them popped up every time he would talk about a NASCAR driver of the ’80s and ’90s named Ernie Irvan. Irvan was a successful driver and had a distinctive appearance: big puffy black bags under his eyes. Whenever the frenetic sportscaster would introduce a story about Irvan, he would seem to levitate in his chair and shout, “Ernie Irvan, the man with the hound dog eyes!”

Once I fi nished giggling I realized many people have bags under their eyes, but what causes them?

There can be plenty of reasons. “Puffy or swollen eyes can be caused by fl uid retention, stress, allergies, hormone changes, and other factors,” wrote Dr. William Goldstein for Eye Health Web. “Other times we get puffy eyes after sleeping. This can be caused by too much sodium in the diet, which causes water retention. Puffy eyes can also be caused by lack of sleep or excessive alcohol intake.”

You can treat puffy eyes in several ways, including ice packs, limiting sodium intake, increasing vitamin intake, and drinking plenty of water to clean out your system.

The main reason people get puffy eyes, however, is something we cannot control. Sarah Siddons for How Stuff Works states, “One of the biggest reasons people get bags under their eyes is their parents have them. It’s in your genes and aside from plastic surgery there’s not much that can be done about it. As you get older, bags under your eyes will become a more permanent fi xture.”

If you do have puffy eyes, keep in mind that does not make you a NASCAR driver and you absolutely cannot drive at 135 miles per hour on I-75. The Florida Highway Patrol frowns upon that.