Fitness

Your Healthiest Year Yet

Expert Tips from Local Healthcare Pros – Mind, Body and Everything in Between Article by Lynette Confer As we head into a new year, Bend Lifestyle magazine took a moment to check in with a few of our trusted local healthcare professionals—people who spend their days helping us feel our best. We asked each provider the same two questions (see below), knowing their answers would reflect both their expertise and the real-life habits that keep them healthy and grounded. What they shared is...

Life + Culture

Wellness in a Glass

Delicious Drinks Crafted with Nutrient Dense Ingredients to Support Health Article by Julie E. Furnas After months of indulging in rich foods, holiday desserts and festive cocktails, the new year often brings seasonal mood changes, fatigue and unwanted weight gain. For both practical and symbolic reasons, January is the ideal time to hit the restart button and commit to a new year of better mental and physical health. “The best way to reset after the holidays isn’t through extremes, it’s...

Wellness

Don’t Miss a Sound!

New Hearing Aid Technologies Lead the Way to Better Overall Health Article by Sue Baldani While most people go to the doctor every year for their annual physicals, and have their eyes and teeth checked regularly, many others overlook a critical step in their healthcare routines – hearing tests. Because hearing loss is usually a gradual process, it is often something people don’t notice for a while. Some issues may stem from years of working in a noisy profession or from attending concerts and...

Life + Culture

Oregon Inspired Holiday Recipes

Local Flavors and Seasonal Ingredients to Add a Twist to Your Traditional Meal Article by Julie E. Furnas When we think of a traditional holiday meal, classic dishes come to mind – oven roasted or smoked turkey, baked ham, stuffing, seasonal vegetables, mashed, sweet potatoes, rich gravy, warm rolls and perhaps a casserole or two. Like most states, Oregon boasts a unique cuisine that deeply influences our state’s culture, daily eating habits and our holiday traditions. Our natural, rich...

Arts + Culture

The Greatest Gift: Time

Giving More Presence and Less Presents to Bring Meaning and True Connection to the Holidays Article by Lynette Confer For many, the holiday season is wrapped in equal parts magic and frantic busyness, with the true meaning of the season often lost in between. As calendars fill and to-do lists grow, finding that perfect gift for everyone on the list often becomes a challenge and a chore. But what if instead of giving more material things, we gave something far more valuable—our time. What if...

Arts + Culture

Cocktails and Cocoa

Elevate Your Holiday Entertaining with a Festive Cocktail Bar for Adults and a Whimsical Hot Cocoa Bar Kids Will Love Article by Julie E. Furnas There is a long history of clinking glasses during the holidays, toasting to prosperity and wealth, dating back to ancient midwinter festivals with communal, spiced warm drinks like mulled wines and old English ‘wassail’ or cider blended with apples, oranges and spices. As trade routes expanded in the Middle Ages and other spirits became more...

Arts + Culture

A Wreath of Your Own

Handcrafted Evergreen Wreaths to Welcome the Spirit of the Holiday Season Article by Lynette Confer This holiday season, sprinkle a bit of magic into your home with a handcrafted evergreen wreath. There is something timeless about gathering fragrant boughs, weaving them into shape on a circular frame, and adding elegant, even whimsical, accents like ribbons, berries, or ornaments. Whether you are using trimmings from a tree your family cut by hand, or selecting greenery from a local craft...

Life + Culture

Precision Medicine in Bend

Interventional Radiology: A Field Forged in Innovation and Fueled by Collaboration Article by Allison Zaslow | Photography by Benjamin Edwards Photography In the high-tech world of modern medicine, few specialties embody innovation like Interventional Radiology (IR). Once a little-known branch of diagnostic imaging, IR is now one of the most dynamic and rapidly advancing areas of patient care—addressing a wide range of conditions with precision, efficiency, and compassion. And here in Bend...

Arts + Culture

Capturing Moments in Time

Local Photographer Transforms Fleeting Moments Into Lasting Treasures for Families Article by Sue Baldani For award-winning photographer Natalie Stephenson, her love for capturing images all began when she received her first camera as a young girl. “I got my first point-and-shoot at age 9 and loved photographing everything—mostly family and pets,” she says. When her mother started taking photography classes at the community college, she admired her printed black and white work and tried to...

Arts + Culture

Thanksgiving on the Go

Gratitude and Traditions Don’t Need an Address Article by Lynette Confer Thanksgiving does not have to mean a crowded kitchen and the perfect table setting surrounded by four walls. Gratitude is a state of mind and can go anywhere you do. For a growing number of people enjoying RV or van life, living life on the road might mean finding ways to adapt holiday traditions, or even create new ones. You can still have the turkey and pie, just with a dash of wanderlust. Recent statistics show an...