Wellness

Bikes for everyone: Great Rides Bike Share is here

March 11th, 2015

Tom Smith and Sara Watson Curry / Photo by Abigail Maki

Fargo is set to gain its first-ever bike share program this spring, providing a healthy new way to get around the city.

Great Rides Bike Share allows members and guests to check out bicycles. Managed by Great Rides Fargo, it will officially launch Sunday, March 15. Great Northern Bicycle Co., which will maintain the bicycles, also won the bid to build the stations around town.

Bike share programs are pretty simple.

Photo by Abigail Maki

Members will have a card that they can swipe at stations to check out…

Extreme Air

January 28th, 2015

Last Sunday was a warm, clear, perfect day so Diane and I dusted off our snowboards and ventured to the newly reopened Detroit Mountain in Detroit Lakes. The mountain closed in 2004, but, due to local rallying and fundraising, it has been reopened with new management and a new vision.

The recreation area includes two new three-person lifts, two magic carpets, two rope tows, a Scheels Terrain Park, tubing, rentals, night skiing, a cafe replete with beer and wine bar, outdoor bonfire pits,…

Supplements: The Argument for Vitamin D

January 28th, 2015

Vitamin D supplementation has taken off in alternative medicine in the last five years. The primary function of Vitamin D is to regulate levels of calcium and phosphorous, which promote bone health, in the body.

What has captivated the public and scientists is the potential role of Vitamin D supplementation in improving immune function and numerous diseases. There are increasing studies associating Vitamin D deficiency to certain cancers, cardiovascular disease, dementia and other…

Bundle up for a winter bike rice

January 21st, 2015

Fifth annual B-B-BRRR Winter Classic Bicycle Race

Who’s afraid of a little cold? Not F-M area cyclists brave enough to compete in the B-B-BRRR Winter Classic Bicycle Race.

With the temperatures dropping, roads getting icy and the snow building in drifts, it is finally beginning to resemble a true North Dakota winter here in the Fargo-Moorhead region.

And while some people may loathe the cold weather, many area cyclists just see it as another opportunity to get out on their bicycles. And…

The elderly need our care

November 28th, 2014

By Adria Rheault

Do you remember the days when your mom and dad would work late so they could afford to put a meal on the table? What about all the times you needed a ride somewhere? A lot of us forget all the things our parents used to do for us when we were growing up. The things I have witnessed working in the retirement home is absolutely heartbreaking. The sadness I hear from my tenants about not getting calls from their children, or their children being too busy to stop by or…

Sleep for your health

November 19th, 2014

Who hasn’t had a rough morning after a night of poor sleep? Brush it off, have a cup of coffee and make it through the day. However, when it’s a persistent problem things can compound. It’s estimated 50-70 million Americans suffer from a chronic sleep disorder. Issues with sleep can be especially problematic for college students. Staying up late then struggling to make it to that 8 a.m. class day after day is a vicious cycle.

The reasons and mechanisms of sleep are still largely…

A year of MNsure

November 12th, 2014

Open enrollment begins again Nov. 15

Minnesotans know that MNsure wasn’t perfect when it was enacted last October. There was a media bombardment attacking its website issues, long wait time, data breaches, limitations on plans, fraud, administrative scandals, etc. Today, however, the program has smoothed over the rough patches.

At the Family Service Center of Clay County in Moorhead, there are nine trained assisters through a group called Lakes and Prairies Community Action Partnership.…

Under Prussia

October 22nd, 2014

Photo by Raul Gomez

Mariah Prussia is 3-0. She’s a professional Mixed Martial Arts fighter from Fargo. She’s, in fact, the first sanctioned female MMA fighter in the state. And she’s only been in the cage for one year.

On Saturday, Oct. 25, Prussia will go up against Colorado’s top amateur fighter, recently gone professional, Summer Bradshaw, at the Scheels Arena.

What’s MMA? It’s kickboxing. It’s wrestling. It’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu. It’s judo. It’s taekwondo and more. It’s two similar…

Talking about suicide

September 18th, 2014

Nine years ago, the Weilers, of Fargo, lost one of their family members to suicide during a time when even saying the word “suicide” was difficult for people in the community.

As one of the organizers of today’s most well attended suicide walk in North Dakota, Out of The Darkness, Brenda Weiler, nine years ago, had difficulty even approaching the media for coverage when it first started.

Today, talking about suicide is met with much less resistance, and Brenda said that’s a small…

Local doctor’s view E-cigarettes

December 12th, 2013

Sales of electronic cigarettes are expected to reach $1.7 billion this year. Many smokers are turning to this odor-free, vapor-releasing instrument as a safer alternative to cigarettes, but many health experts are skeptical.

HPR turned to local e-cig expert Dr. Brody Maack from Family HealthCare to answer a few questions this new product.

HPR: Why are the FDA and health experts so concerned about a product that seems like a much safer alternative to cigarettes?

Dr. Brody Maack: The main…