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Women's Lifestyle Magazine

Women's LifeStyle January 2020 - ROAD WARRIORS

Jan 01, 2020 07:20PM ● By Two Eagles Marcus
With the dawn of the new year comes a renewed desire to make decisions that have a positive impact on our well-being and that of those around us. Often this means setting goals to eat better, exercise more and engage in mentally stimulating activities, as opposed to allowing binging and scrolling to eat up our free moments. We get it, and we are rooting for you! With this edition, we want to accompany you on your journey of health and wellness. We want to help you make the right choices for your body, encourage you to keep going and inspire you to forgive yourself when you fall short. We want to make you feel like you can accomplish anything because we believe you can. 

On page 14, WLM columnist and personal trainer Kelsey Akiyama brings solid steps on how to set — and achieve — goals that serve you. In “Meet the Road Warriors,” we introduce you to four women who are a part of a specially selected team of runners who are raising money for charity and serving as ambassadors as they train for the Amway River Bank Run. The article is the first in a series in which we will take you along on their journey as they train to run the nation’s largest 25K on May 9 (16). 

Laura Armenta is known to her students as “The Barefoot Queen” named for

her proclivity for dance styles that connect our bodies with the earth. Armenta has been teaching dance and yoga in Grand Rapids for 25 years and holds firm in
her belief that movement is a means of connecting with our humanity and
sharing experiences. 

Turn to page 22 to learn about the YWCA Nurse Examiner Program, which supports an individual’s health during one of the most traumatic periods of their lives: post-sexual assault. The program serves more than 500 people each year, providing medical care and counseling services at no cost to victims. 

As usual, we bring you the latest the city has to offer in our event listings and spotlights starting on page 30. 

We are excited to embark on another year with you; to bring you stories of women creating a positive impact through their passions, careers, and benevolence; to highlight local organizations that lay pathways to indulge in the arts, philanthropy and learning; and to provide you with a big invitation to enjoy life, every day, in our community. 

Happy reading and Happy New Year!