So many articles focus on the wonderful food, herbs and spices that make up part of Ayurveda. Did you know there are body treatments as well?

You know that feeling when your mind finally lets go of something it's been chewing on for hours? The thought that wouldn't unhook, the rerun of a conversation, the worry that wouldn't quit…

These six specific movements stay in my week, every week and they also are ideal for travel prep. The point is that on day two of the trip I'm not wincing about my hips, or compensating for a sore back from a long flight, or skipping a hike because my calves are cramping. These exercises protect the investment you’ve made in your travel, so you can freely enjoy all your planned holiday has to offer.

On Crescent Island in Lake Naivasha, there are no large predators. So when you walk among the giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, and eland, no one’s heart rate is up — yours included. They graze. You walk.

I grew up outside a small university town in Connecticut, on a dead-end road far from any traffic. Our yard had trees, a vegetable garden, and a river running through the back. In summer the leaves were thick enough that we couldn't see the neighbors' houses — we were inside nature, not beside it. The sounds were birds and water.

I've been finding my way back to that ever since. Time present in nature is a cure — it soothes what aches in the soul. It's also prevention: real, measurable, physical change in the brain and body.

Since having children — and then watching them move out into their own lives — the first time I really noticed I was on vacation, it was day two…

Before you go anywhere — a two-week adventure abroad or a Saturday hike along the Patapsco — your body is already packed. It’s the one piece of luggage you can’t leave behind. Is it prepared?.