Nicole's blog

In the past two years, I haven't taken a single sick day. I've run two half marathons, completed a triathlon, and dabbled in yoga and Pilates. Until last month, the closest I'd come to being unwell was when I wiped out during a run, and scraped up my hands and knees.

Recently I realized how much I've taken my good health for granted. I was training for the Chicago Marathon, putting in about 45 miles a week, when my body started breaking down. It started with plantar fasciitis (left foot), followed by bursitis (right knee), a pulled (right) hamstring and most recently, illiotibial band syndrome (left knee).

I always find the end of summer to be painful. You can bribe me with all the cozy sweaters and cute boots in the world, but I’ll still be mourning my tank tops and flip-flops come September. There is, however, one thing I get excited for every fall: Apple picking.

When I moved to Michigan two years ago, I was clueless about where I was going to live. People suggested Royal Oak, Ferndale, Berkley, Birmingham and several other cities, but not one person steered me toward downtown Detroit. 

I ended up settling in Royal Oak, just one block north of downtown and walking distance from plenty of bars, restaurants and shops. I chose the location mainly because it was full of young people, and I figured I would make friends there.

With the Phelps phenomenon last week and Usain Bolt’s lightning-fast sprints this week, the 2008 Olympics have at times been a one-man show (at least on NBC). While these star athletes have no doubt deserved the attention, there’s one local Olympian whose story I’d love to see in the spotlight.

Starting tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET, Livonia native Sheila Taormina will be competing in the sport of modern pentathlon, an event that includes fencing, pistol shooting, swimming, show jumping and running. Taormina has already competed in three Summer Olympic Games, in swimming in 1996 and in triathlon in 2000 and 2004, making her the first person to qualify for the Olympics in three sports.

If you haven’t already heard, this year’s classic cruisin’ events go far beyond the two-day Woodward Dream Cruise. Nine days of automotive festivities, dubbed Cruisin’ MotorCities, kick off this weekend with the Detroit Festival of Speed and Style.

Ever eat nothing but veggies and Diet Coke to prep for the beach, only to look like a water balloon in your swimsuit? You're probably bloated, and your diet of broccoli and bean sprouts wasn't so brilliant after all.

Men’s Health recently ran a story on the worst swimsuit foods, asking the authors of Eat This, Not That! to identify the six worst foods for the beach or pool. Most of them were pretty obvious, but there were a few things that surprised me. If you’re planning to show off that bikini bod this weekend, you might want to check out this list. 

Back in April, I blogged about a local women’s running group, the Dirt Road Divas, and its founder, Christine Hughes.  I know not everyone is a runner, but the Divas are doing something really special this weekend -- for a really important cause.

Some of the Dirt Road Divas

When I read last week that police in Flint were arresting guys for wearing saggy pants, I couldn’t help but think of how many more severe fashion crimes go unchecked.

Flint Police Chief David Dicks announced that officers would arrest anyone whose low-riding pants exposed underwear, boxers or bare bottoms, calling the crime “indecent exposure.”

Bare bottoms, yes – give 'em a ticket. Tightie-whities, maybe (depends on the guy). But how does catching a glimpse of some guy’s SpongeBob SquarePants boxer shorts cause any public nuisance?

When’s the last time you took a vacation? If you’ve been “saving up” for Vegas since you turned legal or finishing each year with unused PTO, you may be hurting your health.

Using data from a Framingham, Mass., heart study, researchers recently found that women who took a vacation once every six years or less were almost eight times more likely to develop heart disease or have a heart attack than those who took at least two vacations a year.

When I vowed back in February that I would do a triathlon this summer, the only hurdle I anticipated was how I would swim half a mile when I could barely manage 100 yards. When the YMCA lifeguards stopped pacing nervously during my swim workouts about a month later, I figured surely I was good to go. Heck, I won't drown, I've been off the training wheels for 20 years now, and if there's one thing I don't stink at, it's running. I signed up for a sprint race - an 800-meter swim, 15-mile bike ride and four-mile run - on June 29 at Kensington Metropark.