The Southwest Institute of Montessori Studies is hosting a teacher training program in Ahwatukee, and applications for interested teaching students are being accepted.

The Foothills Women’s Club is putting together a vendor night to show off the diversity of the businesses and people that can be found in Ahwatukee Foothills.

Athletes of all ages have become more specialized.

Noah Miller is in a perpetual fight with his own body.

It has become clear in Sulem Urbina’s 22 years that she is persistent and thrives when she is tested.

Body by Design has moved to a new Ahwatukee Foothills location to offer more space, child care, and additional networking to its personal training clients.

Standing a full 12 inches tall and weighing in at a solid 20 pounds, Sampson the Pug used to think himself a Goliath. He would wrestle, frolic and play among the likes of German Shepherds, Boxers and Labradors.

Shannon Sorrels of Physix

For local gyms it’s easy getting new clients in January. The tough part is making sure those newcomers keep their New Year’s resolutions year-round.

Join colon hydrotherapist Dee Munsterman from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 13 for an afternoon of information, inspiration and laughter in the yoga studio at Wellspring Holistic Health, 430 W. Warner Road, Suite 104, in south Tempe.

Just when I thought I was running out of topics to inspire me, a magazine article about “finding your happy weight” caught my attention. Voila — the writing inspiration flowed like water.

A recent Arizona law requires all school districts and charter schools to implement a new teacher evaluation system by the 2013-14 school year. For the first time, teachers in the Kyrene School District will be evaluated, in part, based on how well their students score on tests.

It’s the holiday season and time for the obligatory “pep talk” to get you through without a lot of weight gain. But I just can’t bring myself to bore you with another “holiday tips and tricks” article. Frankly, we all know pie is a lot of calories, getting drunk usually leads to regret, and no one “deserves” cheese balls on tooth picks.

I like to think I’m reasonably intelligent, not rocket-scientist smart, but I do OK. I can usually figure stuff out if I think on it long enough and do enough research (thank you Internet). Occasionally I’m stumped — flat out puzzled and left scratching my head — and not over anything as complicated as beating SpaceX to Mars.

If you aren’t in the mood for a big, fat rant — skip this article. If you are (most find my ire humorous), sit back and enjoy. Because “obesogens” have me riled up.

I just read an article published in the International Journal of Obesity that discussed the impact of doctors’ words on patients when talking about obesity.

When the owners of the new CrossFit Max Force in Ahwatukee Foothills first tried crossfit years ago they all said it was amazing the results they saw from a half-hour workout.

A recently released study on human energy expenditure (“Hunter-Gatherer Energetics and Human Obesity,” Herman Pontzer et al.) has garnered some attention in the media. The reason for all the attention? The study debunks a commonly held belief that our obesity epidemic is in large part due to our decreased physical activity.

The news is packed with headlines aghast at the recent report that Americans waste 40 percent of their food. Many are springing into action to connect food banks and shelters with restaurants, or find creative ways to compost or biofuel the leftovers. I’ve also seen reminders to “eat what you purchased.” Consumers are feeling guilty and to blame.

It’s August. Schools are gearing up for the return of students, and mothers everywhere are exhaling a huge sigh of exhaustion. Finally, a few hours in the day free from “I’m bored,” “I’m hungry,” and “He hit me.” Now you can focus on you.

On behalf of all fitness professionals, registered dietitians, nutritionists, physicians, nurses, physical therapists, and anyone else in the world who tries day in and day out to motivate, encourage, cajole, threaten, scare, and beg us to get healthy and fit, this one’s for you.

We’ve all gotten the finger-wagging lecture about protein from fitness trainers. Their demands for more of it leave us picturing a Henry VIII turkey leg in one hand and a dumbbell in the other. We eat meat — we’re no bunch of Birkenstock-wearing vegans (not that there’s anything wrong with that). So what the heck are they talking about?

Commitment. A word we hear often in many contexts — relationships, war efforts, diets, and even insane asylums (we all know a couple of people we think ought to be committed). According to Dictionary.com, “commit” comes from the Latin “com + mittere” meaning “to send, give over.”

Orangetheory Fitness is having a grand opening for its new Ahwatukee location next week. The event will provide workout demonstrations, food, a raffle, and more. In addition, the first 50 people to arrive will receive gift bags full of fitness-related material.