That's Fit

May is the best time to buy cookware, says Hugh Rushing, executive vice president of the Cookware Manufacturers Association. It's when retailers temporarily mark down prices in time for wedding and college graduation season. May is just around the corner. Ready. Set. Shop.

If you can't make it happen in May, October and November are your next affordable options. Holiday promotions kick in during these months. Any other time of the year? Forget it. Prices typically won't budge.

Mark your calendars for February and March if you're in the market for a bike or outdoor gear. This is when the season's new models come out and stores want to replace their fall and winter inventory.

For more scoop on the best time to buy -- airline tickets, big appliances, cars, mattresses -- take a stroll through this article.

I am happy for October and the overflow of breast cancer awareness packed into each of the month's 31 days. But I'm always a bit relieved when these days come to an end. It means I can get back to living, free of the bombardment of facts of figures, and cutesy slogans, and of all things pink.

I'm lucky to be surviving breast cancer and not another form of cancer. Breast cancer gets attention, funding, programming, and lots of great press. But it makes me feel selfish, spoiled, like I'm hogging too many of the resources that could be spread around to others doing battle with their own deadly diseases.

Where are the other awareness months? Actually, there are a few -- March is the National Colorectal Awareness Month, September is the Leukemia and Lymphoma Awareness Month, May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month -- but we don't know much about them because people aren't shouting from the rafters about these critical causes, like they are about breast cancer.

We're almost two weeks into October, the month designated as Walk to School Month. Are your kids walking to school?

Millions of children, parents, teachers, and community leaders across the globe have put on their walking shoes and are logging steps in celebration of this international event. Some are committing to walk for one day; some once per week; some for the entire month. The event, intended to remind parents and kids alike of the simple joy of walking to school, also serves to focus attention on the importance of physical activity and overall fitness.

So lace up those shoes and do your part this month, and for all months that follow -- because it's not really about October. It's about walking. So keep on trekking this month, and next month, and the month after that. You get the drill. For those who live a good distance from school, just drive and park a mile or so away. Then walk the remaining distance. For those looking to spice up this walking challenge, check out this idea: the walking school bus.

Since October is breast cancer month, I recently wrote a post on some of the best websites about the topic and asked readers to contribute their own favorite sites. One response I received directed everyone toward the Survivor Celebration site.

Part of what I like about the site is that it gives information on the 2007 Survivor Celebration Tour, a 23-day cross-country adventure that began in New York on September 23rd and reaches its final destination in Los Angeles on October 15th, after stops in a range of cities including Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta, Phoenix and Las Vegas.

A team of doctors and experts traveling in a pink Survivor Celebration bus are making the trek to raise awareness about breast cancer. If you'd like more information on the tour, visit the website, which also offers survivor stories, personal blogs and photos, information on local support groups and much more.

Sometimes thinking about changing your lifestyle in order to be happier or healthier seems like a daunting task. I know that times when I decide I'm unhappy with my habits and end up on a mission to make changes and improve my overall well-being, I tend to give up easily because I get in the mind frame that I have to change absolutely everything at once.

Of course, overhauling your entire life in a day isn't necessarily the best way to make changes for the better. A few small steps can be taken each day, week or even month to improve your life. Eventually all of these little alterations will add up to some major life changes.

I like this article from the Canadian Living website because it gives a list of 10 things you can do in the month of October to improve your well-being. There's nothing very difficult to accomplish on the list -- suggestions include eating more berries, doing push-ups, taking the stairs and trying out pomegranate -- but I bet if you made the commitment to try them all throughout the month, you'd find that you feel a bit happier, more relaxed and healthier overall.

If you want to see all 10 tips and find out just why they're all good for you, take a peak at the entire article here.

Maybe you've heard of "Purse Pals" before, or any other number of bag hooks that are meant to keep your purse, handbag, or light tote up off the floor at restaurants, coffee shops, and other public places. I think they're a great idea, not to mention small, easy, and cheap enough for everybody to have one.

On that note October is Breast Cancer Care month, and now you can both support the cause and indulge your inner germophobe by getting one of these Tchibo bag hooks. They're available in Tichibo stores starting October 3rd for just $5 each.

Men and women all over are prepping to walk and run their butts off this October, all in the name of breast cancer and the month dedicated to this deadly disease. There's the Avon Breast Cancer Walk, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, and Susan G. Komen 3-Day, to name a few. These events will raise awareness, funds, even hope. This is all so important. What I like about these charitable causes, though, is that they center around fitness.

There seems no other appropriate way to honor those fighting and losing their battles with breast cancer than by pounding the pavement. Exercise is critical in the prevention of cancer. It helps alleviate the burdens of cancer treatment. And it helps ensure survival of a disease the American Cancer Society reports will strike 178,480 women and kill 40,460 women in the United States during 2007.

If you've not yet registered to make your own strides, consider walking or running in a local event. Or just start walking and running. It's good for breast cancer. It's good for your health.