Welcome to the May issue of To Your Health, a special section focused on health and fitness topics that appears quarterly.

The theme of this month’s edition is “Getting Fit for Summer, Fit for Life.” How many of us head full bore into summer activities after being somewhat sedentary during the winter and then we suddenly feel the aches and pains of not having used some of those muscles for a long time?

We hope the stories you read on the following pages will help you get ready for all those outdoor hobbies and sports you’ve been waiting for months to enjoy. We also hope some of the tips and inspiring people you read about may lead to lifestyle changes that will improve your health year-round.

To Your Health was produced by the staffs of the Albany Democrat-Herald, Corvallis Gazette-Times and the Lebanon Express and includes submissions from the community-at-large. Feel free to send us your comments and suggestions to carol.reeves@lee.net.

The theme of the next To Your Health on Aug. 27 is “Tasting the Good Life.” If you’d like to suggest a story idea for this particular issue focused on how our food choices can contribute to a more healthy lifestyle, please let us know.

If you’d like to purchase an ad in the next issue, the advertising deadline is Aug. 12.