As you walk up and down the grocery aisles, you will notice that many products are marketed as “low fat,” “fat free,” “reduced fat” or “skinny.” But does this mean that these products are actually healthy?

In Southern California, tranquility resides in a most unexpected place. At the western end of Sunset Boulevard, nestled in the middle of shopping centers and neighborhoods just blocks away from the Pacific Ocean, rests Lake Shrine.

The second annual Journalism Day for high school students will take place on Feb. 7, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Bakersfield College.

One of the most talked about reality TV shows is coming to Bakersfield to give a lucky participant a chance at love. “The Bachelor Live” comes to Mechanics Bank Theater on Feb. 17 at 7:30 p.m.

In the languid glow of a beautiful Southern California day, I sat with my mother, sister and children at afternoon tea. As I looked around, I saw three generations celebrating life together and enjoying a rare and special treat. English afternoon tea is a tradition that began in London in 18…

The Arts Council of Kern brings an event like no other — a live, fast-paced show told through the streets of downtown Bakersfield.

Dust off your tuxedo and pull out your dance card. You are cordially invited to take a spin around the dance floor with the Honorable Mayor Karen Goh in two weeks. The inaugural Mayor’s Ball, slated for Feb. 8, promises to combine black-tie dining and dancing with the worthiest of causes: he…

During a time in our country when finances were shaky, the food truck phenomenon exploded in cities across the United States, largely due to the success of the Kogi truck in Los Angeles selling gourmet on a budget.

Knowing there is no single solution to ending hunger, Golden Empire Gleaners serves the residents of Kern County in an attempt to help relieve food insecurity.

Love is a universal emotion, yet the language of love can differ from the love we show our partners, families and friends and the love we show for ourselves. Our hearts long for connection with others but for our hearts to be able to fully love, we must not forget to love the very person rea…

There is nothing more complicated than this four-letter word: love.

As early as the 1950s there were grumblings that pay television was going to destroy the movie theater industry. Over 100 years after the production of the first motion picture, not even the binge-watching opportunities offered by today’s streaming services can replace the smell of buttery p…

For me, the history of Bakersfield and my own family history are inextricably tied together. My great-grandfather, Elmore Calderwood, came here with a degree in agriculture from the University of Vermont in 1897, eager to try his hand at farming this warm, sunny land.

Bakersfield is a city full of untapped potential that is loaded with possibilities. The only thing missing are passionate individuals willing to make them reality.

Some people who leave Bakersfield say they never want to come back, especially after traveling. Kami Paulsen is an exception. She saw the goodness of what Bakersfield had to offer, which inspired her to start a community-focused business, Bako Box.

There are several big sporting events held in Kern County every year.

Balmy weather, sunny beaches, iconic cities, obsessions with In-N-Out and avocados.

Happy 2020 Bakersfield! It’s a new decade and we’re all getting back into the swing of things while working on our resolutions for the new year.

It’s that time of year again: New Year’s resolution season! Start the new decade with your sights set on building and sustaining healthy habits.

Once worth a thousand words, a photo, if well-staged in today’s social media orbit, is worth a thousand likes, generating income for people across the globe, including dozens here in Bakersfield.

Getting back to civilian life can be hard for people who have been negatively involved with the law because of the prejudice toward ex-cons, according to Probation Auxiliary County of Kern board member Elaine Morre. Instead of labeling these people as criminals, thugs, delinquents or felons,…

I get a lot of mixed reactions when I tell people how much I like to ride my bike.

No one says they want to be a survivor, unless they have to be one. Survivor is a title Natalie Grumet didn’t expect to carry.

The hype is real — new year, new me. Resolutions tend to create unrealistic illusions that leave us feeling overwhelmed before we even get started. This is why so many people rarely achieve resolutions. You are just putting too much pressure on yourself to resolve a problem.

If you’re looking to change up your routine and bring a whole new sense of fitness into your life, aerial fitness and pole dancing are two nontraditional forms of fitness that help build strength and flexibility.

When you find yourself visiting the Los Angeles area, you can’t help but see some of its vibrant culture scenes throughout the year.

Hi, I’m Anna Marie, the poster child for mental illness. I have been diagnosed with depression, anxiety, ADD, ADHD and postpartum depression at various stages in my life and put on medications. All these meds made me worse.

If your goal as we head into a new decade is to finally get in shape, or to just maintain your already active lifestyle, be sure to check out Bakersfield Fit Fest on Jan. 11 at the Kern County Fairgrounds, in Buildings 2 and 3, just inside the main entrance on P Street. This premier event, o…

Dr. James Levine, the author of “Get Up!,” is credited with the saying “Sitting is the new smoking.” And let’s face it, accounting is one of the highest seat-time professions. We sit in our cars to come to work, sit at our desks, then stroll short distances to our cars to drive home.

Pat Mount is a self-professed “plantaholic.”

“Four hugs a day, that’s the minimum. Four hugs a day, not the maximum.”

Good health is a state many people strive for, but to attain good health sometimes requires a journey that follows a complicated and seemingly endless path. When you’re on that path, one of the most powerful assets can be the people you travel with.

Chad Drown always knew that he wanted to do something involving hockey when he was finished playing the sport after graduating from high school in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

“Umoja,” meaning “unity” in Kiswahili, is a community and resource dedicated to strengthening the cultural and educational futures of African-American students. Not only does the program develop students into leaders and role models within their communities, they are each other’s support sys…

While basketball generally gets the most notoriety, it isn’t the only popular high school winter sport.

Swimming in duck poop may not seem like the best start to a triathlon, but that is precisely how the first event of the inaugural Bakersfield Triathlon began.

Happy holidays, Bakersfield! I have officially been exploring the town to find all things fantastically foodie for 12 months now and it has been an honor to share my thoughts with ya’ll.

Bakersfield Life Magazine team member Julie Mana-ay Perez is undergoing a fitness journey for January’s “Health and Wellness” issue, where she will transform her lifestyle into a healthy one.

“Where’s my refund?” cried a client last March. We heard this refrain so many times during the 2019 tax season that the phrase begged to be set to music.

Life for Victor Barrera was ordinary. He was working as an IT technician for a company in Shafter and was in a relationship with his hometown sweetheart, Sasha.

They still hear the bell. As much of an anomaly as it is for 12- and 14-year-olds to still believe in Santa Claus these days, our children still do. Perhaps we’ve done too good a job at hiding gifts and keeping up the lore. One year, Jolly St. Nick appeared in a photo by our Christmas tree w…

Guitar Masters rallied up community members to donate $47,000 last year for its annual Christmas concert for Kern County cancer patients. This year, they hope to raise more money to continue making a difference.

Long before the floors of the old Bakersfield Civic Auditorium were frozen over and the Valley Children’s Ice Center became the “coolest place in town,” there was the Bakersfield Ice Arena. Located on 24th Street and facing Highway 99, the facility was the first indoor ice rink in the entire…

In just a few short weeks, 2019 will come to a close. But before the champagne corks pop and we launch into raucous renditions of “Auld Lang Syne,” I encourage you to push the pause button and digest Kern Community Foundation’s Philanthropy Year in Review.

It’s that time again.

For many Bakersfield residents, going to see the Civic Dance Center’s rendition of “The Nutcracker” is an annual tradition.

Many teachers aim to take their careers to the next level. While some would consider transitioning from college to high school as a step backward, Diego Gutierrez Monterrubio saw purpose and fulfillment.