So, it’s National Health and Fitness Month. Maybe you’re already so on top of it that you’re reading this post on your iPhone while on mile five of your morning 10K. Or maybe this information makes you squirm a bit with the vague memory of that New Year’s resolution that somehow fell to the wayside somewhere along the line. But no matter. It’s never to late to start getting fit– and there are so many ways and reasons to do so, that there’s no need to panic. In fact, National Health and Fitness Month makes it easier than ever– not only because the weather is finally the kind you want to enjoy outside– but also because fitness centers such as the Maryland Athletic Club are offering great opportunities this month to use the facilities, take classes, and start getting healthy. We checked in with Sharon Nevins, Vice President of Marketing at the MAC to find out how they’re celebrating National Health and Fitness Month and how we can, too.

Baltimore Fishbowl: So May is National Health and Wellness Month. What does that mean? And what is the MAC doing to help celebrate it?

Sharon Nevins: National Health & Fitness Month was created to help shine a spotlight on the importance of exercise to be healthy. Our industry, along with the First Lady’s “Let’s Move” Campaign joined together to encourage everyone to lead an active, healthy lifestyle. MAC helps celebrate by opening its doors to the entire community to enjoy the MAC and get moving for 7 days. We also have designated community wide classes where non-members can try us out with others just like them.

BFB: That’s great! What an awesome opportunity for those of us who are interested in trying out a new gym. Now that the nice weather is finally here, what are some of the best outdoor exercises we can do to supplement our time at the gym? Baltimore has so many great outdoor spaces and activities. Any top picks or workout ideas?

SN: Just getting outside and walking is always nice. Baltimore also has some incredible trails for hiking. From the NCR trail to Loch Raven to Soldiers Delight and the B&A trail for biking. Whatever is fun and easy for you, you should do. The idea is to enjoy it (most of the time) so you keep up the habit. Read More →

So, apparently, May is National Physical Fitness & Sports Month, and has been for some time. Somehow that got past us until this year. But it is fitting, since May is basically the last possible month to spend hitting the gym (or yoga studio, or running route, or Richard Simmons DVD) before beach season. Doing their part to help us observe National Physical Fitness & Sports Month is the MAC (Maryland Athletic Club & Wellness Center), which will open the doors at all of its locations to the public this month, issuing seven-day passes and hosting several community classes free of charge. Read More →

Hot House: 1730 Gardiner Road, Nicholson’s Manor, Cockeysville, MD. 21030

Custom built in 2005, a French country style, 12,000 sq. ft. luxury home. Nine bedrooms, 9 full, 2 half baths, over four levels, with attached  five-car garage, gourmet kitchen, second kitchen, 50′ swimming pool, hot tub, rubber floor indoor “sport court,” master suite with spa, in-law suite with elevator, au-pair apartment, 100 year old renovated tenant/guest house and 40 acres of land: $2,987,700

What: 12,000 sq. ft. of French country estate, virtually new and ready for your Aubusson rugs. If you’re in the market for this kind of house, it seems like a good one — pretty sure to impress your friends and provide the latest in easy living. Luxurious, but not completely over the top, it sports nice exterior stonework and a hilltop setting, sited far back from a quiet road. A long drive winds through newly mown fields — grass not lavender — and the house backs onto woods. It is fairly private, and the effect is close to, if not exactly, rural.  House is energy friendly, with geothermal heat and cooling systems. Five-car garage is a work of art. There’s a great rubber-floored indoor sport court that looks like a crowd pleaser for kids, and a lower level movie theatre with 120″ screen.  A two story great room dominates the main floor, with a stone fireplace and wood beams. Enormous gourmet kitchen — Sub-zero, Wolfe, Miele, granite, etc. Giant master suite on first floor. Two nice stone patios, one high, one low, overlook the sunny pool. Not long on charm or trees, but there’s tons of everything else. Read More →

I had the chance to attend the Maryland Antiques Show at Hunt Valley last weekend, including a lecture by Bobby McAlpine. Everything was just so gorgeous, and I saw a number of things that I coveted.

This is a early 1900’s salesman’s sample board for children’s socks.

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Maybe it’s just that many of my earliest memories involve being dragged around countless antique shows and flea markets by my parents. I remember my folks haggling and making trades, asking for a dealer discount, because at that time, antiques were the family business. On one particularly traumatic occasion, I left my favorite stuffed animal (a well-worn stuffed dog from some bygone era) at a dealer’s booth and we had to go back through the entire show to track him down. When we finally did, I was of course relieved, but also disturbed to notice how he just blended in with all of the other stuff in the booth. He was old, a bit tattered, and would have stood out far more in the window of any retail toy store. This was my inheritance: a love (for better or worse) of old stuff. And so, what can I do but share it? In other words: anyone else planning to camp out in anticipation of the Maryland Antiques Show this weekend? Read More →

HOT HOUSE: 2131 Belfast Road, Sparks, Glencoe, Md. 21152

Classic farm cottage, circa 1954, on one acre in Sparks, with views over the Western Run Valley. 1,710 square feet, with 4 bedrooms, 2 baths. Finished lower level, wood burning fireplace. Recently remodeled: $379,999

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Courtesy of BMore Media - Joe’s Crab Shack is on its way to building its fourth Maryland restaurant at Hunt Valley Towne Centre, according to the Baltimore County liquor board.

The board approved a liquor license transfer to the Houston-based restaurant chain, says Mike Mohler, chief administrator of the Baltimore County Board of Liquor License Commissioners. The building will go on a pad site opposite Outback Steakhouse and Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Mohler says.

“We’re very excited about having them in Baltimore County,” Mohler says. “We’re looking forward to it.”

Read more at BMore Media

Monday was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day here in Baltimore. They lost. My gloominess was at its worst as I sorted the beer bottles for recycling. Hard to imagine that just the day before they had helped fuel hopes of a Superbowl trip. The weather certainly wasn’t helping to lighten the mood. The icy fog made me feel like I was living on that Swedish island in the “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” For those not familiar, it’s not what you would describe as a happy place. 

In an effort to cheer up, I cleaned, grocery shopped, bought flowers and prepared a hearty dinner. Cathartic nesting works for me. It got me thinking about the players and their sad faces as the ball sailed past the wrong side of the goal post (not that I’m are blaming anyone). Where were they soaking their sore muscles on this cold and yucky day? 

Well, I know the answer to that question in the case of our most beloved black bird, Ray Lewis. I live near his Baltimore residence (he lives in Florida in the off-season) which is a 28-acre ranch-style spread off Tufton Avenue in Reisterstown, a line drive away from Cal Ripken’s house, coincidentally. (Please don’t harrass; stick to drive-by gawking.) There is no view of the house from the road, but the entrance can be identified by brick pillars topped with stone horse heads that flank the driveway. How appropriately “Hunt Valley” Mr. Lewis! You may also recognize Ray’s crib by the ginormous tents that often grace the front of the property. Number 52 likes a party and, rumor has it, at his 30th birthday guests greeted him from the comfort of a throne, yep a throne! Over the years, I have also spotted inflatable obstacle courses for paintball and kiddie rides.

Lewis bought the home in 2003 from builder Frank Favazza for $1,950,000. The house was renovated in 2006 and is described in Channel Magazine as resembling “a posh luxury hotel, overflowing in a sea of opulent golds and creams with pops of color. 

The fit-for-a-king bachelor pad,” the magazine continues, “is complete with every conceivable amenity including a sacred room set aside strictly for prayer and meditation. And the grand piano, located in the family room is not just for ambiance; Ray has sought private piano lessons and is mastering the keys.”

Check out the pictures of the house here. Looks like Ray has the cushy pad to recoup for next year’s inevitable championship win. 

One Acre and a Barn, on Brightside

HOT HOUSE: 7340 Brightside Road, Woodbrook 21212 

Contemporary converted barn, circa 1898, with beamed ceilings and open floor plan on 1.2 acres . Four bedrooms, two full and two half baths on two stories: $1,175,000

What: Once an old wooden barn that was part of a larger estate, now a light filled, open-plan home that fits snugly into its gently sloping lot, just steps from Lake Roland.  Completely renovated six years ago, the house has been thoughtfully and historically restored — keeping the integrity of the design, but adding stylish features like wide plank, old growth timber flooring, a new cook’s kitchen with stone and bamboo countertops, wood burning pizza oven, and a large screened porch overlooking the woods. A distinctive arched entry foyer leads directly to the large family room, where wide sliding doors along the wooded back of the house set a casual tone. The doors open onto a stone patio, with good entertaining potential, overlooking the woods. There are nice old wooden beams, as well as fireplaces, in the living room, family room and the roomy eat-in kitchen.  Upstairs, the four bedrooms offer sunny, treetop views of Lake Roland. The windows are double-paned, there is central air and electric heat. As a bonus, there is a neat old “bank barn” next to the house, a former stable (and chicken coop!)built into the bank of the hillside. It has the original doors and new French drains to keep it dry. It would make a wonderful guest house or studio.  

Where: Brightside is one of the most desirable streets in Woodbrook (adjacent to Ruxton but not quite Ruxton), a private, rural-ish road with lovely homes just a minute or two from the Baltimore City line. Heading north from the city on Charles Street, take a left at the light onto Bellona Avenue. Brightside is on your left, about a half mile down Bellona, and 7340 is at the end of the street, just before the lake. 

Why: Clean lines, unpretentious design, feeling of open space, nice details, that bank barn, and access to the wooded trails and shoreline of Lake Roland.  

Would Suit: Family (or not) who appreciate the woodsy property and the old/new aspect of the house.  

NB:  Although the trail-walking is great, “destination walking” is not really possible from here. No sidewalks, plus cars speed along Bellona in a rush to Graul’s.