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This story originally appeared in the Jackson Free Press. It was added to the Mississippi Free Press website in 2025.
Note that any opinions expressed in legacy Jackson Free Press stories do not reflect a position of the Mississippi Free Press or necessarily of its staff and board members.

I’m sitting at my desk right now chanting ROAD to Wellness, Road TO Wellness, Road to WELLNESS while visions of a large vanilla malt from Brent’s are distracting me. I keep saying this over and over to myself hoping it will spark that “Aha” moment and make this road a smooth one, paved with great intentions and all green lights. So far, things are alright.

Now, I’m going to say that same tired excuse we’ve all heard, “It’s too hot and humid here, I just can’t function in this heat, I’m not used to this weather…” I’ve lived in the great state of Mississippi (or Mis’ippi depending on where you reside in the state) for almost 20 years and Yes, it is darn HOT and humid but that does not have to stop me from getting in shape and being healthier. Though all this sweating has to be good for something.

I was able to take a road trip with a few of my friends last weekend to Little Rock and Hot Springs, Arkansas. It was amazing, we went to a concert (and I did eat a giant corn dog) and we spent Sunday morning at the baths. If you’ve never been to the baths, I highly recommend it (side note, if you are modest about your body or seeing other people’s bodies, this may not be the place for you.) We ended up at the Buckstaff Bath House (buckstaffbaths.com). We all received the royal treatment that included a Thermal Mineral Bath, Whirlpool, full body Swedish Massage, Sauna and Loofa mitt for only $55. Talk about relaxation and a bargain! They will be seeing me again.

This past weekend I stocked up on fresh veggies and wonderful organic soap from the farmer’s market, hoping that will help me eat out less. The gym was graced with my presence once or twice, yoga next. Today is a drink more water day. Let’s see how the rest of the week goes. One day at a time.

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The Mississippi Free Press produced this story through the MFP Solutions Lab, supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. This series digs into Mississippi’s systemic issues and sheds light on responses to them in other communities. Beyond just reporting on problems, these stories interrogate their causes and inspect potential solutions.

Mississippi native Donna Ladd and partner Todd Stauffer founded the Jackson Free Press in 2002 in the capital city. The heavily awarded local newspaper did many investigations heralded across the state and nation and served as a paper of record due to its diversity, inclusion, in-depth reporting and deep connection to readers and dedication to narrative change in and about Mississippi. In 2022, the nonprofit Mississippi Free Press, founded by Ladd and JFP Associate Publisher Kimberly Griffin in 2020, purchased the journalism assets and archives of the Jackson Free Press. A Google grant through AAN Publishers enabled Newspack's integration of the JFP archives into the Mississippi Free Press website to become part of a more searchable archive of recent Mississippi history and essential journalism.