Sometimes it's tough to be positive when talking about cancer. Medical science is making progress, but we have a long way to go. Still, here is something positive for today, four things you can do to stay healthy and reduce your risk of getting sick:

1. Exercise and be active. Just move! Dance, do yoga, walk, bike. You don't have to be a marathoner. 
2. Eat foods that promote good health: vegetables, fruits, whole grains. 
3. Get regular checkups and screenings. 
4. Quit or never start using tobacco. 

We carried this message into the streets of Frederick on September 10 as part of the annual In the Street festival. More than 1,000 people, young and old from all walks of life, visited our booth to play a bean bag game, win prizes (including yo-yos and hackie sacks for fun and exercise), and to talk about things we can do every day to promote good health.

Kids and adults alike had fun with the bean bag toss. It looked easy, but it wasn't. One little girl skipped the toss part, walked right up to the game and practically stuffed the bag into the target. That took care of that. Some of the grown-ups were full of trash talk until they started the toss. Then it got quiet.

We heard people talk about changing their diets. One woman, reaching for a brochure, asked: "Can I take one of these. I'm trying to get my guys to eat better. Maybe this'll help." We heard personal stories of cancer invading people's lives. It's an all-too-common story. At the National Cancer Institute at Frederick we are committed to doing everything we can to accelerate progress against cancer and to improve human health.

We also want to spread the word. We can all do things to help us stay healthy. And some of them are actually fun. Take a look at some photos.

Post submitted by Frank Blanchard, SAIC-Frederick / NCI-Frederick