In this job, we get flooded with emails, and invariably you come across some real oddball ones that stop you in your tracks.

The most recent one for me was titled, “Laziest U.S. states.” I had to take a look.

But between the time I saw the email and opened it, the question of just how did they determine this entered my mind.

First, the findings were from, of all places, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky were flagged for high rates of inactivity (30% or more adults were physically inactive), while Colorado, Washington, Utah and the District of Columbia were the most active areas (less than 20%).

And like myself, you ask how were these findings determined? The survey was based on phone interviews conducted by federal and state health officials, and data is combined from the 2015-2018 timeframe. Folks were deemed physically inactive if they responded “no” to the question: “During the past month, other than your regular job, did you participate in any physical activities or exercises such as running, calisthenics, golf, gardening (interesting) or walking for exercise? 

In case you are wondering, CDC recommends 30 minutes a day of physical activity across five days a week.

On the subject of laziness, you can cross this industry off the list. There is so much positive movement and momentum going on right now, and this issue of pme brings plenty of it to the forefront.

Codes and standards are a huge part of what goes on with the engineering side of the business. This month, we have both ICC (Page 32, how codes and severe weather events intersect) and IAPMO (Page 36, venting of gas appliances in the UMC) contributions on the subject.

As of this writing, we’re just getting back from the International Builders Show and the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas where connected/smart technology was running rampant in just about every booth that was visited. The same will be the case at AHR Expo in Orlando, Florida, which was staged earlier this month (check out the March issue for all the newest products and technologies coming out of that show). Along those lines, my trends story on commercial pumps on Page 30 has a heavy connected theme to it.

In this magazine, we love showing real-life situations of how products are used. This month, our cover story (Page 24) features a Boston brewery that benefits from a pair of hot water systems used for the brewery portion of the business and the restaurant end. Craft beer aficionados will enjoy the opening paragraphs of the story. 

We also take a look at a bathroom retrofit at a swank St. Louis, Missouri-area hotel centered on shower drain replacements. Head over to Page 42 for that one.

And let’s not forget about our roster of iconic industry columnists. A quick sampling has John Siegenthaler talking lead/lag heat sources (Page 14), and saving the most interesting read for last: Julius Ballanco, our codes guru, gives us another rundown on a water closet murder case he was involved with. If you remember the previous one Julius wrote about (a story that still holds pme eNewsletter open and click-through records), you won’t be disappointed with this one. And here’s a teaser alert: Part 2 about this case (as in the verdict) will be in our March issue!

The one thing I love about this industry is there always is so much going on, and this issue drives that point home and then some.

Now, if you will excuse me, I must take a 30-minute exercise break.