Living a Balanced Healthy Life

Photographer: Wendy Spickerman

Growing old gracefully isn't just about fitness but eating right, getting the required amount of sleep needed for your age, and your lifestyle such as hobbies. Today, I'm sharing with you, my love for gardening.

I just picked up a fresh pineapple from the store and today we're cutting it up. Part of it will be saved to add pineapple into shakes and smoothie. The other part of the pineapple will be placed in the frig so if anyone feels like a snack, it's there.

How to grow a pineapple plant

We're also doing something else today. After cutting the top off the pineapple we planted it! That's right! If you want to plant a pineapple it's as easy as 1-2-3.

Get yourself a medium size pot and fresh soil. Next, pull off the bottom leafs until you start to see the roots. The more roots the better. Place the top, down in the soil but not too far, then water. When you see new greenery growing let it grow a while til it gets really nice and big looking like a fresh plant.

What to do when you want your pineapple to fruit

You'll need a plastic bag and an apple.
Cut the apple and place it in the plastic bag with your planted pineapple.
The apple will make your plant bring fruit.

There are many things I like to grow myself like lettuce, cherry tomatoes and beefsteak tomatoes as well as watermelon, You might say I live in town or the city, a complex. Don't let that stop you from living a balanced healthy life.I don't!

I grow everything in pots myself. I love my windowsill lettuce and my neighbors are amazed each year as my tomatoes grow so well. I may not live in the country anymore but I'm still a country girl at heart.

Eating right is just as important as daily exercise. So, why not grow yourself some pineapple! I hope you enjoy the photos.

My Biggest Trade Secret to Staying Fit, Will Shock You

Today, I'm going to share with you one of my biggest trade secrets to staying fit. It's so simple it will SHOCK you! Here's a list of things you'll need.

·         Bucket

·         Sponge

·         Rubber Gloves  

That's right folks. When I clean my floors I don't use a mop. I do it the old fashion way. I get down on my hands and knee and clean my floors. I've been doing it this way for well... as long as I can remember. 

There's something about scrubbing the floors that really works. You get your heart rate up, The upper body, arms, and thigh gets a good workout and it costs nothing. 

 I recommendiIf you have sensitive knees, use padding to make it more comfortable. We don't want you doing anything that would injure you in any way. I'm just here to tell you, it doesn't have to cost you a fortune to get healthy and stay fit. 

In fact, I just did my floors this morning and I feel great! Who says you can't grow old gracefully!

Be sure to stop back in and tell your friends about my page. When I'm not working publishing breaking news, health issues and political pieces I'm busy being a mom to three children. 

I do physical therapy to keep my body healthy and strong, love my kitchen where I cook up just about anything and do walking therapy for my severe tinnitus, severe hyperacusis with vertigo and directional hearing issues. Oh and let's not forget my hobbies like gardening, photography and biking.

Hope to see you again soon.

Growing Old Gracefully - Fitness and You

How's that non-workout working for you

It's Friday, Today I get a chance to relax and I plan on jumping on the biking and going a few laps. There's a light rain outside so that makes having a stationary bike that much more important, if there is anything like a scheduled therapy one needs to do.

I use the stationary bike for my knee therapy. Throughout my youth and teen years, I was a runner. I ran the mile and country cross. After that, I continued to run to relieve stress. I started to take up riding a bike.

It wasn't until I hurt my right leg a few years back, which I mention in earlier articles, that I decided to give up running altogether. I found biking was easier on my injury and continued my therapy.

For a person with no set workout schedule, just doing what I like to do to help me stay fit, I'm beginning to see some muscle tone take shape. Mind you these are photos before I started writing about my no workout, workout.

As you can see, I'm already in pretty good shape and that's because I've always believed in taking care of my body, and eating healthy (okay, not so healthy... I'm eating a sheet pizza tonight) but you get the point I'm trying to make.

You probably wondering how on earth I could have three children and still look this great! My every day is a workout. Just doing what I do every day. I do walking therapy, there are 30 some step to my place, I travel by taxi, walking or bike. That means I carry all my groceries, and I do my physical therapy for ankles, knees, shoulders and upper back.

I'm not looking to have muscles. I'm looking to be just me. So ask yourself why you want to lose weight. Is it because you feel you have too or because something within you wants to change?

If you want to change your mindset about exercise and workout out, I'm your go-to gal. 

If you want to go on a diet, do a workout it for a couple of weeks and then stop, then you want to connect with someone else.

I'm in it for the long haul. I'm in it for life. 

Growing old gracefully doesn't have to be hard and sweaty.

All you have to do is change your mindset, love the foods YOU make, and nurture your body. 

Make yourself the best you, you can be.