Living Well Etc.

Summer is the Best Season for Dieting! As a woman over sixty with an activity-limiting autoimmune disease, I must adhere to a calorie-reduced diet if I wish to fit into anything remotely resembling a swimsuit this summer.  However, the good news is that this is the absolute best season for dieting!   Best part, for me at least, is that most of my diet food choices come from my backyard.  I plant a few vegetable plants in the garden, apply a bit of water, and a flood of ripe, yummy, low-cal treats is my reward.  Interested?  Follow along to get summer-thin with me by eating healthy summer foods like these.    Low-Calorie Summer Breakfasts Can be Colorful and Delicious. Taking advantage of the plentiful fruit in summer , I begin the day with vibrant colors and unbeatable flavors.  My favorites include blueberries and halved strawberries topped with a 1/2 cup of fat-free yogurt--less than 200 calories.   ...

I'm the one in front with the braids! Losing Weight and Exercising Released Me from My Wheelchair Living with any type of chronic disease can be frightening and life-altering.   However, with multiple sclerosis, it is also confusing.    One day the afflicted can appear quite healthy and the next whirling around in a wheelchair.   In my two decades of living with a progressive form of MS, the biggest lesson I have learned is to keep the pounds off.   This entails watching my diet and exercising every day.     Does this chair make my derrière' look big? MS hit me hard and fast.   Within my first year, I was in a wheelchair.   My legs were stiff, I hurt all over, and I was too dizzy to walk more than a few feet without falling.   These were not my best days.   Sitting all day and allowing depression to set in, I gained over 30 pounds within a year.   This was the first time in my life that I could not balance my calori...

  Fresh, Clean & Healthy Dieting has always played a part of my sixty+ years, as weight gain is frequently an issue.   There were numerous short-term diet experiments, like the grapefruit and cabbage diets.   Both worked well but caused intestinal distress.   And, eating cabbage or grapefruit every day gets old quickly.   What doesn’t get old and works well long-term for me is the Mediterranean diet.    In fact, by strictly following the diet, I recently lost ten pounds in three weeks.   What is the Mediterranean diet? Incorporating healthy foods typically found in Mediterranean countries , like whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, olive oil, lean meat, fruit, and vegetables make up the bulk of the Mediterranean diet.   However, it isn’t just about the type of food, it is also about how the food is grown, raised, and prepared.   Food should be fresh, unprocessed, and organic if possible.   The addition of r ed wine is op...

How to Look & Feel Younger in Our 60's It’s everywhere I look, especially during the warm months.  Beautiful, young, flawless women adorn billboards, magazine covers, and every single webpage I peruse.  I never felt intimidated before, as I’m a life-long fitness and health nut.  However, now that I’m 60+, I’m feeling a tad insecure about my appearance.  Those years are beginning to show up in my mirror.  Besides going under the knife, I’ve found a few less-risky options for all of us who are over a certain age.  Follow along as I share my favorites. Duck and Cover! As a California girl, I coveted the sun in my earlier years.  Laying out with oils slathered on my pale skin was as normal as sunscreen is today.  Luckily, I began seeing a reputable dermatologist in my early 30s.  Through the years, I’ve learned how to take better care of my skin.  One of the best pieces of advice I was gi...