A Natural Fitness View

Being determined to get back into shape has come with a few perks. I'm not a fan of going to the gym. To me the view in a gym looks like this.

Going outside to get in shape looks like this.

If you look closely you can see an osprey sitting in the tree.

We stumbled across this paw print. It could be a dog or it could be...something else. I've yet to learn to read animal tracks. 

We got several shots and a video of this manatee. It's the first time either of us have ever seen a live manatee. There were two of them. It was amazing.

Several of these shells with the creature still living inside of them had washed ashore. Gorgeous markings, but we left them alone since they were living.

I've been seeing a lot of armadillos lately. This one came right up to me. I'm not sure why animals come to me. I'm terrified of most of them. 

The picture is a little blurry but you can see how close this one came to my foot. I love animals in a way that I know it's good to respect them and leave them alone.  I never feed wildlife or attempt to touch, pet or capture any living thing. It's nature and it's best to leave nature alone.

Mi Miguel got to see the gopher turtle before he hid in his tunnel. This type of turtle is very fascinating to read about, their tunnels and holes provide shelter to many different critters.

This one and the following photos were taken last weekend. We spotted this oystercatcher.

The bird and I didn't seem to feel threatened by each other, so I sat really close to him. He pulled a buried shell up out of the sand and nudged it towards me. It was really strange because they were only searching and eating the tiniest of shells.

This is what he "gave" to me. It's about three inches long and beautiful. 

However, I couldn't keep it because it had a living creature in it, so Mi Miguel said it was best to just leave it alone.

I continued to watch the oystercatchers dig up the tiniest of shells and retrieve the resident from that shell and move on to the next one. I suppose this is how the notion for the oyster bar was conceived.

Mi Miguel on the other hand couldn't stop watching this conch. If you look closely you can see his eyes. 

The sun was starting to set so we started to head back to the car. On the way we saw these funny looking things. We have no idea what they are.

Here is another shot of the funny looking things.

The sun began to set so we got in the car and headed home.

Over the Easter weekend this beautiful flower started blooming. They bloom in the shape of a cross.

Here are two in full bloom and the other two are getting ready to open to form a cross.

You can see the orange and yellow amaryllis in the background. We have a lot of those growing in our yard. But this red and white one is very striking.

A closer look at the red and yellow amaryllis. There are a few raindrops on them which adds to their beauty.

Mi Miguel and I are just two people trying to make it in this big tough world. In the past year we have learned that being kind to others really matters. But being kind to yourself matters just as well. As we continue to follow our path of fitness and health, we hope to encourage everyone to be kind to others and to yourself. 

Being Healthy For Free

Being healthy shouldn't cost a thing. If you're spending money on packaged diet plan foods and fitness centers then your probably going about it in the wrong way.  

The rule of thumb when grocery shopping is to shop the square. 

In other words, skip the aisles and only shop the outer square.

Devoting so much time to working on our house leaves little time to stop and consider exercising. Renovating a home is not a cardio workout.

Keeping healthy has not been on our agenda lately. Last week, I hit a low and felt a little homesick for my familiar Midwest lifestyle. What was different there? My diet was better and I exercised every single day. Having a routine of doing those two things made me have a sense of well being.

Before moving to Florida we walked or I ran every single day. Since moving to Florida we sit a lot, eat a lot and walk very little.

Once we bought the house, we decided that we could each have one fun thing to do a month. Again, I chose something that has me sitting and eating and drinking. We don't think about purines when we are cutting out sugar, fat, cholesterol and carbs. Purines are just one more thing to consider when indulging in alcohol and delicious foods.

Change is a coming for Mi Miguel and me. First order of business,  each week we'll be choosing a different trail to run and hike. In order to have a healthy lifestyle you have to make changes. 

Florida Restaurants A-Z (search Facebook: Florida Restaurants A-Z)  has been a great way to get to know the area. But there again, we sit and we eat.  The more we eat our way through the alphabet and the more unhealthy we become. I have been craving my active lifestyle. It's time for me to get up and get moving.

Second order of business, remove all bad food from our kitchen.  As we get older sodium, purines, fat, calories and sugar matter. If they don't matter to you, they should.

Mi Miguel and I want a fit and productive lifestyle. We want to be healthy and seek out those things that make us happy but also give us a sense of fulfillment. 

Third order of business,find a great healthy way to exercise. The workout we chose, is a series of stretch movements. Nothing bizarre or contorted. It's about the gentle movements and the relaxing way you move that makes it work. There really isn't any particular fancy movement. You simply get up and stretch. You don't use any bands, weights or other gimmick type products. You simply get up and slowly stretch for 20 to 30 minutes a day. The Esmonde technique can be easily found on Youtube.

Having a healthy lifestyle for us means, there is no gym membership, no personal trainer, no traveling and no equipment. Simply get up and stretch at home it's all you have to do. We've been getting a great cardio workout by running on a soft sand trail. The sandy or dirt trails are much more gentler on our joints. The wildlife we  spotted on the trail last evening, makes the gym seem just that much more of a bore. 

Don't kid yourself, you don't need all the nonsense to lose weight. It's a billion dollar industry that doesn't work. A healthy lifestyle starts in the kitchen. Spend the next seven days just clearing out the bad foods from your diet and replacing it with healthy foods. Slowly incorporate a stretching routine into each and every day. A few evenings a week, try walking fast or running on a trail or in your own neighborhood. It really is that simple.

The goal is to be natural, healthy and happy. Be the best YOU that YOU can be.    

Gardening and Grieving

 The last few days, I've been planning out our front garden area. We are keeping both arches and I love this general idea for the bigger arch. What a pleasant curb appeal!

There is still a lot of work to be done. But so far, the sprengeri (asparagus fern) that you can see in the above photo has been removed. Should you ever buy this prickly berry bearing plant, be sure to contain it. It's very invasive and may cause a rash when you come into contact with it. As with any invasive plant, it's best to set boundaries. 

There has been so much loss among my friends and family and myself over the past fall and winter. While we all grieve differently, moving forward is key to anyone's grief. How you choose to do that is completely up to the individual. There is no wrong or right way to grieve as long as you aren't hurting anyone or yourself in the process. I personally like to keep busy with gardening and landscaping and just anything artistic. Renovating our home, pulling weeds and making way for new plants and flowers, has been great therapy for me the last couple of months. How can it be a wrong way to grieve when the outcome eventually results in something so beautiful.

Our wonderful neighbors brought us this hydrangea for our new patio area. We'll see if Mi Miguel and I can keep it going. Hopefully, we will watch it grow from our outdoor breakfast area for many years to come.

To our neighbor that gave us the barbecue sauce samples as a token of appreciation, we've put it to good use. I made my tangy BBQ chicken with it so far. You can never go wrong with great neighbors and a meal that involves barbecue sauce.

The move to Florida has been quite an adjustment more so for me than for Mi Miguel. Sometimes when you're dealing with things that others don't understand, you have to fake it to make it and wear that happy face in order to continue to see that sunny side of life. Smiling in the face of adversity, gives me strength so that I can help others. But even I can't smile every day.

Now that winter has come and gone, Mi Miguel and I are left searching for that healthy balance. The renovations are overwhelming and keep us bone tired.  Even though we still have so much work to do, it's time to make a change. I'd like to believe that if I keep quiet about unpleasant things in my life, they'll just go away until another day when I can stand to think about it. But it's truly time to acknowledge what's really going on and make a healthy change.

In reality, anyone can pretend to smile on the outside but it's that inner smile, that inner joy that keeps us going. A lack of consistent cardio workouts and a heavy on the carbs and sweets kind of diet has caught up to both of us. Mi Miguel is still riding his bike to work each day weather permitting. Me on the other hand, while renovating and gardening has been great therapy; food has unfortunately become a great comfort. I'm a brave enough person to know that I must listen to my own heart and do those things that keep me growing as a person mentally and in good health physically.

Change is definitely going to come. It's going to come in the way of doing those things that have me up and moving and not eating so much. It's time to get back in shape. A healthier way of life is always a great way to give rebirth to a waning smile.

Speaking of rebirth, spring is almost in full bloom. Yes, Florida has a version of spring. There is a sense of renewal here too but not as intense as the springtime in the Midwest. It's still visible and the trees that do bloom are vibrant with color. Being a bit homesick right now might be influencing my opinion, with thinking that Florida in no way compares to the Indiana or St. Louis glorious presentation this time of year. With hopes of all good things blossoming and blooming in your life right now, Mi Miguel and I want to wish everyone a Happy Easter!  

 

Beach Day, Fading Peach and March's Fascinating Person

Mi Miguel pitched our tent once again at our favorite beach Friday evening.

We were lulling around knowing good and well that the sprinkling would soon become a full blown rain. But, once we get inside the tent, we want to be lazy and stay there. 

It's especially hard to pack up and go home, when the neatest things pop up out of nowhere. This little racoon got a little too close to our tent. 

The beach patrol came so he decided to hide out in this palm tree.

You can clearly see he isn't very intimidated of the prospects of being captured. 

On our way out of the beach parking lot, we saw this little critter. Mi Miguel knew immediately what it was. I thought at first it was some kind of mutant turtle with long legs.

Turns out he is an armidilla. I've never seen a real one. I've also never seen a racoon on a beach before or in a palm tree. Enough R&R, it's time to get back to work.

Saturday was a gloomy day. But Sunday, brought sunshine and great painting weather. Come on outside and see where we're at with making the peach disappear. 

The garage door has a second coat of paint. I'm debating on doing a technique on the entry door and this garage door. We're both kind of liking it with just this warm tone. 

No matter what we end up doing with the doors, we both are thrilled to see less and less peach.

 We're slowly getting the soffit painted to match the stucco. We thought about hiring someone to do the soffit, it's literally that much of a pain in the neck. But seriously, in the end, how hard can it be? 

I posted in February that each month I will be interviewing and blogging about a "Fascinating Person". This month I chose one of the first people we met when we first moved to Florida.

Let me preface her story by saying that this fabulous couple has been more than kind to my husband and me. I've traveled the world and met many people. I can say without hesitation that this woman is truly one of God's precious angels.

Karen Sell moved to Florida twenty one years ago with her husband Steve. While she missed her family and friends in Pennsylvania, where both she and her husband were raised, she has grown to love living in Florida. In a time where women had few options after high school graduation, Karen started her path towards nursing, first becoming a licensed practical nurse and then advancing to a registered nurse.

In Karen's own words, "I spent 45 years in the nursing field. I was an intensive care nurse working with adults when I became an R.N. This was the perfect time to change specialties and NICU was calling my name. What a difference going from adults to newborns."
 

Becoming an RN revealed Karen's true calling. "The rewards are too numerous to list but the joy of seeing a parent return to visit in the unit with a baby who was not expected to live is priceless."

"I retired two years ago but have heard from several parents who remember with gratitude my support and nursing care. One life lesson I have learned from being a nurse is how precious life is and we should enjoy each day. I miss the interaction between parents and their new babies. When first meeting a new mom in the NICU, they were afraid to  touch their newborn child. With encouragement, education and guidance they soon felt like they had always been a parent. It was beautiful to be a part of that."

Again in Karen's own words, "I do not miss going to work every night (I worked nights for 20 years). But I miss the rapport I had with the parents and babies. I miss the bond and friendship I formed with my co- workers. But that said, I love retirement and the new things I am doing and learning. I can say with much honestly that I would not have changed my career path. Nursing has been good for me and to me."

Karen stated that becoming a nurse was never something that she ever thought of as a child. However, because she grew up to become a neonatal intensive-care unit nurse in spite of her dreams, so many newborn babies have grown up to pursue their own dreams.