Filed under: Aging in place, Alzheimer Residence, Assisted Living, Baby Boomers, Community Gardens, Continue Care Retirement Communities, Gardening, Healing Gardens, Horticultural Therapy, Landscape Architecture, landscape design, Meditation Gardens, Organic gardens, Restorative gardens, Senior Environment Assessment, Senior Living, Successful Aging, Sustainability, Sustainable design, Therapeutic Gardens, Uncategorized
Even though the temperatures may deter us from venturing outside for any great length of time, there are breaks that give us a short window to escape outside to start to plan and dream of spring. There are chores to do like picking up fallen branches, cutting back the ornamental grasses and pruning the trees and shrubs while they are dormant. It is also a good time to look at your vegetable garden. This is a good time to expand the garden or reorganize what you planted last year.
So, on the colder days, we can retreat indoors and forage through the seed catalogs and gardening web sites. This is the time to plan what vegetables you want to plant for the coming year. What has worked well and what new varieties do you want ti try in 2010? Some of the ‘new’ varieties may actually be vegetable plants that have been around for years and just forgotten until recently. They are the ‘Heirloom’ plants that offer more flavor and are interesting to grow because of their unusual colors. There are green tomatoes such as Aunt Ruby’s German Cherry and Emerald Green. The Rattlesnake pole beans are fun to grow because of their green pods with purple streaks.
Be adventurous and include these or other heirloom varieties in your garden this year. The results will surely make your garden the talk of the neighborhood. Not only will you have some fum new vegetables to try at dinner, they will make the meal look more interesting.
Filed under: Aging in place, Assisted Living, Baby Boomers, Community Gardens, Continue Care Retirement Communities, Gardening, Healing Gardens, Horticultural Therapy, Landscape Architecture, landscape design, Meditation Gardens, Organic gardens, Restorative gardens, Senior Environment Assessment, Senior Living, Successful Aging, Sustainability, Sustainable design, Therapeutic Gardens
An article in the Wall Street Journal (1-5-10-WSJ) focuses on the importance of exercise in our lives everyday. ‘The Hidden Benefits of Exercise‘ by Laura Landro highlights why we need to refocus attention on creating a variety of forms of exercise. ‘Just do it’ takes on special meaning when we realize how spending 30 to 60 minutes a day can protect us against a variety of illnesses, from the common cold to cancer.
The federal government issued guidelines in 2008 and is developing a national plan to encourage following the guidelines. Moderate forms of activity include “ballroom and line dancing; biking on level ground or with a few hills; canoeing; gardening (raking, trimming shrubs); tennis (doubles); brisk walking; water aerobics.” More vigorous exercise includes “biking faster than 10 miles an hour; ‘heavy’ gardening (digging and hoeing); tennis (singles); hiking uphill; jogging or running.” Incorporating gardening as part of a regular exercise regime will accomplish our need for exercise in a creative and stress-reducing manner. We might as well have fun while we are exercising. The fruits of our labor might just be some special vegetables for the table.
Exercise programs also
One of the benefits of exercise can include fresh vegetables
offer benefits at any age and can be especially important for people over 40. The WSJ article references the publication “Fit to Live” by Pamela Peeke, MD. Dr. Peeke discusses how, as we age, ‘physical strength, endurance, flexibility and balance begin to decline.’ Including regular exercise as a part of our daily routine can help to slow the aging process. The complete WSJ article can be found at:
