From 18 to 81

From 18 to 81: I wanted to do something special this week. This beautiful woman, in both photos, is my neighbor, Diane. I will be featuring her in this week's blog. She is an inspiration inside and out.

At 81, she is the epitome of good health and prides herself at taking care of her body and mind. Today, I'm going to spill her secrets about finding the fountain of youth!

1. Diet is Everything

• "I don't believe in putting too much in your stomach." ~ Diane Livesey

• Every morning Diane eats the same thing, or roughly the same thing.

• Oatmeal with blueberries and a banana

• Oatmeal is full of antioxidants, helps lower cholesterol, contains gobs of soluble fiber, and can help with blood sugar control.

• Lunch: She loves to cook a ton of spinach and then add egg and cheese to make an omelette or scramble.

• If she goes out to lunch with a friend she ALWAYS splits something.

• Dinner: One piece of wheat bread with fresh turkey and cheese. She always tries to get fruit into her diet as well. "Whatever is in season."~ Diane

• Dinner Option #2: She likes to boil salmon with lemon and have that with steamed broccoli and a small baked potato.

• Snack: And if she's craving something sweet (occasionally) she'll drive up to McDonald's for a small ice cream cone.

• Makes it a point to drink 8 glasses of water with fresh lemon per day.

2. Exercise

• First of all, I didn't know this, but starting at age 65 you can get a free membership to any 24 Hour Fitness. Diane told me this of course!

• Before she even gets out of bed in the morning she does a few leg stretches and sit ups. When she's ready to stand up she does leg swings to get her hips open and moving.

• Diane loves to walk around her townhouse complex and is the head of her gardening committee. So in her spare time she's walking around watering flowers.

3. Saying YES!

• "I told myself at a very young age that I would say yes to any opportunity that came my way." ~Diane

• This mindset has kept Diane active in her community. Whether she's feeding the homeless or playing BINGO twice a week, Diane loves to try new things and remain doing at least one thing every day.

• This mentality has inspired me to say yes to every door that might open up. This alone has forced me to get outside my comfort zone and try new things.

• Diane believes that being healthy is centered around finding a balance of a good diet, being active, staying positive, and keeping yourself busy.

What kind of lifestyle are you living right now? Do you make it a priority to be active every day for at least 30 minutes? Do you TRY to be healthy with your food choices. If there are any take-aways from Diane's story, it's be intentional about every choice you are making. Are you in control of your life or is your life controlling you?