Author, Francine Falk-Allen has written No Spring Chicken, a book about living your best and longest life no matter your age or physical challenges. What I loved most about this book is the author’s perspective on her life and how she has lived it and is living it. I appreciate how genuine and heartfelt Francine is when she writes about her own personal experiences. Francine learned to live with a disability and overcome everyday challenges from the very young age of 3 years old when she was hospitalized with polio and left the hospital with a permanetly paralyzed foot and mostly paralyzed leg. Though, the challenges she faced throughout her life were not always easy, she has thoughtfully written this informative guide on aging with a positive attitude and a sense of humor. Highly recommend adding this book to your summer reading list.
“The handbook is divided into three sections: Part I is a jaunt through accessible travel pleasures and pitfalls in several parts of the world; Part II addresses the adaptation people who love a handicapped or aging person could make in order to have a lighter, more mutually rewarding relationship with him or her, as well as advice for physically challenged and aging persons themselves regarding self-care, exercise, pain management, healthcare, and more; and Part III discusses the challenges, rewards and logistics of engaging with groups of people who share similar issues.”
BUY YOUR COPY – AMAZON
“No Spring Chicken addresses what we all face eventually: aging and the physical difficulties that can ensue.”
Author, Francine Falk-Allen:
What inspired you to write this book?
“I have a lifetime of experience to share about how to take care of oneself with a physical challenge, handicap or disability, and enjoy life as much as possible at the same time. I thought it would be useful to those facing the later years of life, or even younger people with a disability, or family and friends who are perhaps stumped about how to face their loved one’s challenges.”
What is the one aspect that you hope readers learn from it?
“I hope they take away that there isalmost always something we can do to improve at least oneaspect of our condition,if not many,and to keep functioning as best we can in order to enjoywhatever opportunities present themselves to us.”
As family members age, what should we keep in mind?
“That they are the same people they have always been with the same needs and desires, and they want to keep participating in life to the extent possible. Also, generally, aging people could use a little or even a lot of assistance, but most of us hate to ask, and only ask when it’s a dire necessity. There are exceptions of course, but most people I know prefer to be as independent as possible.So chipping in more than you used to without an air of “You should have asked me for help” or “Mom, you aren’t keeping your house clean enough anymore” is likely to be appreciated.”
Share some of your favorite self-care tips.
“I do a little yoga and core strengthening every single morning, and I do pool therapy a few days aweek. Stretching and keeping up what strength you have is important in order to stay mobile. Ialso avoid eating large amounts of simple carbohydrates (basically, white foods!) but I do try to eat a large amount of vegetables! It’s important to keep weight down, or to at least not become obese, to avoid or keep in check joint pain,heart disease, diabetes and cancer. And of course all that helps just to assist yourself in feeling great so that you have a positive attitude. Also, I rest regularly, and sometimes take a little nap, and get at least six or seven hours sleep every night. I think meals or tea dates with friends, reading good books, watching inspiring movies and spending time outdoors are also great ways to reduce stress and increase a feeling of peace and well being.”
Anything else you would like to add?
I truly hope people will buy and enjoy No Spring Chicken, or ask for it at their local library, and suggest it to their friends and family. If they do, it’s helpful to the success of any book, especially for someone who is not a celebrity author,to leave a very good rating or review on Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes and Noble or Walmart’s book review pages. Do remember that anything less than four or five stars is considered poor, though, by the algorithms that run those sites. Even if people don’t read either of my books (my first book was Not a Poster Child: Living Well with a Disability—A Memoir, about growing up with a disability and navigating the world as a woman with a disability), I hope that everyone who has physical difficulty is finding ways to keep on enjoying life! That’s what I’m intending to do. Later this year, we’re hoping to visit someplace like Hawaii or New Mexico, where there is a high number of vaccinated people and a low incidence of the Covid-19 virus. Happy trails to all!
I loved being part of this Virtual Book Tour along with other bloggers associated with PR by the book and I absolutely recommend reading this book.
