QUARANTINE 15

Have you heard of the quarantine 15? The quarantine 15 is the new phrase going around for the 15 pound weight gain while quarantined at home during Covid-19. The phrase comes from the old rumor of the freshman 15; the 15 pounds you gain during your first year in college eating whatever you want,eating late and exercise very little. With the quarantine 15 you also eat whatever you want because you’re stressed and what better way to combat stress than with a bowl of ice cream topped with every topping you have available.  You might be working from home with your children for extended periods of time, so you eat a whole bag of Doritos and then top it off with a bag of Hersey nuggets. Some data show that people are eating more foods that may contribute to weight gain. Website Lose It! reported a 266% increase in candy eating in the last 2 weeks of March, compared to February, among its 1.4 million monthly active members, along with an increase in eating carb-heavy foods like bread (54%) and noodles (36%). Data provided by WW (formerly Weight Watchers) shows their members are using the app to record they’re using and consuming almost 40% more baking ingredients like flour than they did before the lockdown. It doesn’t have to be this way, you can still maintain or lose weight during this crazy quarantine. Make a schedule, prepare breakfast; do a teams meeting or other work; exercise at noon; grab a healthy snack; some more work; make dinner; watch TV/movie, read, then sleep. Studies have shown that when people don’t get enough sleep they: Have increased levels of a hunger hormone called ghrelin and decreased levels of the satiety/fullness hormone called leptin, which could lead to overeating and weight gain. Keep your mind busy, between meetings and meals play a word game or start that project you’ve been putting off.

We will get through this!

TRAVELING THIS SUMMER?

Everywhere you turn there is an article, a news story or a blog talking about covid-19, well this one is a little different because I hope to encourage people as well as take my own advice to get back out there and see the world around us and do it safely. The fear of getting the virus and possibly spreading it to our loved ones is a far bigger burden than anyone should have to carry, but that is the reality of the situation. While I agree with the CDC’s recommendations, I also know that we have to make the decision to do what is right and not to rely on others to do it for us. With all this in mind we can still get out of our houses and do it in a safe and fun way. Everyone is trying to do their best by staying home, keeping busy and thinking of creative ways to stay entertained, but we are creatures of habit and want to get away. Traveling for vacation this summer is possible with the right plan in place and some common sense thinking. Vacation, that word has a magical ring to it and gives us something to look forward to, there is nothing better than lying on a beach somewhere or seeing the country side and GETTING PAID TO DO IT? We may not be ready to jump on a plane and check into a resort somewhere just yet but we can think about a new way of traveling this summer. Have you ever thought about an RV? RV travel is huge right now because of covid but it has been a big favorite of mine for many years now. RV camping is an inexpensive and easy way to go anywhere and feel safe while doing it, you’ll have peace of mind driving your own vehicle and sleeping in your own bed, that is social distancing at its best. Another great reason for camping is THE FOOD, camping requires GREAT FOOD, like blueberry cobbler made in a cast iron skillet or s’mores over the camp fire. When thinking of where to go, there are so many options but a great place to start is right in your own state, State Parks are great for RV camping.
GET TRAVELING!

Simplify your move and leave the stress behind you 

Reserve your truck or movers a minimum of 60 days ahead, if you are on short notice 30 days will due but 60 is recommended. Try and schedule your move in the middle of the month, this is usually a slow time for rentals as well as movers since the majority of leases start on the 1st.

Now that you have scheduled the movers you can start planning what to move. Start with eliminating some clutter, we all have it, and we all want to rid ourselves of it. I have a keep, store or donate philosophy that will help you decide what you need to do in order to reduce the clutter. If you have items that you can’t bring yourself to part with, place them in a box , label it with the current date, then in 6 months if you still haven’t used them it’s time to donate. Keeping items is pretty easy but you don’t want to end up with everything in the keep pile, so be realistic and think just how much do you need that item if you had it in the attic in the first place. If you find yourself with a larger than you expected of store it items you may consider using a storage facility, if so you can go to www.memphisstorage.com they have spaces available now.

The most important part of the move is packing the truck, make sure you load the front of the house 1st and the back of the house last, because the golden rule has always been make sure the first thing you put in your new place is your bed, set up the bed as well put the sheets and cover on it. The last thing you want to do is move all day and get ready for bed only to find out it still needs to be put together and made.

Moving into a new place is exciting so don’t let the stress of the moving itself get you overwhelmed, think of this as one of many new adventures you will have in your lifetime.

Renters Insurance

When renting an apartment it is so important to get renters insurance, some apartments require it and some just emphasis how important it is for you to have it. I have dealt with situations where people have had renters insurance and not had renters insurance, and those that didn’t never recovered from their loss. No one ever wants to think that something bad could happen to their belongings or the property where they live, but unfortunately things can occur like theft, water, fire or vandalism. Renters insurance can do so much that most people don’t think about, other than just replace a TV, renters insurance can also provide compensation for alternative living arrangements in the event that your rental unit or rented home becomes uninhabitable due to storm or fire. Renters insurance will help pay your cost if loss occurs from a burglary, the amount of compensation depends on the type of loss and the type of coverage you have.
Often, renters do not get renters insurance because they are concerned about the monthly cost of it, however most policies are only pennies a day. Every insurance company is different so please check with your insurance company for their cost and what they cover, a good place to start would be your auto insurance company a lot of times renters insurance can be added and can save you money.

Preventive Maintenance Tips for Garage Doors

I know all too well that garage doors can fail, and like anything else its never at a good time, so the tips below will help you get ahead of any unforeseen issues.

• Did you lose power? Did you know there is a rip cord on your garage door for that exact scenario? Simply pull the red handle and that releases the trolley and you are able to then lift the door, this is only for power failure, not for a broken spring. NEVER PULL THE RED HANDLE UNLESS THE DOOR IS IN THE DOWN POSITION.  Once power is restored you should be able to use your remote and the trolley will reengage.
• One of the easiest things to do is to just listen and look at the garage door as it functions, do you hear any grinding or squeaking noises? Does the door go up and down smoothly, or do you see a it hesitating or jerking? Is the door level on both sides?
• Make sure all of your hardware is in good working order, are the bolts and hinges tight? What about the rollers, they may need to be lubricated. Make sure to do this at least 2 times a year.
• Check the rubber seal at the bottom of the garage door, is it cracked or completely flat? If the answer is yes, no problem they sell the seal at local hardware stores and is very simple to install.
• One of the more common parts on a garage door that breaks is the spring, think about the tension on that spring and how many times it opens and closes in a year. The spring helps lifts the door and if you have ever had one break you know how heavy that door really is, Never try and tinker with the spring or cables, they could do harm to a person. If you feel the spring is failing please contact a professional and never try to lift the garage door if the spring is broken.
• Do your sensors line up properly? On each side of the garage near the ground attached to the track are sensors that sense when a person or object is in the path of the garage door, these sensors help keep the door from coming down on something or someone. Periodically check your sensors and make sure they are secured and each one has a green or orange (sometimes yellow) light on them, if each one is lit that means they are communicating. As a test just waive your hand in front of one of the sensors and you will see the light go off, that means they are working and can sense when something is in the path of the garage door.

If you have any doubt what or were any of the items listed above are it’s best you contact a professional to do annual preventive maintenance on your garage door.

Working out during the holidays…

Working out during the holidays can be daunting, you tell yourself I am going start now so maybe I won’t feel so guilty for all of the sugary goodness I’m about the ingest. Maybe you tell yourself I will start during the holidays because if I can do that I can do anything, I know that one personally because I’ve said it. All seriousness aside, working out takes discipline and if you are already having the conversation with yourself on how to justify why and when you should work out then you’ve already failed. When you decide to work out it should because you are finally ready to live a healthy lifestyle and you want feel good that you are living healthier. When your ready all three of our Apartments Complexes offer 24/7 access to our fitness centers.

Doctors suggest:

• Get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week, or a combination of moderate and vigorous activity. The guidelines suggest that you spread out this exercise during the course of a week. Greater amounts of exercise will provide even greater health benefit. But even small amounts of physical activity are helpful. Being active for short periods of time throughout the day can add up to provide health benefit.
• Strength training. Do strength training exercises for all major muscle groups at least two times a week. Aim to do a single set of each exercise, using a weight or resistance level heavy enough to tire your muscles after about 12 to 15 repetitions.

APARTMENT DECORATING

The excitement of a new place is the decorating, and decorating an apartment without worry of losing your security deposit can be stressful but with our picks you don’t have to worry.  We all know that apartments use that same neutral wall color and while it will go with everything, its just not your style, and that’s okay because we have tips to have your space looking more like you in a snap. Our number one pick is TEMPORARY WALL TREATMENTS, you can do anything from just a few birds flying to patterns on an entire wall, these can change a dull space into a WOW space in minutes. Our number two pick is LIGHTING, there are so many choices these days from just changing a pendant globe to putting a modest chandelier in your bathroom, just make sure if you are changing out any of the fixtures you keep the originals and put them back up before you move. Make sure you have a licensed electrician do any electrical work. Our number three pick is CURTAINS, hang some curtains that say this space is mine, the colors and patterns are endless but make sure you fill the holes you made for the curtain rods.  Our final pick is PILLOWS, I can’t say enough about throw pillows, there are large pillows, small lumbar pillows, pillow that have sayings on them but our pick are the lumbar pillows! We hope you enjoy your new space and have a blast decorating it.

Growing up we always decorated for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving, it was tradition, but these days you start seeing Christmas Trees in September and 24/7 Christmas music playing on the radio the day after Halloween. What makes the Season feel special is waiting for that special day, the day after you have stuffed yourself to brim with turkey and all of those once a year fixings that only Grandma makes special. Just today there were several house that were all decked out with lights, inflatables and even some fake snow, but I think it just too early for all of that. I think if we start eating turkey and dressing on a Tuesday and just Leave the lights up like some of the neighbors (you know who you are) then the feeling you get when it is time for Turkey and it is time for those decorations to come down out of the attic  just won’t be the same. I know that decorating can be a long process for some folks, I mean some are put to music and some have Santa’s taking photos with kids, and maybe they think that 30 days is just not long enough for all of that effort but I will still hold out until the day after Thanksgiving to put up my Tree and light it up. I hope that you choose to decorate your house when it make you feel in the spirit of the season and because it makes you happy, after all the Reason for the Season is not the lights, trees or even the gifts.

Not sure if your neighbors are giving out candy can be a challenge since typically we know who is a treater and who isn’t by the porch lights, however being in an apartment can be challenging because the porch lights are always on. Contact your leasing office and see if they have a community board you can post a suggestion on,  suggest if you want to be included in trick or treating put out a pumpkin or some sort of Halloween decoration, if you don’t have those things then put a note on the door saying trick or treaters welcome or sit out side with your bowl of candy. We have several complexes and it just depends on the amount of small children we have each season if we will even see any little ghosts or goblins, but we always want Halloween to be fun for everyone. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!