Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Perfect Pillow


According to Wales Online[1], your pillow should be replaced every two to three years. But, if you’re like me, your pillow has probably been on your bed for far too long. If you’re not waking up refreshed and you’re unsure what the problem could be, it might be time to toss your pillow. Keep reading below to find out what your perfect pillow looks like.

Does the thought of having to abandon your independence for safety have you waking up on the wrong side of the pillow? Maintain your independence and gain great personal protection by getting Life AlertProtection. While wearing their lightweight, waterproof emergency pendant you can summon help fast with just one touch of a button. No matter if you encounter a sleepy fall, a home fire or even a home invasion, Life Alert can send you the proper authorities fast. Plus, with a dispatch team that is available to you 24/7, you’ll never have to worry about getting caught tangled in your sheets. Get Life Alert Protection today and rest easy.

Want to get the best night’s sleep? You need to customize your sleep style! Real Simple and their experts are here to help. Keep reading below to learn about the pillow of your dreams.

Pillows for Side Sleepers
Side sleepers need a large, firm pillow that can support the space between the ear and shoulder areas. The Luxe Down Alternative Side Sleeper Pillow was designed to do this with medium to firm support. Made of a hypoallergenic combination of recycled polyester and cooling Tencel fibers, it is also great for people who tend to get hot in their sleep.

Pillows for Back Sleepers
Back sleepers best benefit from a memory foam or gel pillow because it molds to the curves of the neck. The PharMeDoc Contour Memory Foam Pillow with Cooling Gel combines both of these materials in an ideal shape to support the neck muscles so they relax. This can help reduce both the back and neck pain that many back sleepers can potentially wake up to. 

Pillows for Stomach Sleepers
Sleeping on your stomach isn’t ideal because it can lead to lower back and neck pain. But if you always find yourself waking up in that position, using a body pillow such as this hypoallergenic one by Alywn Home will give you the support you need. It’s filled with traditional fiber for that classic cloud-like feeling.

Combination Sleepers
Not all of us sleep in one static position, especially, if you share your bed with pets or a partner. Slumbr’s Vela Down + Feather Pillow is filled with hypoallergenic, responsibly sourced down. It’s flexible enough for stomach sleepers, yet supportive enough for side sleepers.

No matter your age, getting the proper support while you sleep is essential to getting the shut eye that will leave feeling rested and rejuvenated; the right pillow can help you do that! Plus, with the comfort of Life Alert slipped around your neck or wrist, you can get an even heartier sleep knowing you are protected. Should you ever encounter a home invasion, a home fire or even a serious fall, Life Alert’s dispatch team is available 24/7 to send you the proper authorities. Simply push the button on your emergency pendant and summon an emergency medical response fast. Eat, sleep and live well by with great personal protection; get Life Alert Protection today! Call 1-800-513-2934 for a free Life Alert brochure.

Works Cited:
1.       Duffy, Fiona. “This is how often you should change your bedsheets, pajamas, towels and underwear.” Wales Online. 10 July 2017. <https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/health/how-often-should-change-bedsheets-10789782 >.
2.       Rones, Nancy and Amanda Lauren. “How to Choose a Pillow for the Best Night’s Sleep.” Real Simple. 20 August 20106. <https://www.realsimple.com/health/preventative-health/sleep/how-to-choose-pillow >.


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Friday, November 23, 2018

Black Friday


If you’re like me, you love scoring good deals and there is no better day to do just that then on Black Friday! With the promise of a record shattering deal on your mind, sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the excitement of the day and you may actually end up overpaying for something. Keep reading below to ensure your Black Friday goes exactly as planned and that you score the deal of the century!
 
When you are an aging senior living independently, it is imperative that you obtain personal protection that allows you to continue with your chosen lifestyle while offering you the safety and protection you deserve. Now, I bet you’re wondering, where can I score a deal on something like that? Luckily, for you, Life Alert Protection doesn’t wait for Black Friday to shell out deals on the world’s best emergency medical device; they offer it year round! Under the safety of their emergency pendant, you can summon an emergency medical response fast with just one touch of a button. No matter what life threatening emergency you may face, Life Alert’s dispatch team can send you the proper authorities fast. Plus, unlike Black Friday, Life Alert is available to you 24/7. Score the deal of a lifetime by getting yourself Life Alert today!

Consumer Reports[1] is here to help you get the best deals on items you want and keep the frustration and overspending to a minimum with the tips they are offering below. Ready, set, GO!

1. Start early. Gone are the days when Black Friday simply meant checking the Sunday circulars to see which local retailers had the best deals. Black Friday has morphed into a whole month of deals and savings, and online retailers also regularly update prices throughout the event. To judge how good the actual sales really are once it's crunch time, you'll need to track the deals leading up to Black Friday. The same goes for Cyber Monday, which now stretches into a week of online specials.

2. Do your homework. Only rookies head out on Black Friday unprepared. Getting ready means studying the ads—in print and online—the weekend before Thanksgiving. And we'll be helping you sift through the best (and worst) Black Friday deals at retailers such as Best Buy, Costco, Dell, BJ's, Target, and Walmart. There are now dozens of Black Friday websites where you'll find tons of leaked Black Friday ads. We regularly check bfads.net, bestblackfriday.com, dealnews.com, theblackfriday.com, and blackfriday.gottadeal.com. Sign up and these sites will send you deal alerts, which you can typically filter by product category.

3. Use price and coupon tools. You don’t have to go retailer-by-retailer to compare prices. Try Google Shopping, plus services such as NexTag, PriceGrabber, Pricewatch, and Shopzilla. In the store, apps such as BuyVia, Flipp, ShopKick, ShopSavvy, and Shopular loaded on your phone let you scan bar codes or QR codes to compare prices, get discounts, and score coupons.  Many Black Friday sites, such as the ones listed above, have their own shopping apps. And so do major retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and Walmart. Amazon's Mobile app, for example, lets you use a smartphone camera to scan products and price-shop online. But direct comparison shopping can be really tough in the run-up to Black Friday and the holidays. One reason is that some large retailers have their best deals on models you didn't see earlier in the year, or that aren't available at other stores. That can make comparison shopping hard, if not impossible. This is particularly true of TVs. It's a hugely popular category this time of year—and one that generates lots of great deals, along with plenty of confusion. See "Consider a 'Derivative' Model," below, for details. 

4. Use loyalty programs. Stores often have loyalty programs that offer sales and promotions to their members first, then let them earn rewards on what they buy. Signing up for Black Friday shopping alerts will get you the early word on promotions, coupons, and discounts. In some cases, you can even find out whether the products you want are in stock or eligible for a buy online/pick up at the store option that saves you on shipping.

5. Get social. The Facebook pages and Twitter feeds of your favorite retailers are a great way to find out about deals and promotions. Retailers will often reward customers who like or follow them with special alerts to Black Friday discounts and incentives. And of course texts, tweets, and social media posts are an easy way to share Black Friday shopping intel with your friends.

6. Create a budget—and stick to it. Yes, this sounds simple. But Black Friday sales, especially the doorbuster specials available in limited quantities, are designed to get you into a store so that the retailer can sell you something else. And once there, it's easy to get caught up in the buying excitement. Decide ahead of time how much you want to spend on your Black Friday shopping spree, and do your best to resist impulse buying, especially if you're not sure how good a specific deal is. If you find that you're too free with your charge cards, try buying with cash this year and see whether you have better self-control. But if you are sufficiently disciplined, buy with a credit card that doubles the manufacturer's warranty and then pay it off before any interest accrues.

7. Check all store policies in advance. It's always good to know a store's price-match and return policies. We expect more retailers to price-match specific online and in-store deals this year. Almost all of the major retailers have some form of price-match policy, and they've been expanding them almost every year. But some stores might suspend their price-match guarantees during the Black Friday weekend on certain items, so read the fine print. Check the return and exchange policies for Black Friday sales to make sure that the store won't charge a restocking fee for any item you bring back.



Tips For TV Shopping
Televisions deserve some special attention because so many people shop for them at this time of year. The TV aisle may have some of the best deals in the entire store—along with a few of the most confusing ones. That's why these last three tips are just for TV shoppers.

8. Consider a "derivative" TV model. Starting in October, you may see low-priced TVs made specifically for Black Friday, and some are available only through a single retailer. These sets are called “derivatives” in the TV industry because they’re similar to the regular production models we see all year but with different model numbers and often fewer features. (For example, they may have fewer HDMI inputs or come with a simpler remote control.) Some of these TVs can be a good deal. For example, last year a 55-inch Samsung derivative we tested was about $170 cheaper than the TV it was based on, and it performed equally well in CR’s tests. Other TVs may not be true derivatives, but also get introduced at this time of year. It's hard to judge the quality of derivatives and new-for-the-holidays sets, and it's difficult to compare prices, too. After all, if a set is being sold at only one retailer, you can’t shop around or ask a store to honor a price-match guarantee. Consumer Reports will report on heavily promoted sets as they come on the market, and help you pick out the better deals.

9. Avoid pricey accessories. You've just scored an awesome giant-screen 4K TV at an all-time low price, so don't blow your savings by splurging on pricey accessories or extended warranties. (This is where retailers make a lot of their money, hence the hard sell.) If you know you'll need an HDMI cable, buy it in advance from an online retailer such as monoprice.com or bluejeanscable.com. That way you won't be pressed into overpaying at the store, where you might pay $35 for a 6-foot HDMI cable that performs similarly to a cable you can buy for less than $5 online.

10. Beware the cheapest set. Super low-price door buster specials draw people in with visions of savings, but these sets might not be worth the price. You'll probably be watching your new TV for a number of years. If you're not happy with its features or picture quality, you could regret not spending an extra 50 bucks to get something better. Also, those loss-leader TVs are usually at their rock-bottom price. A retailer may have more wiggle room on a step-up model or flagship model, and you shouldn't hesitate to ask for a better price during your Black Friday shopping—or throughout the year.

Set your alarm, grab your shopping bags and get ready to score thanks to the insightful tips above! Not all deals however, are scored just on Black Friday. If you are an aging senior looking to maintain your independently lifestyle and steer clear of senior care, I am about to tell you about the deal of the century. What if you could get 24/7 personal protection by simply wearing a lightweight, waterproof emergency pendant around your neck or wrist? Would you jump at the change to keep your independence while upgrading your at-home safety significantly? If you answered yes, then it’s time to get Life Alert Protection. While wearing their emergency pendant, you can summon an emergency medical response fast with just one touch of a button. No matter if you experience a serious fall, a home invasion or even a home fire, Life Alert’s dispatch team is available to you 24/7 to send you the proper authorities fast. This Black Friday, don’t just score a one-time deal; score a deal that will last you a lifetime by getting Life Alert today! Call 1-800-513-2934 for a free Life Alert brochure.

Works Cited:
Willcox, James K. “Top 10 Black Friday Shopping Tips for 2018.” Consumer Reports. 12 October 2018. <https://www.consumerreports.org/shopping-retail/top-10-black-friday-shopping-tips/


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Friday, November 16, 2018

New Year, New Workouts


Looking to change things up in the gym? You’ll have plenty of opportunities to do that thanks to the promise of a new year with new workouts. From upgrades in digital fitness, exercise tech and better recovery systems, you can look forward to sweating your booty off and reaching your New Year resolutions! Get a jump start by learning about them before everyone else, by reading below.

As holiday season is approaching, gifts are on the mind and New Year resolutions are being pondered. If one of your goals is to find a way to be more confident with living solo, accomplish that goal by getting LifeAlert Protection. While wearing their lightweight, waterproof emergency pendant, you can summon an emergency medical response fast with just one touch of a button. No matter what life threatening emergency you may face, Life Alert’s dispatch team can send you the proper authorities fast, 24/7. No landline, no problem! Life Alert offers various protection packages that can be specifically designed for your individual lifestyle which can include wireless options. Flex your personal protection muscles by getting Life Alert Protection today!

Are you ready to kick the New Year off with a new and improved workout? Check out Women’s Health Magazine’s[1] top new workouts for 2019 and get a jump start on the new you!

Your HIIT will get a twist.
Plenty of fitness studios are creating HIIT hybrid classes—like CorePower Yoga, a Colorado-born studio chain that took the reins on yoga-HIIT classes. Life Time Fitness just launched a HIIT yoga class called Fire Yoga, too. “All of the high-intensity classes are great and this category will continue to grow,” says Tom Manella, Life Time’s national vice president of personal training.

Workouts will become shorter.
Pete McCall, certified strength and conditioning specialist (C.S.C.S.), and host of the All About Fitness podcast, sees HIIT workout classes becoming shorter and shorter. “If you do 15 minutes at the right intensity, that’s all you need,” he says. “So while HIIT is going to continue to be popular, we might see it in different forms [and times].”

Recovery will be key.
Life Time already offers recovery tools like a steam room and cold plunge tubs—but Manella says they’ll soon offer compression sessions and sports massage, too. Other studios like Mile High Run Club and Tone House, in New York City, offer compression massages via NormaTec boots, access to foam rolling tools, and more. “People are learning they don’t have to beat themselves up every day of the week,” McCall says.


You'll see new, better ways to loosen muscles.
In 2018, percussion guns (think TheraGun and Hypervolt) took off, and that popularity is going to continue. Some studios even offer access to these types of tools pre- or post-workout.  Another thing we might see more of? Scrubbing, McCall predicts. Picture rubbing down your fascia with a device that looks like a potato scrubber.  “As we learn more about connective tissue and how it plays into exercise, we’ll see more tools coming out,” McCall says.

Sleep will get extra attention.
As wearables get better at tracking sleep, recording your REM hours and more, people may start getting more shut-eye (or at least really trying to do so). Kat Ellis, certified personal trainer, says "great sleep quality is vital for fine motor control and metabolic function,” she says. “If your sleep patterns are out of whack, it’s near impossible to see any performance and weight loss goals.” She sees sleep coaching becoming an offering at meditation studios, to really get you to relax, wind down, and perform better.

Work and working out will merge.
You might see big gyms adding more areas where people can hop on their laptops and work, post-sweat. Vice versa, more work spaces are incorporating fitness into their offerings. For example: fitness club Rise by We, opened in the co-working space WeWork, in Manhattan October 2017. Also: The soon-to-open workspace and networking club Luminary will offer fitness classes so women can squeeze exercise between meetings.
Boutique studios will expand to smaller cities.
With cities like New York and Los Angeles getting saturated with boutique fitness studios, Ellis predicts we’ll see more spots open up in smaller cities, like Austin, Boston, Cincinnati, and more. “Due to the competitive landscape in major cities, opportunities are endless in smaller markets,” she says. Manella also believes boutiques will start offering more types of classes, like yoga at a CrossFit studio, or stretching sessions at your favorite HIIT place. They may also start extending their hours to accommodate more people.

Big box gyms will aim to offer a studio experience.
McCall mentions that big gym brands are also offering a more tailored approach to fitness. So, if you’re obsessed with yoga or barre, there may be a studio room where you can get your flow on. Or your gym may open its own spin-only area for cycling fanatics. “The gyms will brand the workouts differently, catering more to a custom user experience like you’d get from a boutique studio,” McCall says. That way, you still have access to all the main gym amenities, with the option for the group classes you like.

Streaming workouts will be everywhere.
Your gym might start offering streaming workouts during off-peak hours. McCall says he’s seeing this at his local YMCA in California, which brought in a Peloton bike for people to hop on and join a class whenever they can. Plus, more and more virtual workout options are emerging—like ClassPass Live and Our Body Electric (Obe)—which give you a chance to follow a live class from the comfort of your living room.

Treadmill workouts and audio-guided runs will ramp up.
Peloton's treadmill, which offers virtual running "classes," will continue to gain steam. Equinox also still offers Precision Running programs in their locations across the U.S., and Mile High Run Club, Barry’s Bootcamp, and Speedplay (all featuring treadmills) remain popular in big cities. McCall believes these will really take off in 2019. Plus, workout apps like Aaptiv offer audio coaching during your runs, to help you hone your form and speed.

Your social media feed will still get flooded with fitness.
Whether you love or hate the influencer moment, and all your friends' posts about crossing a finish, the trend of publicly sharing fitness feats is here to stay, says Manella. “People are posting their goals on social media in order to be held accountable which is pretty cool,” he says. “I love watching a community motivate each other to meet those goals.”

Brands and sports teams will create their own workouts.
A Dallas Cowboys-branded gym in Texas, a Spartan gym in Miami—big players in sports and fitness are putting their names on facilities near you. McCall sees more brands and sports teams collaborating with fitness facilities (or creating their own) to bring workouts to their fan base. Love the Eagles? Always do Tough Mudders? Maybe you’ll see them open a fitness space in the new year.

Personalized workouts will be all the rage.
Finding out your VO2Max, getting a metabolic assessment, learning more about your genes and how they relate to fitness—this info is all becoming easier to grasp thanks to centers like the NY Sports Science Lab in Staten Island, DNA tests like Fitness Genes, and biohacking places like Bulletproof Labs. Though typically pricey, you might see these tests and stats become more popular for anyone who wants to take their fitness to the next level, seek out ways to prevent injuries, or even just better understand how their body works.

You might start training your brain more than your body.
Another aspect of fitness McCall is excited to see expand: Training your brain for better performance and results. “We’re learning more about how the brain responds to exercise,” he says. “How can we teach people to move better?” We’ll likely see more research around this topic, helping people learn to focus on the mental side of training.

Your mental health also becomes important to your workouts.
Mindful running definitely had a moment this year, especially when Headspace and Nike teamed up to created guided runs. And we will likely see more meditation-based workouts in the future. “Meditation will become much more main stream in fitness,” McCall says. “You might be training your body, but what are you doing to train your mind?” That’s the question we’ll start addressing more in the New Year. Also, if you don’t already have a meditation app on your phone, you should probably welcome in 2019 by downloading one.

Get excited for 2019 and your new workouts! With new technology and new ways to get fit, you can accomplish your big New Year fitness goals. But, while you get your sweat on at home, make sure you are protected.  While wearing Life Alert medical alert emergency pendant around your neck or wrist, you can summon an emergency medical response fast with just one touch of a button. No matter if you experience a home invasion, a home fire or even a serious fall, Life Alert’s dispatch team can send you the proper authorities fast, 24/7. Life Alert’s pendant is waterproof so you can wear it even while you do your pool workouts. When it comes to your at-home safety, there is nothing to work out; get the best personal protection by getting Life Alert today! Call 1-800-513-2934 for a free Life Alert brochure.

Works Cited:
1.       Creveling, Mallory. “The 15 Top Fitness Trends You’ll See In 2019.” Women’s Health Magazine. 8 November 2018. <https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/g23876623/fitness-trends-2019/ >.


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Friday, November 9, 2018

Daylight Saving Time: Bad for Your Health?


The official change of the seasons is marked for many by daylight saving time. While the days may get a little shorter, you do get to snag yourself some extra sleep! But, those extra zzz’s may not be as good for you as you think. Keep reading below to find out about daylight saving time and the affects it can have on your health.

The time may change through the year, but if you are an aging senior who is living independently, your personal protection shouldn’t change, but stay the same reliable service that can get you help fast. Living solo can have major upsides, but at some point in time, you will run into a life threatening emergency that could leave you injured and unable to reach for help; then what? Under the safety of Life Alert you can live alone with confidence because while wearing their lightweight, waterproof emergency pendant, you can summon help fast with just one touch of a button. No matter what life threatening emergency you may face, Life Alert’s dispatch team is available 24/7 to send you the proper authorities fast. You don’t have to turn back time to find great personal protection, get Life Alert today!

Real Simple[1] is bringing you the truth about daylight saving time. Check out what health experts believe to be the negative side effects of this common ritual we practice and stay safe this year!

Falling back can cause depression.
A 2016 Danish study, which examined 185,419 diagnoses of depression between 1995 and 2012, found an eight percent rise in depression in the days following the time change in the fall. "We are relatively certain that it is the transition from daylight saving time to standard time that causes the increase in the number of depression diagnoses and not, for example, the change in the length of the day or bad weather. In fact, we take these phenomena into account in our analyses," Søren D. Østergaard, one of the five researchers behind the study wrote in the group's findings. "Our results should give rise to increased awareness of depression in the weeks following the transition to standard time. This is especially true for people with a tendency towards depression–as well as their relatives. Furthermore, the healthcare professionals who diagnose and treat depression should also take our results into consideration.”

You’re more likely to get into a car crash.
Gaining an extra hour of rest may seem OK, but it could still be causing all of us to be groggy, which isn’t ideal for getting behind the wheel. According to a 2001 study, there is an increased risk of traffic accidents on the Saturday night before switching to daylight saving as more people may be on the roads later than usual. “The behavioral adaptation anticipating the longer day on Sunday of the shift from DST in the fall leads to an increased number of accidents suggesting an increase in late night (early Sunday morning) driving when traffic-related fatalities are high possibly related to alcohol consumption and driving while sleepy,” the study concluded. “Public health educators should probably consider issuing warnings both about the effects of sleep loss in the spring shift and possible behaviors such as staying out later, particularly when consuming alcohol in the fall shift.”

Falling back increases your odds of having a stroke.
According to one Finnish study, the national incidence of stroke rises by about eight percent over the two days following daylight saving time transitions, WebMD reported. As to why that happens, it all comes down to messing with our circadian sleep rhythms. "Sleep is associated with many physiological changes that are normally thought of as being relatively protective against stroke, like lower blood pressure," Dr. Andrew Lim, a neurologist who was not involved in the study, shared.

You’re also more likely to get mugged.
Apparently getting just a bit more sleep really inspires people to commit crimes. According to a 2017 study by scientists at the University of Pennsylvania who specialize in criminology, psychiatry, and psychology, the assault rate spikes just after the clocks fall back. “Sleep problems have previously been associated with increased antisocial and criminal behavior, so we were surprised to find that increased sleep was associated with increased offending,” study author Adrian Raine said in press release. “This discrepancy is likely due to the fact that 40 to 60 minutes of lost sleep in one night is just not the same as months, or even years, of poor sleep.”

Maybe Arizona and Hawaii are really onto something by forgoing daylight saving after all! In a world when life can change in a day-light second, it’s important to make the most of your time by always remaining safe. No, you can’t change daylight saving time, but you can change how you handle the negatives brought on by it. If you currently have no form of personal protection, it’s time to make a change. Home safety has never been made easier thanks to Life Alert Protection. While wearing their lightweight, waterproof emergency pendant, you can summon an emergency medical response fast with just one touch of a button. No matter if you encounter a home invasion, a home fire or even a serious fall, Life Alert’s dispatch team is available 24/7 to send you the proper authorities fast. Take the time to get your own Life Alert medical alert system today! For a free Life Alert brochure call 1-800-513-2934.

Works Cited:
1.       Leasca, Stacey. “Daylight Saving Time Can Actually Be Bad for Your Health—Here’s How.” Real Simple. 1 November 2018. <https://www.realsimple.com/health/daylight-saving-time-health-risks >.


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