Blog Posts

Mental Health Recovery

One of the most important things in life is a strong mental health since it ties itself to every other part of your existence while having the ability to make your reality a dream come true, or your worst nightmare. Many of us don’t know what to do when getting trapped in the thick fog of sadness, and unfortunately, we hear too often how it’s, “all in your head,” or to, “get over it and move on.” As you may know, it is a lot harder said than done. Before moving on, know one thing; You are loved, and you most certainly matter. Day in and day out, having depression or anxiety can pose extreme challenges day to day. This becomes something you must acknowledge and then exercise every single day, because left untreated, without the consistency and proper tools, the feeling of running in circles prospers over the recovery and mindset you desire. Luckily for you, we put together some tips and tricks to keep your mental health in check, so you can keep doing all things you were born to do! Therapy Regardless of what anyone says, it’s nice to have someone whose job it is to sit and listen to the trauma life has thrown at you without the fear of word spreading while being in a judgement-free zone. Looking up a therapist in your local area is one of the best things you can do to work with someone directly in establishing a plan of care that’s best for you. Exercise There’s a reason why you feel so good after hitting the gym or going for a run, and that’s due to the chemical release of endorphins your brain gives you. This powerful group of chemicals helps you feel good, especially when stacked with a proper diet. For residents at Acero North Valley, there’s an indoor and outdoor fitness center open 24/7 so you can get the work done any time of day. See what other local gyms are nearby in northern Phoenix to find the perfect fitness space for you. Journaling Nothing is worse than having your head race with thought after thought and having no place to put them. When you write out your feelings, you give your racing headspace a new comfy home between the paper, and as you progress through your journey of life, re-reading your previous entries can be an exciting way to have a visual of your own growth over time. Healthy Diet The famous saying of, “you are what you eat,” is true in essence. When you eat food, your body breaks it down to create new cells. When you are consistently eating junk food, more than likely you soon will feel like junk. Instead of the chips and soda-pop, try switching it out for foods like pineapple and green tea! Both have clinical research which proves to increase your serotonin levels, otherwise known as your feel-good happy hormone. Sunshine and Vitamin D Since we’re blessed with having the Arizona sun at our fingertips, the advantage of using this ball of fire in the sky for our mood is remarkable. Spending the majority of the day outside, that sunlight packs a vitamin D punch, delivering 10,000IU from just 15 minutes of sunlight. With proper sun exposure, vitamin D is allowed to do its thing in helping the body operate and keep the mind positive. All in all, always remember that working on your mental health is something to be taken day by day. Your trauma is real, your feelings are real, but don’t burn yourself out trying to go from 0 to 100 in a single day. Think about it as a penny that doubles each day, you start from nothing, but with a compounding effect, that penny is worth over 5 million in 30 days.

Drink Up

With the summer heat rolling out the corner, we can expect the sweat to follow with. Making sure you’re properly hydrated year-round is very important for your health since the body is made of 60% water. Without it, you can expect things like dry skin, fragile hair, mind and body fatigue and so much more. Here are some ways to beat the heat and stay hydrated. Reusable Water Bottle Carrying a water bottle with you throughout the day is an excellent way to remind yourself to keep on drinking. When you carry around a water bottle, the psychology of seeing the bottle empty could be an assistance in remembering to fill up and stay drinking. Spice it up Tired of drinking just plain old water? Add your favorite infusers like fresh squeezed lemon, cucumbers, berries, or whatever natural flavor you want to add! This will not only help you drink more water since you’ll get that infuser taste, but also help bring more vitamins and minerals making your water pack more of a nutritious punch. If time is scares and you need something quick and easy, grab your favorite premade water infuser at your local grocery store Water first, Coffee last Ever feel that mid-day crash that has you reaching you for another cup of coffee? Instead of grabbing that caffeine filled beverage, try drinking a tall glass of water first. Coffee is a natural diuretic which speeds up the process of becoming dehydrated, and the most common sign of dehydration is feeling fatigue. Does this mean water is like an energy drink? In its own way yes. Next time you feel like hitting up the local coffee shops for a quick pick me up, try quenching that sluggish feeling with a few extra cups of water

Exercise at Home

When it comes to staying in shape, usually the first thing we think of is signing up for a gym. For some, this may be unaffordable and also maybe too uncomfortable to surround yourself with the gym junkies, making a workout from your living room sound that much more appealing. Exercising is a great way to generate positive thinking, a strong work ethic, and for feeling accomplished. It’s easier than you think to get started! Here are some ideas for you to get your body moving from the comfort of your own home. Calisthenics This fancy word means body weight exercises. Activities like this requires you to use your own body weight while performing the workout. Exercises in this category could be: -Push Ups -Sit Ups -Jumping Jacks -Power Squats -Pull ups Yoga One of the best exercises for not only your body, but for your mind is Yoga. Yoga helps the body in many ways including improved circulation, increased flexibility, injury recovery, a relaxed mind, and so much more. If you need some guided yoga sessions but don’t feel comfortable joining a yoga studio, grab your computer and search for yoga classes available online! That way you can enjoy having a teacher right inside your own home. Cardio It’s hard, it makes your heart rate explode, it’s cardio. Cardio is a very open category to work with since there’s so many exercises that can get your heart rate going but aim for things that are either going to consistently get that heart going at a steady pace such as walking, jogging, or climbing stairs, or going 100% for 30 to 60 seconds and taking a break for 2 minutes between each set. This short burst of exercise is called HIIT cardio or high intensity interval training. Exercises like these could be jump rope, sprinting up and down your stairs, burpees, or anything that gets you moving at 100%.

Tips for Working From Home Ergonomically

Many of us have transitioned to working from home. Plenty of those people weren’t expecting this change, and plenty more did not have much in the way of previous experience with a work-from-home lifestyle. At-home set-ups are likely to differ significantly from those in our professional offices, and as a result, some of us may have been noticing increased fatigue, back pain, and other feelings of discomfort. This isn’t medical advice in any way, but in the interest of making things just a bit easier, we wanted to share some of our best tips for working from home ergonomically to help you feel a bit better at the end of the day. Support your back Proper spinal support is one of the best ways to combat pain and lethargy from a long work day. Here are some ways to ensure your spine stays comfortable throughout the day: Don’t hunch over your laptop. You want to fit the curvature of the chair to the lower back, to support your lumbar. Try to sit at a table or desk, rather than on the couch. The couch is a great place for shorter periods, but you should avoid being horizontal for the full work day to avoid muscular discomfort. Use an office chair, if you have the option, as the adjustable options will help you sit comfortably through long work days. If you can, use an external monitor or a laptop stand with a keyboard and mouse, instead of a laptop. When looking at the screen, your eye level should go to the address bar on a web browser. Whatever type of chair you sit in, you want to support the natural curve of your spine. Try to sit close to the back of the chair, and let it support your body. Designated work space It’s most helpful to have a designated space you work in, rather than choosing from day-to-day or working in bed. It doesn’t have to be a desk or office, as we don’t all have one, but a table that allows you to sit straight and have the support of a good chair works great. You want to have a space you can truly designate as the space to work, to make it easier for you to get into the right mindset, as well as avoid dragging the job stress out into the rest of the apartment! Space for legs and arms Another important element is making adequate space for your legs and arms, and positioning them for the best possible ergonomic posture. You want to work at a height that allows your elbows to be naturally level with your desk or table, so your wrists and hands are well-aligned to avoid the pain from repetitive stress. When working, you want to have your elbows resting at a comfortable 90-degree angle, so your wrists go straight towards the keyboard. You also want to be sitting somewhere that allows you to place your feet flat on the floor, even if you have to put a couple of books or boxes underneath to keep them from dangling. This reduces spinal stress! We hope these tips will help you work comfortably, whether you’re doing so at home or in an office!

Great Local Bakeries to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth

We’re big fans of all the incredible local businesses right nearby our neighborhood, and we love taking opportunities to highlight some of the spots that make our area so vibrant and great to live in. With October well underway and Halloween --one of the sweetest holidays-- fast approaching, we thought we’d profile some of the best local bakeries to help satisfy your sweet tooth. Desert Donuts Desert Donuts is taking quite a few precautions to ensure anyone craving one of their pastries is safe, including delivery (with online shopping!), takeout, and curbside pick-up options to get your chosen treats, so you can confidently grab a bite! They serve fresh donuts, as well as decadent ice cream concoctions, and have both a roving truck that sells their ice cream, and a brick and mortar location that sells everything. Their donuts are brightly colored and lavishly decorated, for a truly special sweet treat. (Image from Desert Donuts) Smallcakes Smallcakes is a self-proclaimed cupcakery, serving up delicious gourmet cupcakes in signature flavors. They also sell full-sized cakes, ice cream, cookies, shakes, and espresso drinks. Some of their specialties include the chubby cookie, which is a cake-filled cookie, their hot fudge sundae cupcake, and their birthday cake cupcake. They have a store location, but also deliver via doordash, so you can pick out something delicious online and not have to worry about going to get it yourself. They also do some really fun, detailed icing decorating for custom cakes! (Image from Smallcakes) Sweeteez Sweeteez does both pickup and delivery, and sources their ingredients freshly and locally. Their specialty is cookies, including cookie cakes bigger than your face, but they also sell treats like brownies, rice crispies, and pumpkin chocolate chip bars. They also have a variety of specialty sodas, and soda floats. If you do end up ordering in from some of our nearby local bakeries, let us know your thoughts! We love getting to celebrate the businesses that make our neighborhood so special, and we hope you enjoy exploring them just as much.

Grilled Cheese Recipes with a Twist

Grilled cheese is a delicious food option when the months get colder, especially when accompanied by a bowl of hot soup. But while the simplicity of the recipe is part of why it’s such an easy classic, the same old combination of bread, butter, and cheese can get boring. That’s why we’ve made up a list of a few suggestions for twists on the old favorite, for you and your family to try this fall! Classic Grilled Cheese A basic grilled cheese is classic and fairly easy to make, requiring only a few ingredients: bread, cheese, and butter. For a classic grilled cheese, start by heating around one tablespoon of salted butter in a non-stick pan, over medium-low heat on your stove. Put together your sandwich, with your bread and whatever cheese you fancy (or combination of cheeses!) Some people put their butter on the exterior of the sandwich on both sides, rather than in the pan, but it’s truly up to you. Press your assembled sandwich together slightly, so it’s less likely to fall apart, and gently place it in your pan. You then want to cook it approximately three to five minutes on the first side, or until it’s golden brown on the bottom. The cheese should be slightly melted at this point, so the sandwich should stay together when you flip it. Flip the sandwich over with a spatula. Add more butter to the pan if you need it, as the butter is very important for getting the golden brown bread right. Cook it around three to five more minutes again, until this side is also golden brown and the cheese inside is fully melted! After that, your grilled cheese is ready to eat! A favorite way to serve it is with soup, often tomato. However, one of the great things about grilled cheese is how customizable it is. From the type of bread and cheese, to all sorts of additional toppings you can put inside, you can really make it any way you want. So, with no further ado, here’s some suggestions for spruced up grilled cheese for you to enjoy. Mushroom Swiss Grilled Cheese For this recipe, soften some spinach and mushrooms in olive oil before you make your sandwich, with salt, pepper, and other seasoning to taste. When you’re making your grilled cheese, simply use swiss cheese, and add your mushroom and spinach mixture to it, before grilling as normal! Egg in a Hole Grilled Cheese Cut a circle in the center of each slice of bread you intend to use. Make this uniform by using a small empty can, or a round cookie cutter. Then, start your grilled cheese like usual, with heated butter in a non-stick pan! Add your slices of bread without assembling the sandwich or putting cheese on, and instead crack an egg into the holes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and cook it until the bread is golden brown on the bottom, gently swirling the pan occasionally as it cooks. Flip your bread carefully, so the eggs don’t break, and add your cheese slices to the top of each slice. The cheese will begin to melt. You want this to cook, again, until the bottom side of the bread is golden brown! Finally, add your topping slices of bread to the browned bottom halves, and keep cooking until the eggs are cooked and the cheese is melted. This should only be around another additional minute. The egg should be soft enough for the yolk to break and be soaked up by your toasty bread! Nacho Grilled Cheese For this twist on the original recipe, you want to use nacho cheese. That’s the part that’s the most set in stone -- other than that, there’s a lot of flexibility depending on what you like on your nachos! You want to get your cheese on the bread first, while it’s still open-faced, and then you can add your other toppings. We recommend thinly sliced rings of jalapeno, and maybe some guacamole. If you want some extra protein on your plate, you can make some seasoned ground beef beforehand in a separate pan, and put that on as well! Other options include sour cream, shredded chicken, or diced tomatoes. When all your nacho-esque toppings are added to your open sandwich, you can close it with the second slice of bread, add more butter to the pan, and just grill both sides until they’re golden brown and the cheese is melted, as usual. We hope you enjoy some comfort food for the autumn months. Let us know your own favorite version of grilled cheese in the comments, if you have any you’d like to share!

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