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%.
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!
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 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!
Have you ever thought about bringing home a plant, but hesitated because you were unsure how to take good care of it? If so, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Not everyone has a natural green thumb or the time and energy to research and create the specific conditions some plants need to survive. Lucky for us, some plants are incredibly easy to take care of! Here’s a few of the hardier plants available that can breathe some life into any home.
Peace Lillies
Peace lilies (Spathiphyllum) are one of the most popular indoor plants, all because of how simple they are to care for. They like low to medium light, which means they can be placed nearly anywhere in the home. As for watering, peace lilies aren’t fussy plants that need a specific amount of water every day. They actually only need to be checked once a week. Pro tip: if their soil is still damp, you still don’t have to water them! Peace lilies are able to live through periods of drought, so a little forgetfulness is a mistake these plants will easily forgive. In addition, peace lilies are known for their incredible ability to clean the air and neutralize toxic gases like benzene, formaldehyde, and carbon monoxide.
Aloe Vera Plant
We’ve all heard that succulents are easier to care for, but here’s one of the most useful and popular, the aloe vera plant! Coming second on our list, the aloe vera enjoys sitting in indirect sunlight or artificial light. Homes are usually the perfect temperature for the aloe vera, considering their range of comfort, and it’s another plant that only needs to be watered sparingly. A thorough watering every three weeks should do the trick! Aloe vera plants are well known for their medicinal use, since they can be applied topically to scrapes or burns. Sounds like a handy plant to keep in the kitchen; just make sure you avoid sitting it in front of a window!
Spider Plant
Last but not least, we have the Chlorophytum comosum, or spider plant. Now, don’t run away just yet! It’s only called the spider plant because of its arching, ribbon-like leaves, not because it’s harboring any critters. The spider plant is known as one of the most adaptable house plants, easiest to grow, and has a reputation of being nearly impossible to kill. They’re a great choice for a first time plant owner. The spider plant enjoys indirect lighting the most, but can live in any condition besides direct sunlight. This is a plant that you can water well and can survive in both humid and non-humid environments. This is another plant with air purifying properties, and is sure to make a statement wherever you decide to let it thrive in your home.
There’s a plant for everyone out there! Whether you’re prone to overwatering, underwatering, or moving your plant around to try and find the perfect spot, there’s tons of plants that make for good options for gardening beginners. Make sure to let us know in the comments what kind of plants you like best, and what you more experienced gardeners think are best for beginners!
As social life, schools, and workplaces migrate increasingly online, it’s easy to lose touch with the support we have right here in our community. Fortunately, the Phoenix Public Library remains running strong, and offers a wide range of online programs for children and adults alike!
Early Childhood Tools
The stage between 3 and 5 years old is home to critical development for young children. And even before we found ourselves in the midst of a pandemic, not everyone had access to quality early childhood care.
Tools for School is a program developed by a kindergarten teacher and offered by the Phoenix Public Library. This YouTube series is designed for parents and guardians to use with their children. We’ve all seen some of the less educational YouTube entertainment designed to keep children occupied, but Tools for School offers real-world activities for truly engaging, family-centered kindergarten prep!
College and Job Search Support
Phoenix Public Library offers learners of all ages resources, mentoring, and resume-building skills. Check out their one-on-one college student mentoring programs on topics from entrepreneurship to filling out FAFSA.
PHXWorks is a program designed to offer career support. Their online offerings include one-on-one resume help, job hunting and career programs, and workshops to build your interview skills.
Online Storytimes
Children who develop a love for books early in life become stronger readers, writers, and communicators. To that end, in these busy times, PPL’s Early Literacy Librarians offer both live and pre-recorded storytimes for children and families, in English and Spanish.
To have your child’s name included in the day’s welcome and goodbye songs, tune in to their Instagram account on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. You can find pre-recorded storytimes to enjoy with your family on the Phoenix Public Library website!
Infant-Caregiver Sign Language
BabyTime with Sign offers a grand total of 27 brief courses covering different areas of ASL vocabulary. Long before babies can speak, they can—and are seeking to!—communicate with the important people in their life.
Using sign language with infants and toddlers aids in fine motor development, cognitive development, language development, bonding, and decreasing frustration—for your baby and you alike.
This is just a tiny selection of the online programs Phoenix Public Library offers. Their website features a full listing of programs and] online classes, as well as i nstructions to registe r for your eCard! We could all stand to use the library a little more often, especially in times like these.
