Be Kind To Yourself

By Tammy Parkinson, CPT, ACSM, NASM, Nutritionist, Body Firm Personal Training & Nutrition

I think one of the most valued “acts” is kindness. I know when someone opens a door for me, or smiles, or offers to do something to help, if feels great. I also know when I am kind, it can feel equally as nice, if not better.

How often are we kind to our bodies? We easily can think of ways to be nice to others, however how often do we eat foods which do harm? How often do we consider what we feed ourselves as acts of kindness or acts of destruction? We have foods which can cause problems as simple as weight gain to acid reflux, all the way to diabetes, high blood pressure and even cancer. When we eat, do we want to be kind to our bodies? If not, why? Something to think about.

Then of course, there are the workouts. There are those who will ignore any sort of activity for a variety of reasons for weeks, then go out and destroy their bodies in a long torturous run let say, or a bike ride after weeks on the couch and office chair. They’ll feel sore, hurt and tired, and end up ignoring their bodies for another few weeks. Then there’s the person who lifts weights, sporadically and carelessly only to injure themselves because if improper preparation and mindfulness. Is this kind?

Your New Donation Companion

By John Thompson, Executive Vice President, Intero Real Estate Services, Inc.

We all do it. Drop off a bag of clothes at the local Salvation Army and take the donation receipt with the intention of filling it out later and then loose it.  Now, with a drop off every few months, these dismissed and lost receipts can add up to a huge pile of missed tax credits. Your donations are something you already do so you might as well take advantage of them, right?

Well, iDonatedIt is an app that will help you organize and stay on top of your generous donations without needing that receipt. The app tracks the date your donations are made, the organization they went to, what you donated and the value of those items. Just think, one place to track all of the information for your donations; compliant and IRS ready. The app does cost $2.99 but the return on your investment is well worth it.

Setting up and using it is extremely simple too. When you go to make a donation, add a new donation event right from the home screen of the app. Enter the name and address of the charity, the date the donation was made and attach a photo of the donated items if you like. Add the items you donated and an estimated value will automatically be provided by the app. Once the donation event is complete, a report is created and sent to your email. It’s all so simple and done in about 5 minutes! No more loosing receipts, racking your brain about the donation you made last April, or dismissing great value in your generosity. You’ll be so ready for tax season you won’t know what to do with yourself.