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REALESTATEPLANNINGLAW.COM 718-698-2200 January 2022
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Resolutions — It’s All in the Motivation KEEPING YOUR FITNESS GOALS ON TRACK IN A MANOR OF SPEAKING
Every time the new year rolls around, people flood into gyms in the hopes of improving their physical fitness. Many enthusiasts also start new diet plans and juice cleanses as they search for the fast track to better health. But, more often than not, come spring, those resolutions fizzle, and the goal itself is usually to blame. Instead of jumping right into a new fitness plan, people should start with positive motivation. Let’s take a look at how we can tweak the motivation to yield better results so you can hang on to your aspirations throughout the new year.
light-years away, but gradually increasing your exercise routine over the course of a few weeks or months will protect your body and help you achieve your desired result.
Accountability is key.
Find something or someone to help hold you accountable. Whether this means meeting a friend at the gym, going running with a buddy, checking in on social media with your goals, or recording your results
Find your why.
virtually with a friend, having someone to push you along can create friendly competition, which is beneficial in hitting your fitness goals. Plus, knowing that someone is paying attention and setting the bar with you will help keep you motivated.
More often than not, fitness goals aren’t just about fitness — they also involve drive. What is motivating you to make a change? What gets you out of bed in the morning and excited to start your day? What gets you through a bad day? Take that motivation and channel it to avoid throwing in the towel when things get challenging.
Make it different, exciting, and fun.
Specificity is your friend.
You have to mix it up! Making a big change to your routine and lifestyle can add extra stress to your life, but having fun is fundamental (pun intended) to ensuring that you continue pushing
Oftentimes, when we set fitness goals, we leave them broad and open-ended because we aren’t really sure what is attainable — we
give ourselves some wiggle room. However, if you get specific with it, you’re more likely to stick to a plan. Even set a deadline, or a series of deadlines with smaller goals, to reach your desired end result.
toward your goal. Whether you incorporate great music, tune into a podcast, play a sport that you used to play as a child, or focus on movements that you enjoy, it’ll keep you on track. Nobody wants to do something if it feels like a chore! Setting fitness goals for the new year is the easy part. Keeping up with your resolutions is where things get tricky, and it all lies in maintaining your motivation. By constantly utilizing these steps, you are sure to stick with your fitness routine well into the new year.
Start small at first.
If you hit the ground running and attempt to do too much too quickly, you’re risking injury. By excessively pushing yourself, you also run the risk of fizzling out prematurely. Your key fitness goal may feel like it’s
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Embrace Your Inner Bookworm 4 SECRETS TO FINDING TIME TO READ AS A BUSY PARENT
When you think of reading, you might conjure up an image of yourself curled up next to a cozy fireplace, sipping on coffee, and reading the day away. However, with the hustle and bustle of daily life and raising kids, it’s tough to find the time to truly dive into a good book. We know it’s important to read to our children, but we forget how valuable it is for them to see us reading, too.
MAKE IT A FAMILY AFFAIR.
Sometimes parents feel guilty when they take time for themselves that could be spent with their children. If this sounds like you, make time to read together — the kids read their books, and you read yours! Some days, this may last 10 minutes, but other times, they may stay captivated longer. Either way, you are creating healthy habits for your kids while getting in a chapter for yourself, too!
So, how can you fit it into your schedule?
DON’T LEAVE THE HOUSE WITHOUT A BOOK.
SWAP OUT THE MOVIES FOR BOOKS.
Whether you are waiting in the pickup line at school, at the dentist’s office, for your order at the coffee shop, or at your kid’s soccer practice, this downtime could be spent reading a chapter of your book.
Once the kids are tucked in after a long day, it sounds so nice to park yourself in front of the television with a cozy blanket and mindlessly watch a good movie or an episode of your favorite show. However, instead of watching TV for an hour, dedicate some or all of that time to reading. This way, you’re still
SCHEDULE READING TIME.
This one sounds quite silly, but as parents know, if you don’t make time for something, it won’t get done. Plan out 30 minutes of reading time each day to allow yourself to get comfortable and read without distractions. The trick here is to make sure you don’t cancel on yourself!
making progress in your book.
No matter how you make the time to read, you will be glad you did. Good luck and happy reading!
Skills That Enrich Us THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A HOBBY
January is National Hobby Month, and since it falls at the beginning of the year, it’s the perfect time to try something new! Hobbies add variety to your life and ensure you aren’t just living to work, so to speak. The best way to find a hobby you enjoy is to be open to new things. Whether it’s gardening, reading, drawing, running, fishing, crafting, or even beekeeping, finding an activity you enjoy is important. Here’s why!
HOBBIES OFFER A SOCIAL OUTLET.
Some hobbies involve group activities, such as bowling, sports teams, book clubs, and even wine tasting. Connecting with others offers the social support humans depend on to lead a healthy and fruitful life. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find some great friends who share the same passions as you!
HOBBIES ARE STRESS RELIEVERS.
HOBBIES DEVELOP PATIENCE.
Hobbies offer a healthy escape from your busy lifestyle by keeping you engaged in something you find pleasure in. Instead of just relaxing on the couch and turning off your mind for a bit (which is totally acceptable sometimes), hobbies allow you to remain mentally productive while winding down at the same time.
When you take on a new hobby, you are tasked with learning something new. Whether you’re practicing a new instrument, learning a different language, or figuring out how to make jewelry, a learning curve is involved. Building new skills takes patience, a very important attribute for success. Finding a hobby that suits you may take some exploration ad trial and error, but it is all in good fun! Make it your goal to try something new or learn a new skill each month until you find something that sticks. Once you do, you’re sure to find that hobbies are both enjoyable and enriching!
HOBBIES ALSO PROVIDE EUSTRESS.
Believe it or not, one type of stress is deemed beneficial: eustress. If you aren’t overly stressed and are feeling a little under-stimulated, a hobby can provide activity for both your mind and body to keep you feeling excited about life and ready to take on new challenges and adventures.
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EXPLORING THE BENEFITS OF FUNDING A TRUST
With Out-of-State Property
In addition to planning out your will and advance health care directives while estate planning, you may also want to add a trust or two. Trusts, when properly executed, provide a number of benefits. To establish a trust, it must be funded and a trustee must be appointed and tasked with managing the trust for the benefit of trust beneficiaries. This means property must be transferred into the ownership of the trust itself, and there’s a wide variety in the type of property you can hold in trust. You can have securities, financial accounts, and even real property held in a trust. You can even fund your trust with property that is out of state, and there are benefits to doing so. A trust can be a great way to avoid the expensive and time-intensive probate process. By circumventing the probate process, beneficiaries are often granted swifter access to an inheritance without having to wait through the completion of an arduous, court-monitored process. Out-of-state property can be used to fund a trust and will require a different transfer process than other property types in order to fund a trust. Real property, which includes
homes, will require the deed to be transferred into the name of the trust. This transfer can occur through a quitclaim deed or a warranty deed. A warranty deed comes along with a guarantee that the property seller has clear title to the property subject to the transaction. Clear title means it is free of liens or encumbrances. When it comes to transferring out-of-state property into a trust, every state will recognize the validity of a properly executed trust regardless of which state the trust was established in. Another benefit to this is that the property will avoid out-of-state probate. When a person dies with property held in other states, that property will likely have to go through an ancillary probate, meaning the person’s estate will have to go through multiple probate processes occurring in multiple states. The expense and time can be much greater than is required of just one probate process.
Do you own property out of state? If so, you may wish to discuss transferring it into a trust. Call us today, and we can help guide you through the process.
SUDOKU
MICHELE’S RECIPE CORNER
DEEP-FRIED NEW YEAR’S ‘COOKIES’
INGREDIENTS
• 2 tbsp yeast • 1/2 cup water, warmed • 1/2 cup and 1 tsp sugar, divided • 5 eggs, beaten • 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 1/2 cups milk, warmed • 1 1/2 tsp salt • 4 cups raisins • 7 cups flour • 4 cups canola oil
DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, combine yeast, water, and 1 tsp sugar. Wait 10 minutes. 2. Stir in remaining sugar, eggs, butter, milk, and salt. 3. Fold in the raisins and flour. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for an hour. 4. In a high-sided pot or deep fryer, heat canola oil to 340 F. Line a plate with paper towels. 5. Drop a rounded tablespoon of dough into the oil. Fry until golden brown, then set aside on the plate. Poke the cookie with a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean, it’s cooked through! 6. Repeat until the batter is gone.
Inspired by MennoniteGirlsCanCook.ca
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Maintaining Motivation Page 1
Make More Time for Reading Why Hobbies Are Important Page 2
Funding a Trust With Out-of-State Property Deep-Fried New Year’s ‘Cookies’ Page 3
Why Do Your Ears Pop on Flights? Page 4
AIRPLANE EARS The Science Behind Your Ears Popping on Flights
When it comes to flying on an airplane, you can avoid cramped legs by upgrading to first class or catch a view by picking the window seat. However, there’s no getting around your ears popping during takeoff and landing. Believe it or not, there is a scientific explanation behind this common annoyance. As you read this, you’re likely not on an airplane, and the air pressure on either side of your eardrums is equal. Air is currently passing right on through your eustachian tube, a narrow passage that leads from your middle ear cavity to your pharynx and allows for pressure to be equalized on each side of your eardrums. When you’re in flight on an airplane, air pressure is not equal. During both ascent and
descent, your eardrums stretch to try to adapt to the changes. In order to equalize the pressure, your eustachian tube needs to open and close. When it does, your ears pop! Usually, the ear popping is irritating but nothing more. However, in rare cases, the pressure can lead to ear pain and even loss in hearing, especially if your ears don’t pop. In this case, you may need to make an effort to get your eustachian tube to open by yawning, talking, or swallowing. Sucking on a piece of candy, swallowing some water, or chewing gum may also help! One of the best things you can do is make sure you are not sleeping as the airplane takes off or lands because your eustachian tube
isn’t able to open and close normally. If you commonly struggle with congestion or sore ears on flights, taking a nasal decongestant before you board may ensure that your eustachian tube is not blocked. If your hearing and ears do not return to normal shortly after the flight, be sure to schedule an appointment to see your health care professional as soon as possible.
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