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TRUE NORTH
BY
STEVE LINGENBRINK | CHRIS CAZARES
We spent Christmas in El Paso, Texas, at my parents’ home. That morning, my son Jude (5) said, “Daddy, I love you!” I know I have heard it a bunch of times because he is a sweet little boy, but the combination of sitting in my parents’ home and watching the kids tear through Christmas presents in front of their grandparents made all the difference. It was one of many times this past year where I felt overwhelming gratitude for the beautiful people in my life. The new year is one of my favorite times of the year. I love the process of looking back and reflecting on the year that has passed. I think about the faces, relationships, and conversations, and it almost always leaves me with a sense of gratitude for the people who have shared their life with me. In my personal life, I am blessed to be the father of two, Jude and Juliet, and the husband to my wife, Devin. In my professional life, we get the chance to help people and effect each client’s life in a positive way. I am grateful every day for the opportunity to serve the people in our community. As I take myself through all the memories and feelings, I find myself grateful for all that life has offered the past year — the pain and the joy. When I get to a place of gratitude, I start to look forward to the year to come, knowing that so many of those grateful moments are around the corner. I have no idea what they are or who they will be with, but I’m certain of the person I want to become. In the coming year, I want to earn the memories of being a great dad and amazing husband and serving in a beautiful law firm. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
to bring everything full circle for my parents, who were so happy to witness someone they love having such pure joy and knowing they played a part in creating that moment. A friend recently gifted a book to me, and it included the “Stoic Virtues: Wisdom, Courage, Justice, and Temperance.” Inside the book, there was a quote from Marcus Aurelius, “Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.” I will not get to choose the moments that arrive in my life this upcoming year, but I will have a choice in how I am going to show up. I pray each of us shows up as our best version for every one of our moments this year.
Going back to Christmas morning, there is something special in a child’s life when they are given a gift. Seeing the excitement on their faces seemed
CHRIS CAZARES
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11 MINUTES OF MOVEMENT A DAY
CAN HELP KEEP DEPRESSION AWAY
According to the Hope for Depression Research Foundation, depression affects 10% of Americans annually. And since the disorder doesn’t pick favorites, anyone can suffer from its melancholy grasp. But there are things people can do to help. In fact, exercise has been known to help, but what if people are limited on time or motivation? New research by JAMA Psychiatry shows that completing just half of your recommended daily exercise (only 11 minutes!) can lower your risk of experiencing depression. So, when battling the blues, some exercise is always better than none. Here’s how to squeeze that movement into your schedule. Increased Walking Time If you’re not exercising already, you don’t need to start running a 5K tomorrow. Take it slow before building on the activity that’s already in your routine. The easiest way to hit that exercise mark is by slowly increasing the time you spend walking each day. If you work from home and never leave the couch, consider taking a lap around your house every 30 minutes. If you need to go grocery shopping, make yourself walk through every aisle or park your car farther away so you have a longer distance to walk.
Get those steps in however you feel comfortable, but the goal is to walk for at least 11 minutes a day.
Workout Videos When you’re depressed or feeling down, following a peppy exercise influencer in a 35-minute YouTube video is probably the last thing you want to do. But remember, you only need to start with 11 minutes a day. Simply choose a video and plan to only complete a portion of it. You can even choose to follow the easy parts, but set your timer for 11 minutes and follow along the best you can. Once your alarm goes off, reward yourself for getting that movement in! The Benefits of Dancing Any movement counts, even dancing. And you don’t need to be good at it to participate, either. To meet your 11 minutes, simply put on four of your favorite dance songs and bust a move! Even if it takes months to get there, moving your body a little each day will help. So, push that cart, pop on that video, or pull out your best dance moves to fight depression.
TAKE THE RIGHT STEPS!
ACHIEVING YOUR 2023 FITNESS AND WELLNESS GOALS
FOCUS ON ONE GOAL AT A TIME.
2023 has arrived, so it’s time to get those goals and resolutions underway! However, did you know Jan. 13 is known as Quitters Day? It’s the day when most individuals abandon their resolutions. Fitness and wellness are at the forefront of many people’s aspirations. Whether you aspire to lose some weight, incorporate healthier practices, or increase your flexibility and mobility, here are some tips to ensure you reach your goals and avoid the group of “quitters” who give up after a few short weeks. SET REALISTIC GOALS. Sure, dropping 20 pounds by February sounds great, but the reality is that unless you fall
seriously ill or take part in an unhealthy fad or crash diet, you won’t drop 20 pounds in just one month. You only become frustrated. Instead, set attainable, realistic resolutions! BE SPECIFIC. When setting your goals, don’t just set out to “lose weight” or something equally vague. Setting measurable goals with a clear deadline will make you less likely to fall short. For example, resolving to lose 15 pounds by May by working out four times a week and eliminating sweets from your diet are concrete (and realistic) actions. You’ll be less likely to skip a workout or allow yourself more cheat days than you should.
Multitasking is great, but trying to do too much at a time can make it challenging to finish all your goals. After all, cutting sugar out of your diet, working out five days a week, and getting a full eight hours of sleep each night can be difficult, so you’ll likely bend the rules a little here and there to fit it all in! Just get back on track quickly! Fitness and wellness goals are fabulous resolutions for the new year — caring for yourself and your physical well-being is essential to living a longer and healthier life! How will you achieve your fitness goals this year?
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WHEN DID FANTASY SPORTS BECOME SO POPULAR?
A GAME WITH 60
Fantasy sports continue to grow in popularity every year. It’s rare to meet
YEARS OF PROGRESS
someone who has never heard of or played in a fantasy sports league. For those unfamiliar, fantasy sports are games where participants build imaginary teams using real-life players. Scores are generated on individual performances from players on your team, so if Tom Brady is on your fantasy team and throws a touchdown in real life, your team also earns points. While it might seem like fantasy sports are a product of the internet, their history actually spans over five decades. Fantasy sports began in 1962 when Wilfred Winkenbach and other members of the Oakland Raiders organization created the initial rules for what would eventually develop into fantasy football. In 1963, the Greater Oakland Professional Pigskin Prognosticators League held the first fantasy football draft; George Blanda was the first pick. Six years later, the first public fantasy football league opened to Kings X Sports Bar patrons in Oakland. 1980 saw the beginning of fantasy baseball and the Rotisserie scoring system still used today in fantasy baseball, hockey, and
basketball. The following year, the MLB went on strike, which caused many
sports journalists to write about fantasy baseball in its place, catapulting its popularity. By 1989, over a million people were playing fantasy football. Then the internet became mainstream, allowing even more people to familiarize themselves with fantasy sports. Yahoo launched the first free-to-play fantasy sports platform in 1999, giving more people the opportunity to join a league and learn how to play. ESPN and other sites soon followed suit; by 2006, more than 12 million people were playing fantasy football. When Facebook and Twitter launched in the early 2000s, people had more platforms to share their opinions, which helped the industry grow. In 2009, FanDuel launched a pay-to- play daily fantasy sports platform that allowed fans to choose players for a specific day or game and place a bet on their lineup. Now, 59 million fantasy sports players participate across the globe, and that number continues to grow. The current global fantasy sports market is estimated to be worth around $22.3 billion and is predicted to rise to $38.6 billion by 2025. If you haven’t played fantasy sports before, now is the time to start. You may just discover a new favorite hobby.
SLOW COOKER CHEESY GARLIC BRUSSELS SPROUTS
PUZZLE BREAK
INSPIRED BY THEKITCHN.COM
Brussels sprouts are a tasty seasonal veggie to incorporate into your diet this January. With a creamy cheese sauce, this recipe takes comfort to a new level.
INGREDIENTS •
1 tbsp unsalted butter
• • • • •
1/2 tsp kosher salt
•
2 1/2 lbs Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• •
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 4 oz cream cheese, cubed
2 tbsp heavy cream
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
DIRECTIONS
1. Coat the inside of a 3–5-quart slow cooker with butter. Add Brussels sprouts, garlic, cream cheese, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine. 2. Cover and cook on LOW until the Brussels sprouts are tender, 2–3 hours. 3. Turn the slow cooker off or to the “warm” setting. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, cream, and nutmeg until the cheeses melt and the Brussels sprouts are coated in a creamy sauce. Season with more pepper to taste.
(SOLUTION ON PG. 4)
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Happy New Year!
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3 Easy Ways to Exercise
Achieving Your New Year’s Fitness Goals
3
How Fantasy Sports Became Popular
Slow Cooker Cheesy Garlic Brussels Sprouts
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Steve’s Corner: 18-Wheeler Collisions Cause Considerable Damage
SUDOKU SOLUTION FROM PG. 3
STEVE’S CORNER:
STEVE LINGENBRINK IS THE FOUNDING PARTNER OF POLARIS INJURY LAW, FORMERLY LINGENBRINK LAW AND LINGENBRINK CAZARES INJURY LAWYERS.
18-WHEELER COLLISIONS CAUSE CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE
A client was involved in a collision involving an 18-wheeler. Anytime such a large vehicle impacts a smaller vehicle, there is normally considerable damage to the client’s vehicle and the person. Our client’s case was no exception. He suffered a traumatic brain injury, and his vehicle was a total loss as it careened across the freeway into traffic. These are all difficult on his life, but what made it more challenging was the statement by the driver. Our client was unconscious at the scene and unable to make a statement. The biggest issue in this case became liability. Our client clearly remembers the commercial vehicle coming into his lane, then his vehicle spinning out of control. The truck driver denied any knowledge, and as seen on the dash cam video from the state trooper’s vehicle, the driver of the 18-wheeler is showing the trooper where the collision occurred … except it was the wrong side of the vehicle! After our client was released from the hospital, we hired an investigator and accident reconstructionist, who both corroborated our client’s version of events.
In a different case this past year, our
client was struck by a commercial vehicle, and the driver denied being at fault and
claimed our client struck him. Our client was cited by the trooper. We hired an accident reconstructionist and investigator. The citation was dismissed and our client ultimately recovered from her injuries. The point we are trying to make is that in both cases, if additional work were not done, the case takes a drastically different turn. A commercial vehicle has a lot on the line when they are involved in a collision. It is not just a citation; their current job and any future employment is on the line when they are involved in a collision. Every driver should be aware that taking extra precautions when traveling alongside or around an 18-wheeler is necessary.
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