Find a Hidden Gem at Schmitz Preserve Park

Have you ever wondered what the Seattle forests looked like? Well the last of our untouched old growth forest is located in West Seattle! Former parks commissioner Ferdinand Schmitz was watching our forest rapidly disappear and decided to act. His 1908 donation allowed a small piece of it to remain as nature intended. Enjoy!

Make Your Next Dr. Appointment a Success

You can make your next appointment a stress-free success with a bit of preparation. Try these tips: • Take notes: If you’re having specific symptoms, keep a journal of the day-to-day changes. Add details like what you eat, what time, changes in mood or appetite, as any little detail might be important. If you’re taking medications, include those as well so your doctor is fully informed. Make notes, too, of questions you have for your doctor – your visit is a two-way conversation and you want to maximize both your own time and your doctor’s. • Timing is everything: Delays at the doctor’s office can increase feelings of anxiety and nervousness. If you can, make appointments first thing in the morning. That could help you avoid the inevitable delays as doctors see other patients and appointment times run over. Try to make sure your day is as free as possible so you don’t stress about your next task if you end up waiting. • Be honest: Not being entirely honest or withholding information from your doctor can be a detriment to you and your health. Remember: your doctor is there to help you. If you find you have a hard time actually saying something you’re embarrassed about–try practicing it out loud in a mirror before your appointment. • Be flexible: You may have a specific treatment in mind when you go into your appointment, but your doctor is a professional. It’s a good idea to at least listen to all the options.

How to Say No (Nicely)

Saying “no” to friends, family, and coworkers often means you get to say “yes” to your own needs. Doing so politely means people still like you! Here are ways to say no that won’t alienate others:  When your boss gives you a new assignment: “That project sounds interesting. I already have a lot on my plate, what should I put on the back burner to accommodate this?”  When you’re asked to give to a charity: “I’ve already donated my planned amount this month (or year), but tell me more about this charity for my next charitable round of giving.”  When you’re asked to lend your truck for a move: “I’m sorry, I don’t loan out my vehicle, but let’s talk about the date – maybe I can do the driving myself.”  When you’re asked to run the school bake sale – again: “You know, I think I’ve done the last two. Why don’t we see if someone else can take a turn?”

Best Weather Websites

Weather can change on a dime. Here are some websites to keep an eye on what’s happening to-the-minute. www.weather.com – Local, national, and worldwide forecasts from The Weather Channel. www.accuweather.com – Area forecasts down to the minute. Arguably the most accurate! www.noaa.gov/weather – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration runs this site, with authorized severe weather warnings and lots of graphs and data.

Help Young Adults With Finances

Keeping track of budgets, money spent, and money saved is a terrific way to start out on the road to a healthy financial future. Share these smartphone apps with the young adults in your life to easily track finances. Mint is a terrific way to track the 50/30/20 rule: 50% of income for essentials (e.g. rent, food), 30% for wants (e.g. shopping, eating out), and 20% for savings (e.g. paying down debt, “pay yourself first” emergency fund). YNAB, another budgeting app recommended by NerdWallet and free for college students for one year, encourages users to be more intentional with their spending, accounting for every dollar earned. NerdWallet also has its own free app that allows users to track spending, debt, and credit score, which follows us throughout adulthood. Consulting a financial adviser is another terrific piece of advice for the young adults in your life – it’s never too early to get advice on ways to achieve financial goals.

Walk Your Way to a Ling Life

 Walking Relieves Stress And Invigorates Your Mind And Body. Walking will make your heart stronger, improve your lung capacity, and the efficiency of your breathing. Walking circulates more oxygen through your body and is very effective in lowering your blood pressure. A regular walking routine can be your best preventative medicine – greatly lowering your risk of stroke, diabetes, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, and even depression.  People Who Walk Live Longer. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted an 11-year study of 2,896 adults in their late 50’s who had been diagnosed with diabetes. Researchers found those subjects who walked just two hours a week had a 39 percent lower death rate from all causes! They speculate that if every healthy person in the United States walked briskly just 30 minutes a day, the incidence of many chronic diseases would go down 30 to 40 percent. So grab your shoes and get walking…your body will be glad you did!

Teach Life Skills

Teaching kids how to approach and solve life’s challenges is one of the biggest jobs parents face. Here are a few tips to help your children (or grandchildren) grow into self-sufficient and responsible adults: • Teach Kids To Look For Solutions. When kids are faced with a problem, have them identify several options and solutions. Then you can help them choose which solution works best. • Teach Kids Responsibility: Let kids know they are responsible for their actions. They have to do their homework, but you can offer them two “positive choice” options: Do you want to do it in 15 minutes or 30 minutes? Teach them how to organize, and give them the tools to stay organized (calendar, palm pilot, notebook). • Teach Kids How To Make Good Choices. Giving kids choices empowers them to make their own decisions. Have them weigh the pros and cons of their choice, and let them make the decisions. • Teach Kids How To Deal with Failure. Teach your children that failure is not personal, permanent, or pervasive (i.e. losing a soccer game doesn’t mean you’re bad at other things as well). Developing a positive explanatory style early in life will help your children live a happier, healthier and more successful adult life.

Optimism Can Make You Healthy

In a study of first year law students at the University of California at Los Angeles, psychologists discovered students with positive attitudes and expectations had stronger immune systems and overall good health. Researchers drew blood from “declared optimists” and a control group. They then measured levels of key immune cells at the beginning of the semester. At that time there was no difference, but well into the stress-filled semester the optimists showed significantly higher levels of key immune cell activity than their less-than-positive counterparts. Keep smiling—you’ll live longer!

Garage Sale Tips

Ready to get rid of clutter? Use these tips to hold the best garage sale this summer:  Plan ahead and publicize everywhere. Use CraigsList.org, word-of-mouth, emails to friends, and spend some time on legible signs that guide people to your home.  Get your kids to donate items and participate in the sale. Team up with neighbors so you’ll have more to offer.  Arrange items by category (books, clothes, etc.) and put some of your sure-to-sell items up front (in the driveway) to draw customers in.  Make sure every item is clean and reasonably priced. A rule of thumb is one-half to one-third of the original price, depending on the item. Be prepared to negotiate – everyone wants a bargain.  Get some music going (plus snacks) to keep things lively.

Food Safety

You probably learned some basic food safety tips from your parents or in school. But here are some important rules you may not know about.  Food safety starts at the grocery store. Pick up frozen and refrigerated items last before checking out.  Even fruits and veggies you peel should be washed before eating, since it’s very easy for bacteria to transfer from the peel to the part you’ll eat.  Raw flour can carry E. coli, among other things, and should only be consumed after it’s been cooked.  Thaw meat in the fridge when possible, but you can also safely thaw it in cold water or in the microwave. If thawed in water or the microwave, meat should be used immediately.  All marinating should be done in a covered container in the fridge, not on the countertop. Even acidic marinades can allow bacteria growth at room temperature.  Your nose is not a reliable tool for testing food safety. Things that cause food poisoning don’t always make things “smell bad.” Refer to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Safe Storage Times chart instead at: www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/storagetimes.html

Can we Develop Charisma?

Yes, you can, says, D.A. Benton, author of Executive Charisma. Here are five skills you can practice to improve your charisma quotient. 1. Be confident. When introducing yourself say your name and then tell something about yourself. This helps to draw a question from the other person, and can lead the person into a conversation with you. 2. Walk with purpose. Pause before entering a room and project confidence as you walk into the room. 3. Use the double hand shake. When you shake someone’s hand, use the two-handed grasp. While shaking with right hand, your left hand grasps the person’s arm at or below the elbow. 4. Focus on your goal. Charismatic people know what they want and are passionate about it. Focus on what you want and how to get there. 5. Be a good listener. Listen when other people talk. Value their opinions and make eye contact.

Miracle Health Food

If you love chocolate, you don’t need to feel guilty anymore! Here’s why. Nutritionists at Penn State University have discovered that chocolate has powerful (and very healthy!) antioxidant properties. Chocolate (especially the very dark chocolates) have been found to have high levels of the antioxidant flavonoids called flavanols. Long-term studies have shown that people with high blood levels of flavonoids have a lower risk of heart disease, lung cancer, prostate cancer, asthma, and type-2 diabetes. Researchers found that Dove Dark Chocolate packed a walloping amount of the heart-healthy flavanols. It reduced bad LDL cholesterol, boosted antioxidant levels in the blood and raised good HDL cholesterol by 4 percent. In the lab, they discovered chocolate reduces blood clotting, and may stabilize arterial plaque, making it less likely to travel and cause stroke and heart attack. “The chocolate flavanol factor” also triggers production of nitric oxide, which maintains flexible arteries and increases blood flow – great for controlling high blood pressure! So the next time you unwrap a savory piece of dark chocolate and offer some to a friend, you can say, “To your health and long life!”

Exercise - How to get Back On Track

One of the best ways to stay fit is to have at least one athletic hobby: walking, swimming, bowling, tennis, golf, skiing, bicycling or even dancing. If you enjoy what you’re doing, you’ll stick with it. Second, a workout partner can make the time go by more quickly, and you can have fun at the same time. Whether it’s a family member, friend or co-worker, a workout partner will encourage you on the days you may want to slide. Third, hire a trainer if you have trouble maintaining an exercise program. A trainer can guide you through a program that works for you. Remember to vary your workouts. This prevents overworking certain muscle groups, and it will keep you motivated.

Visit Mt Saint Helens

I was on a Boy Scout camping trip May 18th 1980 and remember everyone pulling out as soon as the news was heard. Last time I visited the park was in 1993 with my dad and grandparents. At that time they had recently opened the first visitor center and were working on the Johnson Ridge Observatory. I remember enjoying the trip and being amazed at the road they built to access the area for visitors. It was great seeing all of the young trees and foliage starting to take over. I am excited to return and plan on making the trip down sometime this summer. I want to do a day hike, probably the Butte Camp Trail. It’s a 7.6 mile hike with only 1,650 feet of elevation change. The trail winds through old lava flows, meadows and forest. The visitor center is a 2.5hr drive from Seattle. Open in the high season daily from 9-5 closed on holidays. Time to plan your trip