Month: August 2020

2020-08-24T11:54:13

(BPT) – Quarantine and social distancing means spending more time at home. This has inspired renewed interest in home improvement and DIY projects. While warm-weather months are ideal for many projects, they also can bring high temperatures and dangerous heat.

Heat-related illnesses include heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps, sunburn and heat rash. In extreme cases, overexposure to heat can cause death. According to the National Weather Service, heat causes the greatest number of weather-related injuries each year. In fact, an average of 138 people have died annually due to heat over the last 30 years.

In addition to making a supply list, gathering tools and researching steps to ensure your project is a success, be sure to take heat safety measures as well. Here are some tips for staying safe and cool while tackling home improvements in hot conditions:

Be sun smart

Being in direct sunlight not only heats your body faster due to solar radiation, but it’s a risk for sunburn. When working on projects, choosing a shaded spot is optimal. If starting in the early morning, be sure to account for sun position within your working time. Set up umbrellas and other coverings ahead of getting started so you won’t be tempted to work through the hot overhead sun. Additionally, remember to wear sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher and to reapply every few hours. Choosing light, airy cotton clothing that covers the arms and legs is an easy way to protect from the sun and keep you cooler.

Use portable evaporative coolers

Outdoor spaces like patios, decks, garages or sheds can get extremely hot when you’re just relaxing, let alone working on projects. To stay cool outdoors, consider a Portacool portable evaporative cooler that generates cooling relief by using water and the ambient air to provide cooling through natural evaporation. This evaporation is akin to the cooling sensation you feel when you get out of a pool. It works where traditional air conditioning cannot, especially outdoors, on patios or in spaces with open doors such as garages, sheds and barns. These energy efficient coolers can cool spaces ranging from 300 to 4,250 square feet. Learn more at portacool.com.

Take breaks and hydrate

Sometimes you get so focused on a project you don’t realize you have not hydrated enough or have pushed yourself too far until it’s too late and you feel sick. That’s why prioritizing regular breaks is essential. Consider a work/rest schedule. For example, when doing moderate work at 100 degrees, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends you should work for 45 minutes and then take a 15-minute break. Use this time to drink extra water to stay hydrated. Above all, always listen to your body. If you feel dizzy or sick, don’t wait to take a break.

Check the forecast

Before diving into a project, check the weather forecast first. You want to do more than just avoid rain; you want to plan work to coincide with cooler temperatures. That may mean waiting a few days or more if there’s a heat wave, but your health (and likely productivity) will benefit. In addition, check the heat index expected when you work and plan around the hottest times of the day. Try to work earlier in the morning when it’s cooler and your energy is fresh. If you can’t finish the project before the heat peaks, take a break and finish when the sun goes down or the next morning.

It’s smart to jump on the DIY wave and add important home improvements to boost your home’s livability and value. While you’re working hard to reach your goals, consider these heat safety steps to stay comfortable and healthy.

2020-08-24T09:01:00

(BPT) – Summer may look different this year, but you can get family or a small group of friends outside for a BBQ, even while social distancing. Not only does the food taste better on the barbecue, but getting outside is also the perfect way to relieve your cabin fever.

Here are some tips to make your next BBQ a breeze, and to help the planet at the same time.

Serve your barbecue on compostable tableware

Nothing makes cleanup easier and more convenient than using disposable tableware for your outdoor barbecue — because no one wants to deal with a big mess after dessert! New Hefty ECOSAVE disposable tableware offers a variety of heavy duty plates, bowls, trays, hot cups, cutlery and straws made from plant-based materials, so they’re 100% compostable in commercial facilities.

The plates, bowls and trays are microwave safe — and sturdy enough to handle generous servings of barbecue, salads and sides without buckling. There are even hot cups for serving hot beverages as the summer nights begin to cool down and you’re looking for a cozy drink to end the evening.

To help map out your shopping list for your BBQ, here’s what to look for at your local grocery store or on Amazon:

• Several sizes of plates
• Bowls
• Large oval platter
• 5-compartment tray
• Hot cups and lids
• Cutlery and straws

Consider Disposable Cutlery and Straws

Hefty offers a wide variety of disposable cutlery for easy cleanup, and the new Hefty ECOSAVE cutlery and paper straws are perfect complements to your outdoor table!

Opt for washable table linens

Using machine washable tablecloths or runners, along with reusable cloth napkins, keeps these items out of your trash and saves you money. Outdoor eating can be messy, so find bright, colorful linens with fun patterns that won’t show every little spill or stain.

Get creative with your menu and presentation

Serve a colorful fruit salad in a hollowed out melon like cantaloupe or pineapple! The new Hefty ECOSAVE large oval platter is the perfect size for all your outdoor barbecue serving needs, and the 5-compartment tray is perfect for cheese platters or a charcuterie tray!

Deter pests safely

To keep mosquitoes and other pesky insects away from your family while enjoying the outdoors, look for non-toxic solutions. Use products containing natural bug repellents like citronella oil, lemon eucalyptus oil, rose geranium oil, rosemary extract and peppermint oil — or make your own spray using these oils.

Create clear signage for cleanup

Set up trash cans or boxes outside with clear labels to keep recyclable items separate from trash, so everyone in the family knows where to discard each item when the BBQ is over. Cleanup was never this simple — or good for the earth!

Get ready for outdoor fun with your family by stocking up on all the Hefty ECOSAVE products you need on the Hefty website.

2020-08-21T08:01:00

(BPT) – Yoga and service to others are two popular activities, but most people don’t think about how much they have in common. Both activities enrich your life, connect you to the community, help you meet new people, and facilitate learning new ideas that can positively impact your world view. It’s natural to combine the two, helping you and your communities grow stronger together.

Giving back isn’t just about what others receive. Studies have shown that philanthropy and service light up the brain’s pleasure centers. Joy naturally arises when you help another person. As humans, connection is vital and the simplest way to make that connection is to serve.

When you serve others, you let go of your own agenda for a while, working toward a common goal that is bigger than yourself. In practice of Kundalini Yoga, this leads to “shuniya,” the elimination of ego-driven goals replaced by compassion, love, and a sense of belonging.

To enjoy the countless benefits of shuniya, bring more compassion into your yoga practice with these three tips.

1: Help others enjoy the benefits of yoga

There are plenty of individuals who have not had a chance to benefit from yoga. You will find that these are people who stand to benefit the most, including veterans, prisoners, and at-risk youth. Many of these individuals feel a sense of detachment from their communities or have experienced trauma at some point in their lives. Yoga can bring them a sense of peace.

Yoga shows people of all races, religions, and social backgrounds that there is an underlying equality among humans. When we are on our mat, we are all the same. Kundalini Yoga helps bring calm and connectiveness in a simple yet profound way. If you are a licensed teacher, use your gifts to volunteer at nonprofits and other community groups. If you aren’t a licensed teacher, consider inviting friends and family to join you in an in-person or virtual class. Yoga gift certificates given to loved ones or donated to organizations are another meaningful way to spread joy.

2: Bring Kundalini and karma yoga into your life

Karma yoga is one of the 22 forms of ancient yoga and is part of Kundalini Yoga. It is known as the yoga of egoless action. Karma yoga transforms ordinary action into an experience of the Divine. The goal is to act without ego, removing tension and expectation from your being. In fact, karma yoga is not considered ‘work’ as much as a joyful expression of gratitude and compassionate action.

You can transform your attitude by applying the mindfulness of karma yoga to your everyday activity. Whether it is caring for children or doing chores, it’s important to bring conscious intention to your every action and be fiercely present in the now. Focus on your breath and make your actions purposeful. These acts, however small, will enrich your own life and the lives of the people around you.

3: Support the world with seva

Seva means selfless service, beautiful work done from the heart without any thought of reward or gain. Seva takes many forms, from volunteering in community projects to silently cleaning a sacred space. It can even be as personal as listening to someone who is struggling, giving a friend support, or allowing your presence to help ease someone’s pain.

One of the more public ways to practice seva is through “langar,” the Sikh tradition of serving free meals to anyone who is hungry, regardless of religion, gender, economic status or ethnicity. Food is a need we all share. Preparing and sharing meals with no expectation of reward or recognition is a pure seva. The key is to focus on someone or something outside of yourself, providing a service that requires nothing in return, not even acknowledgment.

Through adopting these selfless practices, you’ll find a deeper sense of purpose and fulfillment that can bring joy to all aspects of your life. Click here to read about the 3HO Luminaries, yoga practitioners who serve the world. For more information about incorporating compassion into your yoga practice, visit www.3ho.org and kundaliniresearchinstitute.org.

2020-08-21T15:01:00

(BPT) – If you’re hunting for a new job, the way you showcase your skills and accomplishments can make all the difference in attracting hiring managers and recruiters.

Here are five small steps you can take to stand out and land your next opportunity.

1. Tune up your LinkedIn profile

Your LinkedIn profile is all about who you are as a professional. It’s often where you make your first impression on a prospective employer, so it’s important to represent yourself in a way that helps others learn more about your experience and goals.

To make your profile more discoverable to recruiters and get a conversation started, include a profile photo, list your relevant skills and tell your professional story in your summary. Highlight samples of your work in the new Featured section to give recruiters a better sense of your work, which will help reinforce why you’d make a great addition to the team.

In addition to being able to privately let recruiters know that you’re open to new jobs, you can now add an #OpenToWork photo frame on your profile photo. This new feature lets LinkedIn’s broader community of 700+ million professionals know you are looking. When your profile comes up in a search or you engage with a post on your feed, professionals beyond your connections will see you are #OpenToWork and can refer you to jobs they’re aware of.

2. Build and spotlight your skills

Skills are key to unlocking job opportunities. In fact, 87% of hiring managers agree that, when they vet potential hires, the candidates’ skills are crucial.

Not sure what skills to highlight? Look at the required skills listed in descriptions for jobs you’re interested in; if you don’t have those skills, map out a plan to learn them. LinkedIn Learning has more than 16,000 courses, including soft skills like communication and problem solving, as well as hard skills like data science.

Make sure to list your skills on your LinkedIn profile, too. Members with at least five relevant skills on their profile are up to 27 times more discoverable. You also can verify your hard skills with Skill Assessments, making yourself 30% more likely to get hired.

3. Talk to people you know

You’re 4 times more likely to land a job at a company where you have connections, so now is the time to lean into your professional community.

A good first step to networking on LinkedIn is to connect with people who can attest to your work ethic — family members, friends, former colleagues or professors — which is important during the recruiter vetting and reference check process. Also, it’s often surprising who a family member or old friend is connected to and who can give you an in.

Next, reach out and reconnect with people with whom you’ve lost touch. Send a message on LinkedIn asking how they’re doing and what they’re working on. Engage with their posts on LinkedIn by “liking” or commenting — it will raise your visibility and keep you top of mind.

4. Be the first to know about a job

LinkedIn can help you customize your job search based on your experience, interests and goals. After you’ve identified the best filters for your job search, create a job alert that will notify you, within minutes, of a relevant job posting. Being one of the first to apply can help you rise to the top of the candidate pool: applying for a job within the first 10 minutes increases your chances of hearing back by up to 4 times. There are even filters for things like remote jobs or open jobs with under 10 applicants, which can increase your chances of being contacted by the hiring manager.

5. Get ready for the virtual interview

If you’re searching for a job right now, chances are if you get to the interview phase, it will most likely be virtual. While the questions are likely to be similar, there are some differences between interviewing in person versus remotely, so make sure you have a reliable internet connection, a neutral and well-lit background space, and that you dress appropriately.

With LinkedIn’s interview prep tools, you can also practice answering the most commonly asked interview questions like “what is your greatest strength?” or “describe your most challenging project”, and get instant feedback on your recorded responses. Pro tip: ahead of your interview, check to see if any of your interviewers have a recording of their name pronunciation on their LinkedIn profile, which will help you make a good impression during your meeting.

For more resources and tips on how to set up your profile, start networking and kick off your job search, visit opportunity.linkedin.com.

2020-08-21T11:27:43

(BPT) – Buying a home is exciting. Once you purchase a property, you want to make it your own. Whether it’s a 100-year-old beauty or a fresh new build, there are improvements you can make that not only personalize the space, but add instant value to your real estate investment.

Project 1: Update the garage door

Garage doors take up a lot of visual real estate on the exterior of a home, meaning they dramatically boost curb appeal. Because you never get a second chance to make a first impression, bland designs, old styles and damaged doors detract from a home’s appearance and overall value.

Updating a garage door has a midrange cost but an impressive ROI. According to Remodeling Magazine’s 2020 Cost vs. Value report, the average national job cost of a garage door replacement is $3,695, with an impressive 94.5% cost recouped at resale.

When choosing a garage door, select one you like that matches the home’s design. For example, carriage-house garage doors have a rustic look that work well with American Craftsman style homes. Contemporary garage doors with clean lines work well with mid-century modern homes. Raised panel garage doors are popular and work with many types of homes.

Project 2: Add a bathroom

Wish you could add a bathroom where no conventional plumbing exists in your home? Basements, attics, garages and unfinished spaces are tricky, but there is one way to add a bathroom without busting through concrete or sacrificing the structural integrity of a home: above-floor plumbing such as macerating toilets and drain pumps from Saniflo.

Project 3: Revitalize ceilings

Dingy, cracked ceilings are eyesores that date a property and can make it look older than it is. By updating your ceiling, you not only improve the appearance, but you also increase the home’s overall value. If there are chips and cracks, it’s important to repair these issues before applying any paint. Once repaired, vacuum cobwebs and remove dust to ensure that fresh coat of ceiling paint adheres properly.

Don’t like the style of ceiling you have? Many homeowners are opting to replace popcorn texture ceilings with flat or knock-down styles. While a ceiling is a personal preference, updating it to a more modern option may command a higher price at resale. If the ceiling has never been painted, you may be able to remove the popcorn texture yourself; otherwise, hiring a professional should get the job done quickly. Keep in mind, popcorn textures and other ceilings applied before 1979 may have asbestos, so you’ll want to get it tested before removal.

Enhance the value and enjoy the results

As you look at different properties, you imagine yourself in each house, enjoying the space and making memories. Even when you find “the one,” there are things you want to update. By making these improvements, you will personalize the space, instantly enhance the value and have a property you enjoy.

2020-08-21T11:01:00

(BPT) – As Americans are spending more time at home in response to the pandemic, many are looking for ways to turn their living spaces into retreats of calm, comfort and well-being.

For some people, that’s meant major renovations. For others, it’s meant making select improvements designed to add more tranquility and/or enjoyment to their lives in what has become a somewhat uncertain world. It’s not so surprising then that home-improvement contractors listing their services on Houzz saw a 58% boost in homeowner requests in June 2020, relative to June 2019.

“In terms of design, I think people are seeing their living spaces as their refuges — sanctuaries where they’re safe and comforted,” notes architect Ryan Leidner on Dwell.com. “As the outside world becomes less touchable, I can see a great desire for the materials, textures and objects within our homes to have more of a tactile quality that invites us to use them. And I can see people getting more creative and interested in ways to bring the outside in, possibly re-imagining their living spaces as indoor gardens and landscapes.”

A prime area of focus for many homeowners has been their bathrooms, which are now being converted into spa-like havens of self-care, instead of just functional spaces. At the same time, many are adding features that aim for better cleanliness, sustainability and multi-generational living.

If “your own private spa” sounds like the perfect place for your family to re-energize and rejuvenate from the cares of each day, here are ideas for creating such a space in your home.

Add an extra-deep soaking tub. Gone are the days when a bath meant scrunching your limbs into a cramped basin of water and trying to stay warm. Today’s roomy bathtubs are designed to let you stretch out and relax, fully immersed, in a soothing surround of hydrotherapeutic luxury.

Install a curbless shower and linear drain. The most progressive shower configurations are ergonomically constructed with sleek, curb-free, ADA-compliant entries, so family members need not step in and out, but merely walk in. In conjunction, forward-thinking company QuickDrain USA offers ShowerLine PVC Linear Drains that swiftly eliminate surface water using one-directional sloping and smart engineering techniques developed in Europe. Unlike more traditional drains, a linear drain also allows for freedom of design; because it appears as an unobtrusive strip aligned with your shower wall, you can choose any kind of material for the rest of your shower floor — even larger-sized tiles. That means fewer seams that can collect mold, mildew and grime, and less cleaning for you.

Invest in voice-activated smart features. With a few technology and equipment upgrades, Alexa, Siri or Google Home can now run your bath at your temperature of choice, power up your shower, light up your mirror, warm your toilet seat, diffuse your favorite fragrance, play all your top tunes and perform a number of other functions aimed at customizing your home spa experience and boosting its luxury level.

Incorporate a steam shower. Equipment added right into your shower stall can pipe in fresh steam customized by temperature and duration. “Bathing” in the vapor can feel wonderfully soothing and hydrating, and it’s said to produce health benefits ranging from better circulation and sinus drainage to clearer skin and rejuvenation of tired muscles.

Treat yourself to a towel warmer. Those living in cold climates may especially appreciate the luxury of having a warm, cozy towel in which to snuggle up after a relaxing bath or shower. These handy pieces of hardware are relatively easy to install and can be well worth the investment in terms of comfort.

When it comes to coping with the extra stress of COVID, your home can become a sanctuary that helps you relax and recharge. Consider making upgrades that will make time at home more peaceful and enjoyable for you and your family.

QuickDrain USA creates European-inspired shower systems designed to be sleeker, cleaner, more ergonomic and more efficient than traditional showers. They aim for sustainability by making many products from recycled materials. Find more information at QuickDrainUSA.com.

2020-08-20T07:01:00

(BPT) – This back-to-school season is not in any lesson plan. From children spending time away from home to parents moonlighting as teachers and coaches, everyone needs a little more love right now. A national survey by Rice Krispies Treats with real parents and kids uncovered the key moments when our kids might crave a little extra love this school year — and parents might not realize it. One way to help kids feel more supported: nearly 80% of kids said they crave a handwritten note.^[1] Rice Krispies Treats writable wrappers are a simple way for parents to provide comfort knowing that each message will stick when they can’t say it in person.