Month: July 2022

2022-07-26T10:01:00

(BPT) – Summer is in full swing, and this year the season is truly one to celebrate as communities return to many favorite festivals, traditions and pastimes. Whether sending the kids off to day camps, reuniting with family over epic barbecues or simply soaking in the sun at outdoor music festivals, there’s one snack that provides a powerful punch of nutrition in a convenient, compact and deceptively delicious package: sweet Northwest cherries. While the crop this year was shortened by snowfalls on the cherry blossoms, the good news is the cherries produced this year are even bigger and sweeter as a result.

Americans are looking for chances to get themselves and their families outside, stay active and healthy, and the timing couldn’t be better. So, whether you’re planning a new healthy eating plan, looking for a show-stopper dessert or a simple grab-and-go snack, sweet juicy cherries are the answer. Growers in the Northwest are harvesting sweet cherries, which will be available fresh in stores all summer long and ready to deliver not only juicy bursts of flavor, but at least five ways to support wellness.

1. Fight inflammation

Sweet cherries are often distinguished by their deep, intense red color — a characteristic that comes from anthocyanins, a type of polyphenolic compound in dark fruits and vegetables. These compounds have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties and may help in fighting many chronic conditions linked to inflammation, such as arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure and even certain cancers.

Additionally, the anti-inflammatory qualities of sweet cherries have been shown to help muscles recover more quickly after exercise, making cherries an ideal accompaniment to a range of summertime activities.

2. Keep blood sugar steady

Sweet cherries are, not surprisingly, sweet. What may be surprising, however, is that they have a lower glycemic index than almost any other fruit, which means that they are absorbed more slowly. Because sweet cherries release glucose gradually and evenly, they keep blood sugar levels steady longer and avoid causing sugar spikes.

3. Secure a sweet source of fiber

Diets high in fiber can help in the prevention of various conditions and diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes. But most Americans don’t get nearly enough in their diets. Just one cup of sweet cherries delivers about three grams of fiber, or roughly 12% of the USDA’s dietary recommendations.

4. Reduce stress levels

Sweet cherries are a natural source of serotonin, which studies have found to be an important factor in reducing stress and improving mood. Of course, simply adding sweet cherries to the weekly shopping list can alleviate the ongoing stress of finding a tasty and nutritious snack that can work with just about anyone’s diet plan.

5. Get a good night’s sleep

In addition to being a natural, plant source of serotonin, sweet cherries contain melatonin and tryptophan. In studies, these three compounds have been shown to help improve the quantity and quality of sleep. Consuming a serving of cherries about an hour before bedtime may aid in stabilizing and regulating sleep patterns.

Sweet cherry season is short, and just like summer, it will be over too quickly. With some planning, however, sweet cherries and their health benefits can be tapped year-round. Now is the time to stock up on fresh Northwest cherries to preserve — freeze, dry, can or even pickle them! — for smart snacking any time of year. To learn more about the health benefits of sweet cherries, visit sweetcherryhealth.org.

2022-07-25T12:01:00

(BPT) – July is National Picnic Month! According to a survey conducted by OnePoll, almost half of all Americans prefer a happy hour at a picnic instead of a bar. In fact, 3 out of 5 Americans report cooking and dining outside consistently since March of 2022. Picnics can be tough to pack but we’ve got a handful of smart tips from Milo’s Tea Company, a family-owned and certified woman-owned business.

Pack your basket backward. Pack food at the bottom then layer tableware, a picnic blanket and other items on top. When you find the perfect spot to dine, you’ll unpack in the right order, starting with the blanket!

Use blanket weights. Prevent a breeze from blowing the blanket into your food by sewing a heavy trinket on the corners like a washer from a toolbox. If you’re at a picnic table, we recommend investing in inexpensive tablecloth clamps.

Pack throw pillows. One or two throw pillows are perfect for lounging and will make your picnic look extra stylish!

Have a bug plan. The great outdoors comes with the not-so-great reality of bugs, so make sure to pack bug spray. You can also keep bugs out of your food by sealing serving bowls with plastic wraps or shower caps while cupcake liners can act as a barrier on drinks (just stick a straw through the middle!) Citronella candles are great for adding to the ambiance and keeping away pests during your outdoor adventure.

Bring an activity. Whether your event is kid-friendly or adults-only, an activity like a board game, frisbee, or deck of cards ensures that no one is ever bored.

Leave no trace. Reuse your shopping bags! Bring plastic grocery bags to use as trash bags and to store dirty dishes so you can leave the picnic site exactly how you found it.

Share the love! The whole point of a picnic is to enjoy the company of your friends and family, so pack family-style foods and beverages. We recommend a refreshing pitcher of Peach Thyme Iced Tea. Check out the recipe below.

Peach Thyme Iced Tea

Ingredients:

12-ounce jar of peach preserves or jam

2 tablespoons of chopped fresh thyme

1 gallon of Milo’s Famous Sweet Tea

Additional thyme sprigs or peach slices for garnish

Directions:

Warm the peach preserves or jam in a small saucepan over low heat for about three minutes until the texture is smooth and loose. Next, stir in chopped thyme. Pour Milo’s Famous Sweet Tea into a large pitcher and stir in the warm peach mixture. Cover the drink and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. Before serving, add ice and garnish each glass with thyme springs if desired.

The Peach Thyme Iced Tea pairs well with a splash of bourbon.

2022-07-25T11:01:00

(BPT) – When you think of hearing loss, you likely picture a senior wearing a hearing aid. However, hearing loss can happen to anyone at any age. You may have already experienced hearing loss and not even recognized it.

Hearing loss happens gradually, usually as people age, though exposure to loud noises, ear infections, and other medical conditions can also cause hearing loss. Because it happens slowly over time, you may not notice that your hearing isn’t what it used to be.

From stigma to lack of educational resources, there are plenty of reasons why the general public isn’t aware of what hearing loss is, how it can affect your life, and how it can be treated. To help spread awareness about hearing loss, Olive Union, a global health-tech startup, presents the following facts about hearing loss and a solution that could make living with hearing loss more bearable.

1. You may develop a related hearing condition

If you develop general hearing loss, it may cause another condition known as tinnitus. According to the Mayo Clinic, people with tinnitus can experience a ringing noise that others can’t hear and isn’t produced by an external sound. Like general hearing loss, people living with tinnitus often experience anxiety and depression due to the condition, as well as trouble sleeping, frustration, poor concentration and pain, according to the American Tinnitus Association.

2. Hearing loss can affect your employment

Hearing loss isn’t just an auditory issue. Losing your hearing can have a profound impact on your quality of life. According to the Hearing Health Foundation, people with untreated hearing loss can, on average, make 50-70% less in yearly income than their peers.

Also, according to EHS Today, people with hearing loss may misunderstand instructions or need them repeated, meaning that tasks take longer to complete. An employer may misread this as an employee being unproductive when, in reality, they’re struggling to hear and understand their assignments.

3. Hearing loss has been linked to mental health issues

Also, people with hearing loss are more likely to develop anxiety and depression, which can cause them to avoid or withdraw from social situations. In fact, a study concluded that adults with hearing loss reported more psychological distress, increased use of antidepressant and antianxiety medication, and were more likely to use mental health services.

4. Hearing loss can contribute to cognitive decline

Cognitive decline is a natural part of aging, but hearing loss may exacerbate the issue. Studies suggest that people with hearing loss have a 24% increased risk of cognitive decline compared to those with normal hearing. Another study also showed that older adults with moderate hearing loss were three times more likely to develop dementia.

5. No cure, but there are treatments

While there is no cure for hearing loss and tinnitus, treatments can help. Some people may opt for cognitive behavioral therapy, which can help patients divert their attention away from the phantom sound ringing in their ears. Another popular treatment is masking, which involves using a product that creates white or ambient noise to mask a patient’s overall perception of tinnitus.

6. Hearing aids can help, but not all are created equal

For both hearing loss and tinnitus, a hearing aid or assistive device can improve a patient’s quality of life. All areas of life affected by hearing loss — including cognitive decline, productivity and mental health — could be improved by using hearing aids.

However, because most hearing aids cost upward of $2,000, many patients can’t afford them. Also, for many, there is a stigma attached to wearing hearing aids. Many hearing devices are bulky and unattractive, which can make a user self-conscious and may discourage them from wearing the device.

Bonus: A new way to hear

Olive Union believes that hearing health technology should be affordable, attractive and accessible. Their Olive Max adaptive hearing aids are true wireless earbuds that use advanced machine learning technology to improve the adaptive hearing experience and customize sound settings to the specific user’s environment. Because they look like standard Bluetooth earbuds, users feel less self-conscious about wearing their adaptive hearing aid.

While traditional hearing aids require a trip to the audiologist, users with mild to severe hearing loss only need to take a simple five-minute hearing test via Olive Union’s app. This test can provide personalized hearing insights and set customized settings tailored to their unique hearing needs.

Hearing loss doesn’t have to define your life. To learn more and pre-order your own pair of adaptive hearing aids, visit Max.OliveUnion.com.

2022-07-25T07:01:00

(BPT) – There it is — a big, messy, overgrown field of weeds, grass, tree stumps, rocks and who knows what else, just begging for some loving. It’s an eyesore that you (and your neighbors) have been wanting to tackle for a long time, but you weren’t sure exactly how to go about it.

Before you run down to the hardware store to buy a weed whip or call the local fire department to do a prescribed burn, the yardcare experts at Toro offer 10 tips on how to turn an overgrown field into a beautiful stretch of yard for years of enjoyment.

1. Start with a game plan – Is the goal to extend the green turf area of your existing lawn into this field area? Do you want to create an area where your kids and the kids in the neighborhood could play soccer or kickball? Or how about turning this spot into an area where your horses, llamas, goats or other livestock could graze. Knowing what you want to do with your new green space will help you determine how much effort you want to put into it.
2. Consider the previous use of the field – Was your overgrown field previously used as pasture for cows or horses? If so, large animals can cause quite a bit of soil compaction. Do you have gopher holes everywhere? That means your land will be quite lumpy after you mow it down. Understanding how your field was used before will help determine soil conditions and what you’ll be working with after you clear the weeds away.
3. Walk the field – Before you run a lawn mower through a field of tall weeds, make sure you walk it to identify any potential hazards that may not be readily visible. Look for rocks, stumps and logs, equipment parts and junk, potholes, nests and more. Bring some utility flags to mark any spots that you’ll need to avoid while you’re mowing the field.
4. Remove rocks, branches and junk – Grab your chainsaw, throw in a shovel, and pull up the pick-up truck and trailer. It’s time to remove rocks, branches and any junk you find in your field. There also may be things you want to keep — maybe tree saplings, a patch of wild growing raspberries or a brush pile along the edge of some woods that would make for a nice habitat. If there may be replanting, bring some large 5-gallon buckets to save plants.
5. Mow efficiently – To efficiently mow an overgrown field, consider mowing it at least twice, initially. In your first pass, raise the blades on your Toro Titan zero-turn mower to their highest level. This will allow you to avoid hitting any objects such as small boulders or large mounds of dirt that you may have missed in your walk through as your zero-turn mower slices through the weeds. If your zero-turn mower is equipped with a Toro bagging system, you can quickly scoop up cuttings and add them to your compost. Then, lower the blade level and go back through it again to achieve a finer cut.
6. Half swath – For truly imposing fields, you may want to mow a half swath at a time. Simply make a pass of untouched long weeds using only half the width of the mowing deck with the other half passing previously cut grass. This will ensure your mower blade has the power and momentum to cut through the tough stuff and ensure the grass gets cut down to the proper size.
7. Get ready for a bumpy ride – If your overgrown field hasn’t been touched for years, get ready for a bumpy ride due to potholes, dirt clumps, gopher holes, roots, decaying branches, ant hills … you name it, that is, unless you have a Toro zero-turn mower with MyRIDE suspension system, an exclusive technology that cushions the ride for the mower regardless of variations in terrain.
8. Leveling the field – After you’ve cleared your field of the long weeds, you’ll want to consider leveling your new green space. This may mean bringing in soil to fill in holes and renting a mini-track loader from your nearest landscape or rental equipment dealer to knock down large bumps of dirt and remove larger boulders.
9. You’ve got options – By clearing your field of the long weeds, scrub brush and tree saplings, you’ve created more options for your yard. Do you want to remove all weeds, or do you want to overseed with grasses and native, low-growth ground covers such as clover? Maybe you’d like to turn a portion of this new green space into a large garden — for which you may want to till that area.
10. Regular mowing – Once you’ve done the hard part, you can go as fast or as slow as you want in terms of reclaiming that green space and turning it into your new field of dreams. If you plan to transform the field over time, consider aerating the soil in the fall and begin the process of overseeding (versus sodding). The key is regular mowing to prevent weeds from growing back and reclaiming your new greenspace.

For more tips about how to maintain your yard, visit Yardcare.com.

2022-07-22T08:01:00

(BPT) – With record-high temperatures and droughts occurring nationwide, you may be experiencing water use restrictions where you live. But even if you’re not, it’s natural to be concerned about the amount of water you’re using as a pool owner. Fortunately, there are simple steps you can take to help conserve water, which will also save you money while keeping your pool clean, safe, and beautiful. Here are five easy tips to help you make the most of your pool without wasting water.

1. Practice routine pool care and maintenance

Keeping your pool clean and maintaining the proper water chemistry and sanitization will help you avoid the need for excess pool drainage, which will save water.

• Balance your pool chemistry — Leslie’s provides a free in-store AccuBlue^® water test with a customized treatment plan that can help you manage water chemistry and avoid having to drain your pool. Just bring in a water sample to your nearest Leslie’s location.
• Clean the pool — Regularly cleaning your pool ensures you won’t have as much debris going through your filter, which means you can go longer between cleanings or backwash cycles. Don’t forget to clean out the pump strainer and skimmer basket.
• Keep backwash cycles to a minimum — Backwashing the pool filter can use 250–1,000 gallons of water, so backwash only as much as necessary per the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Upgrade to a cartridge filter — Cartridge filters don’t need to be backwashed, unlike sand or D.E. (diatomaceous earth) filters. You can clean cartridge filters by simply spraying them off with a garden hose or specialty nozzle, which helps conserve water.

2. Cool your pool

Because warm water evaporates faster, keeping your pool water temperature lower will help reduce the rate of evaporation. The best part? When it’s super hot outside, the cooler pool water will feel that much more refreshing. Here are some tips on keeping your water temp lower:

• Run your pump at night
• Use a heat/cool heat pump or chiller
• Set up shades or umbrellas in and around the pool

3. Don’t overfill the pool

Another way to avoid pool water loss is to keep the water level halfway up the skimmer. This means losing less water when people jump in or out of the pool or play vigorously. Excessive splash-out from an overfilled pool simply wastes water.

4. Use a solar cover

The average uncovered pool loses 1.5” of water per week to evaporation, and it can lose even more in hot, dry climates. Covering the pool when it’s not in use can reduce evaporation by up to 90–95%. Leslie’s offers solar covers in a variety of shapes and sizes to fit most pools. Another plus? Covering your pool can help keep insects and debris out of the water.

You can also use a liquid solar cover, which helps protect your pool while the regular cover is off. This chemical layer can reduce evaporation by as much as 30–50%.

Keep in mind that solar covers will also heat your pool during the day, and increase heat retention at night. For this reason, they’re most often used in the cooler spring and fall months to help extend swimming season.

5. Check for leaks

Leaking pools, equipment or plumbing wastes precious water resources. It can also cause damage to your pool, which costs you even more money. Check for leaks by regularly inspecting your equipment, as well as the ground around the equipment pad and pool. Wet soil and sunken or eroding areas may indicate a leak. You can also watch your pool’s water level by marking the level with a grease pen or tape and checking periodically — if it seems like you’re losing more water than from simple evaporation, you could have a leak. Fix leaks as soon as you find them.

If you’re looking for other ways to conserve water in your pool, the experts at Leslie’s can help. Visit LesliesPool.com to learn more.

2022-07-22T02:01:00

(BPT) – It’s no secret it’s a job seekers market. Many people are open to new work and employers are vying to attract the best talent. This gives job seekers more options than ever to find positions where they’ll get the best benefits and be happy long-term.

While salary is a core component of an employment package, benefits are just as important. Forward-thinking CEOs are going beyond the basics of health insurance and retirement programs and offering truly meaningful benefits that have a major impact on employees. Employee ownership programs really stand out in attracting top talent, motivating current employees and boosting employee satisfaction.

For instance, Integrity Marketing Group, a leading distributor of life and health insurance, and provider of innovative solutions for wealth management and retirement planning, is a great example. The company has a generous employee ownership program and recently announced that every new employee would immediately be eligible to receive an ownership stake in the company on their first day.

The idea for extending ownership to employees was developed by Integrity CEO Bryan W. Adams who then approached Integrity Chairman and NFL Hall-of-Famer Steve Young with the idea to extend ownership to employees two years ago. The idea immediately resonated with Young. During his time in the NFL he saw teams thrive once partnerships were created between team owners and players.

The company decided to transition to an employee-owned structure, and Adams believes it’s the best decision they’ve ever made for the company’s success. Recently Integrity went even further and surprised employees with an unexpected $125 million in cash payouts to employees participating in the company’s Employee Ownership Plan.

Eligible employees received cash awards of varying size, based on factors such as position and tenure. Employees who have participated in the program since its 2019 inception received a minimum of $8,000, and still have an estimated $60,000 in current equity value remaining in company shares.

Adams explained why he decided to make such a generous offering to his employees: “Partnership is core to everything we do at Integrity. Our most valued stakeholders — our employees — can now become partners in our tremendous success with this great company.”

“Integrity is truly a company powered by people and we’re passionate about our culture of giving back,” said Young. “Without question, our motivated, dedicated employees have made Integrity one of the fastest growing companies in America. We couldn’t be happier to reward their contributions and dedication — and show them how appreciated they are by sharing in our growth.”

Integrity has achieved an impressive year-over-year annual growth in excess of 100% for five years running. Integrity’s nearly 6,000 employees work with more than 450,000 agents and advisors serving more than 10 million clients annually. In 2022, Integrity will help carriers place more than $12 billion in new sales and oversee more than $20 billion of assets under management and advisement through its RIA and broker-dealer platforms.

“When you work with a committed, talented group of individuals who are helping improve the lives of Americans, the decision to share our success becomes an easy one,” explained Adams. “In addition to the $125 million they’re receiving, our employees will continue to have considerable equity ownership in Integrity. When you consider that the average household savings in America is roughly $17,000, it’s easy to see how ownership can help our employees prepare for the good days ahead. This is unquestionably the most meaningful decision and outcome I’ve ever been part of in my career.”

Integrity’s proactive approach to employee benefits, inspired by the tactics used in the NFL, allows the company to share its success with employees. Young and Adams are encouraging other business sector leaders to follow suit and include their employees as owners of their company. They are also encouraging job seekers to hold companies to higher standards and look for workplaces, like Integrity, headed by innovative leaders who have their employees’ best interests in mind. For more information visit IntegrityMarketing.com.