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Here’s Why the Beach is Fun in Fall

CENTRESTAGEFILMS — Thu, 07 Sep 2023 22:50:29 +0000

Here’s Why the Beach is Fun in Fall

September’s first weekend brings Labor Day and the unofficial end of summer. Students have returned to school; football dominates weekend television; and the days continue to grow shorter.

Now’s the time to hit the beach!

That might seem counterintuitive at first but the reality is there is more to your favorite beach than lazing on the sand beneath the broiling summer sun. Indeed, heading for the coast in September and October brings with it an array of treats you’re unlikely to experience at any other time of year. Still skeptical? Here are just a few reasons why should reach for the beach this autumn.

Crowds? What Crowds?: No one likes a crowded beach, which is why smart travelers look inland for their Memorial Day and Fourth of July weekend destinations. The fall months, by contrast, are markedly quieter at the shore, making it easier for you to spread out on the sand with your gear without worrying about having to fight for space.

Get There For Less: Fall in a lot of beach destinations is considered the “shoulder season,” that time between the peak and off-peak seasons. With summer vacations over and no one yet rushing to escape winter, airlines and hotels offer steep discounts to entice the traveler. Do some research and you can save a bundle.

Weather Report: Particularly in early September, temperatures at the coast are still warm enough during the day so the water doesn’t feel too cold, but cool enough in the evening to enable you to just chill on the beach or outside around a fire. The result is that, compared to the height of summer, fall visits enable you to spend much more time at the beach. Proper hydration is still important, but at least you won’t feel like you’re being toasted to a crisp.

Let’s Get Active: We’ve all had the experience of working up a decent sweat just lying on the sand on a summer’s afternoon. The cooler weather of fall alleviates that problem and encourages you to get up and move. Need to get your steps in? Consider a long stroll along your favorite beach. Looking for a fun way to get your cardio? Beach volleyball and barefoot soccer will do the trick.

Treasure Hunt: Have you ever noticed there are so many more things to find on the beach in the fall? Shells, corals, cool rocks, driftwood — if you’re a creative person and like to collect materials from nature, then fall is the perfect time to build a breathtaking collection of nature’s treasures.

Festive Occasions: Many beach communities host special events in the fall with the very goal of generating additional tourist dollars before the winter sets in. Check your favorite destination’s website for listings of speciality food and music festivals, block parties and civic celebrations.

Great Outdoors: If you seek more from the coast than sitting on the sand all day, fall also is the perfect season for hiking, biking, RV glamping, cookouts and more.
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At Harmony Communities, we feel strongly that each resident has a sense of home. That they come home from work and feel pride in their environment and in their place in the greater community. That families are comfortable raising children in our neighborhoods, and that couples and singles know that they belong to something bigger than their four walls. In other words, we seek to create harmony within each community, making our communities not just passable, but peaceful, safe, functional, and beautiful.

The post Here’s Why the Beach is Fun in Fall appeared first on Other CMS.

How to Handle Those Post-Vacation Blues

CENTRESTAGEFILMS — Fri, 11 Aug 2023 22:49:54 +0000

How to Handle Those Post-Vacation Blues

Your vacation should be highlight of your summer, those days and weeks when you trade the cares and woes of home and the workplace for the relaxation and exhilaration that accompany kicking back or taking to the road. Moreover, decades of research confirm how critical those breaks are in bolstering mental health and empowering people to take on the challenges the rest of the year is sure to present.

That transition, however, can be difficult, and some people grapple with minor dread and depression at the prospect of returning to their “real” lives after a wonderful vacation. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to ease your way back into your routine without feeling overwhelmed and overworked.

Take A Day: If your schedule allows, be sure to make the day after you arrive home a buffer day. That means no work, no plans and a full day dedicated to getting back into the swing of things. Unpack those bags, get the washer and dryer going, go through the mail and spend some quality time with those pets. Just 24 hours spent in this way will greatly facilitate your transition back to your regular life.

You’ve Got Mail: There’s nothing worse than returning to a slew of angry emails from people wondering where you are and why you’re not responding to them. To avoid that, be sure to notify people ahead of time regarding the dates you won’t be available. If you still come home to a ton of messages in your inbox, remember that you don’t have to get everything done at once. Take a deep breath, arrange the messages into folders based on urgency and give yourself a couple of days to return them.

Hit the Gym: Vacations often mean interruptions in our workout routines; after all, who wants to hit the gym in New Orleans when you could be hitting the bars? Returning as soon as possible to your established exercise regimen, however, will help you overcome the post-vacation blues. Going for a run, trying some yoga or even simply taking long walks releases the awesome feel-good endorphins you will need to overcome the obstacles that await you.

Hit the Hay: Likewise, it’s not unusual for people to sacrifice sleep amid the excitement of vacation. As with your workout, reinstate your standard sleep schedule as soon as possible. Research shows that getting the proper amount of shut eye is essential to good physical and mental health, and your post-vacation situation is no exception.

Get in Touch with Your Feelings: For many, coming back from vacation is like coming down from a high, with all that means in terms of feeling low and blue. That is OK; indeed, it is to be expected. Acknowledge those feelings but then remind yourself that this mini-funk will soon pass. Remember that all vacations are temporary and that the future holds many more enjoyable excursions to come.

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Tips to Increase Your Reading Pleasure

CENTRESTAGEFILMS — Thu, 02 Feb 2023 19:35:20 +0000

Among Americans’ most cited new year’s resolutions is the goal to spend more time reading. The benefits of immersing yourself in a book – as opposed to all those screens at our disposal – are well documented and include enhanced vocabulary, concentration and communication skills as well as sharper cognitive abilities and a broader worldview. In addition, swapping your phone or tablet for a book at bedtime will substantially improve the quality of your sleep.

Achieving the goal, however, requires a conscious effort to alter your habits and lifestyle. Here are a few strategies you can employ if you are looking to spend more time lost in the pages of a great book.

Combine Your Habits: Your first step is to identify times in your day you can free up for reading. One strategy is to consider parts of your daily routine you can enhance with a book. Do you always make coffee first thing in the morning? Try having a book on the counter and read a few pages while sipping your joe. Always have to wait on the same platform for your train? That’s a great time to put your nose in a book.

Entertain Yourself: Many non-readers eschew books because they see reading as something that needs to be intellectually stimulating. Nonsense! Try taking the page-turner route starting out and focus on books that are fun and entertaining – the reading equivalent of watching TV. Of course, lofty literary fiction or engrossing nonfiction is well worth your attention topo but there’s no crime in exploring the niches that get you excited, at least until you fully develop the habit.

Active Reading: It’s tempting to let the plot carry you down its winding path, particularly if you’re reading a page-turner. But there is also merit in slowing down and taking in every nuance through active reading. Read with a pen in your hand so you can note any questions you have, sentences you like or even just the occasional stray thought. Highlight, underline, question and comment – they all help keep the mind engaged.

Keep Books Everywhere: The old saying, “out of sight, out of mind” is all too true so it’s important to surround yourself with books if you’re looking to strengthen your reading habit. Never leave the house without a book to pass the time during life’s in-between moments and recognize that if you have a stack of books beside your bed, you’re more likely to pick one up. Wherever you are, books should be close at hand.

Embrace Many Formats: There’s more than one way to consume a book these days – you can read a physical book, listen to an audiobook or peruse an eBook. Each format has its own unique qualities and benefits so don’t fear trying them all, for example balancing an audiobook with a physical book. See which medium works best for you.

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Baseball Is Back

CENTRESTAGEFILMS — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 17:01:29 +0000

While it seemed unlikely in the depths of the lockout, Major League Baseball returned to stadiums across the country this spring a mere one week behind schedule. Here’s to the millionaire players and billionaire owners for finding enough mutual ground to spare fans a devastating work stoppage.

The harsh reality remains, however, that a trip to the ballpark can be a pricey excursion, the days of cheap bleacher seats have gone the way of the spitter. That said, there are ways to shave a few dollars off going to see Casey at the bat.

Purchase Game Day Tickets: This strategy is most effective if your favorite team is accustomed to playing home games before a half-empty stadium, such as the Oakland A’s or Cincinnati Reds. Strolling up to the box office just before or even after the ump yells “Play ball!” can save you plenty, as clubs at that moment want nothing more than to get you in a seat and sell you a beer and dog. And no online fees to worry about.

Pick Your Day, Pick Your Time, Pick Your (Opposing) Team: With many clubs having instituted “flex pricing” policies for the most desirable weekend games — say, the New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox or San Francisco Giants vs. Los Angeles Dodgers — there are real bargains to be had attending midweek contests, particularly afternoon games, in which your favorite team squares off against one that’s not a traditional rival.

Sit in the Cheap Seats: Not surprisingly, the best seats in the house — directly behind home plate, along the first- and third-base lines — tend to be the most expensive. Likewise, clubs sometimes jack up ticket prices for day-game seats in the shade, particularly as summer wears on. There are as a result bargains awaiting the brave and hardy who can stand the heat and don’t mind being a tad removed from the action. The latter, in particular, is no big deal, given the number of highlights shown every game on the stadium’s massive screens. As for the former, bring a hat, sunblock and stay hydrated.

B.Y.O.S.: That stands for Bring Your Own Snacks. Most teams these days allow patrons to bring in their own peanuts and Cracker Jacks, though some restrictions might apply. Do a little research to see what your team allows. It’s a great way to avoid the stadium’s sharp markup.

Forget Stadium Gear: With every MLB club operating in a major metro area, there are likely plenty of local retailers happy to sell you licensed gear such as shirts and caps for far less than you’d pay at the park.

At Harmony Communities, we feel strongly that each resident has a sense of home. That they come home from work and feel pride in their environment and in their place in the greater community. That families are comfortable raising children in our neighborhoods, and that couples and singles know that they belong to something bigger than their four walls. In other words, we seek to create harmony within each community, making our communities not just passable, but peaceful, safe, functional, and beautiful.

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