Author: Saratoga TODAY

THE FIRST WEEK OF THE NEW YEAR following time off from work, traveling, celebrating the holidays and being out of your routine can feel overwhelming and exhausting. It is not uncommon to experience an emotional and physical hangover from spending more time with extended family and indulging in foods and beverages that are not a part of our regular routine.

It’s easy to shame yourself post holiday season and create a plan to get back into shape, organize your house and eat a healthier diet. While these intentions are good, we set ourselves up for shame and failure when we dive into January headfirst. 

The best way to get back into a healthy routine is slowly and steadily.  The roadmap back to feeling rested, energized, healthy and in control is to focus on the simple day-to-day tasks of organizing our days in a way that promote peace of mind emotionally, physically and spiritually.

Whenever I feel out of control and out of sorts because I’m out of my routine I always resort to the same three action steps to establish an immediate sense of order.  First order of business it to clean out my fridge and throw out all leftover food, expired condiments and anything that looks like it has overstayed its welcome.  I take everything out and wipe down all the shelves and put everything back organized by food groups and size.  The finished product is a clean, sparkly visual that helps me feel like my life is in order.

Call me crazy, but I definitely make better food choices when my fridge is clean and organized.   The tidy visual of the stain free shelves and every item in its place makes me less likely to just grab something that may make me feel tired in the long run.

Next step is to do the same in the pantry.  Every item has its place to be and if the olive oil is next to the goldfish I move it and organize all items by category.   The finished product is an organized pantry that makes me feel like I am a responsible adult who can handle day-to-day life.

Last one, I change the sheets.  I put on my favorite sheets, fluff the pillows and line them up in a way that brings me joy.  There is nothing better than climbing into a bed with fresh sheets when you feel like your life is chaos. 

I would love to take credit for these simple but powerful ways to establish an immediate sense of accomplishment, but I have to give the credit to my mother.  These were the three things she did faithfully after holidays, big trips, a house full of visitors or a bad day.  As a teenager I would roll my eyes as every countertop had the contents of the fridge on it and she wiped down the shelves, now I laugh because it turns out these life hacks she came up were sheer genius.  Thanks Mom!

Before you cut carbs, join a gym, sign up for a class, quit your job or make a major life change, try these three little action steps to give you an immediate sense of clarity, peace of mind, a sense of accomplishment and joy! 

YOU ARE WORTH IT!

Meghan Fritz is a psychotherapist practicing in State College, PA.  For more information go to changeyourstoryllc.com.

I really enjoy making holiday meals for my immediate and extended family, and this year was no exception. My husband loves to cook as well, and together we planned a Christmas dinner menu that was perfect, with the main attraction being a roast beef tenderloin with caramelized onion and mushroom stuffing and an herb butter brushed over it at the end. (Thank you to my dad for providing the beef! It was a gorgeous piece of meat.) 

I’d calculated when the roast needed to go in the oven, in order for it to have enough time to cook and then enough time to rest before our scheduled dinnertime, and fifteen minutes before that I turned the oven on to preheat it.

Except, it wouldn’t start.

My husband and I tried about fifty-seven times over the next hour to get the oven to start before we had to admit defeat. Thankfully, it was not nearly as bad as it could have been and dinner wasn’t ruined, since I was able to use the oven at my parents’ house, so we were able to have our roast (albeit a bit later than planned) despite the non-working oven. It was just such a bummer to have our oven decide to poop out on Christmas Day. 

Except, it turns out it didn’t poop out. Rather, it seems that someone’s too-rough handling of the drawer beneath the oven over the past few years had a hand in wedging a baking sheet up against the igniter wire over and over — which accounts for why we’ve long thought the oven was a “finicky starter” (though we’d always been able to get it to start after a few tries). Yes, that “someone” would be me. In fact, on Christmas morning itself I’d pulled the drawer out and couldn’t get it to go back in quite right and my solution was to keep trying to ram it in there as hard as I could. I kicked it a few times. I yelled in frustration. And then the oven wouldn’t start later, just when we needed it to be on top of its game for Christmas dinner for us and our guests.

It’s sort of funny this happened when it did, because we discovered my role in the non-working oven just days after I’d gotten angry at the boys for being too rough with their things. Specifically, their clothes. Specifically, their brand new clothes.

Brand new clothes are pretty rare in our house, especially for the younger boys. We’ve been the fortunate and grateful recipients of many many hand-me-downs from family and friends since my oldest was born, which has been such a gift. Because of them, I haven’t had to buy too many new things for the boys over the years, but every once in a while we run into a situation where nothing fits anyone, or I can’t find that bag I stored away that has those particular things we need, or what we have in the necessary size has too many holes from being worn out by the big brothers.

This winter has been one of those times — we were short on pants of all kinds! Some boys didn’t have jeans, some didn’t have sweatpants (or athletic pants, or whatever they’re calling them these days … I usually just call them “comfy pants”), some didn’t have church pants, one has been wearing too-small snow pants all winter. I haven’t been overly worried, since I was confident Santa would come through — and he did! Each of the boys received the pants they needed on Christmas morning, and they all got socks as well (another of those things that we always need and seemingly can never find) — this mama could not have been happier. In fact, I told the boys that those gifts were really for me! (They weren’t amused.)

But guess what? Within three days of Christmas, two of the boys had put holes in the knees of their pants. Their brand new pants. This mama was furious. This mama was not amused.

I might have said things like, “Are you kidding me?” and “What were you thinking?” and “Why would you do that?” “Boys!” I growled to myself. “They’re so rough with everything!” I lamented.

And then, just a few days later: Mom’s Roughness Discovered to Be Cause of Broken Oven.

Fortunately, the oven was an easy fix, and I can easily mend the boys’ pants (those particular pants were meant mostly for lounging around the house anyway), so there was no real disaster with either situation. Just a reminder — a resolution — to be more patient with children and appliances. So, 2020’s off to a good start, I guess! I hope this new year is full of joy and blessings for all of you!

(Thanks to Jim Parisi of Parisi Appliance House for the appliances and service he’s provided us for as long as we’ve been homeowners!)

Kate and her husband have seven sons ages 15, 13, 11, 9, 8, 5, and 1. Follow her at www.facebook.com/kmtowne23, or email her at kmtowne23@gmail.com.

After a holiday season full of indulgences, the new year brings an opportunity to start incorporating some healthier habits into your routine. Here are some suggestions for simple resolutions that will help you become a healthier you in the new year. 

1. DRINK MORE WATER
The common recommended intake for water is 8 glasses (8 oz.) per day.  However, the majority of people fail to meet this standard.  Water is an often overlooked essential of health.  Drinking more of it can improve physical and mental performance, aid in digestion and weight loss, and improve overall wellbeing.  Try to up your daily water intake by drinking a glass of water with every meal. 

2. EAT MORE VEGETABLES
One of the most common resolutions that people make is to eat healthier.  But committing to a complete diet overhaul can be overwhelming and unsustainable. Instead, try starting small by including one serving of vegetable with every meal.  Vegetable are not only packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, but they are low in calories and high in fiber.

3. GET MORE SLEEP
According to the CDC, 1 in 3 adults do not get enough sleep.  Sleeping less than 7 hours per night can increase the risks of obesity, hypertension, heart disease, and mood disorders.  To improve your sleep, try going to bed and waking up at the same time every day.  Set an alarm for the evenings to remind you its time to go to bed.  Avoid cellphone and computer screens an hour before bedtime and keep your bedroom at a cooler temperature to improve sleep quality. 

4. EXERCISE MORE
This is another one that people tend to be overambitious with.  If you are not used to working out on a regular basis, jumping right into an intense workout routine can be difficult to stick to.  Instead start by incorporating a little more movement into your daily routine by taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking at the far end of the parking lot, or taking a short walk around the block during lunch breaks.  It can also help to figure out what your specific goal is for exercising, whether its to lose weight, build strength or improve cardiovascular health, finding workouts that are aligned with these goals and that you enjoy will make it easier.

5. TRY MEDITATION
Meditation can help alleviate stress and anxiety, reduce blood pressure, extend attention span, and improve sleep. Start with just a few minutes a day and pick a time that is easy to incorporate into your daily routine like when you wake up in the morning or during your daily commute. 

6. DRINK LESS ALCOHOL
Chronic heavy drinking can increase the risk of liver and heart disease, mental deterioration, depression, and cancer. Reduce the number of drinks you have by drinking a glass of water after each cocktail.  Or try having a “dry January” and cut out alcohol altogether.  You may be surprised by how much better you feel. 

7. STRETCH DAILY
Stretching can increase your flexibility and range of motion, improve your performance in physical activities, increase circulation and blood flow to your muscles, improve posture, and prevent injuries. Start by stretching for just a few minutes per day.  Set a daily alarm as a reminder or stretch first thing in the morning or right before bed. 

This week ushers out the end of another year, and another decade. We’ve just lived through a decade of economic expansion, and are still in the middle of the longest bull run in history, with no clear end in sight. All of the fear mongering and doom-and-gloom predictions since the recession, a decade ago, have been wrong. The sky has not fallen, and the future still looks promising.

In the last ten years, the S&P index (a frequently quoted index comprised of 500 commonly held US stocks), has increased 190%. Just this year, the index is up about 30%. While a third of this year’s gains were a recovery from the correction at the end of 2018, the markets still continue to reward those with the discipline to stay appropriately invested. Over the same ten years, the NASDAQ was up 295% with a gain of 36% in 2019.

Technology and capitalism are amazingly transformative forces, and when working together, they produce astounding results on a global scale. Consider that 100 years ago, 80% of the world lived in extreme poverty. In the year 2000, 20% did, and that number has since been halved. The last 100 years has seen the rise of America as a global force, spreading and protecting capitalism and democracy around the world, and creating an environment where innovation and entrepreneurship are rewarded.

Technological advances in communications, travel, logistics, heath care, shipping, agriculture, chemistry, energy and in every other part of the economy have freed billions from the shackles of extreme poverty. 

Famine is largely a thing of the past. Global inequality has fallen dramatically as Asia and Africa are experiencing faster economic growth than Europe and North America.

For all the talk about an environment on the brink, technology is solving that problem as well and allowing us to do much more with much less, every day. Consider that the computing power in your smart phone would have cost millions of dollars just twenty years ago, and would never have fit in your pocket. Today one device replaces cameras, camcorders, flashlights, atlases, watches, calendars, CD players, newspapers, a stack of board games, and virtually anything else someone with a little ingenuity can dream of. 

Twenty years ago, the US was the world’s largest energy beggar, and today we are the largest producer of energy in the world, and we owe this to technological advances in fracking. As natural gas continues to replace coal in the production of power in the US, we’ve seen CO2 production plummet since 2005, with per capital levels at their lowest since 1950. This is absolutely astounding when you consider how much the economy has grown over the same time period.

We’re going into an election year, so remember to tune out the noise. Both sides need to convince you that they are the only ones with the answers. Neither is right.  Yes, sometimes bad things happen, but that doesn’t mean the world isn’t getting better.

As we turn to the future, we think technology continues to lead the way, as long as governments allow innovators to do what they do best. 

Unemployment is functionally zero, with rates among African Americans and Latinos at historic lows. There are only two ways to grow your economy when you’ve exhausted your supply of workers; immigration and technology. Since immigration is likely to continue to be a political football, that leaves technological innovation as the primary driver for increasing worker productivity. 

In addition, wage growth continues to outpace inflation, especially for the poorest among us, which means consumers have more real dollars to spend.

In the coming year, we expect more economic growth for the US, and another positive year for the stock markets. We think 10-15% growth in the S&P is likely, although the markets will experience their normal swings. 

US government policies continue to be accommodative to growth in this country, as long as tax cuts remain in-force, regulations remain at their current levels, and interest rates continue to be appropriate. Barring a sweep of both houses of Congress and the White House by the Democrats, we expect this will be the case.

As always our forecast contains forward-looking statements which may be revised at any time. Stay focused on fundamentals in the coming year, and work closely with your financial advisor to help ensure your investments remain appropriate for your needs and market conditions. 

Stephen Kyne, CFP is a Partner at Sterling Manor Financial, LLC in Saratoga Springs, and Rhinebeck.

Securities offered through Cadaret, Grant & Co., Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Sterling Manor Financial, LLC, or Cadaret Grant & Co., Inc., SEC registered investment advisors. Sterling Manor Financial and Cadaret Grant are separate entities.