5
WAYS TO GET MORE REST
AND RELAXATION IN YOUR LIFE
T
here’s a meme on social media that says, “You have as many hours
in your day as BEYONCE.”
It’s supposed to be motivational and gives the impression that
if Beyonce can do as much as she d oes in 24 hours, there’s no
reason why you can’t get as much done.
Of course, Beyonce has personal assistants, childcare, chauffeurs and all
manner of hired help who take care of many of her day-to-day tasks. Good
for Beyonce. She is able to dedicate her time to creativity and charitable
causes, as well as rest and relaxation.
But, let’s be honest. Although everyone has the same 24 hours a day as Beyonce
and other celebrities, not everyone can use them the same way. That doesn’t mean
there’s no way to eliminate some time sucks and create extra hours for downtime.
1
WEEKLY MEAL PREP
Planning your weekly meals in advance
takes a little time on the weekend, but it
saves time on the weeknights when you have the
least to spare. Choose five or six nights’ worth
of recipes that can be prepped in a few hours.
Create your grocery list, shop, and get to work in
the kitchen. Chop, produce, pre-cook anything
appropriate, put uncooked meats in marinades,
pre-combine spices for each recipe — do any-
thing that can be done ahead of time. If you can
do it with your partner or older kids, it can also
be a fun activity to do together.
2
ERADICATE FACEBOOK
It’s no secret that a quick
check-in on Facebook
can lead to a half-hour or
more of scrolling through
cute dog videos and politi-
cal debates. You can log
out of Facebook, but logging
back in is easy. It’s more diffi-
cult to log back in if you use an
app meant to keep you off the social media site.
If you use the Chrome operating system on your
computer, the News Feed Eradicator for Facebook
may be what’s needed. The Eradicator replaces
your newsfeed with an inspirational quote, while
allowing you to still see messages, notifications,
groups and events. If you work on a Mac, there’s
an application called SelfControl that lets you set
times when Facebook and other sites are
unreachable from your computer.
3
GET ORGANIZED
The makers of the Pixie device did a survey
that found that on average, Americans
spend 2.5 days every year looking for things they
can’t find. TV remotes, cell phones, keys, glasses
and shoes topped the list of things we misplace
most frequently. The mantra of highly organized
people — a place for everything and everything
in its place — can help here. Create specific
storage spots for the things you misplace the
most. Put hooks near the front door for your
keys, and hang them the moment you walk in
the door. Have a specific place for your glasses
and phone. When you’re finished watching
television, put the remote in its place. Not only
will you gain back precious time, you’ll probably
get rid of a little stress, too.
4
CREATE A SCHEDULE,
NOT A TO-DO LIST
To-do lists seem to be never ending, and
the entire day can be spent checking off one item
after another. Instead of creating a to-do list with
no time limitations for each task, create a timed
schedule for the day. Plug the most important
items into the schedule with time limitations for
each task. Less-important tasks can go on anoth-
er day’s schedule. This allows you to finish your
workday or a day of housework and errands at a
specific time, while still having the satisfaction
that you accomplished a lot. Your tasks won’t
spill out into your rightly-deserved rest and
relaxation time.
5
CURB THE
BINGE-WATCHING
A 2017 survey by Deloitte
found that 73 percent of us are
binge-watching TV series on
a regular basis. Those ages
14-33 tend to binge-watch
an average of five-hours in
one sitting. While we may be
doing other things while binge-
watching like texting or checking social media,
the time now spent watching and re-watching
consecutive hours of one television show is tak-
ing away from other activities that rejuvenate us.
6
1
WAYS
TO LEAVE
WORRY
BEHIND
THIS
SUMMER
OUTDOOR FUN New
Jersey may be small, but
we’re big when it comes to
the range of things to do here.
If you wanted to, you could
ski, hike and surf in the same
day (although who would
want to?). Plus, there are many
opportunities to camp, fish and
hunt, and our extensive parks
system offers miles and miles of
trails and more. For as little as
$50 (free for seniors), you can
enjoy unlimited entrance to the
state’s parks in 2018.
2
HISTORY Our traditions
and history run deep, and
there’s no shortage of
ways to learn about and
celebrate it. Civil War re-
enactments, tours, holiday
events, hands-on opportunities
and more happen every month
of the year all across the state.
3
LOCAL PRODUCE We’re
not called the Garden
State for nothing! We
produce more than 100
different kinds of fruits and
vegetables on 9,000 farms
statewide, according to 2017
figures from the Department of
Agriculture. From sweet corn
to tomatoes to cranberries,
blueberries and peaches, the
tastes of New Jersey are a
delight year-round.
4
SUMMER DOWN
THE SHORE Days of
sun-kissed sand, salty
air, boardwalk arcades, funnel
cake, fries and ice cream cones
are here.
5
SPORTS In addition to
our professional sports
teams, there are plenty of
opportunities to take in a game,
from great high school football
rivalries to family-friendly minor
league baseball throughout the
state. Everything from rec and
instructional leagues for kids to
club and pick-up teams for
adults and seniors is available in
every sport under the sun —
including one of the state’s
newest crazes, pickleball.
6
FAIRS AND FESTIVALS
Another great Jersey
tradition that’s right
around the corner is fair season.
They’re all fun, from the more
rural farm-focused 4H county
fairs to ones that include
midways, Ferris wheels,
fireworks and other spectacles,
and up to the giant State
Fair that takes over the
Meadowlands each year.
— Ilana Keller
— Robin Shreeves
(201) HEALTH | 2018 EDITION
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