Realty Rave Feb 2017

David Burke Tel: 760-250-2570 February 2017 Welcome to this month's edition of the RealtyRave newsletter. We hope that you find it filled with interesting and useful information! Please think of me with any real estate related questions you may have - now and in the future. It would be my pleasure to be of assistance to you. The single highest and best compliment a Real Estate Professional can receive is a referral to friends, family or colleagues. As appropriate, please feel free to forward this Newsletter and/or my contact information. Thank you! David Burke HEALTH AND SAFETY Transform your home into a retreat with these 5 tips (BPT) - There’s a reason why they say your home is your castle. This is a place of rest and refuge so you can be returned to your best state. The next time you find yourself with a quiet evening or weekend in your abode, make self-care and pampering a priority. In fact, you can borrow a few pages from the wellness playbook with expert tips from one the world’s most storied resorts. A few simple additions at your home, says Garrett Mersberger, director of Kohler Waters Spas, can greatly increase the relaxation factor during your down time. 1. Include the five senses. The secret to setting up the best spa experience, Mersberger says, is making positive connections to all the senses: touch, smell, taste, sight and sound. “If one of these is missing, the experience isn’t the same,” he says. Even the smallest changes can transform your space and elevate your mood. You can light a candle and plug in the indoor water fountain to create sound and lighting that soothes the mind. Snuggle into a plush robe and encase your feet in super soft socks or slippers after your shower or bath. Finally, don’t forget to set yourself up with a glass of wine and a cheese plate. 2. Prepare your body with hydrotherapy. People have known this since ancient times: water has great powers of restoration, which is why hydrotherapy is central to any worthwhile spa experience. At home, it’s as simple as making small adjustments to your shower routine. Mersberger suggests changing the pulses in your shower head and experimenting with hot and cool blasts of water, which he says are good for the skin and blood flow. But be careful, while a hot bath or shower before bed feels terrific, it’s not relaxing since warm temperatures will raise your blood flow, preparing the body for work or exercise, he says. To ready your body for sleep or relaxation, finish with a shower that’s a neutral temperature (about 92-97 degrees Fahrenheit), to return your body to normal. 3. Release blocked energy. Start your quest for relaxation with a simple yoga move called the seated cat/cow position. "In addition to releasing blocked energy, it also opens the spine," says Ashley Kohler, Manager of Yoga on the Lake at Destination Kohler. To do this, sit cross-legged on the floor and place your hands on your knees. As you inhale, lean your chest forward and lift your gaze to the sky. As you exhale, round out your spine while drawing your shoulders forward, gazing down. 4. Hone your breathing technique. Breathing is a vital component of managing stress levels, Kohler says. Yet most Americans only breathe with a third of their lung capacity, creating “flight energy” in the body and cultivating that feeling of stress. “Conscious breathing will ease your nervous system and help control stress levels and help you unwind,” Kohler says. Here’s an easy antidote: Sit quietly for a few moments, taking full-body, deep breaths through your nose. “I like to visualize the ocean, and imagine the sound of the its big crashing waves with every breath I take,” she says. 5. Relieve stress by going outside. The benefits of going outside in the winter is not only good for our bodies, being outside chases away the winter blahs, as research has told us. So go ahead and skip the treadmill and go jogging in the park. Or rent a pair of snowshoes take a tromp through the woods. Or take a walk. When you’re done, there’s no better feeling than coming in from the cool air, knowing you are truly in for the day. HEALTH AND WELLNESS Keep your teen athlete fueled with these 4 vital tips (BPT) - High school can be intense, but being a student athlete can intensify expectations. As the start of spring sports approaches, the stakes are even higher for your student to maintain the success they had first semester. There are practices, matches and conference finals that have to fit in with exams and semester-long projects. Being a standout in the classroom and on the field requires expert-level planning and execution. That’s where parents play a huge role in helping their teen athletes keep it all in balance. Here are four easy tips to help you ensure that your teen is ready for a great season, on and off the field. Food: Allison Maurer — a sports dietitian and Gatorade consultant who has worked with high school and collegiate athletes — says, “The important thing to remember is that food is fuel. It gives athletes the energy they need to perform and also helps them recover. When planning your athletes’ meals, look for whole food sources that provide high-quality fats, lean proteins and complex carbohydrates. Talk to your athlete about his or her fuel strategy before, during and after practices and games, and offer support by providing healthy, energy rich snacks.” Hydration: When exercising hard, the body cools itself through sweat. If body mass is reduced by about 2 percent, which would be 3 pounds of water weight loss in a 150-pound athlete, it can negatively affect performance, according to the National Athletic Trainers’ Association’s (NATA) Position Statement on Fluid Replacement for Athletes. “Athletes lose more than water in sweat, so it’s important that they take their hydration seriously since it can impact performance,” Maurer says. “There are a number of products to meet an athlete’s hydration and fueling preferences.  Rest: Although teens may seem to bounce back easily from a night with too little rest, the truth is that good sleep helps both learning and athletic performance. Sleep helps athletes recover, especially after they’ve pushed their limits in an intense workout. Being rested can also improve reaction time, as well as speed and accuracy. In addition, teens with earlier bedtimes had better grades than those who stayed up later and slept less, according to a study of 3,000 subjects cited by the National Sleep Foundation. Talk about these benefits with your athlete, and encourage them to go to bed and rise at the same time each day. Also, the glowing light of electronic devices can also interfere with sleep. So, help your teen come up with a strategy to power down an hour or so before bedtime in order to prepare their minds for a night of restorative sleep. Planning: Schedules have a way of colliding, and this especially happens when a huge test and a game are scheduled for the same day. Each week, sit down with your student athlete and walk through that week’s schedule. Look at practices, games, homework assignments and tests, and create a calendar. That way, if a midterm and a game take place on the same day, he or she can plan accordingly. This will help avoid a late-night, stress-filled cram session that will steal from their performance in the classroom and on the field. Life as a student athlete means keeping everything in balance. By focusing on the body — from nutrition to time management — athletes can focus on giving their best performance this upcoming season. RECIPE OF THE MONTH Spicy Southwest Chicken Casserole Makes 10 servings and ready in 1 hr 10 minutes.. Ingredients: 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 1/2 cup water, or as needed 1 large onion, chopped 1 red bell pepper, chopped 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, partially drained 1 (14 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained 3/4 cup picante sauce 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles 2 tablespoons chili powder 1 tablespoon ground cumin 4 (8 inch) flour tortillas 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed fiesta-style nacho cheese soup 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chili peppers 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Bring chicken breasts and water to a boil in a large skillet; cook over medium heat until chicken juices run clear and meat is no longer pink inside, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken breasts to a large plate, reserving pan juices in skillet, and shred chicken with 2 forks. Cook onion and red bell pepper in reserved drippings over medium heat until onion is translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Return shredded chicken to skillet. Stir black beans, corn, picante sauce, chopped green chiles, chili powder, and cumin into chicken mixture until thoroughly combined. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Pour chicken mixture into prepared baking dish. Arrange flour tortillas in a single layer over chicken mixture. Stir fiesta soup with diced tomatoes and green chiles in a bowl until thoroughly combined; spread soup mixture over tortillas. Top casserole with Mexican cheese blend. Bake in the preheated oven until cheese topping has melted and casserole is hot, about 30 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before serving.      View my website  Email me  View Featured Listings  Property Search   Compliments of: David Burke Realty Executives Desert Lifestyles 78065 Main St. Suite 101 La Quinta, CA 92253 Tel: 760-250-2570 Cell: 760-250-2570 Fax: 800-774-5902 David@LaQuintaRE.com e-Pro Household Tips Clean fingerprints from wallpaper with white bread Use a piece of stale white bread, and rub it gently on your wallpaper to remove fingerprints. Keep drains from becoming clogged with boiling water Pour boiling water down your bathroom and kitchen sink drain weekly to dissolve and flush away all accumulated grease and oil which can, over time, clog your drain. Use vinegar and baking soda to clear a blocked drain Use these two common household supplies to clear a drain if it becomes blocked. Use olive oil and vinegar as furniture polish Combine three parts olive oil and one part vinegar as a cheap and effective household cleaning remedy. Create your own window washing solution with common household supplies There is no reason to purchase window washing solution when you can make it yourself with supplies such as ammonia, alcohol, or vinegar (depending on the recipe you choose). Make your own homemade brass cleaner You don't have to purchase a commercial brass cleaner when you have salt, flour and vinegar in your own pantry. Clean your microwave with steam Steam can loosen the dried on food particles sticking to the walls and ceiling of your microwave and make it a piece of cake to just wipe them away. Make your own homemade hardwood floor cleaner If you don't want to buy a commercial hard wood floor cleaner you can always make your own with a simple solution of dishwashing liquid and water. Let ammonia sit in your oven overnight to ease cleaning it Place a bowl of ammonia in your oven, overnight, with the oven door closed and in the morning you can much more easily wipe away the grease and baked on grime, and then clean it with your usual method (not recommended for self-cleaning ovens, and always ensure proper ventilation). Use your house cleaning time as light duty exercise If you find you are having trouble making time to both exercise and keep your home clean try combining the tasks by purposefully going up and down the steps, bending and stretching, and moving around while you vacuum, dust and mop your home. DID YOU KNOW? Did you know the word 'Strengths' is the longest word in the English language with just one vowel Did you know the movie 'Wayne's World' was filmed in two weeks Did you know the Amazon rainforest produces half the world's oxygen supply Did you know a group of frogs is called an army Did you know a group of rhinos is called a crash Did you know a group of kangaroos is called a mob Did you know a group of whales is called a pod Did you know a group of geese is called a gaggle Did you know a group of owls is called a parliament Did you know the first sailing boats were built in Egypt Did you know Brazil is named after a tree Did you know Brazil covers 50% of the South American continent Did you know Brazil borders every country in South America except Chile and Ecuador Did you know Hilton was the first international hotel chain Did you know the brand Nokia is named after a place in Southern Finland Did you know Monopoly is the most played board game in the world Did you know 96% of candles sold are purchased by women Did you know 42% of men and women 25% don't wash their hands after using a public toilet Did you know if you filled a matchbox with gold it could be flattened into a sheet the size of a tennis court About Us Whether you are looking to buy or sell, we are here to assist you in accomplishing your real estate dreams. Burke and Associates has been awarded the "Top Listing Agent, 2011, and 2012" by Keller Williams Realty. Call today and let us put our tools, techniques and skills to work for you! Also, be sure to ask us about our monthly specials for our new construction developments! P.S. Referrals are the highest compliment a sales professional can receive from a client. Please pass my name around to your friends, family, and acquaintances so that I can provide them with the best real estate experience possible!