Author: Rebecca Alston

If you haven’t watched the episode of “The Simpsons” when Marge decides to open a gym for ladies, you should. She realized that a regular gym was not meeting the needs of “ordinary” women, so she took the matters into her own hands. This is just one of many examples where fiction reflects reality.

It happens all too often that women find themselves in awkward and unpleasant situations in a gym. They are often mansplained, looked down on, hit on or even touched inappropriately. For all those reasons, it makes perfect sense for some gyms to allow only women members. Still, that poses some problems when it comes to equipping such establishments.

It should offer various amenities

Gyms that accept only women often make a mistake and specialize in what is perceived as “feminine” workouts, such as Pilates or yoga, but not all women want that. If such a gym was to be a resounding success, it should also offer weightlifting and high-intensity interval training, for example. Although the main focus may be shifted to other types of exercises, it’s the variety that attracts more customers.

It should be run by a woman

No matter how successful and experienced a man entrepreneur is, he can never understand the needs of women as well as a woman can. Who can provide better service than a person who knows exactly what is required and desirable? This is also important when it comes to purchasing bathroom supplies. To most men, women products are a mystery they’d rather have nothing to do with, so you can’t expect the same level of service and care from them.

It should stand out

Needless to say, a ladies’ gym should have all the best gym equipment available and hire the most skilful and devoted instructors, but it still may not be enough to attract enough members. In order to make it unique and more appealing, some small touches are needed. For example, the gym might feature a space where clients can socialise when they’re not working out and where they can treat themselves to a glass of wine or some other beverage.

It should cater for special requirements

Religious reasons might prevent some women from working out and staying fit or removing some items of clothing in front of men. Should they be confined to their living rooms to get the benefits of exercising? Of course not. Also, women who have just had a baby or have certain health issues might feel uncomfortable in the presence of pumped up men. Should they give up on their needs? Of course not.

It should show that you think outside the box

Long gone are the days when we had a pretty clear distinction between activities for men and women. It may have been unimaginable until some time ago that women would be interested in boxing, weightlifting or Krav Maga, but the situation is quite different today. Some women take up such activities in order to learn self-defence, while others simply experience sheer joy when venting their energy (and frustration). Whatever the reason, a modern gym for ladies should have all the necessary equipment and trained professionals who can cater to such requirements.

If you are looking to market your new ladies gym make sure you make a flyer related to your gym offers so that you can put  your word out easily.

As you can see, there are a lot of reasons why women-only gyms make perfect sense. This, of course, shouldn’t be interpreted as some exclusive feature available to a certain group of people, but merely as an attempt to provide services that an increasing number of clients are interested in. Finally, it is important to equip such a gym with the right kind of equipment and staff it with professionals who are able to respond to the needs of women. Only then does the idea become successful and sustainable.

Every so often the summer brings with it joy and merrymaking. However, there are times when it might bring with it some bad news, like bad plumbing issues. You might find yourself with plumbing emergencies of various kinds. The first thing you should do in such situations is not to panic. There are many plumbers, such as the team at Summers Plumbing Heating & Cooling (summersphc.com/la-porte/services/plumbing/plumbing-repair/), who will happily and quickly solve your problem for your restoring your summer to the default state of joy it should be in.

Once you call a good plumber, they should be able to give you some practical advice on what you can do to mitigate the situation before they arrive, based on the name and address that you have provided them with. That said, they should be able to solve the problem as soon as they arrive and even prevent it from ever occurring again. If you determine that the specific emergency you are facing with your plumbing is especially serious or even life-threatening, then it is a good idea to call the plumbing service’s emergency number at once for a much quicker response. You should also call 911 for the case where the plumbing emergency poses a threat to human life.

That said, the right plumbers should be well-trained individuals who can handle all kinds of plumbing and other emergencies, such as gas leaks, whether your emergency is at a residential or commercial property. They should be able to arrive in a minimum of time and solve the problem in the most professional manner. If you figure that the plumbing or other emergency poses a danger to you or those around you, then you should make an effort to keep both yourself and your belongings safe.

If the plumber instructs you to turn off your electricity at the meter, then please ensure you do so. You might also be asked to turn off both your water supply and your gas supply. Please do not hesitate to do so. Never try to solve a plumbing emergency by yourself or to carry out any inspection or repair procedures alone. The professionals have been trained hard and long to do exactly the kind of thing you are trying to do by winging it, so it’s obviously not a very good idea. Call your nearest California plumbers to come and handle the situation straight away. That said, here are some of the common emergencies you might face in the summer.

Gas Leaks

This is usually as a result of normal wear and tear. When your gas system has been around for long, then the seals in your gas appliances or the joints in gas pipes may wear down to the point of leaking. Gas leaks can be dangerous if you do not attend to them immediately.

Luckily, it’s typically very easy to detect a gas leak. The first sign is the smell. While the kind of gas you use in your home is naturally odourless, a certain chemical is added to it by packagers to make it easily detectable. If you smell gas in your house, especially near the meter or a cylinder, then waste no time in calling in a plumber on their emergency number. If you happen to smell the gas in an area that is heavily populated or, God forbid, have already witnessed an explosion or fire due to a gas leak, then you should act immediately. Call the local authorities and the emergency numbers of Santa Clarita plumbers or other nearby plumbers. Meanwhile, you should make an effort to help as many people as you can to evacuate the vicinity.

Hot Water Issues

Sure, this isn’t an exclusive summer issue, seeing as summer is hot by nature and it might seem counterintuitive that you would want hot water in the summer. However, people do have their preferences, and they cannot be held against them. There may naturally be a problem with your hot water supply so that the water coming out of your hot water faucet is always cold. In that case, it means there is a problem with your hot water system, and it either needs repair or a complete overhaul.

The first thing to do in such instances is to check that the pilot light is still on, in case your hot water system runs on gas, and the circuit breakers, in case your hot water system runs on electricity. Sometimes they’re just off and need to be turned back on. However, sometimes it could also be a more serious problem requiring the complete replacement of your hot water system. In that case, a good plumbing service (such as Gresham water heater repair, to name one example) should give you plenty of options as far as water heating solutions are concerned, including gas, electricity, and solar options, all being eco-friendly, of course.

If your water supply has been cut off, there is a high chance that it has been cut off by the local authorities. You should call your local authorities to find out if they have any planned maintenance activities in your area and also ask when the water supply is likely to be restored.

Blocked Sewers

Blocked sewers can be very frustrating, especially when the effluent begins to back up into your toilet and the foul smell fills up your house. This tends to happen when sewer lines have been blocked, such as by tree roots. You will see the warning signs long before the effluent actually backs up into your toilet. For example, you will hear a gurgling sound when you flush the toilet and notice the water taking longer to drain than usual. The best thing to do when you witness these signs is to call your local SoCal plumbers or, if you’re out of this area, someone like Morris Jenkins, out immediately to fix the problem.

Good plumbers should have the right tools to inspect the sewer system and rectify the problem that led to the blockage as soon as possible.

In the event that a blocked sewer occurs at your commercial premises, it is especially important that you call an emergency plumbing service to rectify the problem immediately as it could severely interfere with your normal business operations and make your customers uncomfortable. It could even ruin your products and floors.  

As a millennial, you are already living quite a busy life. You choose experience over possessions, and therefore you are usually spending more than you earn, which requires working more and more from month to month. And after work, there are hobbies, there is your social life that has to be maintained, etc. It is logical that remaining in shape seems nearly impossible when your life is so fast. However, with these simple tips and tricks, you will be able to live your life normally and manage to stay in shape. Take notes.

Planning ahead

You are already aware of the fact that you are super busy all the time. In other words, when you want to incorporate something new into your lifestyle, efficient time management is simply essential. Make the most out of every single moment. This, of course, doesn’t mean you should spend every spare minute you have working out, but a couple of squats and pushups while you are waiting for your lunch to finish cooking is perfectly fine.

Stop making excuses

If you keep telling yourself things like “I’m too busy to start today, I’ll start next week,” before you know it, weeks and months will have passed and you will not be able to get round to it. The hardest part about exercising is starting it, so don’t think of it as something optional, but rather a priority that is too important to be canceled.

Make your workouts flexible

Not all of us have easy access to a gym or swimming pool, and when you throw in a busy lifestyle into that equation, staying in shape seems nearly impossible. However, there is a solution for everything. If, for example, the weather is too cold for you to ride your bike around the neighborhood, you could check this exercise bike out and put it in your home for your indoor workouts. You can do many other workouts that don’t involve any equipment as well. Exercising at home is a great alternative for those of you who simply don’t have the time or the opportunity to visit the gym or workout classes.

Diet

Staying fit isn’t just about exercise, it also involves diet. Of course, it must be really tempting to make it easier for yourself and simply grab a quick (processed) ‘meal’, but you are not doing yourself a favor by it. Instead, start off with small dietary changes such as a snack-swap, for example, where you will replace your junk food with a healthier option such as fruit. Furthermore, try eating stuff that will keep you full for much longer and provide you with more energy, like lean protein, for example. After workouts, eat something rich in potassium, such as banana, in order to replace all that potassium that was lost during the workout. And finally, no matter how busy you are, never skip meals. Prepare them in advance if you need to, but never skip them.

H2O!

Even the birds know how important it is to be hydrated. Our body is 70 percent water, which means we need around 10 glasses of water DAILY. So, instead of drinking a bottle of coke, try replacing that with a bottle of water. It is both healthier and will make you feel much more energized and stronger.

Sleep

With all those obligations, it can be quite hard to give your body the rest it needs and deserves. However, being sleep deprived can lead to poor physical health and it can affect your brain by decreasing concentration and social interaction and problem-solving skills. So, in other words, make sure you always have at least 7 hours of sleep every night.

Have fun

Last, but not least – have fun. If it is not fun, you won’t be doing it, so the key is not to think of working out as a chore, but rather as a time for you to detach yourself and eliminate all the stress you are going through. Listen to motivating music, find a workout buddy, do everything you can to make this experience the best it can be.

As you can see, remaining in a good shape is not that hard. All it takes is quality time management and some inspiration, and you will get the results in no time.

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Keeping a house safe isn’t as easy as it sounds. Your home itself can be dangerous for your family if you’re not careful. In the UK, around 6,000 deaths occur in the house. Children under five years old and elderlies over sixty-five are more prone to accidents.  In Australia, 16% of injuries acquired by children aged five to fourteen years old occurred inside their home.

Out of the rooms in the house, the bathroom is considered one of the most dangerous places where accidents are prone to happen.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conveyed in 2011 that 235,000 people (15 years old and above) go the hospital annually because of injuries which happen inside the bathroom.

Assess your home if it’s a safe place for your family, mainly your bathroom. If you see some areas which need improvement, maybe you should consider a bathroom renovation. Before you begin, here are some tips to help you renovate your bathroom and turn it into a haven for your family.

Get a walk-in tub

This type has the same function as the usual tub, but it’s designed to be a safer, more comfortable, and more convenient. Some models come with a walk-in door, which means that you don’t have to step over the side of the tub. Easier access to the bathtub implies that there are fewer chances of you losing your balance or slipping on the floor.

Add a shower

If you have a regular tub at home, consider installing a showerhead, so it’s not difficult for you or other family members to take a bath. If you have enough space, you can add a showerhead instead of replacing your tub. Ask for advice from designers from renovation companies Melbourne or London has and tell them your plans. They can help you achieve your goals.

Remove the stairs

If there’s an elevated part of your bathroom which comes with a short flight of stairs, consider removing it for safety. It will make your bathroom look sophisticated, but both kids and adults are prone to slipping on stairs. If you don’t want to remove it, you should add handrails to make the area safe for use.

Install grab bars

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Grab bars can save your life inside the bathroom because it can break your fall, keeping you safe from more severe injuries. You can get a vertical pull bar which has a length-bar that you can adjust and a curved grab bar. The horizontal grab bar is the most common type, which you should install horizontally or vertically, but never at an angle.

Choose rounded edges

When you’re choosing your bathroom fixtures like the sink or tub, avoid those with sharp edges. It can be dangerous if ever someone slips in the bathroom and hits any part of the body on these edges. Go for those with rounded corners because even if you get bruises, it won’t cut your skin open.

Put skid-proof mats on the floor

Get safety bath mats to help your family avoid slipping on the slippery bathroom floor. You can buy the non-skid type, and if you want total comfort, look for products which have soft and quick-drying features.

Improve the lighting

Some accidents occur because people can’t see where they’re going, or maybe they don’t notice that the floor is wet due to poor lighting. Make sure that you have adequate lighting fixtures in your bathroom.

Add recessed lighting for overall illumination, and have at least two lights in the shower and tub area. Light the vanity area so you can see your reflection clearly as you prepare for a busy day ahead.

Keep dangerous chemicals out of your child’s reach

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If you store your medicine and a first-aid kit in the bathroom, make sure that you place it somewhere safe that your kids can’t reach. Kids can get curious sometimes, and it’s dangerous if they get hold of medicines which they might ingest.

If you also have cleaning agents in the bathroom, put it in a safe place as well. Your wandering child might mistake it for something edible, or spill it on his skin.

Takeaway

Safety is essential in the home. Keep your house as safe as possible, mainly in the bathroom. Renovate if you have to and ask an expert to help you out. Check every detail and add accessories and fixtures which will help keep your family safe as they stay inside your home.

Of all the ten thousand factors to look at when choosing a family car, fuel economy should be right at the top of your checklist. Since low fuel price is just a dream, it’s wise to consider a car that’ll not blow a ton of money on fuel. The best part – you could still say that you’re on a SAVE THE EARTH mission!

Back in the day, fuel-efficient family cars used to have a reputation for being small and underpowered, but with modern technologies, automakers offer best-in-class comfy cars without compromising space, performance, and practicality.

With quite an array of choices, how do you choose a stylish gas sipper for your family? Here is our best bet.

Honda Fit 2018

Why should you buy a Honda Fit: Incredibly reliable, superb fuel efficiency, plentiful cargo space, and fluid steering to name a few.

Honda Fit MPG: 36 mpg

Why we chose the Honda Fit: Now that’s a question! This vehicle is a solid proof that an all-around fun, the comfy daily driver can offer good fuel efficiency and uncompromising style. Remember the famous ‘never judge a book by its cover’ quote? It’s absolutely true with this hatchback – the 2018 Honda Fit comes with a surprisingly roomy cabin with spacious legroom in the back.

The Fit has smaller engines and provides better fuel efficiency. In LX models outfitted with the CVT, the Honda Fit achieves 33 mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway – one of the highest ratings in the subcompact category. In the manual transmission, gas mileage is said to be 29 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway.

The subcompact family car has a sharp and fluid steering and fine-tuned suspension. The Honda Sensing Suite – automatic high beams and lane departure warning system – is another biggest reason why we love the 2018 Honda Fit.

Audi A4 Ultra

Why should you buy Audi A4 Ultra: Because this family hatchback ticks most boxes on the car buying checklist.

 Audi A4 Ultra MPG: 31 mpg

Why we chose the Audi A4 Ultra: Thanks to the technological sophistication and luxurious appeal, Audi A4 Ultra was able to make the cut in the end. It offers a combined EPA of 31 (27 mpg in the city, and 37 mpg on the highway). Like all Audi models, the Audi A4 Ultra has a stylish interior that promises a comfortable daily commute

Despite its focus on gas mileage, it has best-in-class security features to keep the passengers and pedestrians safe and sound.  The pre-sense system is what that makes Audi A4 great. Speaking of the tech-savvy side of the Audi A4, we can’t ignore Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and ‘Virtual Cockpit’  display.

Light steering, plenty of visibility and parking-aid features, and quick response to dabs of the throttle make Audi A4 better than its rivals in ensuring a smooth drive around the city with family.

To wrap up, we do not want to get into ‘Which is the best among two’ debate as both the models have pros and cons.  So, it’s up to you to select the best gas mileage car suiting your requirements.

For the military spouse, settling into a job or career can be pretty challenging. Moving around all the time, trying to manage a house and kids alone during deployments, and days filled with uncertainty about where you will be next, whether in the continental U.S. or overseas. So how do you manage to create a way to make a living, while maintaining the flexibility to manage everything yourself if your spouse gets deployed? One solution is to become a freelancer.

Freelance work essentially means that you work on a contract basis for someone else, performing a task they either do not know how to do or simply may not have time for. Since you are paid by the project, sometimes income can be sporadic, but there are methods to stabilize, like finding regular clients and getting referrals from past clients for new contracts.

The advantage of freelance work is that it can be done anywhere in the world in most cases. You do not have to be nearby your clients at all. Using cloud services and shared hosting platforms, you can share files across the globe, and in some cases work on them simultaneously.

Do What You Know How to Do

Freelancing encompasses several fields and a number of skills. Though it’s by far one of the most common fields for freelancing, you don’t have to be a writer; there are plenty of options in a wide variety of different fields:

• Writing: This can be anything from web copy to technical manuals and include ghostwriting books and articles, both fiction and nonfiction.
• Website Building: from finding an individual or company domain name, choosing a host and the best type of hosting, to creating content and building the framework of a website, these tasks can all be done on a freelance basis. You can also use website builders such as Pixpa to create a professional website and deliver it to your client.
• Design: From logo and ad design to many other graphic design tasks, these can all be done remotely.
• Photography: Freelance photography can be done from almost anywhere. In some instances though, you may have to travel.
• Artistry: From commissions to do a family portrait, to posting your regular artwork that is sponsored by patrons, drawing or painting is a great pastime that is relaxing, engaging, and can be done anywhere.

You’re not limited to just creative endeavours either. You can do accounting, be a virtual assistant or do nearly any job freelance. With the rise of more remote workers, many companies will even offer you the opportunity to work from home regardless of your position.

Other companies offer customer service or technical advisor type positions you can work at home as well. More than likely, you can use skills you already have to build an at home career. A permanent change of station doesn’t have to be a career killer anymore.

Deploy Yourself (Work Anywhere)

The mobile nature of all of these jobs means you can essentially deploy yourself and work from anywhere in the world. This can offer your family financial stability and keep you focused on a career path.

When you find yourself working towards the long-term in certain areas, you can also recruit local clients, and then keep them even if you move. Working for a local business does have some social, and even financial, benefits from time to time, and working in person can help you develop valuable people skills that will help you once military life is behind you and your spouse.

Set yourself up with the supplies you will need for your office even when you move around. Be sure that you have a desk, the technology you need, and when you look for housing, make sure there is adequate space for you to work in.

Set up Your Mobile Business

You’ll want to set yourself up as an LLC, and that will mean choosing a location, as you don’t want to keep shifting your company every couple of years depending on where you live.

This means you can choose, to a certain extent, where to set up your business. Because you are in the military, you can do this either in your home state or a state where you have been stationed. The best first step is to meet with an accountant and see what state may have the best tax advantages to you.

In addition, you may want to consider where you and your spouse plan to settle when you get out of the military, since that may end up being your home state. Think long term, since this may end up being your business for years to come. Just realize you will have to pay taxes and file reports in whatever state you register as your business’ headquarters, regardless of whether you live or own property there or not.

Timing is Everything

When it comes to business, location is often everything in the physical business world, but in the freelance world timing is everything. Getting into the right field at the right time can make a difference between immediate success or a long-term struggle.

When you freelance, more often than not, you’re driven by final deadlines, not set hours. This is appealing to many remote workers, and is especially useful for military spouses: you can use the daytime hours to do any family or household chores you need to, pick up the kids after school, and then start working when your spouse gets off duty.

In addition, being able to make the time to work from home and meet client deadlines is also a vital part of your formula for success. If you have children or other responsibilities, you need to make sure your schedule will allow you to work enough to handle not only your work week but the additional marketing and other tasks that come with owning any business.

Freelance work is not the ideal for everyone, but for a military spouse who is constantly moving around, it may be the best solution for establishing a career or even just working a job. You have to be smart about it. Do what you know how to do, make sure you can do that work anywhere, set up your business well, and ensure your timing.