Staycation

When planning a vacation very few of us ever think about staying close to home. However traveling can get expensive and cause even more stress. Between the cost of air fare, hotels and lodging, transportation and the cost of experiences once you arrive at your destination, vacation can add up quickly. Next time you are planning a vacation think about keeping it closer to home or taking a staycation. There are many pros to taking a staycation or being a tourist in your own town. It is more cost effective, you don't have to take time off work, arrange transportation or lodging or worry about being in an unfamiliar city. Here are some things to try when being a tourist in your own city.

Try things that you wouldn't normally do in your city. Take a tour of a popular landmark like the Minnesota State Capital in St. Paul, the Mill Ruins Park or Mill City Museum in Minneapolis. Visit a museum that you have never been to like the Minneapolis Institute of art, the James J. Hill House, American Swedish Institute, Science Museum of Minnesota, Walker Art Center or the Minnesota Children's Museum. Rent a Nice Ride bike and take a self guided tour around lake Bde Maka Ska, Lake of the Isles, Lake Harriet or Lake Nokomis.

Embrace the four seasons that Minnesota has to offer. In the summer rent a boat on Lake Minnetonka or visit Minnehaha falls. In the Fall go to the Minnesota Landscape arboretum in Chaska and take the 3-Mile Drive, watch the leaves transform into vibrant red, orange and yellow. Also visit an apple orchard and pick fresh apples, drink fresh pressed apple cider and take a hay ride. In the winter visit Buck Hill for snow tubing or Afton Alps for skiing and snowboarding. You could also go root for the Wild at a Minnesota Wild game at the Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul. In the Spring check out the roaring Mississippi river at the Stone Arch Bridge over St. Anthony Falls, watch the flowers bloom at the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory or visit the Minneapolis Sculpture Gardens.

Check out a local events, fairs or festivals. Go to the Minneapolis Farmers Market or go to one of Minneapolis's many music and movies in the park. Try something new at the Dakota County, Carver County or Edina Art Fair. See a concert at the Grandstand at the Minnesota State Fair. Attend the Pizza Luce Block Party, Twin Cities Pride Festival or the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. Visit your community website to see what other events are going on around you.

When taking a staycation make sure to step outside your comfort zone and be adventurous, but also enjoy yourself. Try something new, eat a new food, visit a new place or try a new activity and along the way you might discover a new favorite restaurant, hobby or activity! Being a tourist in your own town allows you to see a city you see every day in a new light. It also gives you a well deserved break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life while staying close to home.

By: Julia Jacobson, Office Manager

Oxboro Family Chiropractic, P.A.


Source: https://experiencelife.com/article/how-to-be-a-tourist-in-your-own-town/

Be Tick Free This Summer

It is that time of year again for ticks. There are several different types of ticks and it is important to know which ones are considered a threat and which ones are harmless. The keys to protecting yourself from ticks are to learn the different types of ticks, which ones live in your area and how to identify them. 

It is important to understand that not every tick carries Lyme disease. Deer ticks carry Lyme disease and wood ticks do not. This link can help identify deer ticks from woods ticks; www.tickencounter.org. Like any disease, it is a good idea to take the proper precautions to reduce your risk of contracting Lyme disease. If you are going to be in the woods hiking it is always a good idea to tuck your pants into high socks and wear long sleeved shirts tucked in at the waist. It is also not a bad idea to spray your clothes with a tick repellent or even purchase clothes that are pre-treated. If you spend a lot of time in wooded areas you should always perform daily tick checks. Another suggestion to help reduce the risk of tick bites is to put your clothes in the dryer on high heat for up to 10 minutes after outdoor activity. This helps to disengage the tick.

If you do end up with a tick, you should remove it with needle nose tweezers. Then try to identify if it is a deer tick or a wood tick. If it is a deer tick and you think the tick has been attached for longer than 24 hours you should seek medical attention immediately. They recommend bringing the tick to your physician so they can identify the type of tick.

Source: https://experiencelife.com/article/how-do-i-protect-against-ticks/

 

Vacation

As the summer is slowly winding down, it can be time to start thinking about planning a vacation before the school year begins. It can be challenging to imagine planning, prepping, packing and even paying for a vacation and often these factors can inhibit people from even taking one. In the article titled, "How to Take Time-Off - Guilt-Free" by Jon Spayde discusses how to reclaim vacation time. The United States does not get as much or use as much vacation time as compared to other countries. For example, it is mandated by law in Spain and Germany that employees must receive at least 30 days off a year. In the U.S., most employees only get 16 days of vacation and it has been found that a quarter of all businesses do not even offer vacation benefits. Even Americans that do get vacation time don't seem to use it all. A nonprofit called Time Off found that more than half of employees do not use all their vacation time in 2015, which ended up being 658 million days of vacation that were left unused. Studies have shown that vacations are critical for maintaining health and productivity. John de Graaf, the presidents of an organization called Take Back Your Time gives some ways to overcome barriers associated with missed work and how to truly enjoy vacation.

Some barriers to enjoying vacation include thoughts of work piling up, potential resentment from coworkers, a work culuture that may not encourage vacation time, workaholism, expenses associated with vacation and navigating scheduling issues. Ways to overcome these barriers include treating vacation as a self-care health investment. De Graaf explains that research has been shown that those who regularly take vacation have a decreased risk of developing heart disease. Another study showed women that don't take regular vacations are twice as likely to develop depression. To overcome the barrier of planning stress, it is important to plan ahead and it will increase the likelihood that the vacation will be taken. It can be beneficial to notify coworkers far in advance about your vacation so they can cover for you when you're away. If expenses are a stress, an expensive vacation will not decrease stress, rather increase it. Try to expand your horizons of the idea of vacation to include camping or even a staycation. If it is challenging to coordinate a vacation with others, consider taking a vacation by yourself. You can decide what you'd like to do this way. To find out more ways to keep yourself healthy, please visit our website at www.oxborochiro.com.

Source: https://experiencelife.com/article/how-to-take-time-off-guilt-free/?utm_source=home5