CalCPA ProtectPlus

Something we all need but many of us seem to not get enough of is sleep. We may be going to bed too late, getting up too early, tossing and turning, stressed, have a racing heart from a cup of coffee or all of the above! No matter what our sleep issue may be, we need to have a restful night’s sleep in order to feel good the next day. The following information is from RealAge.com and it has valuable tips that may lead you to nights of peaceful sleep.

Sleep Better in 9 Steps

Follow these steps to get a good night’s rest.

Give Yourself the Gift of Great Sleep

 Before we go to bed tomorrow night we need to remember to set our clocks one hour ahead. Daylight saving time officially begins at 2 a.m. on March 14th. Each Spring we move our clocks one hour ahead (“Spring forward”) which means we lose an hour during the night. This occurs on the second Sunday in March at 2 a.m.when we move one hour ahead of Standard Time. We do this again in the Fall on the first Sunday in November at 2 a.m. and we set our clocks back one hour and return to Standard Time which means we gain an extra hour.  

Daylight Saving Time was first seen in the United States during World War I in order to save energy for war production by taking advantage of longer hours of daylight between April and October. It came up again during World War II and the government required the states to observe the time change. During the wars and the years following, some states and communities chose to observe Daylight Saving Time and others did not. In 1966, Congress passed the Uniform Time Act and that set the standard of the length of Daylight Saving Time.

Since 2007, Daylight Saving Time is four weeks longer than it had been over the past decades due to the passage of the Energy Policy Act in 2005. The intent of this Act was to save 10,000 barrels of oil daily because of the reduced use of power by businesses during the day.

If you live in Arizona, Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, those areas don’t observe Daylight Saving Time and therefore, won’t be loosing any sleep!

TIP:  This is also the perfect time to check the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

[Image Source]

It is hard to keep up with all of the immunizations that your child(ren) should have. This is a great tool provided by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC.gov). All you need to do is simply put your child’s birth date  in and it automatically shows you the types of vaccines and the dosage, what that vaccine protects against, the recommended vaccination date, and then the spot where you can put in the date the vaccination was given. [Check it out!]

[Image Source]

There is controversy over whether it is safe or not to take medications past the expiration date. You will find people who will throw away the medicine on the exact date of its expiration and those who will take it years after it has expired. However, it is always best to safeguard your own health and that of those in your household by listening to common sense and discard of all expired medications. If a medicine’s expiration is in doubt, take it to a pharmacy or to a doctor – they are the experts and will be able to advise you appropriately.

An expiration date is assigned by the manufacturer of a drug to represent its shelf life. Medication breaks down over time – liquids separate into layers and solids may become powders. The expiration date is the time in which the medication is safe to take and will have the desired result. Expired medicine includes both over-the-counter medicine (i.e. cold medicine, vitamins, aspirin) and medicine that has been prescribed by a doctor.

Medications can expire before the expiration date if they are not stored properly. When air, humidity, heat, or sunlight makes contact with medications their potency and consistency regardless of expiration date can change. When storing your medications you want to store them in cool, dry, and dark places –somewhere in the neighborhood of 59 and 80 degrees. Storing medication in the bathroom or kitchen cupboards is very common, but those places are the last areas to store your medication. Those locations can have heat, humidity, and sunlight and medications will break down and lose potency under such conditions. In fact, when medication expires and it loses potency, it could be very dangerous, especially to those with health conditions where they are dependent on the medications such as high blood pressure medication.

Medicine storage areas should be cleaned out every six months to a year. Always keep your medicine in its original container – this keeps it safe and it will be easier to know if medicine has expired.

Remember, if a medication has expired, be aware of how to properly dispose of it. Flushing it down the toilet or pouring it down the drain might lead to contamination of your area’s water supply. Throwing it in the trash may eventually contaminate the soil. Ask your pharmacist if there is a recycling program in your neighborhood or call your local hazardous waste disposal department.

[Image Source]

The Super Bowl is the second biggest day for food consumption in the United States after Thanksgiving! Super Bowl menus are full of salt, sugar, fat and all the other bad things you can think of. But oh…they are so good right? “It’s only one day”, you may say. But you can actually put  on five pounds in one day of eating fattening foods…the types of foods that may be at that Super Bowl party you are going to this Sunday.

I heard this following information on the radio the other day looked it up on Dietdetective.com. It really put things into perspective and may make you think twice before taking that next bite!

• 1/2 A DIGIORNO PIZZA CHEESE STUFFED CRUST LIMITED EDITION BACON/SAUSAGE/PEPPERONI = 299 TOUCHDOWN DANCES IN THE END ZONE

That’s 975 calories per half.  Each dance should last for 15 to 20 seconds.

Fit Tip: There are frozen and delivery pizza choices with a lot fewer calories. If you choose thin crust and avoid meats and extra cheese you can drop the calories down to about 720 for half a 12-inch pizza.

• SIX T.G.I. FRIDAY’S LOADED POTATO SKINS = DOING “THE WAVE” 6,389 TIMES

Each potato skin (half a potato) is 218 calories. That’s a lot when you consider that an entire potato is 160 calories. But these potato skins are deep fried and topped with cheese, bacon and even sour cream.

Fit Tip: These are so easy to make yourself. Microwave the potato, then cut it in half and put it in the toaster oven with some cooking spray.

• LARGE MEATBALL SUB FROM QUIZNOS = CLIMBING THE STADIUM STAIRS FOR 109 MINUTES

It has meatballs, mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce on a hero roll, adding up to 1,020 calories.

Fit Tip: How about turkey meatballs (made with breast meat), low-fat mozzarella and a whole-grain hero.

• 6 KFC HONEY BARBECUE WINGS WITH DIPPING SAUCE = PLAYING PRO FOOTBALL FOR 59 MINUTES

Keep in mind, this is 59 minutes of actual playing time — standing on the sidelines or in the huddle doesn’t count. Each wing has 90 calories, and the dipping sauce is about 50 calories per container.

Fit Tip: You can certainly make your own chicken wings. Go skinless and bake instead of deep frying them.

• ONE PINT OF BEN & JERRY’S CHUBBY HUBBY ICE CREAM = CLEANING THE STADIUM AFTER THE GAME FOR 322 MINUTES

That’s almost 5 1/2 hours of cleaning — no breaks. And yes, that pint has 1,320 calories.

Fit Tip: There are so many very tasty low-calorie ice creams. For instance, Breyers All-Natural Vanilla, Chocolate, and Strawberry is 110 calories per 1/2 cup or 440 calories for a pint, so you save nearly 900 calories. (continue reading…)

The following information is from IRS.gov and is very beneficial to those who have an HSA account.

You may enjoy several benefits from having an HSA. Here are some of the benefits:

• You can claim a tax deduction for contributions you, or someone other than your employer, make to your HSA even if you do not itemize your deductions on Form 1040.
• Contributions to your HSA made by your employer (including contributions made through a cafeteria plan) may be excluded from your gross income.
• The contributions remain in your account from year to year until you use them.
• The interest or other earnings on the assets in the account are tax free.
• Distributions may be tax free if you pay qualified medical expenses. See qualified medical expenses below.
• An HSA is “portable” so it stays with you if you change employers or leave the work force.

Qualified medical expenses.  Qualified medical expenses are those expenses that would generally qualify for the medical and dental expenses deduction. However, even though non-prescription medicines (other than insulin) do not qualify for the medical and dental expenses deduction, they do qualify as expenses for HSA purposes. (continue reading…)

Now that it’s summer, it’s important to be sure to protect your skin from the intense rays of the sun.

The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends, “everyone should see a dermatologist once a year. Spring is a great time to go, to get advice on sun protection and to have your skin examined before the beach weather begins.”

The following are a list of questions that you should ask yourself, and possibly even discuss with your physician:

What Is My Skin Type?

Your skin type, which depends on the amount of natural protection your skin provides you, is a key factor when determining your risk of developing skin cancer.  If you don’t know your own skin type, check out [this] skin type guide.

What Is My Risk for Skin Cancer?

Family history, childhood sun exposure, personal skin cancer history and other factors all play a part in determining your overall risk.  If you’re not familiar with your family’s medical history, consider contacting family members to find out if there is a history of melanoma in your family tree.

Do I Need to Examine My Own Skin?

A monthly skin check is a crucial part of skin cancer early detection, although it should not replace a yearly professional skin exam. You want to be as thorough as possible, so follow [this] step-by-step guide.

What Should I Look For?

There are three major types of skin cancer – basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and melanoma. Each has different symptoms, and pose different risks. Recognize warning signs of BCC, SCC and melanoma.