7 Tips for Seniors to Maintain a Healthy Life/in /by

 

The older you get, the more likely you are to face some sort of health issue, whether it’s something mild, such as trouble sleeping or aches and pains, or something more serious, such as diabetes or arthritis. Regardless of your age, the best way to ensure your good health in the future is to maintain it through exercise and proper nutrition. Here are some tips courtesy of Mountaintop Faith Ministries.

1. Start Exercising

Exercising is one of the most important things you can do as you age. Not only does exercise keep you fit and active, but it also keeps your mind sharp. Seniors who exercise spend 25% less time disabled and enjoy enhanced flexibility, balance, and mobility. It’s recommended that seniors start slowly, but you can work your way up to more intense workouts over time. Choose an activity that interests you. If you have access to a rec-center with a pool, water aerobics and swimming are great forms of exercise, as there is very little pressure on joints and the water provides excellent resistance. And most centers have indoor walking tracks, so you never have to forgo a walk because of bad weather.

If you enjoy bodybuilding, pilates, or even martial arts, you may want to consider converting your garage or a spare room into a fitness center. It’s not as difficult – or as expensive – as it may seem. Simple additions like padded flooring and some basic equipment can make the space incredibly functional. But if you find that you have more stuff than space, you may want to look for self-storage in and around Las Vegas. You can rent a small 5×5 unit for under $40 per month, which is likely less than the cost of a gym or personal trainer. The unit can give you the luxury of time, so you can go through your belongings at your own pace, and decide what you can fit into your living space and what can be donated.

2. Join A Club

Joining a club, such as yoga or painting, allows you to mix with people of similar ages and interests. Get together once a week with friends who live in your community, and regularly work out at a nearby gym. If you’re not ready for a full workout session, join other seniors for afternoon chats at your local coffee shop, or head to local wineries or breweries for wine tastings where people are happy and naturally mingle.

3. Do Something You Love

It’s no secret that doing things you love can make you happier. If you haven’t picked up an instrument or taken up painting in years, take some time to rediscover your passion.

4. Eat Well

Not only is eating right essential for good health, but it also helps you shed pounds. Eating small portions of healthy foods throughout your day may be one of the best steps you can take toward weight loss. Plus, foods that are rich in nutrients can help strengthen your body and your brain!

5. Try Yoga

As you age, your bones become less dense, and maintaining proper posture becomes more difficult. Incorporating yoga into your routine can help support good posture, release muscle tension, and prevent injury. Start slowly. Choose an instructor who is proficient with teaching senior yoga so you won’t get frustrated at not being able to do it properly, or even worse, injure yourself while trying.

6. Volunteer

There’s a reason why volunteering is a great activity for seniors: it keeps you active and engaged. Many senior citizens become bored as they grow older. By volunteering at your local school, church, hospital, or animal shelter, you have an opportunity to meet new people and socialize with those who can appreciate your experience and knowledge. In addition, volunteering allows you to serve others.

If you are a spiritual person, a church like Mountaintop Faith Ministries may be a great place to begin volunteering. Becoming a greeter or working with kids can be great ways to feel needed and get social interaction.

7. Start a Business

Many seniors start business ventures to keep themselves happy and busy. Decide what kind of business you want to start. Many people who’ve retired find turning their hobbies into a side job allows them to feel fulfilled and useful, as well as bringing in extra income. Once you come up with a business idea, you’ll need to develop a business plan which outlines your funding needs, financial projections, business structure, and marketing and sales plan.

You might find that you need some help with some of the steps of business planning, like setting up your accounting or creating a website. Luckily, there are plenty of freelance employees who can help for far less than hiring a full time employee. Look online for a Nevada recruiting agency for Las Vegas and beyond to find the right people. These agencies screen their clients and highlight the best candidates, so you don’t have to do the hard process of recruiting and vetting. And there are flexible contracts from one to six months to fit your needs and your budget.

Ensure your health as a senior by exercising, eating nutritiously, spending time doing what you love, starting a business, and trying yoga. Consider finding a spiritual outlet or volunteering at a church or other nonprofit organization, too. The healthier you are, the more enjoyable life will be.

Image via Pexels

Communion Sunday/in , , /by

 

 

 

Join us for Communion this Sunday, September 4th during our 9am worship service.

Senior Informational Class

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The MFM Corporate Office will be closed on Monday, September 5th in observance of Labor Day. We will resume normal business hours on Tuesday, September 6th.

Lambs to Lions/in , , , /by

This is a young men’s small group ages 12-18, that meets weekly on Wednesday evenings. The group’s leaders are role models for young men and maintain a godly character.　Lambs to Lions provides a spiritual and creative curriculum to keep young men excited and engaged in REAL discussions about our Christian walk.

Registration and parent waiver required.

https://mfm.infellowship.com/Forms/471254

Daughters of Destiny: Registration Is Open/in , /by

 

 

Fall sessions begin September 7th

Register now at https://mfm.infellowship.com/Forms/469775

Prayer/in , /by

Prayer when you need it!

Click the image to be redirected to our e-church prayer page, where you can join live prayer or listen to previously recorded prayers.

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What is a Gas Tax Holiday?/in /by

What is a Gas Tax Holiday?

Article by Ramsey Solutions 

In a divided country, what’s one thing that can unite us all? Our shared hate of high gas prices. Ugh. If you haven’t felt the pain of ridiculous gas prices these days, you must be traveling around on foot or riding a bike (or a horse).

In 2022, gas prices made headlines when the average price of gas nationwide hit five bucks. Yuck. So how can we put a stop to these outrageous prices that are eating away at our paychecks? Some folks say the answer is a gas tax holiday. But before you bust out the streamers, toss the confetti, and order a piñata, let’s break down why a gas tax holiday isn’t going to save the day.

What Is a Gas Tax Holiday?

A gas tax holiday puts a temporary ban on the taxes charged when someone buys gasoline (aka suspends the gas tax). It might last for a month, three months or six months. Whatever the time span, a gas tax holiday just means consumers don’t have to pay gas tax during a certain amount of time.

What Does Suspending Gas Tax Mean?

When it all boils down to it, suspending the gas tax just means a gallon of gas would cost less. And you’d see a lower total cost when you go to fill up your gas tank.

If the gas tax is suspended at a state level, that means they’re suspending the state gasoline tax. And if the gas tax is suspended at a federal level—you guessed it—that means they’re suspending the federal gasoline tax.

How Much Is the Federal Gas Tax Right Now?

The federal gas tax is 18 cents per gallon of regular gasoline and 24 cents per gallon of diesel gasoline. The federal government uses money from gas tax to fund highways and public transportation through the Highway Trust Fund.

How Much Money Would a Federal Gas Tax Holiday Save?

Not a lot. If you drive a car with a 15-gallon tank, you’d save $2.70 each time you fill up. And if you fill up every week, a three-month gas tax holiday would save you about $32. Oh, goody—that’s not even enough to buy a full tank of gas for most cars right now.

A gas tax holiday might sound like the cure to high gas prices (if you listen to the media), but a $32 savings over three freakin’ months isn’t much of a reason to celebrate. Every dollar counts, but an extra 32 of them won’t solve all your problems.

Biden’s Proposal for a Federal Gas Tax Holiday

It’s safe to say everyone and their mom has been begging President Biden to do something—anything—about gas prices. His answer? Proposing a three-month-long national gas tax holiday.  And his idea sounds exactly like you think it would: For three months, drivers wouldn’t have to shell out money to pay for the federal tax on gasoline.

Now, that’s all fine and dandy—but not paying the gas tax isn’t exactly going to change your life. Will it lower the price you pay at the pump? Sure. But that doesn’t matter much when overall inflation is sitting at a whopping 9.1%.

So, will Biden’s federal gas tax holiday actually happen? Probably not. But stranger things have happened—like, you know, three stimulus checks in 12 months. When it comes to how the government spends money, you never know. And with the way things look right now, there won’t be enough support to pass the bill—which means the buck passes on to the states .

Which States Are Having a Gas Tax Holiday?

Since nothing has happened at a national level yet, states have taken matters into their own hands to make gas tax holidays (and even gas stimulus checks) happen across the country. See if your state made the list:

  • California

California Governor Gavin Newsom couldn’t get his state’s gas tax completely canceled, but lawmakers did suspend some of the diesel gas tax. So the gas tax on diesel fuel in the Golden State will cost about 23 cents less now. (P.S. California has the second-highest gas tax in that nation, clocking in at 51 cents.)

  • Connecticut

Back in March, Governor Ned Lamont signed a bill ditching the state’s 25-cents-per-gallon motor vehicle tax through June 30. But this gas tax holiday for the Constitution State has been extended until November 30, 2022.

  • Florida

Governor Ron DeSantis made a one-month-long gas tax holiday official in Florida—but it doesn’t start until October 1, 2022. Still, residents of the Sunshine State will get a month-long break from paying gas tax.

  • Georgia

If you’ve got gas prices on your mind, Georgia’s the place to be. The Peach State has had a gas tax holiday in place since early spring, and they’ve extended it through August 13, 2022.

  • Maryland

Maryland was the first state to take up the gas tax holiday back in March 2022. But their little holiday is already over and Governor Larry Hogan is calling on lawmakers to pass another gas tax holiday.

  • New York

Wait, does anyone drive in the Empire State? Some do (just probably not in New York City). Lawmakers in the state took up an extra-long gas tax holiday—from June 1 to December 31, 2022. That means New Yorkers won’t see gas taxes again until 2023. Happy New Year to them.

Don’t Wait Around for a Gas Tax Holiday to Save You

Here’s the hard truth: You can’t just sit around refusing to drive until a gas tax holiday happens. Most people have to drive somewhere and aren’t using a horse and buggy to get around (although it does sound tempting). And even if you try to avoid driving as much as you can, you’ll still need to fill ’er up sooner or later. Here’s what to remember when you need some gas-saving tips:

  1. Shop around for gas prices.

Don’t just pull into the nearest gas station to fill up your ride (unless you’re running on empty and need gas ASAP). It always pays to shop around for gas and see who has the cheapest prices around you. That might mean you get gas closer to work instead of filling up in your neighborhood. Or you can use apps like GasBuddy and Waze that search your local area to find the cheapest gas prices around.

  1. Join gas rewards programs and cash-back apps.

You know these exist, right? Look for gas rewards programs and cash-back apps like Upside that will reward you with cash every time you fill up.

But look out—don’t fall for any of those gas credit cards that offer you rewards or those buy now, pay later apps like Klarna (yup, they really will let you pay for your gas using an installment plan). It’s pretty dumb to pay later on down the road for gasoline you’ve already used up. No matter what kind of a “deal” you think you’re getting, it’s not worth it.

  1. Budget for high gas prices.

We know it’s hard to budget for gas when the price literally changes daily (or sooner!)—but that doesn’t mean you should just stop budgeting for gas altogether. Nope. If anything, it’s even more important to stay on top of your budget now more than ever.

Need help keeping up with your budget from month to month?  Ramsey Solutions offers a great free budgeting tool, called EveryDollar.  There is a free version and a paid version which can be found on at the following link.  But, it will help you budget for gas prices and tackle anything inflation can throw at you. And fingers crossed—one day, that line item you use for gas will have a much lower number.

(https://www.ramseysolutions.com/ramseyplus/everydollar/everydollar-0722)