YOU Magazine: January 2014

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January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013		Tapering Signals Year-End Economic Strength Indicators Point to Greater Recovery for 2014 The big "will-they or won't they" ended last month with the Fed's mid-December announcement that it would begin tapering its economic stimulus efforts. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's decision to scale back on Bond and Treasury purchases by $10 billion signaled that the economy has showed sufficient ability to play on its own, albeit, on a kid leash. Keep Reading »    Paper Airplane A Lesson for Flying Outside the Box Whether in sports, education, business, or an entire country, sustainable success requires vision and an unwavering commitment to the future. Keep Reading »    Trade In Your Old Smart Phone A lightly used device is worth a bundle. By Lisa Gerstner, From Kiplinger's Personal Finance If you were gifted a shiny new smart phone this year, you may find yourself looking for a quick (and prosperous) way to ditch your old device. The options for trading in a smart phone for cash or credit toward a new one are growing. Keep Reading »    Germ Trek Boldly Go Where No One Has Gone Before In case you hadn't noticed, germs are everywhere! But while some germs are completely benign, even beneficial to your health, others can cause serious illness, hospitalization, and even death. But before you douse yourself with hand-sanitizer, check out these places where the sneakiest of germs hide, then follow the tips for better health and (almost) germ-free living. Keep Reading »    What's for Dinner? Toast! Kathy Brennan, co-author of NPR-Bested Keepers, Shares Her Simple Recipes After the holidays, it can be very hard to get back in the kitchen–to cook or eat. To reignite that culinary fire, let's look at dinner outside the classic trio of meat, starch, and veg. Instead, keep it simple and fun with toasts! Keep Reading »    5 Fitness Myths That Increase Injury Risk Half-truths and myths can run rampant among fitness fanatics. If you're trying to get in shape, or stay in shape, make a note to avoid these dangerous behaviors. Keep Reading »

3 Apps That Add Rocket Fuel to Resolutions

Self-experimentalist and author of the 4-Hour self-help book series, Tim Ferriss, says the reason people don't stick to New Year's Resolutions past the first week in January: There's no penalty for not following through. He also says resolutions are "a lot like keeping up with the Joneses... We're bombarded with images of people who are slimmer and wealthier than us, so we tend to be dissatisfied faster." On one hand, he figures, if you're ready to quit smoking—why wait? And if you'd like healthy eating to be part of your everyday life—what's so magical about starting January 1st? So, whether you're a dodgy decider or a resolved non-resolutionist, you may still want to change something. Here's a little tech to help: Beeminder: Web, iPhone, and Android capable, this program allows you to create and track up to seven goals for free, but if you veer off course you can either abandon the goal, or have Beeminder charge you—real money—the next time you fail. How's that for incentive? According to Tim Ferriss, one of the best ways to motivate yourself is to create a financial penalty for follow-through failures—he suggests promising to donate to a charity with which you positively disagree. Lifetick: This app offers a variety of features and is quite inexpensive—there's even a free version. Lifetick starts with a unique approach—your core values—and works its way out to goal setting, tracking life dreams, and even the ability to share goals with friends. This very well rounded system for goal setters gets you on the path to success and is available on the web, iPhone, and Android. Lifegame: Creative and fun, it's more of an interactive game than goal tracking software. It all begins with planting a tree representing your life, which grows leaves signifying all-important aspects of your life; you then decide what actions you might take to nurture the tree based on the limited resources you have, like time. But the real fun begins when you take your plan out into the real world!