With Health comes HAPPINESS! Follow these 3 effortless steps to make this year your healthiest yet

As the New Year begins, Facebook and Twitter newsfeeds flood with “New year, New me” resolution statuses. Cleaning up your diet and adding regular exercise to daily schedules is something most people desire, but don’t (or can’t) usually commit to. It gets difficult picking out healthier options at the grocery store and finding time to work out after a long day at work or school- trust me, I know!  It’s not so simple to change habits and traditions of any kind, but do not fear. Here are my three discoveries on how to do so both simply and on a budget.

1)  Drink more water!

I’m sure you’ve heard this phrase before…And it’s familiarity is not without reason! The importance of water in your day-to-day routines can not- I repeat – CAN NOT be stressed enough. Not only will you notice a change in your energy level, your mood, and skin, but if you continually drink enough you can lose those unwanted holiday pounds! (Although, they were so worth it- nothing beats homemade cookies and cheesecake, does it?) You fill up faster, and your weight in water will shed right away. So if you drink them, replace those sugary drinks with good, clean H20!

Staying hydrated works wonders for your attention span and focus. One of the most common symptoms of dehydration is tiredness. Move over, coffee! Stay refreshed throughout your day and notice the difference.

Tip: Carrying a water bottle with you all day will motivate you. Just keep refilling it whenever you run out! Look into reusable bottles- they are more efficient and better for the environment.

2) Eat a salad before your last meal.

The high water and fiber content in your leafy greens will take up space in your stomach despite the few calories they cost you! Raw vegetables are not only essential for your overall health and immune system, but are proven to assist in weight control.

Proof: According to Best Health Magazine, two cups (500 mL) of shredded romaine contain 40 percent of your daily needs of folate and 10 percent of fiber. A study done at Tulane University in New Orleans showed that the higher the level of folate in a person’s diet, the lower the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease. In addition to being good for your heart, salad can reduce your risk of diabetes. Chronic magnesium deficiency has been linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and the development of insulin resistance. Two cups (500 mL) of spinach contain 16 percent of your daily magnesium needs; arugula has six percent.  Need I say more?

Read more about salad benefits at http://www.besthealthmag.ca/best-eats/healthy-eating/6-health-

benefits-of-salad-greens#QGIpBvYBAfcsIiYr.99

3) Download an app to track your daily steps.

Many people resort to new forms of wrist band technologies that track their daily exercise, and alert them when they reach their goals (or more importantly, don’t reach their goals). An affordable alternative to these genius devices is simply downloading a free health app on your phone! Thankfully, there is an abundance of them.

It works! By finding an app that suits you, you wouldn’t believe how easy it is to become more active. On my android phone, I have a built-in “SH Health app” which tracks many things, but most importantly tracks how many steps I take a day. My goal step count is 6,000, and towards the end of the day when I notice I am nowhere near that, I get up and move around. Going for a walk is the easiest way to become more active.

By actively pursuing these tips, you will feel proud of yourself knowing you’ve accomplished something to improve your health.  You will also notice how being healthy really can make you happier.

Volunteer when you can, and feel like you have more time!

Living in today’s age of technology with luxuries like high speed internet, accessible ways of transportation, and various forms of entertainment at our fingertips, it’s easy to get caught up in a fast-paced lifestyle.  We now have access to more places, assignments and activities than ever, and before you realize, the day is done.  Work all day, squeeze in a workout, make dinner, catch your favorite TV show (if you’re lucky), then fall asleep – exhausted!  At least that’s how it goes for me. Time flies by.

Studies prove that volunteering makes you feel as though your time is being used more efficiently than if you use it only for yourself. A 2012 study from researchers at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Yale’s School of Management and Harvard Business School has shown that people who spend time on others are more likely to feel they have extra time themselves. You can actually feel less time constrained by doing something good for others, primarily because you know, for a fact, that your time is not being wasted. Researchers asked two groups of participants to perform different tasks:  one spent 10 minutes on themselves, the other group spent 30 minutes lending a hand to a worthy cause. For example, helping someone with a task versus leaving a meeting early. They found that those who helped others were left feeling like they had more time, or in research terms, had “time affluence.”

Volunteering will make you feel more useful, accomplished, and give you something to be proud of!  Making others feel good will make you feel good too, and in turn you will realize you have all the time you need! What better reason to volunteer?

Be sure to catch up on our episodes on thepeaktv.com. Every episode features a wonderful "Volunteer Spotlight" that is sure to inspire your inner volunteer and warm your heart. 

By Emily Boeglin

Movie Fans, Rejoice! Fall Movie Season has ARRIVED!

Hey PEAK TV fans, fall is finally here, and with chilly nights and pumpkin spice comes everything....fall movies! The season has arrived when "Oscar buzz" movies and holiday blockbusters are upon us.

 

In the coming weeks, watch for movies like THE MARTIAN (Oct. 2nd) starring Matt Damon as an astronaut left for dead on Mars needing to survive until he can be rescued. The biopic STEVE JOBS (Oct. 9th) reveals the private side of the Apple founder as he created, innovated, and cheated(?) his way to success.... you decide.  Revisit your favorite GOOSEBUMPS series characters when the new movie starring Jack Black comes to theaters (Oct. 16).  SPECTRE (Nov. 6th), the twenty-fourth film in the James Bond series, has Bond facing his past while trying to stop a secret, growing organization known as Spectre. Finally, THE GOOD DINOSAUR (Nov. 25th) is the newest Pixar film about a world where dinosaurs never became extinct and one, in particular, makes a new human friend. 

Something for all ages, and many more, coming out soon in theaters - lots of opportunities for popcorn! What movies are you looking forward to this fall? Leave us a comment and let us know.  

- Intern CJ

Thank You ASR!

Prior to attending my freshman year of college, my ability to use a computer could be summed up in 2 skills: 1. Using Google 2. Typing in Microsoft Word. Outside of those two tasks, it was all in the dark for me. Things changed a little bit when my freshman year roommate, Liz, kindly taught me how to create a folder and illegally download music (bringing the skill count up to 4). But, in a generation where apple is more commonly associated with technology than with fruit, it was safe to say I was an outlier. Keeping all this in mind, I’m sure you can sympathize with the mental “Sh**t.” I uttered upon receiving my first assignment as an intern with ASR…revamp the YouTube channel.

Now, I know cleaning up a YouTube channel is no huge technological feat. I mean I’m not out there designing apps or coding in Python. But, for me, managing a YouTube channel clearly fell outside my area of expertise. After finally logging into ASR’s account, I spent the first 45 minutes just willing the ASR logo to crop appropriately so I could set it as the channel art. The tough part was, after I finished my fight with the crop tool, I genuinely didn’t know where to start. From what I could understand, bringing the channel up to date would involve downloading videos from Vimeo (a site I had absolutely 0 experience with), uploading them to YouTube, creating custom thumbnails for each, compiling playlists of relevant videos, adding tags, and organizing the channel’s home page. Considering I knew how to do approximately none of those things, I retreated to the comfort of pen and paper and began listing the videos I had to transfer from Vimeo to Youtube.

 My salvation came later that week in the form of Tina’s son, Max. Maybe she sensed I was in over my head, or maybe she’d intended it all along, but that Thursday, Tina had Max (who managed the channel previously) come in and show me the ropes. In those 30 minutes I learned things like how to download videos from Vimeo, how to create custom thumbnails, the best way to take a screenshot, etc. and instantly felt more confident about the task at hand. Although it took longer than expected, I eventually got through the hundreds of uploads and thumbnails and finished organizing a channel I’m proud of.

After my brief stint as ASR’s YouTube channel admin, I had the opportunity to work on other projects that challenged me to familiarize myself with Instagram (that’s right, I don’t use that either), Dropbox, Photoshop, and media kit compilation. I had the chance to sit in on a shoot, speak with a graphic designer, and, oddly enough, film a montage of video clips featuring a wet LVCC sign. Like my first experience with YouTube, I struggled initially with many of these assignments, but learned as a result. Throughout the summer, I had the chance to try different things and see what I liked and what I didn’t. I gained a sense for what it’s like to work in a business and for how I work best, all while being surrounded by great people who genuinely care about their work. My thanks goes out to all the staff at ASR for the great opportunity to work with them this summer. I wish them all the best!

                 

The PEAK TV Production Team Earns Mid Atlantic Emmy® Nominations

The Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced Emmy® nominations on August 11th.  ASR Media Productions and The PEAK TV are proud to announce their nominations in the Health/Science/Environment Feature/Segment category and the Commercial - Single Spot category.  

Our first nomination is for a PEAK TV segment that we produced about simulation training that med school students experience at Temple University/St. Luke's University Health Network's Medical School.  

“The Peak TV – Temple/St. Luke’s Medical School Clinical Simulation Center”

Ashley Russo, Executive Producer, Kenneth Szydlow, Executive Producer, Abigail Mutschler, Camera/Editor were nominated for their work.

ASR Media Productions's second nomination came for a “PPL Electric Utilities Commercial,” created for PPL Corporation by Ashley Russo, Executive Producer, Katie Wallace, Director of Photography, William Mullican, Editor.

Since its first episode in 2012, The PEAK TV has earned Emmy® nominations each year, and in 2013 was awarded a Mid-Atlantic Emmy® in the Human Interest Program category for its story, “Laughing at My Nightmare,” featuring Shane Burcaw.  ASR Media Productions has earned nominations for its commercial work and for the co-production with PBS39, Roey's Paintbox - Art is for Everyone.  

The Emmy® Awards will be presented Saturday, September 19, 2015, at the Philadelphia Hilton, 4200 City Avenue, Philadelphia. 

"Becoming Your Best Self": My Experience as an ASR Intern

As a college student, spending the summers at home can be a wonderful yet frustrating experience. 

During the academic year, we are constantly surrounded by people and opportunities that stimulate our minds and propel us forward. There always seems to be a new challenge, a different skill to learn, or another person to meet. When our spring semester ends and we pack up to move home, all those opportunities seem to come to a crashing halt. 

As an aspiring communications student, I have constantly been made aware of the significance that internships will have on my future. It's a phrase I hear almost daily at Penn State: "No internship experience, no job." 

I was determined to find an internship opportunity this summer that would not only give me the experience I need for my resume, but also challenge me creatively, critically, and logically. I wanted to continue to learn, even though I would be far outside the classrooms of Penn State. 

When I interviewed for the marketing intern position at ASR Media over my spring break in early March, I was greeted with open arms and immediately invited to observe a day in the studio filming ASR's Emmy award winning health and lifestyle television series, The Peak TV. 

I timidly sat in the back of the studio, trying to take in everything that was happening around me. While it seemed chaotic, I couldn't help but notice the acute precision of every move that was made in the studio that day. 

Every person had an important role and purpose in the creation of the episode that was being filmed, even the interns that held that job I coveted. After 2 hours of simply watching, I knew this was where I wanted to spend my summer. I was ecstatic when I learned about a month later that I had gotten the position. 

Since my first day at ASR, I have grown so much both personally and professionally. I was taught from the beginning to not be afraid to make executive decisions about my projects, and to accept the constructive criticism that would follow. I am given tasks that matter; I don't do coffee runs or file paperwork. I am contributing to the success of a company that has taught me so much. 

Now I can confidently create a media kit, track analytics on a website, and create graphics or visuals, but the skills I've learned at ASR extend far beyond the ones I can list on my LinkedIn profile. 

This summer I joined a company that is surrounded by organizations who work to improve life in the Lehigh Valley. From United Way of The Greater Lehigh Valley to St. Luke's University Hospital and Health Network to The Lehigh Valley Zoo -- I have seen an abundance of organizations that promote the exact motto of ASR and The Peak TV: "Becoming Your Best Self." 

The people at ASR work to do just that - become their best selves. 

Each day is a chance to excel and move forward. Each new project is an opportunity to reach a higher level of perfection. Each phone call with an interested client is another possibility to learn something new. 

ASR does not develop clients, they develop relationships. They achieve professionalism through personality, a skill I will take with me through the entirety of my future career. 

I am so lucky to have spent my summer with a group of people that have taught me so much more than the clean-cut skills of the communications industry. I am so eager to begin my junior year of college feeling more experienced, confident, knowledgeable, and overall just better. 

My resume is a little more established, but so is my personality. I've learned so many valuable skills, and I've also learned so much about myself. 

The biggest thank you to the staff at ASR for teaching me so much about an industry of endless opportunity, but also teaching me something even more important: to be the best version of myself. 

-Adrea Cope 

Coming up Sunday on The PEAK TV!