(NAPSI)—Before diving into yard care, make sure your lawn and gardening tools are up to the task with proper maintenance. The tips below could save you money and time by extending the life of your tools.

Hand Tool Maintenance

To protect your investment in quality hand and gardening tools, clean them after each use, removing any dirt and debris. Then, wash and dry them, and lightly rub rusted areas with fine sandpaper.

Pruning shears should be placed in a bucket with water and scrubbed with a wire brush until the metal is clean after each use. Coat the blades and moving parts with a water displacement lubricant with a controllable spray pattern, such as the non-aerosol WD-40_® Multi-Use Product Trigger Pro_®. Its narrow spray pattern will give you more control, eliminating overspray for less mess, while preventing rust from building up and helping shears open and close smoothly. Continue reading →

(NAPSI)—We all love art—music, painting, literature, theater, dance. All these things bring us joy and enrich our lives. But art also plays a very important role in healing. Art therapy is becoming an increasingly effective way to treat trauma, especially among our country’s wounded warriors. Music, writing and visual art therapy programs at military care facilities are proving beneficial in producing calming effects for those suffering from brain injuries, post-traumatic stress syndrome and other conditions.

According to the Defense Department, nearly 350,000 U.S. military personnel have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries since 2001. Though modern military equipment and body armor have reduced mortality rates, roadside bombs and other explosive devices have inflicted injuries that have our service members struggling to function once they get home.

Studies have shown that creating art can decrease stress hormones, which can relax and lessen anxiety. Service members often deal with a complex set of feelings and emotions because of what they have experienced in combat, and that makes it difficult to relate to friends and family members. The invisible wounds can lead to feelings of shame, guilt and identity crises that might cause them to retreat and engage in isolating behaviors. Creating art to express feelings and help them externalize what they might have repressed for a long time can help service members resume a normal existence. Continue reading →

(NAPSI)—While many people are familiar with the phrase “strength is in numbers,” not everyone realizes the important role community and social interactions play in achieving exercise goals and balanced nutrition.

“Group exercise and nutrition planning offer a variety of benefits you might miss out on if you choose to go it alone,” explained Dr. John Agwunobi, M.D., M.B.A., M.P.H., Chief Health and Nutrition Officer, Herbalife, “A consistent schedule, exposure to a social and fun environment, and accountability for participation are just some of the benefits.”

A support system and social activity group can be good for you in several ways:

Surrounding yourself with like-minded people can help you stay on track.

You can have people encourage you if you start to self-sabotage your nutrition plan or diet. Continue reading →

(NAPS)—The 2016 hurricane season ended a decadelong landfall drought in Florida. Hurricane Hermine struck Florida’s north coast in early September, and then Hurricane Matthew tore north along the Atlantic coast in early October. The intensity of that late-season storm left more than 1 million Florida homes and businesses in the dark while 485,000 were without power in South Carolina; 300,000 in Georgia; and more than 127,000 in North Carolina.

The climatological hurricane season is long, running between June 1 and November 30, but it’s become increasingly important for vulnerable home and business owners—from the Gulf Coast to New England—to take the necessary steps ahead of the storm warnings and the inevitable rush for emergency supplies.

“It’s better to be ready for a nonevent than it is to be caught off guard by a strong storm,” said Russ Minick, chief marketing officer at Generac Power Systems. “We believe we can offer manageable ways to guide homeowners and businesses through the storm season, but staying safe starts with preparedness.” Continue reading →

(NAPS)—America, it’s time to “Flip Your Fridge”! If your refrigerator is 15 years old or older, replacing it with a new Energy Star® certified model can save you more than $270 over the next five years and reduce your carbon footprint.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, if all refrigerators 15 years old or older in the United States were replaced with new Energy Star certified models, Americans would save more than $1 billion in annual energy costs and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from more than 1 million vehicles.

There are an estimated 170 million refrigerators and refrigerator-freezers currently in use in the United States. More than 60 million are over 10 years old, costing consumers $4.4 billion per year in energy. Continue reading →

(NAPS)—E-mail security is not the problem­—it’s how we use e-mail that is the problem. There has been no lack of press and attention regarding the insecurity of e-mail and the consequences of account hacking. Look no further than the latest elections, the Sony Pictures hack, the latest Yahoo compromise, etc. We hear about the problem all the time. What is missing from all the discussion is how to solve the problem.

E-mail in its stock form is inherently insecure but that does not mean that it must stay that way. With a little bit of effort, one can confidently send secure e-mail with virtually no risk of the contents being compromised.

An analogy is that of a car and a seat belt. Cars are useful and largely safe. But we can make them safer by buckling up. While seat belts were not used regularly for many years, today, we understand their benefit and they are widely used. We need to make e-mail safe and secure and we can do this when e-mail encryption becomes as widely used. So get ready to buckle up before sending. Continue reading →

(NAPS)—According to the latest statistics from the U.S. Small Business Administration, 80 percent of the 28.8 million U.S. small businesses have no employees, placing a heavy burden on the business owner when it comes to juggling every detail of running a company. From IT issues to customer service and even facilities management, a small-business owner must be a jack-of-all-trades.

Fortunately, some banks are recognizing the need for more specialized support for small-business owners and are carving out a niche to better serve them.

Here are three ways small-business owners can get more from their banking partner:

Relationships Matter

Banks that specialize in serving small-business clients understand the financial pressures they face and will assign a relationship manager with expertise to help them endure the challenges of today’s competitive market. Relationship managers can be a small-business owner’s best resource when it comes to managing finances; they can anticipate needs, troubleshoot, and provide a wide array of products and solutions to help clients achieve their goals. Small-business owners who take the time to get to know their relationship managers can find them to be valuable and trusted partners. Continue reading →