Apartment Blog

Remember in January, we wrote an article ‘5 Reasons to Get Fit in 2009′? The whole premise of that article was to give you five reasons why working out at your apartment community fitness center provides you with great benefits. Well, we’ve gone a step further to break down how doing other activities in your apartment community can really add up for shedding calories this year!

These numbers are for a 150 lb person and based on a work-out for 30 minutes.

Activity	Calories Burned
Reading	36
Studying	63
Washing Dishes	76
Playing Catch Football	85
Cooking	90
Housework	99
Fishing	103
Frisbee Playing	103
Weight Lifting	117
Volleyball	117
Beginner Pilates	126
Bicycling	135
Walk/Run play w/kids	135
Jumping Jacks	153
Sit-ups/Crunches	153
Mopping	153
Shooting Basketballs	153
Softball/Baseball	171
Skateboarding	171
Walking 4mph (15 min miles)	175
Garden	184
Tennis-singles	206
Swimming	206
Soccer-casual	238
Jogging	238
Stationary Bike/spinning	238
Walking up stairs	274
Rope jumping	342
Running 6mp (10 min miles)	342

**information collected from HealthStatus.com

The count down is on! Super Bowl XLIII is five days away and the game is shaping up to be a good one. Everyone is looking forward to the traditional festivities for their Super Bowl party, such as the manly (or womanly) bonding, yummy food, friends, etc. However, according to Extra, the average person eats about 1,200 calories in snacks alone on Super Bowl Sunday?! That’s insane! Participating in this time honored tradition can be detrimental to your diet!

Well, take a breath….we’re providing you with two recipes that are for the healthy conscientious. Feel free to snack on these bad boys, in moderation of course, guilt-free!

Fresh Tomato Salsa

From Eatingwell.com Ingredients

• 4 cup(s) diced tomatoes (5-6 medium)
• 3/4 cup(s) finely diced red onion ( about 1 small)
• 1/4 cup(s) red-wine vinegar
• 1 1/2  jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
• 1/2 cup(s) chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
• cayenne pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Combine tomatoes, onion, vinegar, jalapeno, cilantro, salt and cayenne in a medium bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

With only 21 calories per serving and 0 grams of fat, you can snack happy with this recipe! J Be sure to serve with reduced fat or multi-grain chips for an added health bonus!

   

Spicy Blue Cheese Dip

From Eatingwell.com 

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup(s) reduced-fat sour cream
• 2/3 cup(s) crumbled blue cheese
• 1 tablespoon(s) distilled white vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) cayenne pepper

Directions

1. Whisk sour cream, blue cheese, vinegar and cayenne in a small bowl.

This blue cheese dip is perfect compliment for buffalo wings (again, moderation is key) or with a tray of veggies!

You may have read as part of our ‘10 New Year’s Resolutions for Renters’ that getting fit was number five on our list. But what you may not know is the best way to do that. When most people think about getting fit, they think they need a gym membership. The problem here is that most renters aren’t familiar with the fabulous amenities they have within their own apartment community! So we’re here to tell you five reasons you should utilize your apartment community’s fitness center.

1. Location! Can you imagine a closer facility to work out in? Just a few streets down you’ll be at your gym. I will walk to my fitness center in the morning; it’s much shorter than having to start my car and fight traffic lights to go anywhere else! (Which considering I get up in the morning to work out, saves me precious minutes to sleep in!)

2. Sheer Convenience! Most fitness centers have better hours than typical gyms. The fitness center in my apartment community is 24 hours! Twenty-four hours! Can you believe that? I can work-out WHENVER I want! That’s a wonderful convenience to have, especially since most people are so busy these days.

3. No additional fees! You’re already paying rent to live within the apartment community. To utilize their fitness center is FREE to you! Why pay additional money to exercise, when most fitness centers have just about the same machines as gyms? Granted they may be a bit older, and there may only be one piece of each type of equipment, but remember, you’re not fighting as many people to work out there! And it’s FREE!

4. Privacy. When I went to the gym, I would NEVER be the only one there working out. There would always be 5-10 people beside me. Now if exercising with privacy is appealing to you, then the fitness center may be the best way to go. You’ll have to find a routine where most people don’t typically go (for my fitness center its right about 6:00-6:30 am-before work) and you’ll have as much privacy as you can ask for. Turn the TV to whatever channel you want. And you can have the freedom of exercising without any judgment from someone else!

5. And finally, BECAUSE YOU CAN! As you start searching for apartments to rent, you narrow them down based on a list, such as: location, price, amenities, etc. So, since you’ve picked this apartment to rent, the bigger question is why not work out there? If one of your New Year’s Resolutions really is to get in better shape and you want to save a little bit of $$, then BECAUSE YOU CAN, I say work out there!

We hope these reasons provide you with enough motivation to go and use the facility you have available. Whatever way you choose to accomplish your New Year’s Resolutions, we’re ecstatic! Here’s to a healthy 2009! 

Detroit is the largest city in Michigan. It is well known as the world traditional automotive center-”Detroit” is a metonym for American automobile industry.[1] Located on the Detroit River, Detroit is a major port city in the Midwest.

Detroit is one of 13 American cities that has teams represented in all four major sports: Detroit Pistons (NBA), Detroit Tigers (MLB), Detroit Lions (NFL) and Detroit Red Wings (NHL).

Did You Know?

How the city got its nickname Motown? It’s because live music is very prominent in the city. Two venues very well known are DTE Energy Music Theatre and The Palace of Auburn Hills. The city has a rich musical heritage and has contributed to a number of different genres over the decades. 

Detroit’s job market is seeing an increase in certain industries, such as: health care, leisure and hospitality; which support the demand for Apartments. More positive items to note is that rents won’t be increasing dramatically over last year, making the median around $772.[2]  To find Apartments in Detroit, search on ForRent.com.

Colleges/Universities in Detroit, Michigan:

Detroit is home to several high education institutions such as: Wayne State University, University of Detroit Mercy and more! On our site you’ll find apartment for rent near Colleges/Universities in Michigan.

Hot Spots:

And if you’re already residing in the great city of Detroit, be sure and check out the Top 5 recommended bars in Downtown Detroit from After 5 Detroit. In order from number one to number five are: Centaur, Cass Café, Corktown Tavern, Vivo’s and Detroit’s own Hard Rock Café.

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[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit[2] Real Estate Investment Research, 2008 National Apartment Report by Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services

I found this article online and it has changed the way I drink water. Bottles, Bottles, Everywhere by Ramon Cruz has opened my eyes to what damage can be done by simply drinking from the plastic water bottle on my desk. Like every health conscientious American, I make a effort to consume eight glasses of water a day. In doing this, I tend to drink a lot out of water bottles. But the harm that I’m doing to the environment could be comparable to the harm I would be doing to my own body if I didn’t consume that water. A person needs to drink water throughout the day in order for their body to work properly; your blood has to carry oxygen to your cells and needs water to do this. Water also helps you digest food and get ride of waste in your body. But by drinking water out of plastic bottles, I am overflowing our landfills and contributing to global warming. Sure recycling would help, but “less than 20 percent of the 28 billion single-serving water bottles that Americans buy each year are recycled.”[1] Therefore, most of those water bottles are resting in landfills where it takes thousands of years for the plastic to decompose.

And what for? “More than a quarter of all bottled water is just processed tap water, including Pepsi’s Aquafina and Coca-Cola’s Dasani.1” Yet bottled water consumption is continually growing each year. So there needs to be a better plan of action to tackle this wide-spread damage! The article suggests several options. One being if you purchase bottled water make sure you recycle the container. I know this option isn’t the easiest for me because the community I live in does not collect recycling (which I plan on discussing with them in the near future). So the second suggestion is what I’m doing now. I drink tap water. I have a water filter at my home and at the office where I consume my water daily. And since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s standards for tap water are more stringent than the Food & Drug Administration’s standards for bottled water, I’m drinking water that is just as safe as, if not safer than, bottled. I also drink out of a reusable container so I won’t be throwing away numerous plastic or Styrofoam cups a week–which also harms the environment. Be sure you don’t reuse single-use water bottles; doing so can expose you to bacterial build-up and carcinogens leached from the plastic.

The ‘Green Living’ bandwagon is continually getting new members and I encourage all of you to hop aboard and do your part in helping our environment!

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[1] http://green.yahoo.com/blog/climate411/91/bottles-bottles-everywhere.html

Spring is here! YAY!! But as the warm weather approaches, so does all the pollen and allergens that can aggravate your sinuses! Its not just outside allergens that can help create a Rudolph nose, but also the inside of your apartment! Here are a few tips that I’ve found helpful to allergy proof your home!

Concentrate on the Bedroom!

According to Angel Waldron of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, you spend about 80 percent of your time in your bedroom! So it’s logical that should be the first place you start. Believe it or not, dust mites live in your bed! Somewhere around two million of them! They take residence in your pillows, mattresses, bed springs, blankets and comforters. “These mites are the number one indoor allergen, and their population peaks in July and August.”[1] So do your part in controlling them and it’ll go a long way toward helping your allergies. Be sure to wash your linens in the hot cycle frequently. Another tip is to purchase allergen-proof pillows and bed covers. I had both of them growing up and they helped relieve my symptoms!

Manage the Pet Hair!

While I’m an animal lover as much as the next person, there is some pet dander that I just can’t be around-specifically cats! And apparently I’m not alone. “Approximately 10 million people are allergic to cat dander, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation.”[2] Cats have the most allergens followed by dogs and rodents. So to control your animals’ dander make sure you keep your pet off your furniture, including your bed! Bathing your pet once a week also makes a big difference in cutting down on allergens.

Keep Pollen Out!

With the warmer weather coming, people tend to have their windows and back doors open to let in the fresh air. I know I love doing that! Turns out that could be a huge contributor to my allergies! Doing that brings the pollen inside your apartment! So if you don’t want the runny nose, watery eyes, and stuffed up feeling-keep those windows and doors closed! Especially during the time of day the pollen count is at it’s highest, which is between 5:00-10:00 am.

Get Rid of Mold!

Who wants mold in their apartment? I know I don’t! The very thought of it gives me the shakes, but it happens! The biggest hotspots for mold happen to be in your bathroom and your closet! The bathroom is one of the wettest places in your apartment. The combination of heat and dampness is optimal for mold growth. So make sure you do your part to prevent it from starting. A few tips to help with bathroom mold is to make sure you circulate the air before and after your shower. Use the fan during the shower and open the door for 5-10 minutes afterwards. Also be sure to stretch the shower curtain after your shower so all the water can drain and the material can dry out. Wash your bathtub, shower door, walls, etc, if you see any mold. Use rubber gloves and a mixture of bleach and water. Doing these few steps will not only prevent your allergies, but also your health and the appearance of your apartment!

So there you have it. A few tips I’ve learned from AOL Real Estate about how to allergy proof your apartment! I know this spring the outdoor allergens are going to create difficulty for some, but at least when you get inside you won’t have to worry about too many irritants!

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[1] Realestate.aol.com/article/_a/allergy-proof-your-home/20060501110209990001[2] Realestate.aol.com/article/_a/allergy-proof-your-home/20060501110209990001