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Welcome to Balance!
Once again, thanks for taking the time to sign up for our monthly newsletter, we appreciate your support and interest! To find the latest in news and information to help you create a better life of balance, check out our website at www.balanceaustin.com.
Creating Balance in the New Year
Now that 2007 has come to a close, many of us sit back and reflect on the year past. Undoubtedly many of us were faced with challenges, surprises and hopefully more joyous than tumultuous occasions.
This month we recognize the need for balance and a feeling of starting anew. What is your resolution? We tapped into the Top 3 New Year’s Resolutions for 2008 and with the links below, hope to assist you in starting your New Year with Balance.
 Resolution #1 - Spending More Time with Family & Friends
Make plans to meet up with family and friends for an evening of fun and laughs at your favorite Austin Restaurant. Find a list of local favorites at City Search Austin by clicking here. Remember, work shouldn't always come first!
Resolution #2 - Get Fit
Once the family is gone and the pies have been consumed, it’s no surprise that our clothes may feel a bit tighter than they used to. Admit it… the holidays are a time to indulge. Why not make 2008 the year you commit to providing Balance in your life by Getting Fit with Go Fit Austin. See Balance Favorites below for more on Go Fit Austin!
Resolution #3 - Getting Out of Debt
January brings not only a new beginning, but also the dread of all of those holiday purchases piling up. If money was a big source of stress in your life last year, make a resolve to spend this year getting a handle on your finances. It's a promise that will repay itself many times over in the year ahead. Consult with Kenty, Yung, Ozias & Associates if you’re looking for financial planning
How Do You Create Balance?
 In December, we were touched by a short, but sweet submission sent in not by a mom, but a dad. Nathaniel Dean writes
'It's about family. As a Professor of mathematics, my research is often beyond imagination, but the love of my family and the time I spend with them keeps it real." Thanks Nathaniel, and for sharing, we're sending you a gift from all of us at Balance.
Want to be a part of Balance? Visit www.balanceaustin.com and click on “Your Balance.” If you feel like you have tips to share with other women, don't be shy! If your "How I Create Balance" entry is featured, we'll send you a gift like Nathaniel above!
Sunday Morning Balance Breakfast Hour
 Have you heard our commercial free hour of Sunday morning Balance Breakfast Music on Mix 94.7 and Majic 95.5? More and more people are waking up on select Sunday mornings to hear what their fellow Balance subscribers are suggesting. Special thanks to Lori Woolfrey and Theresa Vijarro of Austin for programming the December 16th edition. For your efforts, ladies, we're going to send you a Balance gift bag!
If you have a playlist that sets your tone every Sunday morning, click here and submit five songs. Go ahead, this is your chance to program a radio station! The next Sunday Morning Balance Breakfast Hour will be at 8am on January 20th on both Majic 95.5 and Mix 94.7.
Balance Favorites
 Every month in this newsletter, we'll showcase a new "favorite." It could be a place to shop, somewhere to eat, or even a daily activity. In keeping with the resolution theme, we bring you Go Fit Austin!
It's the annual battle of the bulge. The temptations are many from Thanksgiving through New Years. We eat, drink and be merry just as the saying goes. Now that the baked goodies and spiced beverages have been consumed, it's time to get fit! Working out alone can be a hard commitment to keep, so why not grab a girlfriend and join Go Fit Austin. Go Fit Austin is Austin's original Bikini Boot Camp, a group outdoor fitness program dedicated to help YOU Get Fit for Life! The Go Fit philosophy is that fitness should be a lifelong journey, not just a temporary destination. Visit www.gofitaustin.com for details.
Featured Health Tip
Do you know the best way to avoid cervical cancer? Early detection, of course. Here are some answers to questions you may have:
- What is a pap test? It's a cancer screening test that's used to detect cervical cancer. It's the best way to discover abnormal cells that could become cancerous.
- What if the results are abnormal? It doesn't necessarily mean that you have cancer. However, if left alone, abnormal cells could develop into cancer. So treatment is very important.
- Who should have a pap test? Adult women should be screened regularly - beginning around the age of 21. Ask your family physician when you should start being tested.
Because your friends at Scott & White Health Plan care about your health, we urge you to talk to your doctor if you're not getting regular pap tests.
Tide Loads of Hope
 In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the need for clean clothing became critical, and Tide found a way to help. So in November 2005, the Tide CleanStart truck headed to Camp Hope in the Metairie, LA area and cleaned over 10,000 loads of laundry. The spirit of this first venture informs and inspires everything Tide Loads of Hope program does.
Tide Loads of Hope helps in the crucial days, weeks and years after a natural disaster by providing clean clothes and a sense of comfort to families in need. Partnering with America's Second Harvest, Tide travels to key neighborhoods with the Tide CleanStart truck, their free mobile laundry facility.
Recently the Tide CleanStart truck visited California after the Southern California wild fires which destroyed more than 200,000 acres of land, and local communities are still reeling from the impact.
To read more about this great cause and learn how you can help click here.
This Month’s Featured Podcast
Last month we sat down with Bridget Taylor from Mix 94.7, Terri McCormick from Majic 95.5 and Lolis Garcia-Baab from the Ladies Room w/ Lolis on Talk Radio 1370AM. While Bridget, Terri and Lolis have similar approaches for achieving balance in their life, each shared with us unique perspectives on how they balance family, fitness, wellness and career. Click here to listen to all three of these amazing women.
Balance Event's This Month
This month, the Balance street team will be out and about with inspiring new Balance goodies, including a Balance T-Shirt and Balance Coffee-Cocoa Mugs. Check below for where we will be…
- January 10th, 17th, 24th & 31st – Cool River Café Ladies Night, 6:30pm-8:30pm
- January 12th - Bridal Extravaganza at the Palmer Events Center, 11am-4pm
- January 13th - Austin Spring Home and Garden Show at the Austin Convention Center, 11am-4pm
Check out our Events page at balanceaustin.com/events.html for updates on when and where the Balance team will be.
Feedback
From everyone at balanceaustin.com, thank you for your support! Help us grow this community by providing feedback on how to improve the website content or if you have stories or tips to share.
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