On average, homeowners spend 4% of their property’s total value on maintenance annually. As time goes by, the home you live in will start to look a bit run down. Instead of allowing this to happen, your main goal needs to be keeping your home appealing.

One of the best ways to improve the curb appeal your residence has is by hiring professionals to paint it. Attempting to do this work on your own may result in less than stellar results. However, you can do some of the prep work to save a few dollars. Here are some of the things you need to do to get your home ready for a new exterior paint job.

Pressure Wash Your Home’s Exterior

One of the first things you need to do when trying to get your home ready for exterior paint is to pressure wash it. By doing this, you can remove all of the paint flakes and dirt that may be present. Failing to remove paint flakes and dirt will result in a lot of problems over time.

When pressure washing the exterior of your home, be sure to avoid putting the nozzle directly on the side of your residence. Ideally, you want to have the pressure nozzle about a foot away from the side of the home. By doing this, you can avoid doing any damage. If you are not sure how to perform this work, allowing a painting contractor Biddeford ME to handle it is a good idea.

Apply Caulk to Any Cracks

Once you are done pressure washing the exterior of your home, you need to look for any cracks or seams. These seams and cracks will need to be filled with a high-quality caulk. Doing this will not only reduce the chances of water damage, it can also make your home more energy-efficient.

Improve Your Home’s Curb Appeal

While a new exterior paint job will be costly, it is worth the investment. Improving your home’s curb appeal can add to it’s value,

The modern watches have to be multitaskers: from helping your voice search on the net, using GPS for location tracking, monitoring your heartbeat, to, of course, telling the time, they have to do it all. Like all the latest gifts of technology, the smartwatches are supposed to make your life easier in so many ways, and the new features added to these devices on a regular basis offer further reassurance of that.

So, are you looking for smartwatches online to add to your collection? Make sure you consider the following five watches that have been gaining popularity in 2020.

1. Apple Watch Series 3

It looks like Apple got the best parts of Series 2 smartwatches, and just decided to make it even better. From fifty meters water resistance, in-built GPS, to LTE radio, this latest offering from Apple packs quite the punch. The maximum brightness is of a thousand nits, which is sufficient to keep things readable. With a better heart rate monitor and a number of fitness apps, this watch is every fitness enthusiast’s first choice.

2. Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro

This range of smartwatches has almost everything that you can look for, from good battery life, a stylish design, to amazing software. To top it off, there are apps like Map MyRun to count your miles, Under Armor for your gym sessions, and Speedo for your swimming sessions. Moreover, you get to listen to your music without your phone.

3. Huawei Black Unisex Fitness Band 2 PRO

A sleek design that is packed full of features: this smartwatch from Huawei is here to win your heart. It is one of the first smartwatches to use the latest 1.1GHz Snapdragon 2100 chipset, and it comes with 4GB of internal storage, and a non-removable 420 mAh battery. On an average user, its battery can easily last for about two days after a single charge.

4. Amazfit Bip Smart Watch

If you want a smartwatch that does not burn a hole in your pocket, then this one right here will fit your needs perfectly. One of the cheapest watches around, this smartwatch comes with heart rate monitors, GPS, and works with both iOS and Android. The colour display is soothing to the eyes and the battery lasts for a pretty long time.

5. Fitbit Versa 2 Smart Watch

With an upgrade from the previous model, this new smartwatch from Fitbit now gets an in-built Alexa and advanced sleep-tracking features. Wait; there are more improvements in this model! It also has a monitor for blood oxygen saturation, which helps in identifying sleep apnea. The addition of Spotify means you can even listen to songs on this, though you can’t save offline playlists. On top of that, this one is pretty easy on your pocket.

You will find plenty of guides on buying watches or smartwatches, you can go through them before you make a purchase. So, which of these smartwatches captured your attention? Which one are you going to go for? Let us know in the comments section below!

Snacks can be an important part of the diet, especially for anyone who is trying to lose weight. In fact, it can be a downright challenge to choose healthy snacks for yourself. Despite its bad image, snacks are important sources of energy for the middle of the day, between meals, or when you exercise. However, it is important to choose healthy snacks for yourself to derive maximum benefit.

Read on to know how you can decide which snacks are healthy for you:

What makes a snack healthy?

The trick to a healthy snack is to pick a nutritious item that will boost the blood sugar, and also keep it stable until mealtime. To control weight, an ideal snack for women should contain about 150 to 200 calories; for men, the calorie count should be between 200 to 250.

To check whether a snack is healthy or not, the Nutritional Facts Label provided on the label should always be read. This label will give you information about the ingredients and the calories it contains, including the sugars added. Pay attention to the serving size given on the label, because it is very easy to eat more than needed if this label is ignored.

According to Dr.Mujahid Israr, who is a general physician in Lahore

“Healthy snacks should not contain high sugar or corn syrup. Aim for snacks with more whole-grains in them, or low-fat listed ingredients. Drinks can contain a deceptively high sugar content because their contained sugar is often mentioned per 100ml, in a 250ml container.”

Pairing protein with carbohydrate can make for a great snack that can help you feel fuller for longer. Examples can include string cheese and apple, or peanut butter with whole wheat crackers, plain yoghurt with fruit, even carrots and hummus. Needless to say, fruits and vegetables make for great snacks because of their low caloric count and high micronutrient content.

The Glycemic Index (GI) of snacks should also be low. GI means that the foods are digested slowly, and cause a gradual rise in blood sugar, as opposed to a high spike that will cause a sudden rise in blood insulin levels. Foods with low GI can help the body feel energized and satisfied for longer. Many snacks that are ready-made, for instance, cereal bars and crackers, pretzels etc. have a high glycemic index and will eventually lead to premature hunger and overeating. Some examples of foods with low GI include fruits, vegetables, whole-grains, tuna fish, skimmed cheese and yogurt.

Timing of the snack is important

When you snack is also important especially for weight loss and its maintenance. Well-timed snacks, for instance, between lunch and dinner, can help tide you over and also prevent overeating. Carrying your days’ worth of snacks with you to work can help prevent munching on high-fat empty calories like a bag of potato chips or power bars.

Choosing healthy snacks

Now that we have a general idea of what a healthy snack looks like, let’s go about choosing some good options. Take snack time as a way to increase your intake of fruits and vegetables. Pair them up with dairy products like yoghurt or cheese, or lean protein like peanut butter. Snacks with vegetables and fruits are also easy to make at home and offer plenty of variety. Grapes with cheese, peanut butter and celery, banana sandwich on whole-grain bread, are some of the fruit snacks that are both low calorie and nutrient-dense. Other options can include veggies with hummus, or veggies with plain yoghurt and dill dip. Smoothies with fresh berries, kale and chia seeds also offer a power-packed snack.

Pairing Greek yoghurt and berries make a great and delicious snack, as well. Greek yoghurt has a high content of protein, potassium and calcium.

A key concept is to avoid processed food with lots of sugar and preservatives. They do not have many nutrients in them, and are loaded with salt and sugar. Such snacks are unhealthy for both adults and children alike, and should not be consumed by either.

Wholegrains are a great way to feel full throughout the day, while maintaining the energy and nutrient levels. Whole grains are also rich in fiber, making them a great choice for healthy bowels. Healthy fiber also keeps the total body cholesterol and unhealthy fat in check. A good example can be a sandwich with a slice of whole-grain bread and low-fat protein like fish, peanut butter or other nut butters.

Another good snack option is seeds and nuts. They are both a great source of protein and fiber that also provide the body with heart-healthy fat. Moreover, they contain only 180 calories in 1 ounce and don’t need refrigeration. Therefore, they are the perfect snack for taking on the go. Several studies suggest that taking nuts in moderate amounts can in fact help one lose weight. They are also linked to a reduced risk of heart disease and certain cancers.

Choose a varied and nutritious menu for yourself and your family to ensure your children grow up to be healthy. You should however be careful about any allergies that you or your family members might have before making drastic changes to your menu. It is better to talk to a nutritionist and get some basic allergy tests. Shifa international hospital laboratory in Islamabad, offers a comprehensive allergy test that can help you in figuring out any allergies that may appear after you start eating differently.