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Cake in the breakroom - a workplace eating disaster (I need your help)

9/30/2013

4 Comments

 
I got in a discussion with a client this morning which has sparked some synaptic firings that will end in me asking for YOUR FEEDBACK (so please e-mail me or post a comment below or on Facebook with your thoughts).

My conversation was about the prevalence of “shit” in the workplace.  Now, let me clarify that this was not pertaining to modern day personnel issues (that’s a topic for a whole other blog post), but to the incidence of candy, cake, cupcakes and other sweet goodies that are brought into our work environments. 

More and more I hear about the stuff that rolls through the door at peoples’ offices and as I sit here isolated in my little cave, my jaw hits the ground.   I hear the rationale behind bringing it in – leftovers from Little Johnny’s birthday party, Suzy in HR’s birthday, “Marcy was having a bad day yesterday so I thought some cupcakes would cheer her up”,  etc… then I wonder, if people can so readily consume that stuff and think that “a little treat” is okay once in a while… okay… everyday… okay, okay…. every time I walk by the tray on the table in the entranceway, what will the consumption be like if the “treats” are then deemed healthy.

Let’s take a quick break from that train of thought and look at what’s ahead of us.  Firstly there’s the devilishly sweet-friendly Halloween extravaganza in the month of October and half of November as we so conscientiously remove the candy from our house and take it to work – so sneaky!  That’s followed up by Thanksgiving feasts – “mmm, Aunt Jenny’s pecan pie is to DIE for” – you know that isn’t making it to work.  Then comes Christmas and the New Year – “I can’t wait to set those Resolutions, lose these few extra pounds and stop eating sugar”.  Oh, and if your birthday is stuck in the middle of all this, I hate to say it but you’re screwed!

All right, back to my synaptic firings.  Please don’t get me wrong, I think the act of workplace sharing and wanting to make co-workers happy is a wondrous thing and may create amazing cohesion in the workplace (it may also be related to those personnel issues mentioned above but we’ll let Suzy in HR take care of that after she snaps out of her sugar coma). 

Evidently, I don’t know about “the modern working environment” as I pretty much work alone, and I can only imagine how tough it would be to change this environment and acceptance within the workplace.   But no one ever said that change is easy!  We’ve managed to implement ‘Scent Free’ policies, nut and allergen policies and we’ve pushed smokers further and further away from the building.  So I wonder, why can't the same courtesies be applied with regards to food choices (sugar was just named above cigarettes and alcohol as the 'most addictive and dangerous substance' of our time). 

So I now ask for your help… how can the “crappy" treats be removed from workplace culture, the happiness and social dynamic brought about by sharing something “yummy” with others be maintained, and the consumption of low fat, gluten-free or organic snacks (all perceived as healthy) not go off-the-wall (and the calorie consumption exceed that previously consumed in unhealthy treats)?

(I am serious in asking for your thoughts as to what works/ might work, so please comment below, or on Facebook or drop me an e-mail with your thoughts.)

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Resolution Road Trip - Pit Stop (Day 7 in a 9-Day Series)

1/6/2013

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7 days in, 2 tips and 3 blogs to go.  I hope you’re all finding this series beneficial and are starting to get a sense of direction in the planning and implementation of your own personal Resolution Roadmaps.

Today we look at what I feel is the most important rule of physical training, and a critical component in planning for success along our Resolution Road Trip – Rest!

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TIP #6 – REST AND RELAXATION

The past month has been filled with waaaay too much stress.  Too much running around, too much focus on money, too much food, too much booze, not enough sleep, in some cases too much family, and far too much pressure on ourselves. 

Even the pressures we place on ourselves to make resolutions and be successful in accomplishing these can be stressful.  “Gotta prepare my food”. “Gotta get to the gym”.  “Gotta read that blog”.  Does it make sense to have our attempts at healthy living become an added stress – a bit oxymoronic and counterproductive if ya ask me?!

When it comes time to put efforts in to our resolution-oriented activities, a workout, meal planning, a run, or reading, do we have the energy, mental capacity and focus required to do so efficiently or do we find ourselves too drained from the rest of our life?  How far do you really think you’re going to get functioning like this?  How long do you think you can sustain the efforts that you’ve outlined (PoA) to accomplish your goal?

Remember, we’re trying to put forth our BEST effort on a consistent basis, and if our “best” is generally sub-par, then so are the results that we will achieve.

Breaking news… sometimes less is more!
(Now I must add the caveat that this isn’t a license or excuse to slack off.  This is time for a little reality check.)

We need to take a quick (and honest) look at our lives, lifestyles and activities and ask, “Is everything I’m doing a necessity?”  “Do all of the things that I’m doing contribute to the success of goals or are there some that prevent me (either directly or indirectly) from putting my best foot forward?”  To refer back to my favourite Einstein quote where insanity is defined as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”   

As we answer these questions honestly, do we need to think about paring back a bit and allowing ourselves some time to rest, relax, rejuvenate, replenish?

As we continue to tweak and tailor our Plan of Action, we need to include rest in that.  Just as you schedule and plan for workouts, meal prep or self-improvement activities, we need to include time for  rest and relaxation in this formula.  Work, work, work kind of makes sense in terms of achieving our results – we’re programmed to believe that more and harder is better. 
NEWSFLASH – this is not a rule!
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Taking a day off and resting amidst our efforts to achieve, achieve, achieve takes balls – many a mortal being has fallen because they’re not courageous enough to take a step back and rest.
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Please feel free to comment below, on my Facebook Page or on Twitter (#ResolutionRoadTrip).
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Resolution Road Trip - Smiles and Laughter (Day 4 of a 9-Day Series)

1/3/2013

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Moving down our list of tips, today's post is essentially a sequel to something I wrote last year  (I'm always happy when a year later I look at something and still consider it valid - it makes it feel a little more concrete).

Last January I was inundated with the emotions of others.  Lots of people were expressing a lot of emotions and I wrote a blog for them entitled “Enjoy”.  Hopefully today’s tip will be pre-emptive and help us move forward on our “Resolution Road Trip”.

TIP #3 – ENJOY IT

Resulting from the realizations I had last year, I now include this thought in pretty much all of my discussions with clients and people looking for advice on how to move forward:  "Do things in a way that will keep you happy.  Start to pick away and remove the superfluous BS from your life that you do not enjoy.  If you’re not enjoying something, figure out why the hell you’re doing it."

So as you sit down and begin to create your Plan of Action (PoA for all you acronymically-inclined people out there – and yes,  acronymically is MY word) ask yourself the question, “Will I enjoy doing this?”   And as you answer, be 100% honest with yourself.  Is it just that this sounds hard and I don’t really feel like exerting myself?  Do I really know that I won’t enjoy this particular choice?  A tough workout might seem daunting, and may even leave us a bit sore, but the feelings of accomplishment afterward may be overshadowing.

If you don’t like running, it doesn’t make sense to include running 3 times a week in your PoA.  If you don’t like fish, it becomes counterproductive to state that you are going to start eating white fish twice a week as a good source of protein.  You will begin to loathe that particular activity, it will become burdensome and before you know it, you’ll be finding any and every excuse in the book not to do it.  Suddenly we are not following our PoA and we become frustrated and prone to giving up. 
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If the answer to the question “Will I enjoy doing this?” is legitimately “yes” – perfect!  If the answer is “I don’t know”, place an asterix beside it, revisit this later, and if you truly find yourself not enjoying it, think of how to remedy this.  If you immediately spout “NO WAY”, think of other things that you will enjoy doing that lead toward the same result.  Yes, some of these alternatives may take a little longer and appear as more of a scenic route, but hopefully we’ve come to terms with the fact that this journey is more of a marathon than a sprint.  And hey, you may find that as you proceed along your resolution road trip and you revisit your PoA, some of the things that made you initially curl up your nose may become a little more appealing - so keep an open mind.

As we look to develop habits which will help us endure this road trip until our final destination, we must surround ourselves with things that make us smile.  It sets us up for being able to sustain these behaviours once we have reached our destination.  Arriving at our final destination smiling makes staying there a lot more promising.

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Please feel free to comment below, on my Facebook Page or on Twitter (#ResolutionRoadTrip).
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There's no "I" in team, but there is one in Christmas

12/21/2011

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_ Does Christmas leave you exhausted and needing a vacation?  Longing to take a break from people, food, family, stores, the car, the TV, pretty much life in general? 

Why is that?  It’s supposed to be a break isn’t it?

We’ve been exposed to Christmas “shit” since September - before Halloween, before Remembrance Day (that’s a whole other topic of conversation).   We’ve had this pressure and deadline mounting for 3 months by the time The Big Day rolls around.  

Buy, buy, buy.  Go, go, go.  Eat eat eat.  Drink drink drink.  Happy happy joy joy!  ‘Tis the season. 

Gifts for wives, husbands, kids, cousins, grandparents, friends, co-workers, bosses, teachers, clients, the postman  – pretty much anyone you can think of right?!  Then there are the functions and the food (see my previous blog on Restraint around the holidays).  The obligations put on us (and that we put on ourselves) are endless and heaven forbid we forget a card or a gift or say “No!” to attending a party or dodge the treat tray at work or skip a second serving lest we offend someone.

TIME OUT!

I get the whole “Spirit of the Season” thing, but somewhere along the way this spirit has became a little possessed!   Look back over the last few years – when was the last time you took some time and did something just for YOU over Christmas (and that doesn’t mean Christmas shopping)?  

GASP!!!  

I know!  It sounds so selfish doesn’t it?  Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting that people turn into Scrooge and become rude, but seriously folks... WTF??   What’s so wrong with saying, “Sorry Johnny, I’m not going to be able to make your party” or “Thank you, this is delicious but I’m not going to have another piece”.  Really?  Does this decision to abstain revoke our “friend status”? (I guess it might on Facebook)

We lose control of ourselves out of obligation to others.  Reluctant to be deemed “non-Christmassy” or hurt someone’s feelings, we lose sight of the goals that we’ve set out for ourselves and have strived hard to achieve all year long.  And when the dust settles, we’re left standing there, looking like we’ve just been beat with a Nerf bat!

Unfortunately life is not a team sport.  We have family and friends to support us through tough times but ultimately successes and failures fall on our shoulders.  We’re the ones who don’t give ourselves credit where credit is due and we’re the ones who beat ourselves up the worst.  And if family and friends are truly there to support us, they should understand if we Just Say No... shouldn’t they?

As that magical day rapidly approaches, and all pistons begin to fire, do yourself a favour and take a few minutes just for you.  You deserve it after all.  It is a holiday!  Remember your goals and the things that YOU want to achieve and have strived towards throughout the year. 

Suggestions:

1.       If the stress of the Season is accumulating, allow yourself a few periodic moments of non-Christmas activity.

2.       Just like you would for a doctor’s appointment, set aside some time for YOU.  Get a massage.  Go for a walk.  Grab a workout.  If you don’t want to leave the house, find a quiet corner, unplug the phone and read a book.  Listen to some music.  Take a nap.

3.       Be true to yourself and what your priorities are.  You may have to adjust some of your regular habits in order to make a compromise but forsaking them altogether will only set you back.

4.       Save some of your Christmas cheer for the rest of the year.  We become too caught up with the Hallmark Calendar of Celebrations and forget that we can hold on to the “Spirit of the Season” and be Merry the other 11 months of the year too! 

5.       Enjoy the holiday for what it truly means to you.... no one else can enjoy it for you!


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    Thoughts from my rant-filled mind about our health, how nobody else really gives a crap about it, and ideas about what we can do to help ourselves.
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