jobs-related stories
Stay in shape with these non-fitness related jobs
Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Motivation
CareerBuilder.com recently came up with a list of 10 jobs that have nothing to do with fitness but will help you keep your weight down. Do any surprise you?
- 1. Painters
- 2. Landscapers
- 3. Childcare Workers
- 4. Construction Laborers
- 5. Messengers
- 6. Freight and Stock Material Movers
- 7. Farm Workers
- 8. Assemblers and Fabriators
- 9. Bindery Workers
- 10. Camera Operators
Workplace Fitness: The unhealthiest jobs (you've probably got one)
How healthy is your work environment? We all face challenges, for some it's an office full of candy dishes and donuts and for others it's about physical danger and hardhats are involved. There are different kinds of health hazards, but for the purposes of finding out which jobs were the unhealthiest the Bureau of Labor Statistics recently did a survey where they tracked how often employees in different professions sustained on-the-job injuries that caused them to miss at least one day of work. The results may surprise you.
The sexiest jobs (do you have one?)
Do you have a glamorous or sexy job? Do you wish you did? What would that be exactly? Obviously what's "sexy" is different for everybody, and the jobs we all consider to be glamorous and sexy is even diverse. But from the obvious ones (like supermodels) to the less obvious (like artists), MSN has compiled a list of the top 10 sexiest jobs. Most of these make sense to me (firefighters, athletes, etc) but I am surprised that more high-paying positions didn't make the list -- which is good news! It seems more of us "average working folks" are sexier than we may have thought.And I can't help but add my own vote to the list: Pilots. Nothing beats a pilot in uniform!
The 10 healthiest jobs
Diet & Weight Loss, Motivation
Why do I ask? eDiets recently came out with a list of the healthiest jobs -- that is, careers that provide a balanced, wholesome working environment that hopefully will translate into real life. Here's what made the life (professional athletes were excluded):
1. Activity Specialist
2. Chiropractor
3. Choreographer
4. Florist
5. Massage Therapist
6. Nutritionist
7. Personal Trainer
8. Professor
9. Running Coach
10. Yoga Instructor
What do you think of the list?
Workplace Fitness: Are you in the most depressing job field?
Think about it for a minute...what job or job fields do you think are the most depressing? The answer is one I think will either surprise you or it won't, depending on your personal experiences.personal care giver.
Lose weight: quit your job
You've tried the diets, the fitness routines -- maybe even the Master Cleanse -- and still, nothing seems to keep the pounds off. So what gives?
New research shows that your weight gain might actually be due to an unlikely culprit -- your job. According to doctors at the University College London Medical School, there's a significant link between stress at your job and your risk of becoming obese.
Over 19 years, researchers discovered that those who experienced job strain just once were 17% more likely to become obese, and that number jumps to 73% for those who've experienced this strain 3 times or more.
So if you're having chronic weight issues, in addition to altering your eating and exercise habits, you might also consider a career change.
Seniors are on the job, even in their 90s
Lately, lots of seniors are joining the workforce, both out of necessity and out of personal satisfaction. While I have broad dreams of spending my retirement sailing the world on a yacht, if that doesn't pan out, I can see myself working part time, whether I need to or not. Working is a great way to meet people, to keep occupied and truth be told, I like working -- it keeps me sane. The Huffington Post has a great piece on seniors in the workforce, including stories of people in their 90s who are still earning wages.
What do you think? Do you plan on working after 70?
Workplace Fitness: The top 10 healthiest jobs
A healthy workplace is a complicated machine that encompasses many things, but some jobs lend themselves naturally to healthier environments. Which ones? Maybe you're already in one, or maybe you're in the market for a new job and you'd like to be in one. According to a survey via eDiets by Monster.com the following list includes the top 10 healthiest jobs out there (excluding professional sports):1) Activity Specialist
2) Chiropractor
3) Choreographer
4) Florist
5) Massage Therapist
6) Nutritionist
7) Personal Trainer
8) Professor
9) Running Coach
10) Yoga Instructor
There's really no info on exactly what makes each of these jobs so healthy, other than the general idea that they all promote a balanced wholesome workplace environment. But I can guess at why, and it's interesting that all the professions are so different.
Workplace Fitness: What makes people genuinely HAPPY at work?
I came across an article entitled "The Happiness Project," and although it's focused mainly on things employers can do, I think many of the ideas can be beneficial for the average working person also. If you happen to be in a position of management or power, then you really should look at how you can be making things better for those under you. And if you're not, still don't be discouraged. Understanding and knowledge are powerful things, and if you have a clear picture of what a healthy, happy work environment looks like, you might be surprised at how much easier it becomes to create or find one.One of the biggest things that affects happiness and satisfaction on the job is control. We all like to be in control of our lives, be it in the big picture or just a daily snapshot. Do you have choices at work? Freedom to do tasks in your own way or to make schedule changes when you need to can do a lot for job satisfaction. And when it comes to your schedule having a tolerable commute is also a major player. Whether it's dealing with rush hour traffic, or just a long drive that takes time out of your personal life, a bad commute can make for a bad job experience.
How to feel better at your job
Work/Home Balance, Diet & Weight Loss, Motivation
Hate your job? You're almost certainly not alone. But while you could go out and look for a new one, that's not always an option, and could take months -- meanwhile, here you are, unhappy every day from 8 to 5.
So how can you fix it?
This Yahoo! Finance article has four good suggestions: make a friend a work, decrease your commute time by moving closer to work, know when it's not about your job, and do good deeds. Did you know your grumpy mood from a bad commute is likely to stick with you the entire day? Or, in general, that the type of work you do won't actually have a huge effect on whether you're happy or not?
Beyond a few interesting tid bits, a lot of the explanation behind those four suggestions may be advice you've heard before. But if you're in a rut and feeling trapped, anything that helps you move forward is a good first step, right? Take a look, you'll feel better for it.
Mom the superwoman hero
Healthy Home, Healthy Relationships, Work/Home Balance, Womens Health, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Motivation
Managing both a career and being a mother and caregiver is more than demanding. Balancing a job and balancing a family is challenging. The added stress, and physical demands each day wears on a body in the long run and can aid in the cause of many diseases like heart conditions, cancer, hyper tension, inflammation in the body and many more. Women need more flex time, better child care options, benefits for part time work, more paid sick days and family leave without jeopardizing their positions at work if they take time off, and they need better health care coverage that covers more tests on yearly health exams for disease prevention.The comments to be a "stay at home mom and not work" really urks me because in actuality women who do stay at home work. Being a caregiver is hard work. Many women work separate shifts from their husbands so they can care for children, elderly parents, grandparents, and do household chores during the day and also work in the afternoon and evening. Women are needed more now to help with financial matters in the home to make ends meet. Most women even set up and maintain the family budget so in actuality they are also the family accountants.
The majority of U.S. mothers simply cannot afford to exit paid work because it would devastate their families financially. Additionally, upper and middle income women often are pushed out of their jobs by inflexible work environments that penalize workers who have family responsibilities, not because they blissfully choose to leave. Low income women are expected to work no matter what the circumstances are.
Mothers who do flee the workplace often do so out of frustration. As rewarding as motherhood can be, most women would prefer not to give up their careers entirely. The lack of flexibility at work, childcare issues and societal pressures are what make some women get off the fast-track. Meanwhile, the struggle persists for women who simply can't take the choice to not work because they rely on their jobs for a steady paycheck and health insurance.
Gaining weight bad for earning power
Research by economists from nine European countries reveals that the heavier you get, the less you make. In fact, it only takes a 10 percent rise in your body mass index, (also referred to BMI), to cut your earnings by 3.3 percent if you're a man, and 1.8 percent if you're a woman.
But culture plays a hand as well. In "oil belt" countries like Spain, Greece, Italy and Portugal, the negative impact of weight on earnings in more prevalent, while in "beer belt" countries like Austria, Ireland or Denmark, the effects of weight gain on earning power are less significant.
It's yet to be determined whether this is a result of discrimination against heavier people, or if those who are overweight suffer increased likelihood of depression -- a condition which would hamper their ability to succeed in the workplace.
Have you seen this in your work environment? Are the successful people in your organization more fit than their less-successful colleagues?
Antibacterial mouse keeps your hands clean
Diet & Weight Loss, Reviews & Products
Numerous studies have shown that your desk is riddled with germs, and that the "typical worker's desk has hundreds of times more bacteria per square inch than an office toilet seat." Since so many people eat their breakfast, lunch or at least a snack or two while seated, busily clicking away at the keyboard, this makes for some rather disturbing food for thought. Before shelving the idea of eating in the office altogether, or keeping an industrial sized and sanitizer next to your computer, check out the new Antibacterial Mouse from Elecom. It is only available in Japan at the moment, but it connects using a USB port, so it should work with any plug-n-play computer. The mouse has a special resin coating that prevents bacteria from growing on it, so you can rest easy -- at least until you start using the keyboard. Maybe we should all switch to voice-recognition software ...






















