9 Ways Going to Work Is Like a Trip to the Gym

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://emj.icbdr.com/artieimages/fc/ar5b61564xlzs8f2y7fc.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ps="true" src="http://emj.icbdr.com/artieimages/fc/ar5b61564xlzs8f2y7fc.gif" /></a><br /></div><br />Not so long ago, when you thought of New Year's you thought of inebriated party-goers singing an off-key rendition of "Auld Lang Syne" while wearing tacky party hats. Today, the horde of new gym-goers crowding your local health club is a sure sign of a new year. Blame it on the countless magazine covers touting "a new year, a new you."<br /><br />This year, though, we are going to make changes. So in those last seconds of the countdown, we'll gorge on fatty foods and puff cigarettes because our bad habits stop now. Tomorrow we march into that gym and take the first step toward a healthy lifestyle. We hope we don't lose enthusiasm after a few weeks and end up stuck with a membership we never use. If you find yourself fading, remember that you can multitask at the gym and improve multiple aspects of your life. While you're running on the treadmill or doing bench presses, look around for some tips on how to manage your career.<br /><br />To get you started, here are nine examples of gym etiquette that hold true at work:<br /><br />Gym rule No. 1: Don't drop the weights.<br />Work equivalent: Don't tell everyone how stressed you are.<br />Why? Dropped weights can get damaged or even break, plus the floor gets torn up. If you need assistance, get a spotter.<br /><br />At work, everyone is busy and no one will have sympathy if you spend more time making a show of your to-do list than actually working. If you need help getting things done, see if someone can assist you. Otherwise you're damaging your reputation.<br /><br />Gym rule No. 2: Keep a log.<br />Work equivalent: Record your accomplishments.<br />Why? Studies have proved that people see better results when they track what exercises they perform, how much weight they use and how many repetitions they perform.<br /><br />When you've been in the same job for a while, you begin to forget how much you've accomplished. If you regularly note your daily tasks, you'll gradually see the list get longer. By the time you're ready for a new job, you'll have an impressive list of accomplishments to brag about.<br /><br />Gym rule No. 3: Arrive to class on time.<br />Work equivalent: Don't be late to meetings (or other events).<br />Why? When latecomers walk in 10 minutes after class started, they sneak across the room trying to be inconspicuous, but they end up disrupting everyone. You lose track of the instructor's directions and all that time spent situating yourself is ruined when the tardy party asks if you can just scoot over a bit.<br /><br />You should arrive to work on time, too, and you know that. Too often workers forget that punctuality is just as or even more important for meetings. Everyone notices when you walk in late, which means they're wondering why they managed to adjust their schedule but you were too important to show the same courtesy. Late arrivals might cause a late start and then no one is happy with you.<br /><br />Gym rule No. 4: Don't hog the equipment.<br />Work equivalent: Be considerate of your colleagues.<br />Why? The man who decides to walk on the treadmill for two hours or the woman who parks herself at the abs machine for 10 sets are perhaps the most annoying people in the gym. They inconvenience you and everyone else.<br /><br />Just as the gym isn't your private fitness center, the workplace isn't your home office. Don't get on speakerphone if it means 30 co-workers will end up hearing your conversation. Don't send so many files to the printer that no one else can use it for an hour. Don't throw your half-eaten salmon from lunch in your trash can -- take it to the break room. In short, be the kind of co-worker with whom you want to work.<br /><br />Gym rule No. 5: Change up the routine.<br />Work equivalent: Broaden your skill set.<br />Why? Performing the same exercise routine every time you go to the gym will eventually lead you to stop seeing gains. You'll stay in shape, but you won't lose weight or build muscle. Your body gets used to doing the same thing and you'll hit a plateau.<br /><br />If you've held the same position for the last three years and everything you're doing now you learned in your first week, you need to liven things up. Look into seminars, training courses, professional organizations and other opportunities at your company and elsewhere. New skills will make you a better employee (either here or for a future employer) and will prevent you from getting bored.<br /><br />Gym rule No. 6: Wipe down the equipment.<br />Work equivalent: Maintain good relationships.<br />Why? Do you want to use a weight bench if you see a big pool of sweat? No, because it's gross.<br /><br />If every meeting ends with you screaming at someone or you always resign from jobs by telling the boss just how much you hate her, you're not doing anyone any favors. The moment might have passed, but your reputation and the negative feelings you leave behind won't be forgotten. They might even resurface when a potential employer performs a reference check and decides not to hire you.<br /><br />Gym rule No. 7: Use a spotter.<br />Work equivalent: Know when to ask for help.<br />Why? Serious gym-goers, especially the ones bench pressing twice their weight, know they need to push themselves hard. They also know how dangerous that can be and they won't want a face full of weights when their arms get shaky.<br /><br />Work can be overwhelming. Maybe you're expected to do much more than is humanly possible or perhaps you voluntarily took on a task that has grown into something more challenging than you expected. If you can recognize when you need assistance -- either a person to help you out or an extended deadline -- you can avoid professional disaster. Your boss will prefer your initiative to you showing up on the due date to say, "By the way, I'm not done."<br /><br />Gym rule No. 8. Know your goals.<br />Work equivalent: Know what you're working toward.<br />Why? If you show up to the gym and have no idea if you want to lose weight, build muscle or condition for a sport, you're probably not going to achieve much of anything. Whether you have one goal or five, if you can identify what you want to accomplish, you can find out the best ways to do it.<br /><br />Your career isn't that different. Professional goals can be less concrete than gym goals, and they usually take longer to achieve. But mindlessly going through your career without any clue where you want to end up is a sure-fire way to end up doing the same thing for 20 years. Not everyone needs to aim to be CEO or one of the head honchos. A goal can be as simple as improving your previous sales record.<br /><br />Gym rule No. 9: Don't wear stinky clothes or your junior-high gym shorts.<br />Work equivalent: Appearance matters.<br />Why? No matter where you are, stinky clothes are never appropriate. But more importantly, you need to think about what image you're projecting. Your work appearance should align with your company's image and your role. In other words, remember where you're working, what position you'd like to eventually land and that you're not going to a bar. (Unless you work in a bar; then the rules might be different.)<br /><br />By Anthony Balderrama writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz. He researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/abalderrama.<br /><br /><a class="addthis_button" href="http://addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&username=rockfordlink"><img alt="Bookmark and Share" height="16" src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/v2/lg-share-en.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" width="125" /></a><script src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#username=rockfordlink" type="text/javascript"></script>

9 Ways Going to Work Is Like a Trip to the Gym

Not so long ago, when you thought of New Year's you thought of inebriated party-goers singing an off-key rendition of "Auld Lang Sy...

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No more excuses

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdOTSMHE_ntF8Rf3jclZOBFP7MoHbpZBYoyI0mH16prr46ojaz4JsQ-y2Ou5GPpgRZpQplfoFMCLQWIZOUBlVPkVsVTRgDVG_AmlPa27PThNVADZmbmlwdGy2Qz3KDFdUXg3oW7KrXEm5/s1600-h/Union76Guy.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424947500476438146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdOTSMHE_ntF8Rf3jclZOBFP7MoHbpZBYoyI0mH16prr46ojaz4JsQ-y2Ou5GPpgRZpQplfoFMCLQWIZOUBlVPkVsVTRgDVG_AmlPa27PThNVADZmbmlwdGy2Qz3KDFdUXg3oW7KrXEm5/s400/Union76Guy.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>This was kind of a funny/sad sign I saw at the gas station this morning. Notice the poor guy in the contest looks like he needs to lose a few pounds.<br /><br />Then check out the meal combo they offer for $3.75. I calculated the calories for this little snack. If you ordered a regular Coke for your 44 oz. Thirstbuster drink and had a small packet of mayo with your hot dog, it would be 1,008 calories! The cola alone is 526 calories. Unbelievable!<br /><br />~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br /><br />Your comments about my 180.2 post yesterday really touched me, and they made a huge difference in my life. Everyone had great advice on how I can stop the binge monster from attacking me every night. Thank you all so much.<br /><br />Because of all your support and because some of you said you suffer from the late night eating/binging problem, I was determine to beat it last night. I thought if other people can conquer this demon, I can too. I had a binge-free night last night, the first one in months.<br /><br />Even though I wanted to eat last night at around 11pm, I made a conscious effort not to binge. Instead, I read some more of "The end of overeating". I'm in the "Rehab" chapter which was perfect.<br /><br />I put a lot of thought into <a href="http://tonysdietlog.blogspot.com/" target="blank">Tony's</a> post: "Why are you binging at night? Once you figure this out you can solve the problem."<br /><br />I came up with a long list of reasons why I eat at night. Things like job stress, my imperfect marriage, feelings of loneliness, not feeling loved, boredom, lack of self worth were a few of the things on the top of my list. Unfortunately, it was a very long list.<br /><br />Then it hit me, I can't fix all this stuff. I can work on some of these things, but I can't fix them overnight. Some of these things I'll never be able to fix.<br /><br />The bottom line is that I'll always have issues in my life. The trick is to not use these issues as an excuse for my overeating. Therefore, no more excuses.<br /><br /><strong>Weight Watchers</strong><br />My meeting rocked today! I LOVE my leader, Janis. She is funny, informative, supportive, sweet, honest and a wonderful person. Every time I go to one of her meetings I leave inspired.<br /><br />Here's my weighin for today, the first for 2010. This is up 4.0 pounds from my last official weighin on 11/19/2009. I'm not going to dwell on my past mistakes. What's happened has happened. It's time to move and start fresh.<br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsv74aRK99l4Qe-vJRjzUxujmzk0xCSudGlzEi8NMA3Z_D7XalM731k4Zv1E7wKpUBkFPBCHNCWaHFaqIlZAK3fa0TxlhbsDge1VVfWUzBTskdE_GFQOygrw44GDUQgi1-984tGg-jjYQ6/s1600-h/ww+09JAN10.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424953601943338946" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsv74aRK99l4Qe-vJRjzUxujmzk0xCSudGlzEi8NMA3Z_D7XalM731k4Zv1E7wKpUBkFPBCHNCWaHFaqIlZAK3fa0TxlhbsDge1VVfWUzBTskdE_GFQOygrw44GDUQgi1-984tGg-jjYQ6/s400/ww+09JAN10.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 188px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br />The meeting today focused on tracking our food. I've been extremely lax about this for the last several months. Almost everyone in the meeting (which was packed with newcomers) agreed to track for this entire week, myself included.<br /><br />The second task was to set a goal weight for February 20, 2010. That's six weeks from today. My goal is to lose 10 pounds in six weeks, or 1.7 pounds per week. I'll weigh 170.4 on February 20. I'm adding a countdown on the right sidebar with today's weight and my weighin each Saturday. I feel more determined than I have in months.<br /><br /><strong>Yoga</strong><br />I'm starting yoga on Tueday night. One of my girlfriends is really into yoga. In fact, she's retiring in a couple years and going to yoga instructor school. Her plan is to teach yoga during her retirement.<br /><br />I tried hot yoga the summer of 2008. I hated it! I loved the yoga moves, but couldn't stand the heat. My friend promised me I'll love the class she goes to, she said there's a lot of "chanting" and to keep an open mind about it. She says it's changed her life. :)<br /><br />It's called Kundalini Yoga - “The Yoga of Awareness" uses movement, breathwork, mantra and meditation to help relax and heal the body and mind.<br /><br />I'll still be going to the gym in the mornings. I don't really consider yoga "exercise". It's more for the mind.<br /><strong><br />The end of overeating</strong><br />I'm still reading this book and the jury is still out. It talks about setting up rules to follow to control your overeating. This is what I read last night right before I fell asleep, page 191/192:<br /><br />"Rules aren't the same thing as willpower. Willpower pits the force of reinforcing stimuli against your determination to resist, a clash of titans that can become very uncomfortable."<br /><br />Then it talks about the difference between using willpower to resist food and having a rule.<br /><br />"If you develop a rule, that will allow you to better inhibit the behavior, because you'll have a context that provides some kind of reason for inhibiting in the first place. A rule makes explicit the negative consequences of giving in to your impulses and the positive consequence of not giving in. Without any kind of context or motivation, there's really no reason that you would inhibit the response of wanting it."<br /><br />I don't know if this is really all that helpful. It kind of sounds like a bunch of mumbo jumbo. However, it was so boring I did fall asleep and not eat. So I guess you could say the book is helping me.<br /></p>

No more excuses

This was kind of a funny/sad sign I saw at the gas station this morning. Notice the poor guy in the contest looks like he needs to lose a fe...

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Kelly - Pounds for the Prom

There's a new blogger I started following recently. Her name is Kelly and her blog is <a href="http://poundsforprom.blogspot.com/" target="blank">Pounds for the Prom</a>.<br /><br />Kelly started her journey December 1, 2009, and she's on the Weight Watchers plan. From the title of her blog you've probably already guessed, she's still in high school and living at home. Some of her problems with losing weight are unique to her age and living situation, yet some of them are exactly the same as the rest of us.<br /><br />Stop by her blog and say hello. Just like the rest of us, Kelly needs all the encouragement she can get. :)<br /><br />I'll post later today with my official Weight Watcher weighin. The first for 2010.

Kelly - Pounds for the Prom

There's a new blogger I started following recently. Her name is Kelly and her blog is Pounds for the Prom . Kelly started her journey De...

Read more »