News for today's 2018

For me, really?!

9:16 PM Tukiyooo 0

I love <a href="http://wwbruise.blogspot.com/" target="blank">Amber</a>. She's sweet, kind, supportive and has a really quirky sense of humor that makes me laugh out loud on a daily basis. I consider her one of my best blogger friends. So why did she do this to me? Award me the Beautiful Blogger award. I kind of don't like awards, because they make me feel like a dork. I don't feel good enough or smart enough or interesting enough to get an award. I don't feel worthy. That's why I usually pretend I don't see them when someone gives me one. I know, that's kind of rude of me. I mean, someone thinks they're doing a nice thing, then I ignore it. So in my efforts to be a nicer person this year, I'm accepting this award from Amber. Thank you Amber. I think you're a beautiful blogger too! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0dmqvjAmxuIA9sRgk9RukS1h8gIIQmqKAn6K5adh3XbZYS3BcUnE_Q-mTvD-hJTZvhpOwJLBXWP9KB47F7AXII_aHitigF8spzEZrLsCZ8H-K0rfnhzEycqh5ZXsNGyz7YH-ueGQxfEMO/s1600-h/Beautiful_Blogger_Award.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426090068497613506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0dmqvjAmxuIA9sRgk9RukS1h8gIIQmqKAn6K5adh3XbZYS3BcUnE_Q-mTvD-hJTZvhpOwJLBXWP9KB47F7AXII_aHitigF8spzEZrLsCZ8H-K0rfnhzEycqh5ZXsNGyz7YH-ueGQxfEMO/s400/Beautiful_Blogger_Award.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 179px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 179px; CURSOR: hand" /></a> Of course, there's always a condition with these awards. Something you have to do, in this case, I'm suppose to tell seven things about myself. That right there almost caused me to ignore this award. I read Amber's list and thought Dang! She's so fascinating and interesting. What am I going to say about myself that anyone would ever want to read? I pretty much spill my guts on here on a daily basis. There's really not much you don't already know about me. So I'm doing something different. Instead of seven boring facts about me, how about what I've learned about losing weight (and of lot of it I learned this last week...believe it or not). 1. Buying a weight loss self-help book isn't going to help me lose weight. Buying a weight loss self-help book and just reading it isn't going to help me lose weight. Buying a weight loss self-help book, reading it, studying it and actually doing what they suggest will help me lose weight. 2. It's not necessary to work out two hours a day, seven days a week. In fact, it's a little insane. I can work out five days a week, one hour a day and still lose weight. 3. As a woman, I need to be careful when I lift weights. It really isn't necessary to lift two 25-pound dumbbells over my head 24 times (three sets of eight). I can and have hurt myself. On the other hand, lifting 5-pound dumbbells is a waste of time. Heavier is better, too heavy is bad. 4. The Weight Watcher Healthy Eating Guidelines will help me lose weight if I follow them. They won't help me lose weight if I just think about them and are afraid to "waste" Points on things like healthy oil and milk. I need to just "waste" the Points because it will help me lose weight. 5. I can say 'no' to myself. I can tell myself to shut up. I can tell myself to not think about certain things and redirect my thoughts. I can listen to myself and follow my own advice. (who knew?!) 6. I will not starve to death if I go to bed slightly hungry. 7. I will not gain weight if I eat a healthy low-Point snack at 11pm and then go to sleep. In fact, I will avert a binge and actually lose weight. 8. Attending Weight Watcher meetings is not optional. Tracking my food is not optional. 9. Food will give me only momentary satisfaction. Then I'll want more food and even more. It's just food. It isn't love or comfort or entertainment. It won't make me happy, except maybe for a brief moment...then it will make me sad. It won't solve any of the problems in my life. 10. I have to believe in myself, believe that I can lose weight permanently. No one can "fix" me except for me. It's my life, my body, my choice. I can't blame anyone else for the food I eat. No one is holding a gun to my head and making me eat. Ultimately, it really is all up to me. Now for my chosen 7 (I actually could have come up with 70---I read a lot of blogs and love them all!). 1. <a href="http://tonysdietlog.blogspot.com/" target="blank">Tony the Pink Panda</a> 2. <a href="http://bbubblyb.blogspot.com/" target="blank">Dawn</a> 3. <a href="http://poundsforprom.blogspot.com/" target="blank">Kelly!</a> 4. <a href="http://mepschronicles.blogspot.com/" target="blank">Mary</a> 5. <a href="http://gravelandrust.blogspot.com/" target="blank">Roxie</a> 6. <a href="http://doingaone-eighty.blogspot.com/" target="blank">Helen</a> 7. <a href="http://losingmyself2.blogspot.com/" target="blank">Ida</a> 8. <a href="http://thinfor30.blogspot.com/" target="blank">Sarah</a> 9. <a href="http://ronmichel.blogspot.com/" target="blank">Ron</a> 10. <a href="http://55aliveandlosingit.blogspot.com/" target="blank">Graciela</a> I know, there are more than seven. If I had the time, there would be even more.

For me, really?!

I love Amber . She's sweet, kind, supportive and has a really quirky sense of humor that makes me laugh out loud on a daily basis. I con...

Still on fire

10:17 PM Tukiyooo 0

It's 10:18pm. I'm just about ready to go to bed and sleep. Tomorrow I have my workout in the morning, work all day, and then Kundalini yoga at night . I almost hesitate to write about not binging. It's like I'm afraid I'm going to jinx myself and totally screw up. I can't remember the last time I was "clean and sober" for four straight days. Although even if I do mess up, I know it'll be okay. "The end of overeating" Chapter 44, Avoiding Traps: On obsession and Relapse (page 231) "Some people find it especially hard to stay in control when they are the highest end of their weight spectrum--at that point, the goal of a weight loss may just seem too remote to be achieved. For others, the greatest challenge comes after reaching their, when they recognize that their struggle will never be completely over and that the battle with conditioned hypereating is lifelong. Accepting those realities helps to keep you vigilant. Keeping relapse at bay is not about being strong enough to beat the temptation of eating stimulating food, but about being smart enough to deal with it." When I was 240 pounds I just couldn't seem to get my head in the right place to actually try to lose weight. I'd think about it every day, sometimes every waking moment of every day. I remember how difficult it was to even start trying to lose weight. When I finally did get thisclose to my goal weight, I wasn't vigilant. I wasn't being smart on how I handled the "cue-urge-reward" habit cycle. I have tools now, I'm ready for it if my brain tries to take me to places I don't want to go. I'm right on with the tracking ALL my food (four days!), trying my best to meet the Good Health Guidelines (Lord help with this one, it's almost impossible!). In other words, I'm on fire! Food, Inc. We watched Food, Inc. last night. Actually, my husband watched it. I had to go into a different room halfway through the movie. I was so incredibly angry watching it that it made me intensely uncomfortable, mentally and physically. I'm not going to review the Food, Inc. since I'm sure there are hundreds of great reviews out there already. Most people have probably already seen it. If you haven't seen it, I strongly advise you to watch it. There's a lot of very horrifying information about the food industry and our food chain. I had already read a lot about this in Michael Pollan's book, "The Omnivore's Dilemma". Seeing the visuals that the book is based upon literally made me nauseous. If you see this movie, you'll never look at your food the same again. Great educational movie but highly disturbing. Update at 5:15am Tuesday, 1/12: I made it through the night without binging. It's 5:15am and just getting ready to head out to the gym. I didn't even have a snack last night and only 21 Points all day. I didn't have to fight myself over wanting to eat. It's such a weird feeling not to have that huge fear of overeating. It's like a giant weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Today is day five. :)

Still on fire

It's 10:18pm. I'm just about ready to go to bed and sleep. Tomorrow I have my workout in the morning, work all day, and then Kundali...

Just say no!

9:08 PM Tukiyooo 0

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY94aTE5Yu3Mw-8WFm3wmuikQtp4O_hzRjjFPaXWUOJETXRBSzuVV346eKiqG_mvSttqOkQ2KD8gKqAbJZApugOR_xDkHNwn0OawX1OwX-7oWwc8Nigu_aCcjOnp6outFwRLM0sMchqV-j/s1600-h/just+say+no.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425346838732911250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY94aTE5Yu3Mw-8WFm3wmuikQtp4O_hzRjjFPaXWUOJETXRBSzuVV346eKiqG_mvSttqOkQ2KD8gKqAbJZApugOR_xDkHNwn0OawX1OwX-7oWwc8Nigu_aCcjOnp6outFwRLM0sMchqV-j/s400/just+say+no.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 220px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 215px; CURSOR: hand" /></a> Tonight I tried some cognitive behavioral therapy on myself. I'm surprised how well it worked. Earlier tonight I had eaten a nice dinner of a chicken breast with spicy barbecue sauce, roasted Brussels sprouts with olive oil and sea salt (my favorite), and a cup of milk (I'm really working on trying to get the Healthy Eight). I have a planned snack for later of fresh pineapple and yogurt. My plan is to eat this snack at 11pm, my normal bewitching hour, but only if I'm hungry. I want to be prepared to stop a binge if all my resolve falls apart. I've had two good nights, I'm going for three. After dinner I was reading some blogs and saw someone had a Kashi granola bar for a snack. It reminded me of the nut & fruit bars we bought a few months ago at Costco. They're mostly nuts and seeds, with a little dried fruit. They're delicious but very high in calories and fat (6 Points each). Earlier today I saw my husband eating one. I remembered how good they tasted. I was leaving for the gym and didn't give it another thought. Until I read about the blogger's Kashi bar. My mind immediately started thinking about the nut & fruit bars, how good they tasted. I thought one would really be good right now. It would kind of be like a dessert since they're a little sweet, and I love nuts. I thought maybe I'll have one. Forget about trying to lose weight, I feel like having one right now. Then I remembered reading this in "The end of overeating" (pg. 182): "Effective intervention draws us away from the conditioning power of a stimulus before it triggers its usual response. It reminds us that it's possible to say no. Intervention begins with knowledge that we have a moment of choice--but only a moment--to recognize what is about to happen and do something else instead. The cornerstone of treatment for conditioned hypereating is developing the capacity to refuse the cue's invitation to the brain in the first place. That refusal must come early, and it must be definitive. It's only at the very beginning, when the invitation arises that you have any control over it. At that point it's still possible to turn away from the stimulus. Once we get started, a cascade of events--stimulation, response, and more stimulation--is likely to drive behavior." I immediately told myself NO! I'm not screwing up my entire day by eating one of those stupid nut & fruit bars. I don't have the available Points, I don't even like them that much anyway, and I'm not even hungry. I just had dinner. I told myself to stop thinking about it because I wasn't going to happen. I refused the cue, the mental stimuli I had in my head. Instead I had a glass of ice water. Easy to do? Not totally. Impossible? Of course not. I really believe we can retrain ourselves to react differently to food stimuli. The trick is that we have to make a conscious effort to do this. We can't waver, keep thinking about the food, should I eat it, should I not? Just like we'd be assertive with someone that wanted to do something harmful to us, to hurt us, we need to be assertive with ourselves. Shut down the thought process immediately. If it's not something you planned on eating and you don't have the Points for it, think about something else. The immediate and temporary gratification isn't worth it. Just say no to yourself.

Just say no!

Tonight I tried some cognitive behavioral therapy on myself. I'm surprised how well it worked. Earlier tonight I had eaten a nice dinner...

Why Me Lord?

5:22 PM Tukiyooo 0

We had a special service at St. Luke’s today. Instead of the usual Sunday morning liturgy, we used Burial Rite 2 to celebrate the life of Anthony Grino, a leader of Bibak, the Igarot Filipino cultural organization, and the patriarch of that wonderful congregation. The junior warden and members of Anthony’s family gave eulogies. Then Fr. Jeff Adiego (St. Matthew’s) told about his giving last rites to Anthony. Fr. Jeff described how Anthony was completely unresponsive, unable to speak or move. But after the rest of the rite had been performed, Fr. Jeff knelt down to where Anthony could see him without lifting his head, then read the Prologue to John’s Gospel and said, “Anthony do you believe what I just read?” Anthony responded with a strong “I do” – and thereafter did not speak again. After the service we went downstairs for a reception. At my previous visits, we have had drumming and Filipino folk dancing. But this was different. There was a music group of four members of the congregation. The lead singer played guitar with a lot of body movement. He wore a frock length sports coat. Another singer had a Mandalay Bay jacket. The first song was a gospel classic: O Lord you know I have no friend like you. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue. The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore. The second song was “Why Me Lord?” Remember Kris Krisofferson. Lord help me Jesus I’ve wasted it So help me Jesus I know what I am Now that I know that I’ve needed you so Help me Jesus my soul’s in your hand. That’s my religion and I am grateful to these good Christians for holding it up for me to see and hear. I feel so blessed by our people.

Why Me Lord?

We had a special service at St. Luke’s today. Instead of the usual Sunday morning liturgy, we used Burial Rite 2 to celebrate the life of An...

Another night of freedom

1:53 PM Tukiyooo 0

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjawiSJMW9ziFcwcKgYghjxdHTOhAfbrgay3TR5tNPfqCHhDgEOxIVEzvTzlZgThU0cVmFshpS5b0t1p6blNxXXCgq2mOwUXg4WS8HiLjDK9VE1GZXkt331oQVpTE15doWC7oTD_zMw8tXy/s1600-h/cookie+monster.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425224923539507490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjawiSJMW9ziFcwcKgYghjxdHTOhAfbrgay3TR5tNPfqCHhDgEOxIVEzvTzlZgThU0cVmFshpS5b0t1p6blNxXXCgq2mOwUXg4WS8HiLjDK9VE1GZXkt331oQVpTE15doWC7oTD_zMw8tXy/s400/cookie+monster.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 282px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" /></a> <div>I'm talking about freedom from the binge monster. I made it through another night without going crazy on food. Two nights in a row. I feel stronger than I've felt in months. Last night I used the tip to have a preplanned snack. I knew I wasn't going to be tired enough to go to bed early and actually sleep, so I allowed for a three-Point snack at 11pm. It was a really simple snack but very filling. One orange, 1/2 of a small apple, one container of Light Vanilla Activia yogurt and 1/2 cup Fiber One (which I haven't eaten in months). I ate my planned snack at 11pm with a big glass of ice water, while I was reading "The end of overeating." It completely satisfied my urge to eat. My total Points for yesterday was 24.5, and I tracked every bite. I'm allowed 22 a day, plus the 35 weeklies (and activity Points which I try not to use, but will if I feel like I really need them). I also managed to get in most of my Healthy Eight, first time in months that I even tried. The end of overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite by David A. Kessler, Md I recommend this book. I didn't start with Part One, Sugar, Fat, Salt. I also skipped over Part Two, The Food Industry. I already know that sugar, fat and salt are bad for me, and that the food industry is out to get us. I've read the Omnivore's Dilemma, I know what's going on with the food industry, although I did skim this section and he had some new information that was even more disheartening. The heart of the book for me are the following: Part Three - Conditioned Hypereating Emerges; Part Four - The Theory of Treatment; Part Five - Food Rehab and Part Six - The End of Overeating. A lot of what this book is about is basically a lot of what we're taught in Weight Watchers. Mental rehearsing, food isn't love, cognitive behavioral changes, but Dr. Kessler goes into a lot more depth and research, and offers some new ideas on how to stop hypereating. I was particularly interested in how part of the population has issues with Conditioned Hypereating. When eating actually becomes dangerous to us and the culture of overeating. His theory on "cue - urge - reward -habit cycle" makes sense. I'll expand on both of these in future posts. I'll leave you with my favorite paragraph, Chapter 48: Fighting Back (page 245). "If they could, many food companies would likely be satisfied with making conditioned hypereaters out of all of us so they could sell more product. Yet the power to resist ultimately rests with us. While a combination of human biology, personal experience, and a determined industry may explain why we overeat, we still have the ability to make choices about whether we allow this triumvirate to dominate our behavior. The fact that the industry helps create this problem, and takes advantage of it, doesn't render us helpless." Touché. </div>

Another night of freedom

I'm talking about freedom from the binge monster. I made it through another night without going crazy on food. Two nights in a row. I fe...

Planning de la semaine du 11 au 15 janvier 2010

12:37 AM Anonymous 0

<h2>Permanences </h2><ul> <li>Le Conseil Général du Loiret sera présent dans les locaux de la Maison de l'Emploi du bassin d'Orléans - le lundi 11 janvier de 9h à 12h30 - le mardi 12 janvier de 9h à 12h30 et de 13h30 à 17h, - le mercredi 13 janvier de 13h30 à 17h - le jeudi 14 janvier de 13h30 à 17h - le vendredi 15 janvier de 13h30 à 17h <li><a href="http://www.egee.asso.fr/" target="_blank">EGEE</a> - lundi 11 janvier de 13h30 à 17h <li><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2007/11/boutique-de-gestion.html">Boutique de gestion</a> - vendredi 15 janvier de 09h à 12h30</li></ul> <h2>Ateliers </h2> <ul><li><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2009/12/ateliers-cv-lettre-de-motivation.html">CV</a> - mardi 12 janvier de 9h à 12h30 et mercredi 13 janvier de 13h30 à 17h <li><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2009/12/ateliers-cv-lettre-de-motivation.html">Lettre de Motivation</a> - mardi 12 janvier de 13h30 à 17h <li><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2009/12/ateliers-cv-lettre-de-motivation.html">Préparation à l'entretien</a> - jeudi 14 janvier de 13h30 à 17h <li>Pôle-emploi.fr - vendredi 15 janvier de 10h à 11h30 <li><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2009/07/atelier-situtilises-tu-trouves.html">Sit'Utilises tu trouves</a> - vendredi 15 janvier de 14h à 16h</ul>

Planning de la semaine du 11 au 15 janvier 2010

Permanences Le Conseil Général du Loiret sera présent dans les locaux de la Maison de l'Emploi du bassin d'Orléans - le lundi 11 ja...

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

8:45 PM Anonymous 0

<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> </div> 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." 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. To get you started, here are nine examples of gym etiquette that hold true at work: Gym rule No. 1: Don't drop the weights. Work equivalent: Don't tell everyone how stressed you are. Why? Dropped weights can get damaged or even break, plus the floor gets torn up. If you need assistance, get a spotter. 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. Gym rule No. 2: Keep a log. Work equivalent: Record your accomplishments. 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. 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. Gym rule No. 3: Arrive to class on time. Work equivalent: Don't be late to meetings (or other events). 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. 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. Gym rule No. 4: Don't hog the equipment. Work equivalent: Be considerate of your colleagues. 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. 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. Gym rule No. 5: Change up the routine. Work equivalent: Broaden your skill set. 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. 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. Gym rule No. 6: Wipe down the equipment. Work equivalent: Maintain good relationships. Why? Do you want to use a weight bench if you see a big pool of sweat? No, because it's gross. 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. Gym rule No. 7: Use a spotter. Work equivalent: Know when to ask for help. 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. 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." Gym rule No. 8. Know your goals. Work equivalent: Know what you're working toward. 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. 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. Gym rule No. 9: Don't wear stinky clothes or your junior-high gym shorts. Work equivalent: Appearance matters. 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.) 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. <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...

No more excuses

7:47 PM Tukiyooo 0

<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. 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! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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. 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. 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. 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." 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. 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. 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. Weight Watchers 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. 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. <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> 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. 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. Yoga 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. 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. :) It's called Kundalini Yoga - “The Yoga of Awareness" uses movement, breathwork, mantra and meditation to help relax and heal the body and mind. I'll still be going to the gym in the mornings. I don't really consider yoga "exercise". It's more for the mind. The end of overeating 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: "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." Then it talks about the difference between using willpower to resist food and having a rule. "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." 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.

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...

Kelly - Pounds for the Prom

9:58 AM Tukiyooo 0

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...

180.2

10:53 AM Tukiyooo 0

Argh! 180.2...really???? What can I say other than I'm a dismal failure at this weight loss stuff. Instead of losing weight this week, the first week of the new year, I gained 3.8 pounds! That's just the weigh in on my home scales, tomorrow at 7am is Weight Watchers. Since I'll actually have clothes on when I weigh in it'll be even more (unless I amputate an arm tonight and trust me, I'm tempted!). I'm perfect every day, all day until about 11pm. Then it's like I lose my ever-lovin' mind! All sense of what's important to me disappears into thin air. I even hear myself saying that I just don't care damnit! I'm hungry! And then I proceed to stuff my fat little face with an abundance of healthy food. A banana, broiled chicken, low-fat graham crackers and non-fat milk was my feast last night at 11pm. Not even fun food. All the self-help books' advice, all the weight loss bloggers' advice, all my own knowledge of overeating and weight loss seems to just evaporate into thin air. I'm majorly frustrated with myself right now. 180.2. Yes, kind of hating myself right now.

180.2

Argh ! 180.2...really???? What can I say other than I'm a dismal failure at this weight loss stuff. Instead of losing weight this week, ...

Physical Contact at Work: What Are The Boundaries?

5:41 AM Anonymous 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://emj.icbdr.com/artieimages/wq/ar5c5qh6bplsn5b6y7wq.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/wq/ar5c5qh6bplsn5b6y7wq.gif" /></a> </div>When most people think about physical contact with a co-worker, their first thought is about sexual harassment. While most workers know the rules about inappropriate or offensive touching in the workplace, many people don't think twice about other forms of physical contact with co-workers like handshakes or pats on the back. "The truth is that workers have very different levels of tolerance for physical contact of any type," says Amy Epstein Feldman, general counsel of the Judge Group Inc., a Pennsylvania-based consulting and staffing firm, and author of "So Sue Me, Jackass!" "In fact, because a person's individual sensitivities and need for personal space varies so widely, inappropriate touching -- from a happy slap on the back to a welcoming kiss on the cheek to an angry pointed finger in someone's chest -- are all the subject of complaints to management." Why should you care? Aside from the fact that you don't want to find yourself unexpectedly slapped with a sexual harassment suit, Feldman says no one wants to be typed as "creepy Bob from accounting" or "desperate Mary" who has to hug everyone who comes through the door. Read on to learn more about what is and isn't appropriate in terms of physical contact at work. Inappropriate versus appropriate Obviously, certain gestures in the workplace are unmistakably offensive or sexual, but many people don't think about other forms of physical contact that might be uncomfortable for others. People do something jokingly, for example, like reaching out and giving a "funny" slap on the behind, without thinking twice, Feldman says. "There are forms of touching that are rarely considered offensive that can be misconstrued. A boss who pokes his subordinates to illustrate a point is seen as a –bully, but the physical contact plays into the monstrous image. A pat on the back or the shoulder, [or] a two-handed handshake while looking into someone's eyes, can give a co-worker the creeps," Feldman says. "The person who is initiating the contact in no way means to be offensive, but the person being touched is often highly offended. When faced with a complaint, it seems obvious in retrospect that slapping someone's behind was a bad idea." So how does "inappropriate touching" differ from sexual harassment? Feldman says that sexual harassment is unwelcome sexual conduct in the workplace and that it comes in two forms: quid pro quo and hostile work environment. In quid pro quo, a supervisor bases your job duties on your consent to sexual acts, whereas in a hostile work environment, the workplace is permeated with jokes, gestures, pictures or offensive touching. It becomes a hostile and abusive work environment, even if the conduct is not directed at the person who is offended. "While inappropriate touching can be a component of either type of sexual harassment, you don't have to be inappropriately touched to be sexually harassed, nor have you necessarily faced sexual harassment just because you've faced inappropriate touching," Feldman says. What should I do? If you're dealing with a co-worker whose physical contact with you is bothersome, Feldman suggests being direct without being confrontational. Try a joke ("In my culture that means we're married. Don't make me take you home to meet Mama!") or a nonconfrontational statement ("I'm not a big hugger because it makes me uncomfortable"). If the offender still doesn't get it, Feldman suggests bringing it to the attention of human resources or management. Here are five boundaries Feldman says to remember the next time you want to high-five or hug your co-worker: 1. Hands off "It seems too obvious to say, but it's a lesson some still need to learn: The No. 1 rule is to keep your hands off your own or anyone else's private parts in an office. Even as a joke; even 'man-to-man.' You'd be surprised how many people think it's hilarious to reach out and grab someone. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER do that." 2. Know your audience "Any touching -- even a pat on the back -- before you know someone is too personal for strangers. So make sure that you really know your co-worker before engaging in any physical contact, even a high five." 3. Think about hygiene "Don't ever shake hands with someone in the bathroom before you've washed your hands. Don't cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze and then shake someone's hand. They don't know how to handle it. And remember that in the swine flu frenzy, a warm smile and a nice greeting ('I'm so glad to see you!') without touching might serve you better in the long run." 4. Remember than not all offensive touching is sexual -- sometimes it's just hostile "Bullies don't just exist on the playground. Poking someone in the chest while making an angry point, grabbing someone's arm or any other touching done when angry can lead to dismissal if your action is seen as physically threatening." 5. Be sensitive to others' sensitivities toward touching "Do they lean in when you go to kiss their cheek or do they grimace and move backward? Do they initiate pats on the back or is it only one-sided? You don't need people to avoid you in the hallway because they fear the dreaded 'man hug' you give." By Rachel Zupek writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues. Follow her on Twitter: http://twitter.com/CBwriterRZ. <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>

Physical Contact at Work: What Are The Boundaries?

When most people think about physical contact with a co-worker, their first thought is about sexual harassment. While most workers know the ...

On The 12th Night Of Christmas

9:43 PM Tukiyooo 0

On The 12th Night Of Christmas

On 12th Night, our mysterious benefactors capped off the season with a final gift. They left on our porch the storage box for our white plas...

And Now Mary Daly

9:39 PM Tukiyooo 0

And Now Mary Daly

So soon after the passing of Edward Schillebeecykx, we have now lost Mary Daly a pioneer feminist theologian who wrote groundbreaking books ...

Is it really a choice?

10:01 PM Tukiyooo 0

After all my "let's be positive because it's a choice" I had a really lousy day today. I woke up late, missed my morning workout, and was late to work. Then I was assign two awful projects to manage. I worked out after work and it was difficult. The extra 22 pounds feels like an extra 50 pounds, especially on the tricep pushups and chin-up assist machine. On my way home I called my husband and asked him to get rid of the cashews he bought at Costco and the four different kinds of cheeses he got for New Year's Eve. They've been calling my name every night, and I can't take it anymore. He said he'd get rid of them. When I got home after my workout you'll never guess what was in the kitchen. Pizza! Seriously Jack, are you freaking kidding me? Pizza?! I swear he wants me to be fat. Although I'm trying to be positive and optimistic, I'm just not feeling it tonight. Maybe tomorrow. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I never do these questionnaire things but a friend sent this to me so I thought what the heck, I'll do it so I can email it back to her. Then I had the bright idea to post it here so you all can get to know me a little better. Because I'm sure you're all just dying to know what color of socks I'm wearing tonight. ;) 1. What is your occupation right now? Applications Analyst / It Project Manager 2. What color are your socks right now? Blue 3. What are you listening to right now? Cobra Starship on People's Choice Awards - Hot Mess. They sound off key and kind of horrible. 4. What was the last thing that you ate? Pizza. Blame my husband. 5. Can you drive a stick shift? No 6. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Jack (my husband) 7. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yes :) 8. How old are you today? 54 9. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? Ice skating or sometimes football if it's one of my teams (Seahawks or Broncos). 10. What is your favorite drink? water 11. Have you ever dyed your hair? yes 12. Favorite food? Cheesecake 13. What is the last movie you watched? It's Complicated (loved it!) 14. Favorite day of the year? My birthday (because I get what I want that day and I always take off work) 15. How do you vent anger? Scream...seriously, I do. Probably need anger management classes or something. Unless I'm at work. Then I just walk away...then I scream. :) 16. What was your favorite toy as a child? My first bike, the brand was Firestone and it was a sparkly kelly green 17. What is your favorite season? Spring 18. Cherries or Blueberries? I love both but probably Washington Rainier cherries 19. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back? Yes 20. Who is the most likely to respond? Twila 21. Who is least likely to respond? Linda 22. Living arrangements? Married 23. When was the last time you cried? Really cried - my brother-in-law's funeral in November. Just a few tears, stupid BL show last night. 24. What is on the floor of your closet? Oh man, too much junk...Shoes/two suitcases/cat kennel/a lamp/an empty tripod box - yes I need to clean my closet. :) 25. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending to? Twila 26. What did you do last night? Watched Biggest Loser 27. What are you most afraid of? Becoming a homeless bag lady or a contestant on BL 28. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburger? cheese 29. Favorite dog breed? mutt from the Humane Society 30. Favorite day of the week? Saturday 31. How many countries have you lived in? 1 32. Diamonds or pearls? Pearls 33. What is your favorite flower? Iris 35. What is your favorite color? aqua

Is it really a choice?

After all my "let's be positive because it's a choice" I had a really lousy day today. I woke up late, missed my morning w...

Your Choice

8:26 PM Tukiyooo 0

I'd written a really negative post earlier today. It was titled "What happened to my happy?" I expressed my frustration with myself about my weight gain of 22 pounds. After reading through it tonight I decided I didn't like my attitude and tone of the post. My words made me feel worse than I already do about my weight gain. I imagined someone else reading it, how they might feel. I deleted the post before it was ever published. I really want to focus on the positive, even though it's really hard at times (especially when my pants don't fit!). Tonight is my TV night, and I'm watching The Biggest Loser. I've never actually watched an entire episode of BL. I've caught a few episodes in the past years, but it's too emotional for me. All the crying and the sad stories break my heart. No one ever says, 'gosh, I'm just thrilled I gained all this weight, my life is so much better now'. Being overweight really does suck. It's horrible. It destroys people, mentally and physically. The good thing though, there's a cure. It's called diet and exercise. Most of us have the ability to cure our fatness. It's very hard work, probably the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. Continuing on a positive note, I've been wanting to post something here. It was written by someone from my work who has retired. It's applies not only to work, but also to weight loss and life in general. I especially love the last paragraph. It's so very true. I'm not a fan of Wayne Dyer but his quotes below are pretty good. I didn't get permission to reprint this email. However, I think the author would get a kick out of it being on a weight loss blog. Your Choice I've noticed the Water Cooler is getting a bit philosophical these days. I think it's fine if people want to use this forum as a place to vent. The primary reason for the Water Cooler is to provide a place to anonymously ask a question. When there is a question, I will do my best to answer it. I think all of us are vulnerable to getting 'down', perhaps some more than others. I admire the eternal optimists and I really try to be one. I vividly remember the presidential election of 1980. The year before, Jimmy Carter, who some have said was one of the smartest men to ever hold the office, gave a nationally-televised address in which he identified what he believed to be a "crisis of confidence" among the American people. This became known as his "malaise speech" and it characterized his leadership for me. His despair was contagious and it was reinforced by recent memory of the Vietnam war and by current gas lines. The year 1979 got even gloomier when Iran captured and held 52 American citizens hostage and a military action to free them ended in disaster. There was a lot of negativity in the air and of course the press seemed to be amplifying it to the maximum extent. In 1980, President-elect Reagan, on the night of his landslide victory, met the press with a smile and his jaunty manor and when asked what he thought of the state of the nation and our future, he reply was something like "I'm confident and excited about our future". To me it was tremendously refreshing to hear leadership in a positive direction. In his inaugural address he said "facing our challenges ... does require, however, our best effort, and our willingness to believe in ourselves and to believe in our capacity to perform great deeds..." Now some have said Reagan wasn't capable of knowing how bad things really were, but I disagree. My sense was, instead of choosing despair he chose to be optimistic and to give the nation reason to feel confident. And it was contagious. There are a range of opinions about the Reagan years but even most of his harshest critics would agree that his optimism never faltered and his ability to communicate that optimism was legendary. I don't want to sound preachy here because I sometimes need to pull myself up by my bootstraps and do an attitude check. Many years ago I heard a tape of a presentation by Wayne Dyer, the popular psychologist. One thing that stuck with me was his comment; "Our lives are a sum total of the choices we make". Your team, this division, this company, this nation, and this world will never be perfect. You can choose to spend your time pointing that out, or you can choose to spend your time to make things better and to inspire those around you. Both choices are contagious. Three more Dyer quotes: Everything is perfect in the universe - even your desire to improve it. There's nothing wrong with anger provided you use it constructively. If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.

Your Choice

I'd written a really negative post earlier today. It was titled "What happened to my happy?" I expressed my frustration with m...

What you think, is true.

7:50 PM Tukiyooo 0

In the recent Weight Watcher magazine there's a success story about a woman that has lost 159 pounds. Her yoga instructor's mantra is "What you think, is true." I love this saying, and I completely agree with it. If we think we're a big, fat slob, a failure at weight loss and that we'll always be fat and even if we lose the weight, we'll probably gain it back, then it's true. I'm a firm believer in the power of positive thinking. By believing in myself I can make things happen, things like losing weight and maintaining the loss. No talk about "it's too hard" or "I'm tired of this." or heaven forbid "I want to quit!". That will get me nowhere except back to weighing in at 240 pounds. I've gained 22 pounds since February 2009 to now (ten months). I was 154.6 for a brief moment on February 17, 2009. Am I sad about screwing up and basically wasting the last year? Hell yes! Am I going to do something about it? Double hell yes! Weight Watchers There's a 10-week Momentum challenge starting this week at Weight Watchers. I missed my meeting Saturday (I had numerous excuses, all of them bad). I'm going to a lunch meeting this Wednesday. I'll have my official post-holiday weighin and start the challenge. Looking at my last official weighin I was 176.4 on November 19. I think I'm still pretty close to that. That's not really a great thing, but at least I didn't gain anything over the holidays. If you have access to the Weight Watcher website, here's a link to the<a href="http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=65221" target="blank"> New Year, New Resolve Challenge Week 1</a>. It looks interesting and even a little fun. Book: The end to overeating I'm still reading it, and I'm in the Rehab section. I'm working on a couple of the behavioral changes. Stay tuned for more on this book. I still think the premise is good and it makes sense. It's the "doing it" part that's difficult (isn't that always the case?). Exercise of the day <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg42_pR-cPYEPfXeGo80dwi0pf6LjRNHlhQcqQKyXV9rVuL2VgvSqzL2SzDOKORB34r_yqT1J7oo1BivA18GTdZUzv4wy4yzg9m5dxgi-zmxo4v_KNmyLcEG_flA2_cAW8w5vvoB4FNQDsY/s1600-h/Smith+machine.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423131097191542770" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg42_pR-cPYEPfXeGo80dwi0pf6LjRNHlhQcqQKyXV9rVuL2VgvSqzL2SzDOKORB34r_yqT1J7oo1BivA18GTdZUzv4wy4yzg9m5dxgi-zmxo4v_KNmyLcEG_flA2_cAW8w5vvoB4FNQDsY/s400/Smith+machine.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 375px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 314px; CURSOR: hand" /></a> I hate lunges. Like really, really hate them. They hurt like heck, and I feel like I'm going to fall over when I do them. I'm so worried about making a fool of myself that I mainly focus on my balance, not really working my butt and thigh muscles. Now I use the Smith machine with two 25-pound plates, so I'm lunging with 50 pounds. It's difficult but with the machine I can focus on my form and not worry about falling over. Check out this instructional <a href="http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to/video/how-to-do-smith-machine-lunges-6069/view/" target="blank">video</a> for the Smith Machine Lunge. If it comes up with a start button, just click it. Don't worry about the gender/height thing. Picture of the day My assistant while taking down the tree on Sunday. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ohaSJij2tVQ0eHqKhsh4to58Nc9JwmWMRXggSTGyJIYcOKzvbawhJ7op5-GQ5lbpZIsvVJY6yIVy_boNy8Tla8YXwWyg4X39-ZUWfFYmHnoD8Afc0qeBHqe6AXSjU35gvUdSuRYVpxPj/s1600-h/ChristmasTree.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423113443282907970" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ohaSJij2tVQ0eHqKhsh4to58Nc9JwmWMRXggSTGyJIYcOKzvbawhJ7op5-GQ5lbpZIsvVJY6yIVy_boNy8Tla8YXwWyg4X39-ZUWfFYmHnoD8Afc0qeBHqe6AXSjU35gvUdSuRYVpxPj/s400/ChristmasTree.JPG" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" /></a> Current favorite workout song Hot Mess by Cobra Starship Sorry <a href="http://wwbruise.blogspot.com/" target="blank">Amber</a>! I'm sure this will insult your ears. The official video is kind of disgusting, but it's a great workout song. <object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9uC39y-0Gks&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9uC39y-0Gks&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

What you think, is true.

In the recent Weight Watcher magazine there's a success story about a woman that has lost 159 pounds. Her yoga instructor's mantra i...

Mise à jour au 1er janvier 2010 des "Chiffres sociaux utiles"

2:23 AM Anonymous 0

Le 1er janvier 2010, le salaire minimum interprofessionnel de croissance (Smic) a été revalorisé de 0,5%. Par ailleurs, le revenu de solidarité active (rSa) et l'allocation de solidarité spécifique (ASS) ont également été revalorisés. <a title="View MDE chiffres sociaux 012010 on Scribd" href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/24749606/MDE-chiffres-sociaux-012010" style="margin: 12px auto 6px auto; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none; display: block; text-decoration: underline;">MDE chiffres sociaux 012010</a> <object align="middle" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" height="500" id="doc_620042389103832" name="doc_620042389103832" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=24749606&access_key=key-im51f5qo40iy2oylioy&page=1&version=1&viewMode=list"> <param name="quality" value="high"> <param name="play" value="true"> <param name="loop" value="true"> <param name="scale" value="showall"> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"> <param name="devicefont" value="false"> <param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff"> <param name="menu" value="true"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"> <param name="salign" value=""> <param name="mode" value="list"> <embed src="http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=24749606&access_key=key-im51f5qo40iy2oylioy&page=1&version=1&viewMode=list" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" play="true" loop="true" scale="showall" wmode="opaque" devicefont="false" bgcolor="#ffffff" name="doc_620042389103832_object" menu="true" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" salign="" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" align="middle" mode="list" height="500" width="100%"></embed> </object>

Mise à jour au 1er janvier 2010 des "Chiffres sociaux utiles"

Le 1er janvier 2010, le salaire minimum interprofessionnel de croissance (Smic) a été revalorisé de 0,5%. Par ailleurs, le revenu de solidar...

Suck Up To Your Boss Without Being Obvious

7:23 AM Anonymous 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://emj.icbdr.com/artieimages/dt/ar5b8f66rrpgj20zrqdt.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/dt/ar5b8f66rrpgj20zrqdt.gif" /></a> </div> Every office has the resident boss's pet, the worker who is all too happy to fawn over the manager's idea, no matter how bad it is. Everyone sees through the act. It's merely a way to stay in the boss's good graces and hopefully earn some preferential treatment. No one likes this person. Sometimes not even the boss. Sometimes the boss does savor the attention and rewards it. You sit by while attention, promotions and other perks get handed out to the employee most willing to suck up. If you're not the kind of worker who is willing to wear a fake smile every moment of the day, you can still make a good impression on the boss. You'll earn the right kind of recognition from your boss and maybe your co-workers. First, here are the wrong ways to suck up: · You are not 007 Your boss can't be everywhere all the time, and when she's not looking, employees are bound to slack off or air some grievances. That's OK. You don't need to sleuth on her behalf and report. Not only will you lose the trust of your co-workers, but your boss won't be impressed with your duplicity. · "Is it me or are you getting younger by the day?" Who doesn't appreciate flattery? People who can sense false flattery, that's who. Compliments don't matter when they're handed out too frequently, because the recipient begins to question your authenticity. Reserve your praise for situations when your boss truly dazzles you and your words will mean something to him. · Smothering your boss No matter how much you want to impress your boss, don't monopolize her time. E-mails, pop-ins, reports, meetings -- give her some rest. The way to impress her is to do a good job. Annoying her won't earn praise. · "LOL You're hilarious!" Your boss is probably a nice, great person. He might even be funny. Chances are he's not a laugh riot. It's OK to chuckle politely when a joke falls flat, but don't overcompensate. Nothing screams "I'm a big phony!" like someone who sounds like a 1950s studio audience. · "Do you ever have a bad idea?" You might not realize that your boss looks to you, her employees, for all kinds of support. She doesn't want to always hear a chorus of "Yes, I completely agree with you" every time she proposes a new idea. Tactful, honest feedback, even when you're disagreeing with the boss, is appreciated and can get new ideas rolling. And here are the right ways to do it: · Be a clock watcher No, not the kind who can't wait to leave work – the kind of clock watcher who cares about being on time. Arrive on time or early in the morning. Don't be tardy to meetings. Don't leave 20 minutes early every afternoon. Show your boss that you're not looking for any opportunity to ditch work. · "Go, team, go!" Sure, don't pretend that every idea the boss has is genius, but do give kudos to the ones that are. Give due credit to the boss even if her idea is just a steppingstone for a bigger idea that you have. It shows you recognize others' accomplishments and that you're interesting in maintaining good relationships with your team. · Cover your ears Gossip is part of the workplace, and you can't escape it. You can, however, refuse to participate in it. Ignore what you hear and don't repeat it to others. In fact, if you hear something that is false or that can be easily addressed, suggest to the gossiper that he or she discuss the situation with the boss. You might not get credit for being a problem solver, but resisting the temptation to engage in gossip makes for a better workplace for everyone. · "Here's what I think." Sometimes bosses aren't as in tune with their employees as they think they are. Meanwhile, you might know exactly what's going on at work because you work more closely with your colleagues. You can tell the boss, "Listen, although you envisioned ABC happening, XYZ is really what's taking place." Because you have a better perspective, you can explain why things aren't working and possibly give your own suggestions. As long as you demonstrate that you're keeping him informed and not trying to do his job or tattle about your co-workers, your honesty will be appreciated. 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. <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>

Suck Up To Your Boss Without Being Obvious

Every office has the resident boss's pet, the worker who is all too happy to fawn over the manager's idea, no matter how bad it is. ...

Planning de la semaine du 04 au 08 janvier 2010

2:17 AM Anonymous 0

<h2>Permanences </h2><ul> <li>Le Conseil Général du Loiret sera présent dans les locaux de la Maison de l'Emploi du bassin d'Orléans - le lundi 04 janvier de 9h à 12h30 - le mardi 05 janvier de 9h à 12h30 et de 13h30 à 17h, - le mercredi 06 janvier de 13h30 à 17h - le jeudi 07 janvier de 13h30 à 17h - le vendredi 08 janvier de 13h30 à 17h <li><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2007/11/solidarits-nouvelles-face-au-chmage.html">Solidarités Nouvelles face au Chômage</a> - mercredi 06 janvier de 10h à 12h30 <li><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2009/12/droits-devoirs-et-prevention-sante-cpam.html">CPAM</a> - jeudi 07 janvier de 13h30 à 17h <li><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2007/11/boutique-de-gestion.html">Boutique de gestion</a> - vendredi 08 janvier de 09h à 12h30</li></ul> <h2>Ateliers </h2> <ul><li>Pôle-emploi.fr - vendredi 08 janvier de 10h à 11h30 <li><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2009/07/atelier-situtilises-tu-trouves.html">Sit'Utilises tu trouves</a> - vendredi 08 janvier de 14h à 16h</ul> <h2>Visite d'entreprise </h2><ul><li><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2009/12/souvrir-les-portes-des-metiers-du.html">Visite de l'entreprise Forclum</a> - jeudi 07 janvier à 14h</li></ul>

Planning de la semaine du 04 au 08 janvier 2010

Permanences Le Conseil Général du Loiret sera présent dans les locaux de la Maison de l'Emploi du bassin d'Orléans - le lundi 04 ja...

Bastille my heart

10:05 PM Tukiyooo 0

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN2_Y5Jr6ezpqLsE-P7GLDA2tWB9tKX73DB-eVycc9Cut8_17UGJ0_zd0bYLXY-N3TrLwNNdmwze4daJj4NwEo0DYQwI9xWwhHoY0vGkWm5wJyel3HpkPEVFsJ7PND2MjYvtlnsdsMNbo1/s1600-h/Bastille+my+heart.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422396591005755298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN2_Y5Jr6ezpqLsE-P7GLDA2tWB9tKX73DB-eVycc9Cut8_17UGJ0_zd0bYLXY-N3TrLwNNdmwze4daJj4NwEo0DYQwI9xWwhHoY0vGkWm5wJyel3HpkPEVFsJ7PND2MjYvtlnsdsMNbo1/s400/Bastille+my+heart.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 306px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" /></a> Bastille my heart is the name of my OPI nail polish. Not really much to do with this post...I just like the sound of it. :) I'm in an unusually happy place tonight, in fact, I've been there all day. I can't really remember the last time I felt this happy and hopeful about life, and just that feeling that all is right with my world. I'm actually following through on some of my new year resolutions. One of the things was to work on my marriage. I'm married to an unusual man in that if I'm kind to him, he's doubly kind to me. If I'm a bitch to him, he's doubly an a-hole to me. It's always been like this, for the past 21 years. Even though I know this to be true, I will still make the biggest deal about the smallest thing. The last few days I've been picking my battles wisely. Emptying the dishwasher, a task I abhor, isn't really that big of a deal. In the big picture of life it's really not worth arguing about. He does a lot of "boy" stuff, like the lawn and the cars and the trash and the bills (his list is actually endless). I can empty the freaking dishwasher and not make a big stinking deal about it. It's kind of like keeping the peace, it makes everyone so much happier. He loves board games. I don't. Yet I agreed to a couple games of Scrabble this afternoon (I know, we're such an exciting couple). I beat the pants off of him, so it was kind of fun, and he was really happy that I wanted to do something with him. I've also cut back to watching very little television. That was one of my goals I didn't mention, less TV and more books. I've been reading, something that use to be a passion of mine. I love to read but the past couple of years it seemed to get put on a back burner. I'd buy books but never actually read them (unless I was on an airplane, so I did read a few books last year). This limited television viewing is making a huge difference in my attitude. I really don't need to know every little detail about Tiger and Elin's life. Or how about those Kardashians? Or watch another re-run of Law and Order: SVU. Or how about the news, hearing about yet another police officer shot in the Seattle area (six in the last five weeks). Seriously, I just can't take it anymore. It depresses the hell out of me. Back to the reading thing, the book "The end of overeating" is really good. It just makes so much sense to me, like why didn't I think of this on my own? After all, I have over forty years of experience in trying to lose weight and keep it off, you'd certainly think I would have figured this out by now (obviously I haven't). It's based on cognitive behavioral therapy, similar to the Beck Solution (which I read and never really followed through on). Except this book makes more sense to me than the Beck book. I can relate to it more, the problem with hypereating defines my problem. Of course, the point with all these self-help books is you have to do the stuff they suggest, regardless how tedious or painful it appears to be. Just reading the book and not following through with the behavioral changes doesn't do a thing. I really like this book and will go into more details about it in future posts. This is really only day two so I need to give it some time to see if it really works. So far, I'm impressed, but time will tell. Bastille my heart. For some reason, that just makes me smile. :) Disclaimer: that's obviously not a picture of my fingernails. I have real, extremely short nails. I can't stand long fingernails. Although it is my nail color, and I love it. Oh, and I did another two-hour workout today. I've created a fun, new routine for myself and I'm loving it. For details, so <a href="http://diana135-exercise.blogspot.com/2010/01/saturday-january-2-2010-workout.html" target="blank">My Workouts"</a>. And I know what you're thinking. Who is this chick and what have you done with our sad Diana? :)

Bastille my heart

Bastille my heart is the name of my OPI nail polish. Not really much to do with this post...I just like the sound of it. :) I'm in an un...