Your Choice

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.<br /><br />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!).<br /><br />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'.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br /><em>Your Choice</em><br /><em>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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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".<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Three more Dyer quotes:<br />Everything is perfect in the universe - even your desire to improve it.<br />There's nothing wrong with anger provided you use it constructively.<br />If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.</em>

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...

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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 is<strong> </strong>"What you think, is true."<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!<br /><br /><strong>Weight Watchers</strong><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br /><strong>Book: The end to overeating<br /></strong>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?).<br /><br /><strong>Exercise of the day<br /></strong><br /><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><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br /><strong>Picture of the day</strong><br />My assistant while taking down the tree on Sunday.<br /><br /><p><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><br /><br /><strong>Current favorite workout song</strong><br />Hot Mess by Cobra Starship </p><p></p><p>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.<br /><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></p>

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...

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

<BR><br />Le 1er janvier 2010, le salaire minimum interprofessionnel de croissance (Smic) a été revalorisé de 0,5%. <br /><br />Par ailleurs, le revenu de solidarité active (rSa) et l'allocation de solidarité spécifique (ASS) ont également été revalorisés.<br /><br /><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><br /><BR>

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...

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Suck Up To Your Boss Without Being Obvious

<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><br /></div><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />First, here are the wrong ways to suck up:<br /><br />· You are not 007<br />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.<br /><br />· "Is it me or are you getting younger by the day?"<br />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.<br /><br />· Smothering your boss<br />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.<br /><br />· "LOL You're hilarious!"<br />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.<br /><br />· "Do you ever have a bad idea?"<br />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.<br /><br />And here are the right ways to do it:<br /><br />· Be a clock watcher<br />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.<br /><br />· "Go, team, go!"<br />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.<br /><br />· Cover your ears<br />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.<br /><br />· "Here's what I think."<br />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.<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>

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. ...

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Planning de la semaine du 04 au 08 janvier 2010

<BR><br /><h2><strong><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 113%;color:#005c9b;" >Permanences<br /></span></strong></h2><ul><br /><li>Le <strong>Conseil Général du Loiret</strong> sera présent dans les locaux de la Maison de l'Emploi du bassin d'Orléans<br />- le lundi 04 janvier de 9h à 12h30<br />- le mardi 05 janvier de 9h à 12h30 et de 13h30 à 17h,<br />- le mercredi 06 janvier de 13h30 à 17h<br />- le jeudi 07 janvier de 13h30 à 17h<br />- le vendredi 08 janvier de 13h30 à 17h<br /><br /><li><strong><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2007/11/solidarits-nouvelles-face-au-chmage.html">Solidarités Nouvelles face au Chômage</a></strong><br />- mercredi 06 janvier de 10h à 12h30<br /><br /><li><strong><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2009/12/droits-devoirs-et-prevention-sante-cpam.html">CPAM</a></strong><br />- jeudi 07 janvier de 13h30 à 17h<br /><br /><li><strong><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2007/11/boutique-de-gestion.html">Boutique de gestion</a></strong><br />- vendredi 08 janvier de 09h à 12h30</li></ul><br /><h2><strong><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 113%;color:#005c9b;" >Ateliers</span></strong><br /></h2><br /><ul><li><strong>Pôle-emploi.fr</strong> - vendredi 08 janvier de 10h à 11h30<br /><br /><li><strong><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2009/07/atelier-situtilises-tu-trouves.html">Sit'Utilises tu trouves</a></strong> - vendredi 08 janvier de 14h à 16h</ul><br /><h2><strong><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 113%;color:#005c9b;" >Visite d'entreprise</span></strong> </h2><ul><li><strong><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2009/12/souvrir-les-portes-des-metiers-du.html">Visite de l'entreprise Forclum</a></strong> - 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...

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Bastille my heart

<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><br />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. :)<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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).<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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).<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Bastille my heart. For some reason, that just makes me smile. :)<br /><br /><em>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.</em><br /><br />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>.<br /><br />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...

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The end of overeating

I love the book I'm reading, "The end of overeating." by David A. Kessler, MD.<br /><br />pg. 145 "conditioned hypereating: "conditioned" because it becomes an automatic response to widely available food and it's cues, "hyper" because the eating is excessive, driven by motivational forces we find difficult to control."<br /><br />pg. 146 "Why should a cookie be anything more than just a cookie?"<br /><br />pg. 150 "Because a cookie makes me feel better, it's easy to develop the habit of seeking it out when I'm sad or angry. Over time, as neural pathways link the change in my mood with the experience of eating the cookie, the association grows stronger.<br /><br />These products have some kind of hedonic, calming effect, said Koob. In other words, they relieve the itch. The problem is that the itch comes back."<br /><br />pg. 147 "Behavior-activating messages that urge pursuit clash with internal messages demanding control. Our brains become battlegrounds.: <--- this is me every night.<br /><br />pg. 155 "Many people like and want a food, but only some of us develop elaborate thoughts about it, or a preoccupation with it." <--- this is me! I knew there was something wrong with how I think about food. It isn't normal.<br /><br />pg. 152 "Is there any evidence that food really makes you feel better after you've eaten it? Absolutely. People feel better after eating it. They eat for anxiety. And it soothes anxiety. It really does work like a Valium. But that effect, of course, is momentary."<br /><br />pg. 156 "Focusing single-mindedly on <em>not</em> eating eventually pushes us to eat more. Feeling deprived only increases the reward value of food, and then usually gives way to indulgence, and often to abandon." <---no kidding?! This explains so much. This is why I always gain back the weight I've lost. I use restraint. Guess what, it only works for a limited time, then I fall into indulgence and abandon. I could be a case study for this little tidbit of research.<br /><br />I'm on page 185, the section on "Reversing the Habit". I can't wait to read how to reverse this horrible habit of overeating.

The end of overeating

I love the book I'm reading, "The end of overeating." by David A. Kessler, MD. pg. 145 "conditioned hypereating: "co...

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Doing what I know best, resolution #3

Resolution #3 is Lose Weight. Easy peasy, right? I've done it before, many times over the years. The problem is really two-fold: losing the weight is only half the battle, keeping off the lost weight is part two of the battle. Part two is where I always struggle. Not that losing weight in the first place is easy, it's not, but maintaining the loss, now there's a real challenge.<br /><br />I've been watching my weight creep up the last few months, now I'm 22 pounds above my lowest weigh-in last year. I have all kinds of excuses but none of them matter. What matters is where I am right now.<br /><br />How am I going to get "there" from "here"? Here being 178 pounds and there being 145pounds (my new goal weight). That's 33 pounds of fat that I need to lose. <br /><br />1. Journal. I know it sounds easy and it is easy. It's also a big old pain in the butt, but at the same time, it's a necessary evil. Journal and lose weight, don't journal and gain weight. Hmmm...which shall I chose? <br /><br />2. Back to the Weight Watcher meetings. Tomorrow I'll be back, along with the multitudes. I'm dreading the official weighin, but it is what it is.<br /><br />3. Actively try to figure out what is wrong with me. I have food issues, and I don't know why. I do know I'm not normal when it comes to food. I don't look at food as sustenance, but as pleasure, which is a totally screwed up view of food.<br /><br />I'm reading a new book, The end of overeating. It talks about "hyereating" and I totally get what the author is talking about. Not everyone can relate, but I do. I can't wait to get to the Food Rehab section. Maybe I'll find some answers.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtka4jhq7u2NL2046AjuksyNdgN1ORu-ZLG-spJJNnrejDYHefdd7HiKMzpKAYL7fyMwCxXYkd21GrJMc7p10wlhcNyKqq3kpDeudOcJQuB0Ly5bFUAvzp5YefIPnQnB1XcsIquQfCcbI/s1600-h/The+end+of+overeating.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422047577595454834" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtka4jhq7u2NL2046AjuksyNdgN1ORu-ZLG-spJJNnrejDYHefdd7HiKMzpKAYL7fyMwCxXYkd21GrJMc7p10wlhcNyKqq3kpDeudOcJQuB0Ly5bFUAvzp5YefIPnQnB1XcsIquQfCcbI/s400/The+end+of+overeating.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 257px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br />That's just a start. I have a long way to go to get this figure out. I thought I knew it all, when actually, I know practically nothing.

Doing what I know best, resolution #3

Resolution #3 is Lose Weight. Easy peasy, right? I've done it before, many times over the years. The problem is really two-fold: losing ...

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MMX

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiszIH4zu5HDL0DQh1OOoSqKh6L93UoLnA_MXGB3K0uwE4vWbFAelopkyJvtuFrbUCXgqzIVS1oIagPZordDuEpF8VRxi8TvdLfmW9UT_4WBbWbY5azuVLt_KpAOUxgxS8wLlaFuYM5H1lg/s1600-h/2010_Happy_New_Year_Scream_Painting_Edvard_Munch-1LG.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421901122773944290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiszIH4zu5HDL0DQh1OOoSqKh6L93UoLnA_MXGB3K0uwE4vWbFAelopkyJvtuFrbUCXgqzIVS1oIagPZordDuEpF8VRxi8TvdLfmW9UT_4WBbWbY5azuVLt_KpAOUxgxS8wLlaFuYM5H1lg/s400/2010_Happy_New_Year_Scream_Painting_Edvard_Munch-1LG.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 306px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><div>It's really 2010. It seems unreal to me. I was born in 1955. The year 2010 sounded like science fiction. I never thought I'd live until 2010. Where are the flying cars? I should be living in a space bubble high above the earth like in the Jetsons, with my flying car. Nothing is as cool as I thought it was going to be...including my life.<br /><br />Don't worry, this isn't a Sad Sack, 'woe is me' post. It's just me facing the reality that is my life right now. Luckily I can see there's hope. I can make my life better, I can be who and what I want to be (within reason of course, I'll probably never be an astronaut and make it to Mars in my lifetime).<br /><br />This morning I was emptying the dishwasher and realized how absolutely dirty the silverware drawer had become, full of crumbs and God knows what else. It's a miracle we don't have bugs crawling around in our kitchen.<br /><br />I couldn't remember the last time I'd emptied out the silverware drawer and replaced the drawer liner. That led to a thorough cleaning of the kitchen and relining shelves and drawers, throwing away a load of junk. Did I ever mention I'm married to a borderline hoarder?<br /><br />While I was doing this it gave me time to think about my life. I need to clean out the junk in my head. It's become cluttered with negativity. Self-talk that I wouldn't say to my absolute worst enemy. </div><div> </div><div></div><div>I always claim I'm working on stopping the negative self-talk, but honestly, it continues, and I don't do a thing to stop it. It's probably the meanest thing I do to myself, which is probably a big contributor to why I overeat, which is the other mean thing I do to myself. It's also part of why my marriage suffers. If I hate myself so much how can he possibly love me?<br /><br />So in January 1 tradition, here's my list of things I want to work on this year. Listed in order of priority.<br /><br /><strong>1. Work on my marriage</strong>, for real this time. This is going to be our make it year. I want to make this a marriage worth being in, not one of convenience. I realize a big chunk of "working on it" is going to fall on my shoulders. I'm great at ignoring things I don't want to face.<br /><br /><strong>2. Work on stopping the negative self-talk.</strong> I have lots of books on improving self-esteem and they all address this problem. I buy them but I don't read them. Even though I claim I want to fix myself I won't put in the effort. I need to like myself more. Right now I'm not feeling it, so it's going to be a long road.<br /><br /><strong>3. My weight.</strong> This is a weight loss blog and you'd think this would be numero uno, but I need to really work on #1 and #2 in order for #3 to happen. Unresolved issues is what I believe is preventing me from getting to goal.<br /><br />If I don't even like myself why would I bother with losing weight?<br /><br />If I think I'm not lovable and not even worthy of being in a great marriage then again, why bother with losing weight?<br /><br />I'm also going to reset my goal weight. I've been saying 135 is my goal, but let's be real. I'm almost 55 (technically not until August). I'm never going to weigh what I did in high school. It's not the same body or the same metabolism or the same anything. 145 sounds more realistic and would be a healthy weight for me.<br /><br /><strong>4. Declutter my life</strong>. This is the year we tackle the garage. Seriously babe, if it's not been touched in ten years since we moved into this house, isn't it time to toss it? I would like to once again park my car inside the garage.<br /><br />I've been watching the Hoarder show and it scares the crap out of me. I think we could become the star of that show if we don't start getting rid of junk. The very fact that we can't park in the garage is an indication we have a problem.<br /><br /><strong>5.</strong> <strong>Continue with my exercise routine.</strong> 2009 was a great year for me for exercise. I averaged five to six workouts a week, always at least an hour, often two hours for each session.<br /><br />In September my job went bananas with all the traveling and my routine went to hell. As soon as I was home again on a regular basis, I've gotten right back into my routine. I'm right back at it. This week I've worked out five days with only Wednesday off because my arms and legs were so sore that I could hardly move.<br /><br />Now here's the exercise goal for 2010. Keep at it, don't stop. I've done this so many times in my life where I've been working out like a maniac for months and months, then one day, I just quit. In the past I've completely stopped working out, stopped any kind of exercise for no apparent reason other than I was tired of it. That was always followed by a huge weight gain (last time it was 100+ pounds).<br /><br />That's it, my list of junk to do in MMX. I feel kind of tired looking at the list, it's such a short list but there's a lot of work ahead of me.<br /><br />Here's to a great year, for all of us. :D</div>

MMX

It's really 2010. It seems unreal to me. I was born in 1955. The year 2010 sounded like science fiction. I never thought I'd live un...

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One Year to a New Career

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://emj.icbdr.com/artieimages/02/ar5b8346qgtgpw673v02.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/02/ar5b8346qgtgpw673v02.gif" /></a><br /></div>You've counted down from 10 and watched the ball drop in Times Square. As happy as you are to usher in a new year, you can't help but remember a vow you made to yourself last December 31. "By this time next year, I'll have a new career."<br /><br />A year passed and not much changed.<br /><br />When you're unhappy in your job, a year can seem like a long time. Twelve long months of wanting something bigger and better. Not anything outlandish, just a job that doesn't make you cry a little when you leave your home every morning. Yet, when you look back on the last year, didn't that time seem to speed by? Who had time to change careers when you had all that work to do?<br /><br />We've put together a list of ways for you to make a career switch possible. Next year you can look back at January 1, 2010 and realize you've finally done it.<br /><br />Foreign language courses<br />The United States is a country filled with many languages. People who speak English as a second language or are still learning English need goods and services, and that's where bilingual professionals come in. If you studied a language in college but your tongue has grown a bit rusty since, this year is perfect for taking refresher courses. You'll be surprised by how much you know and you'll open a whole new set of doors for your career. You'll be as qualified and experienced as you already are -- only now you'll be able to reach a whole new group of potential customers.<br /><br />Public speaking courses<br />Have you ever sat through a boring presentation? And by "sat through" I mean "scribbled on your notepad until you fell asleep sitting up." Not everyone is a good public speaker, and even more people never even try to improve. If you know you have it in you to successfully present to a crowd, you should get more training so that you're a standout. Companies need people who can wow a VP or entertain a crowd without mumbling and sweating through their shirts. When you can add excellent presentation skills to your résumé, you immediately gain access to positions you didn't know were available.<br /><br />Professional certifications<br />If you don't hate the industry you're in, but you do hate the professional plateau you're on, a certification can give you a boost. Whether you have one degree or two, many times a new certification (such as one for a paralegal or legal assistant) can show employers you're serious about your job. You've just set yourself apart from most other candidates. Look into different professional organizations in your field and you'll be surprised how many certifications are available.<br /><br />Associate degrees<br />Most associate degrees take two years, but many only take one, or they can be accomplished in one if you barrel through school. An associate degree is different from a certification because an associate degree can single handedly set you in a new direction. Where a certification might only enhance your standing in the current industry, an associate degree -- which you can get at specialized institutes, community colleges and universities -- is often enough to qualify you for certain jobs regardless of your previous experience.<br /><br />Workshops<br />Sometimes what you need to move to a new level is just a refresher course or a way to reassess what you know. Many companies offer internal workshops and seminars to help their employees. The topics might range from a specialized task that's part of your job duty to a general issue, like time management or supervisory skills. Enrolling in one of these workshops, or an external one at a nearby institute, can show your boss that you're serious about advancement. You could even approach the boss to find out if he or she has certain areas they'd like to see you improve upon (or you might know this from your performance review) and use that as a jumping off point.<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 /><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --><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:0" width="125"/></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#username=rockfordlink"></script><br /><!-- AddThis Button END -->

One Year to a New Career

You've counted down from 10 and watched the ball drop in Times Square. As happy as you are to usher in a new year, you can't help bu...

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When Job Search Desperation Kicks In

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://emj.icbdr.com/artieimages/nh/ar5b3h778ql17tmsz5nh.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/nh/ar5b3h778ql17tmsz5nh.gif" /></a><br /></div>Desperation isn't an attractive trait on most people ... maybe anyone. If you've ever witnessed desperation in a relationship, you know how unappealing it can be to see someone willing to settle for something. Anything. It makes you wonder just how much that person values himself or herself.<br /><br />A job search isn't the same as a quest for true love, but it can often result in desperation. Think about it: If you don't have a job, you don't have money to pay the bills. For many people, a job search is linked to survival. Who wouldn't get desperate after a while?<br /><br />Just like in a romance, however, being too eager and needy can backfire. Even if you're feeling as though you'll take any job that comes your way, don't let employers know that. You might be desperate for a job, but you don't have to act like you are.<br /><br />Why desperation doesn't help you<br />You might think, "Won't I impress my future boss if I prove I'm willing to do anything to get the job?" You would be wrong. To help you understand what hiring managers think when they come across desperate interviewees, we went straight to the source.<br /><br />Tony Deblauwe is the founder of HR4 Change and has 15 years of human resources experience. In his career he has seen more desperate job seekers than most people. Sometimes things go so wrong they're almost criminal.<br /><br />"I had a case once where after not hearing from the recruiter (from just a résumé submission), the candidate came to the office and waited in the parking lot for the CEO," Deblauwe remembers. "It was easy since the CEO's picture was online. [The candidate] felt that HR and staffing were a roadblock and the best way to prove his 'inventiveness' was to approach the CEO directly. It turned out badly as you might imagine -- we had to get security involved."<br /><br />Not all candidates are as extreme. In fact, desperation is so common, Deblauwe sees certain traits appear time after time.<br /><br />· "I'm willing to take any job!"<br />"People who have been searching a long time or who have limited leads respond to job posts that they will take any job even if it's clearly a step down," he says. "Sometimes this is due to the economy; sometimes they want to get into a company at whatever the cost. I have personally known of candidates doing this to get into Apple or Google."<br /><br />· "I'm willing to temp first."<br />"Sometimes [starting as a temp] works, but when a candidate offers it first against a full time posted job, it's a turnoff," Deblauwe cautions. "Rather than show confidence that you can do the job as presented, you offset the discussion by saying you will be a temp. Not a good move and very desperate."<br /><br />· "Money doesn't matter."<br />"It's one thing to say your salary is negotiable, but making a point in the phone screen or first round interview about not caring about the pay not only reflects bad judgment but low self-esteem," Deblauwe warns. "I ask myself, 'What else will you cave on if you had this job?'"<br /><br />· "Why haven't you called me back?"<br />According to Deblauwe, being pushy is one of the most classic signs of a desperate job seeker.<br /><br />"After sending in a résumé or getting an initial call back, a candidate loses all sense of how staffing process timing works," he says. "They will e-mail [or call] after one or two days. Candidates forget that many back-end processes slow job updates -- not because people forgot about you or don't care. This behavior doesn't show you are determined and eager; rather it makes you appear annoying and distracting. Almost always people who do this, even if they appeared to be a great fit in the beginning, get eliminated."<br /><br />What you can do<br />First off, don't say any of the above phrases. More importantly, prove that the company would be lucky to have you, and not vice versa. Don't be cocky, but act like you're ready for the job because it's the right fit, not because it's available now. Even if you are desperate for a job, remember these tips because they're important to every job search.<br /><br />· Have proof of your accomplishments so you can show the hiring manager that you deliver results.<br />· Show interest in the company. Employers like to know that you care about more than dollar signs, so do a little research on the company and even the interviewers if possible.<br />· Practice your interview answers so you don't blurt out a bad answer. For example, your answer to "Why do you want this job?" shouldn't include the low balance of your checking account.<br />· Make a list of the reasons you are the best candidate for the job. You can't convince a hiring manager that you're the best choice for the position if you don't believe it yourself. The best way to convince yourself is to look at all your best qualities.<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 /><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --><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:0" width="125"/></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#username=rockfordlink"></script><br /><!-- AddThis Button END -->

When Job Search Desperation Kicks In

Desperation isn't an attractive trait on most people ... maybe anyone. If you've ever witnessed desperation in a relationship, you k...

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Droits, devoirs et prévention santé : CPAM à la Maison de l'Emploi le 7 janvier 2010

<BR><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiecs8cP9CmoFk_oTvWmqBwhmwCn8gl-4-y7HRAjZSqfxBnjUsXajtF_SpvSWZU7OlEJkMcs6k5n2XwmQyT6OaTFVvsLZvAieeY9jVeim51s-wA7A3Dsw7yhfJcrqSisLAqvwtKMLN_lfg5/s1600-h/logo_cpam_loiret.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376121006456646290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiecs8cP9CmoFk_oTvWmqBwhmwCn8gl-4-y7HRAjZSqfxBnjUsXajtF_SpvSWZU7OlEJkMcs6k5n2XwmQyT6OaTFVvsLZvAieeY9jVeim51s-wA7A3Dsw7yhfJcrqSisLAqvwtKMLN_lfg5/s320/logo_cpam_loiret.jpg" style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 316px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 176px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><br />Patricia Bayle, Déléguée Prévention à la CPAM du Loiret, assurera une <strong>permanence</strong> à la Maison de l’Emploi <strong>de 13h30 à 17h</strong> : <br /><ul><br /><li><strong>le jeudi 07 janvier 2010</strong></li></ul><br />Toutes les questions liées aux droits, aux devoirs et à la prévention (remboursement des dépenses de maladie, droits CPAM, mutuelle, CMU, paiement des indemnités journalières, prévention, examen de santé ...) peuvent être abordées par Patricia Bayle en fonction des besoins de chacun.<br /><BR>

Droits, devoirs et prévention santé : CPAM à la Maison de l'Emploi le 7 janvier 2010

Patricia Bayle, Déléguée Prévention à la CPAM du Loiret, assurera une permanence à la Maison de l’Emploi de 13h30 à 17h : le jeudi 07 janv...

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S'ouvrir les portes des métiers du bâtiment : visite d'entreprise le 7 janvier 2010

<BR><br />En partenariat avec le PLIE, la Maison de l'emploi du bassin d'Orléans organise une visite d'entreprise pour découvrir les métiers liés au secteur de l’installation de réseaux électriques (postes et conditions de travail) :<ul><br /><li>le jeudi 7 janvier 2010<br /><li>dans les locaux de l'entreprise <strong><a href="http://www.forclum.com/" "target=_blank">Forclum</a></strong>.</li></ul><br /><br />Le transport est pris en charge par la Maison de l'emploi du bassin d'Orléans avec l'appui du PLIE.<br /><br />Le nombre de places est limité.<br /><br />Pour s'inscrire, contacter la Maison de l'Emploi du bassin d'Orléans : 02 38 24 18 03 ou <a href="mailto:accueil@news-these-days.fr">accueil@news-these-days.fr</a>. <br /><br /><strong>Départ</strong> : <strong>PLIE</strong>, Espace Saint Marc, 5 place du 6 juin 44, 45 000 Orléans (dans l'espace d'accueil) à <strong>14h00</strong><br /><br />Pour en savoir plus sur les métiers de l'électricité et du génie climatique, allez consulter le site <strong><a href="http://www.metiers-electricite.com/" "target=_blank">www.metiers-electricite.com</a></strong>.<br /><BR>

S'ouvrir les portes des métiers du bâtiment : visite d'entreprise le 7 janvier 2010

En partenariat avec le PLIE, la Maison de l'emploi du bassin d'Orléans organise une visite d'entreprise pour découvrir les méti...

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10 Healthy Careers

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://emj.icbdr.com/artieimages/b4/ar5c2jn6q9d3pzq06tb4.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/b4/ar5c2jn6q9d3pzq06tb4.gif" /></a><br /></div>Every year, one of the most popular New Year's resolutions is to "be healthy and lose weight." Easier said than done. Of course, everyone wants to be healthy, but when it comes time to put in the effort, it's hard for many to find the time.<br /><br />For others, however, finding the time to be healthy is all in a day's work. If you're interested in a career that lends itself to staying active or promoting a healthy lifestyle and environment, check out these 10 careers and the requirements you'll need to meet to get started:<br /><br />1. Activities coordinator<br />Why it's healthy: Activities coordinators plan and conduct recreation activities with groups in public, private, or volunteer agencies, or recreation facilities. They focus on keeping individuals fit and active, whether they are in a nursing home or day camp.<br />Requirements: Educational and training requirements vary based on the institution in which you will be working. They range from a high-school diploma to a bachelor's degree.<br />Salary: $31,390<br /><br />2. Athletic trainer<br />Why it's healthy: Athletic trainers specialize in the prevention, assessment, treatment and healing of injuries for athletes. They usually focus mostly on the rehabilitation and reconditioning of injuries, but can spend time educating on the prevention of such injuries.<br />Requirements: A bachelor's degree and in most states, certification.<br />Salary: $46,049<br /><br />3. Chiropractor<br />Why it's healthy: Chiropractors deal with conditions of the spine, but their approach is more holistic in that it's focused on a patient's overall health. They are concerned with diet, exercise and other issues related to well-being, and they provide natural, drugless and nonsurgical health treatments.<br />Requirements: Chiropractors must be licensed, which requires two to four years of undergraduate education, completing a four-year chiropractic college course, and earning passing scores on national and state examinations.<br />Salary: $115,289<br /><br />4. Dieticians and nutritionists<br />Why it's healthy: Dieticians and nutritionists constantly think about what they put in their clients' bodies and in their own. They promote healthy eating habits by recommending dietary modifications, planning food and nutrition programs, supervising meal preparation and oversee the serving of meals.<br />Requirements: At least a bachelor's degree. Licensure, certification or registration requirements vary by state.<br />Salary: $52,911 and $54,301<br /><br />5. Exercise instructor<br />Why it's healthy: Exercise instructors, whether in aerobics, Pilates or yoga, are constantly moving their own bodies, teaching others to do the same and how to do so correctly. Multiple days of the week, hours at a time, are spent sweating, so there is no question you'll be in tip-top shape.<br />Requirements: Depends on the specific type of fitness work. For most fitness workers, certification is critical and you are expected to know how to do your job without any on-the-job training.<br />Salary: $30,189<br /><br />6. Health educator<br />Why it's healthy: Health educators must practice what they preach, as they work to encourage healthy lifestyles and wellness. They educate people and communities about healthy living, disease prevention, proper nutrition and the importance of exercise.<br />Requirements: A bachelor's degree is required for entry-level positions; other employers prefer a bachelor's degree and some related experience. A master's degree and even doctorate may be required for some positions and is usually required for advancement.<br />Salary: $63,817<br /><br />7. Personal chef<br />Why it's healthy: Personal chefs offer meal preparation to clients for a fee. They are usually healthy, individualized meals for families and individuals of all types, and they can personalize your menu to any special nutritional needs you may have.<br />Requirements: Most culinary schools offer personal chef training; you may also choose to be certified by the American Personal & Private Chef Association.<br />Salary: Varies<br /><br />8. Personal trainer<br />Why it's healthy: A personal trainer's job is to help individuals lose weight, get in shape and lead a healthier lifestyle. They got tons of extra exercise through working out with clients, and part of their training is to learn about nutrition.<br />Requirements: Personal trainers usually must be certified to work with clients or with members of a fitness facility.<br />Salary: $46,049<br /><br />9. Massage therapist<br />Why it's healthy: Massage therapists promote one's general health, helping people become more aware of their bodies and taking care of it better. They focus on relaxation, muscle recovery, treating painful ailments and reducing stress.<br />Requirements: Most states require massage therapists to complete a formal education program and pass a national certification examination or a state exam.<br />Salary: $32,399<br /><br />10. Weight reduction specialist<br />Why it's healthy: Weight-loss specialists help clients in devising and carrying out weight-loss plan, using established dietary programs and positive reinforcement procedures. <br />Requirements: At least a bachelor's degree. Licensure, certification, or registration requirements vary by state.<br />Salary: $32,368<br /><br />Salary figures based on data from CBsalary.com, powered by SalaryExpert.com<br /><br />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.<br /><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --><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:0" width="125"/></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#username=rockfordlink"></script><br /><!-- AddThis Button END -->

10 Healthy Careers

Every year, one of the most popular New Year's resolutions is to "be healthy and lose weight." Easier said than done. Of cours...

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Reflecting on 2009

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibYLu1tU26y-AreCytHEmQaq-Im8uDGOIU7We6wc4jeVWUVcPzfoqoI2krzjyzzbpHtAYH6HbW77fXqbJRlXh1Vdamiz-AEA3NNxFQsN-Y4HhPPn3or4u9Vdx8IbMJavN82iTbjjlOupSu/s1600-h/2009.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420542186174906946" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibYLu1tU26y-AreCytHEmQaq-Im8uDGOIU7We6wc4jeVWUVcPzfoqoI2krzjyzzbpHtAYH6HbW77fXqbJRlXh1Vdamiz-AEA3NNxFQsN-Y4HhPPn3or4u9Vdx8IbMJavN82iTbjjlOupSu/s400/2009.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 358px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 164px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br />Today I looked at my old blog, the one on the right, titled "My old Diana's Weight Loss Journey". I don't even remember why I started a new blog in March 2009. I vaguely remember it was something to do with this <a href="http://theantijared.blogspot.com/" target="blank">guy</a>. :)<br /><br />I was in search of my 2009 goals, which I found in my January 1, 2009 post. I also found my old blog was black type on a black background which made it unreadable. No idea how that happened.<br /><br />When I read through my 2009 goals I wanted to cry. My first thought was that I'm a big, fat failure. I didn't actually make any of my 2009 goals happen, and I only had four goals. Then I decided to try and look at the glass half full instead of half empty.<br /><br />Some of these goals are still going to be on my 2010 list, but here's how I did for 2009. Fortunately it was a short list.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">1. Get to my goal weight of 135 (28.6 pounds to go!).</span><br /><br />~~~ This was a fail. Any way I look at it I failed. I don't even know how I can put a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">positive</span> spin on this one. I was so close and then something happened. I just stopped and went the other direction. I weighed 163.6 when I posted this goal January 1, 2009. Today I weighed 175.4, a gain of 11.8 pounds in 2009. I suppose the positive is that I didn't go all the way back up to 240 pounds.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">2. Maintain my 75-pound loss.</span><br /><br />~~~See #1. Although I've managed to maintain a 64.6 pound loss, this goal wasn't met.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">3. See a therapist for that nasty little compulsive overeating problem I have.</span><br /><br />~~~I saw a therapist for three sessions. It didn't help. I suppose I didn't give it a chance, but it seemed like a total waste of time and money. I know I have issues, but seeing a therapist didn't seem to really work for me. I'm neutral on this being a failure.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">4. Work on my marriage.<br /></span><br />~~~I did and I didn't. I guess the positive on this one is I'm still married. We have our good days and our bad ones. Sometimes it seems all bad, then a glimmer of the old us shows itself and it all seems worth working on.<br /><br />Well, so much for the positive spin. The only positive is that by being such a failure in 2009 I have an opportunity in 2010 to make these things happen. More to come on that later.<br /><br /><strong>My workout today</strong><br />Oh my gosh! I just about killed myself at the gym. I think I'm a bit of a showoff when it comes to lifting weights and I did a really foolish thing. I did all my concentrated <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">dumbbell</span> curls with 20-pound <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">dumbbells</span> (some guy was watching me), and then my overhead press with 25-pound <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">dumbbells</span>. I also added some new exercises today for upper body and now I can't lift my arms over my head. Ouch!<br /><br />I've added a blog page on the the right, My workouts, where I'll keep track of all my workouts. I always carry a notebook with me to the gym and write them down. Now I'll transfer the information to a blog page. If anyone has any suggestions of new exercises or web sites with exercises, please let me know. I had some bookmarked on my old laptop that crashed last summer and now I can't find them. I really want to ramp up my workout routines in 2010. This is going to be my year!

Reflecting on 2009

Today I looked at my old blog, the one on the right, titled "My old Diana's Weight Loss Journey". I don't even remember wh...

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Just another Monday (on vacation)

<strong>A blog worth checking out</strong><br />I read a lot of weight loss blogs. I don't always comment because I don't always have something worthwhile to say or I'm in a rush, but that doesn't mean I'm not reading your blog. Many of you are really great writers with lots of ideas and suggestions on how to be healthy and fit. Even those of you that struggle, you still give me hope because you keep on trying.<br /><br />Today I came across a blog that's I think is worth mentioning. <a href="http://ohsheglows.com/" target="blank">Oh She Glows</a> written by Angela Liddon, a beautiful young woman that lives in Milton, Ontario.<br /><br />I have to admit when I first read her "about" story I was turned off because her highest weight was 147 (she's 5' 4"). Fortunately, I kept reading and realized the real difference between Angela and myself is that she figured it all out before she gained another 100 pounds.<br /><br />I remember weighing 147 pounds. It was when I graduated college. I remember I felt as big as a cow, and how I thought I was so incredibly obese. I was repulsed by my fatness. It's also when I started my obsessive behavior towards food and exercise. An obsession that has continued throughout my life, resulting in me gaining almost another 100 pounds.<br /><br />Check out <a href="http://ohsheglows.com/" target="blank">Oh She Glows</a>website. Especially some of her older posts. She has a lot to say about society's obsession with beauty and being skinny. She's a pretty amazing young woman, and I like her way of thinking.<br /><br /><strong>About my post-Christmas illness</strong><br />I feel 100% better today. Thank you for all your well wishes...they must have worked! I really don't know what happened, or why I got so sick. It was scary and horrible.<br /><br />The more I think about it, the more I think it might be related to having my gallbladder removed about three years ago. I was reading Dawn's <a href="http://bbubblyb.blogspot.com/2009/12/lazy-sunday.html" target="blank">post</a> about how she can't eat fatty foods anymore since she had her gallbladder removed.<br /><br />Normally, even when I overeat I don't eat fatty foods. I eat too many apples or too many grapes or too many ounces of broiled chicken breasts or too many roasted Brussels sprouts. Trust me though, I can easily gain weight from too much good stuff so it's not necessarily a good thing that I overeat healthy food.<br /><br />Christmas dinner consisted of a lot of foods laden with butter. Real butter. Not the Smart Balance stuff that I normally use, but real, 100% dairy butter. Even the turkey gravy had, heaven forbid, drippings from the turkey, including a lot of the grease (made mother-in-law style).<br /><br />I suspect that's what caused my "stomach flu" symptoms. Overeating really fattening food. In other words, that was self-inflicted pain. It's something I don't ever want to experience again. Ever!<br /><br /><strong>Plan for the week</strong><br />Today is just a lazy day. It's noon and I'm still in my PJ's. I often wonder if when I retire someday, if I'll even bother to get dressed. I could be like Hugh Hefner and just wear my PJs all day, every day. :)<br /><br />I am going to get out of the house and hit the gym soon. I'm going to really make an effort to limit it to about an hour. Also, because of Fatinah's <a href="http://fatinah.blogspot.com/" target="blank">post</a> about 10 health misconceptions, I'm going to change my workout.<br /><br />I'm going to do a 10-minute warmup on the elliptical, then my strength training for 30 minutes, and then a 30-minute cardio. I've been doing this backwards for months (okay, years). I know it's suppose to be strength first and cardio second, I hate cardio so much I always want to "get it over with" so I do it first. It's time to do it correctly.<br /><br />I'm also really going to try for muscle confusion. I was watching a P90X infomercial last night (at 3am...my sleep is really screwed up), and they kept talking about muscle confusion. I'm a creature of habit but I need to mix up my exercises and not do the same blasted exercises every day. I have exercise books and favorite websites so I'm going to try out some new things today.<br /><br />Wednesday we're going snowshoeing up at Crystal Mountain. We bought snowshoes last spring when they were on sale and haven't used them yet. I'm looking forward to getting outside. I'm starting to feel housebound. A day trip to the mountains is just what I need.<br /><br />Did I mention I love not working? Totally, completely love it. I don't miss one aspect of it. I'm just sorry I only have six and half more days until I have to return to the grindstone. Yes, I really need an attitude adjustment about work. Something to work on for the new year, among many other things.

Just another Monday (on vacation)

A blog worth checking out I read a lot of weight loss blogs. I don't always comment because I don't always have something worthwhile...

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55 Jobs with High Growth in 2010

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://emj.icbdr.com/artieimages/pz/ar5d3z76fx0trhg2jcpz.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/pz/ar5d3z76fx0trhg2jcpz.gif" /></a><br /></div>Although 2009 saw some of the most desolate unemployment numbers in history, there is reason to believe that things are starting to look up.<br /><br />Both the unemployment rate and the number of jobless persons decreased in November to 10 percent and 15.4 million, respectively, according to the most recent date from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That was down from October, when the unemployment was at an all-time-high of 10.2 percent and there were 15.7 million unemployed persons. <br /><br />In addition, although employment fell in several industries, several groups saw little change or added jobs in November. Employment in professional and business services rose by 86,000, with temporary help services adding 52,000 jobs, the majority of the increase. Since July, temporary help services employment has risen by 117,000. Health-care employment rose to 21,000 in November, with gains in home health-care services (7,000) and hospitals (7,000). The health-care industry has added 613,000 jobs since the recession began in December 2007. While there was little change in wholesale and retail trade, department stores added 8,000 jobs over the month. Finally, the number of jobs in transportation and warehousing, financial activities, and leisure and hospitality showed little change over the month.<br /><br />As these numbers continue to trend upward, there should be hope for the millions of people still looking for a job in 2010. The labor force is projected to increase by 12.6 million people during the 2008-18 period, according to the BLS. Total employment is expected to increase by 10.1 percent, adding about 15.3 million workers over the decade -- including in 2010.<br /><br />It should be noted, however, that the jobs that will be added won't be evenly distributed across industries and occupational groups. It goes without saying that changes in consumer demand, technology and the like will continue to affect the economic structure. <br /><br />If you're looking for a job this year, here are 55 (of many) jobs to look for in 2010, defined as jobs that saw growth in the second half of 2009 in every industry.* <br /><br />Industry: Management, business and financial operations<br />Jobs that saw growth in management:<br /><br />1. Marketing and sales managers<br /><br />2. Purchasing managers<br /><br />3. Property, real estate and community association managers<br /><br />Jobs that saw growth in business and financial operations:<br />4. Wholesale and retail buyers, except farm products<br /><br />5. Cost estimators<br /><br />6. Meeting and convention planners<br /><br />Industry: Professional and related occupations<br />Jobs that saw growth in computer and mathematics: <br /><br />7. Computer programmers<br /><br />8. Network systems and data communications analysts<br /><br />9. Statisticians<br /><br />Jobs that saw growth in architecture and engineering:<br />10. Electrical and electronics engineers<br /><br />11. Materials engineers<br /><br />12. Engineering technicians, except drafters<br /><br />Jobs that saw growth in life, physical and social sciences: <br />13. Market and survey researchers<br /><br />14. Psychologists<br /><br />15. Urban and regional planners<br /><br />Jobs that saw growth in community and social services:<br />16. Counselors<br /><br />17. Social workers<br /><br />18. Religious activities and education director<br /><br />Jobs that saw growth in legal: <br />19. Judges, magistrates and other judicial workers<br /><br />20. Paralegals and legal assistants<br /><br />Jobs that saw growth in education, training and library:<br />21. Archivists, curators and museum technicians<br /><br />22. Librarians<br /><br />Jobs that saw growth in arts, design, entertainment, sports and media:<br />23. Designers<br /><br />24. Athletes, coaches, umpires and related workers<br /><br />25. Editors<br /><br />Jobs that saw growth in health-care practitioner and technical: <br />26. Chiropractors<br /><br />27. Occupational therapists<br /><br />28. Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians<br /><br />Industry: Service occupations<br />Jobs that saw growth in health-care support: <br /><br />29. Nursing, psychiatric and home-health aides<br /><br />30. Massage therapists<br /><br />31. Dental assistants<br /><br />Jobs that saw growth in protective services: <br />32. Firefighters<br /><br />33. Bailiffs, correctional officers and jailers<br /><br />Jobs that saw growth in food preparation and serving related occupations: <br />34. Chefs and head cooks<br /><br />35. Bartenders<br /><br />Jobs that saw growth in building and grounds cleaning and maintenance:<br />36. Pest control workers<br /><br />37. Grounds maintenance workers<br /><br />Jobs that saw growth in personal care and service: <br />38. Tour and travel guides<br /><br />39. Child-care workers<br /><br />40. Recreation and fitness workers<br /><br />Industry: Sales and office occupations<br />Jobs that saw growth in sales and related:<br /><br />41. Cashiers<br /><br />42. Advertising sales agents<br /><br />43. Travel agents<br /><br />Jobs that saw growth in office and administrative support: <br />44. Customer service representatives<br /><br />45. Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping<br /><br />46. Office machine operators, except computer<br /><br />Industry: Natural resources, construction and maintenance<br />Jobs that saw growth in construction and extraction:<br /><br />47. Carpenters<br /><br />48. Cement masons, concrete finishers and terrazzo workers<br /><br />49. Electricians<br /><br />Industry: Installation, maintenance and repair <br />Jobs that saw growth: <br /><br />50. Automotive body and related repairers<br /><br />51. Electrical and electronics installers and repairers, transportation<br /><br />Industry: Production, transportation and material moving <br />Jobs that saw growth in production: <br /><br />52. Bakers<br /><br />53. Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers and weighers<br /><br />Jobs that saw growth in transportation and material moving: <br />54. Refuse and recyclable material collectors<br /><br />55. Industrial truck and tractor operators<br /><br />*Data reflects figures based on the second- and third-quarter employment numbers according to the Current Population Survey released by the BLS.<br /><br />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.

55 Jobs with High Growth in 2010

Although 2009 saw some of the most desolate unemployment numbers in history, there is reason to believe that things are starting to look up....

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Still alive after 36 hours of hell

I'm not sure what happened to me Saturday but after my two-hour workout at the gym I became really sick as soon as I got home. Room spinning dizziness, horrible nauseousness and dry heaves because I hadn't eaten anything before going to the gym.<br /><br />It continued all day yesterday, throughout the night until 6am this morning when I sort of started to feel human again and could finally lay down on the bed. Prior to that the movement of the bed made me feel sick so I was either laying on the floor or sitting in a hard chair.<br /><br />I couldn't even keep water down. I tried eating saltines and I threw up. I took Pepto Bismol and threw up. I couldn't watch TV because the movement and the noise made me feel even more nauseous. I couldn't even read because of the dizziness.<br /><br />My husband found me curled up in a ball on the bathroom floor at 3am and tried to make me go to the emergency room. I refused. I told him if I was still sick in the morning, then maybe. The thought of going to the emergency room made me feel even sicker.<br /><br />I'm not sure what happened but I suspect it might have been either 1.) some sort of stomach flu or 2.) that disgusting, fattening Christmas dinner. I swear I'll never touch butter again as long as I live. Even now just thinking about it makes me feel kind of sick.<br /><br />I felt better today but still kind of dizzy and slightly nauseous. I was able to eat a bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup tonight and actually keep it down (no turkey, it makes me feel sick to think about it). I also drank a couple glasses of water today. I've been super thirsty because I couldn't drink anything yesterday and actually keep it down.<br /><br />You never appreciate your health until you go through something like that. I'm so happy to feel better. I can't wait for tomorrow to feel even better. Plus I can sleep in my bed tonight and not on the floor or in a chair. Life is good!

Still alive after 36 hours of hell

I'm not sure what happened to me Saturday but after my two-hour workout at the gym I became really sick as soon as I got home. Room spin...

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The Death of Edward Schillebeeckyx

Edward Schillebeeckyx died on December 23 at the age of 95. He was a great theologian, important to me chiefly for shaping my understanding of the Eucharist as a point of encounter with Christ, and Christ as a point of encounter between our humanity and the divine core of reality. He will be missed. I plan to honor him by reading one of his early books on Jesus that I have never read beforel and by reading Robert Schreiter's introduction to his theology.

The Death of Edward Schillebeeckyx

Edward Schillebeeckyx died on December 23 at the age of 95. He was a great theologian, important to me chiefly for shaping my understanding ...

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Planning de la semaine du 28 au 31 décembre 2009

<BR><br />Exceptionnellement, la Maison de l'Emploi du bassin d'Orléans sera <strong>fermée au public le mardi 29 décembre après-midi</strong> et <strong>fermera à 16h le 31 décembre</strong>.<br /><br /><h2><strong><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 113%;color:#005c9b;" >Permanences<br /></span></strong></h2><ul><br /><li>Les permanences du <strong>Conseil Général du Loiret</strong> et de la <strong><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2007/11/boutique-de-gestion.html">Boutique de gestion</a></strong> seront suspendues entre le 28 décembre et le 31 décembre 2009.</ul><br /><h2><strong><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 113%;color:#005c9b;" >Ateliers</span></strong><br /></h2><br /><ul><li><strong><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2009/07/atelier-situtilises-tu-trouves.html">Sit'Utilises tu trouves</a></strong> - jeudi 31 décembre de 10h à 12h</ul>

Planning de la semaine du 28 au 31 décembre 2009

Exceptionnellement, la Maison de l'Emploi du bassin d'Orléans sera fermée au public le mardi 29 décembre après-midi et fermera à 16...

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