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Sandra
Larkin
SandraLarkin.com
Hear Sandra's
Healthy Profits
Interview |
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HP
Authors News
- December, 2008 |
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Stopping Holiday Strain
Nicole Pfeffer Crombie
MOT Occupational Therapist |
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I
am guilty of carrying too much at one time when I walk in and out of
the schools that I work. Every day, I carry my laptop computer bag,
purse, lunch bag, coat, scheduling book, and one or two binders all
at one time. I really need to either purchase one of those rolling
carts to place my things in or make several trips to the car. I
attempt to at least distribute some of the weight by carrying my
laptop bag on one shoulder and my purse and lunch bag on the other
shoulder. I do this so that one side of my body is not doing more
work than the other (which is a risk for injury not to mention that
it’s easier to carry things when you distribute weight evenly).
As the holidays approach, the “piled on
approach” will continue to be a problem
for me carrying all of those holiday shopping bags! The American
Occupational Therapy Association (www.aota.org)
gives the following suggestions on how to “shop smarter” and stop
the strain:
Lighten up.
Do not attempt to carry all of those shopping bags around at one
time! Make frequent trips to your car to unload.
Lift and carry correctly.
Lift correctly by using your legs, not your back. Carry the
packages close to your body and if they are too heavy, ask for
help.
Avoid neck and shoulder strain.
Alternate shoulders when carrying a purse or shoulder bag.
Consider a backpack to use instead.
Set limits.
Do not try to overdo it and plan breaks to sit down. Instead of
doing all of your shopping on one day, consider several short
shopping trips.
Drink plenty of water and eat balanced
meals. It is very important to
stay hydrated during your shopping trip. Eat small, frequent meals
including fruits, vegetables, and proteins. Avoid high
carbohydrate and high sugar foods. They may initially give you
some energy, but they will leave you more tired.
Consider shopping from home.
Don’t even leave the comfort of your home by using the internet to
shop! Many websites offer free shipping during the holidays. If
you do not have a computer, order from the catalog by telephone.
I am going to become a “smart shopper” and
use these suggestions when I shop this holiday season in the hopes
of preventing injury and being more comfortable while I shop. I hope
you, too, will
become a “smart shopper” and consider using some of the strategies
to prevent injury and make your holiday shopping experience more
enjoyable.
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Nicole Pfeffer Crombie,
MOT.
Nicole Pfeffer Crombie is a practicing occupational
therapist receiving bachelors degree from Allegheny College in
Meadville, PA and her masters degree in occupational therapy from
Chatham University in Pittsburgh, PA. She has worked in
outpatient pediatric rehab, the school systems, and early
intervention/home care. She currently resides in
Charlottesville, VA with her family and works in the school system
of Virginia. Her email address is
ncrombie@comcast.net
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Let’s hear it for the cheery, happy
holidays with lots of good food, family gatherings, office parties,
and gifts galore. Yet with the holidays being so festive and bright,
why do people consider them to be so stressful? The answer is
simple: lots of good food, family gatherings, office parties, and
gifts galore.
Grandma Em is going to make you eat at
least three pieces of pie, even if you are trying to lose weight.
Aunt Clarissa is going to tell you every inane detail of the last
six months without stopping for a breath. Fred, from the office, is
going to get drunk again this year and put the moves on every female
at the party. And while you thought the alpaca cape from Peru was a
fabulous gift to your niece last year, she thought it was dorky.
Let’s hear it for the happy holidays. Your family’s behavior hasn’t
changed one iota in the last twenty years. Fred still drinks like a
fish and your niece will be a teenager for another three years.
What can you do to make the holidays less
stressful? Here are three simple ways to change your attitude so you
can enjoy the good cheer of the season.
First, keep in mind that people generally
do the best they can with what they have at the moment. Grandma Em
equates food with love. Eating more of her food means you are
accepting her love. Recognize the love and walk off the pie or feed
it to the dog when she isn’t looking. Aunt Clarissa lives alone and
never gets to talk...she’s lonely and needs someone to honor the
small details of her life. Listen attentively and then have one of
the kids call your cell phone and get you off the hook.
Second, remember that the only thing you
can control is your reaction to any situation. While it seems that
everyone is behaving as usual during the holidays, find something to
be grateful for in the relationship with your niece (or whomever)
and focus on the gratitude in your heart.
Third, send love. The complexity of
changing the behavior of an office mate such as Fred is probably
beyond your control. Sending love to Fred when you think of him is a
subtle but powerful change with oftentimes, amazing results. See a
beam of love going from your heart to Fred’s heart every time you
think of his inappropriate behavior. Never underestimate the power
of love to create change for the better. Love is the true good cheer
of the season.
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Retta Flagg.
Retta is the owner of The Healing Touch of
Pittsburgh, LLC and president of Integrated Spirit, Inc. through
which she teaches advanced massage therapy skills, wellness
programs, and self empowerment techniques. From her twenty years of
experience in complementary medicine, she has designed practical
wellness programs for diverse corporate environments.
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New Year’s Resolutions;
Guaranteed, This is the
EASIEST one of all!
By
Janice Newman, SPHR, MHRM, CELS
Human Resource Executive
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December is such a wonderful month; spending the holidays with our
family and friends, reflecting back on the year that’s about over
and planning for the coming year. And this is also the time when we
think about New Year’s resolutions. Some of you are probably shaking
your head “no” or rolling your eyes. But I guarantee, this
resolution is the easiest one of all and may very well be the most
important resolution you make! Get set---here it is----
Update your personnel
records!There are all kinds
of changes that you may have frankly just forgotten to tell your
Human Resources department about; address change, marital change,
change in dependents, change in income tax withholding exemptions on
your W-4 form (both state and federal) or a change in beneficiaries.
Maybe you earned another degree or passed your test to receive a
certification. You may have a certificate of attendance at a
work-related seminar that should be copied and inserted in to your
permanent personnel records. Or maybe you learned another language.
So why are these so important? Does Human
Resources really need to know this stuff? Absolutely!
If you don’t update your address,
you risk not receiving important mail from your employer, notices
and claims information from your benefits carrier and don’t forget
that W-2’s will be sent out on or before January 30th,
2009 to your last known address.
If you have had a marital change
or a change in dependents, you have a specified period of
time to inform your employer and your benefits carrier and have
them added to your employer-sponsored benefits coverage's. If that
time period has expired, you typically can add them during open
enrollment which typically occurs during the last quarter of the
calendar year. And, do you need to change your exemptions for
income tax withholding, to either increase or decrease the
amount being deducted from your paycheck?
Don’t forget to update your
beneficiary forms for your life insurance, AD&D and 401(k).
Your beneficiary designations will not be “automatically” updated
when you advise your employer of a marital change or a change in
dependents; you have to specifically tell your employer that you
want to also update the beneficiary forms.
Your company probably keeps track of
employees’ educational accomplishments and inventories of
employees’ skills achievements. Your education, certifications,
skills, languages learned, etc can all be used to determine
your qualifications for another position within the organization.
If you don’t update your records, you may never be considered for
promotions and/or transfers which can enhance your professional
development considerably!
Resolve to update your personnel records
right away. Give yourself a deadline. Then either e/mail or call
your Human Resources representative and make an appointment to
review and update these items. Now wasn’t that easy?
Happy New Year!
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Janice (Jan)
Newman, SPHR, MHRM, CELS. Jan
possesses nearly 2 decades of progressively responsible,
executive-level experience in Human Resources. She is an
Owner/Principal of HR Focus Consulting, LLC which is dedicated to
working in partnership with client organizations, providing
leading-edge solutions for bottom line results.
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Sandra Larkin • Mr. Rooney • Anne Ward • HP Authors |
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