You WORK too much

By sprout wellness at growhealthywithsprout.com - A borrowed post that says everything that I've been thinking but never took the time to say:

so i’ve been thinking about how awful it is that more and more people i come across no longer take a lunch break at work. they eat at their desks, go to the vending machine, or sometimes skip lunch altogether. i could maybe maybe maybe get on board with this new shift IF people were working from like 11 to 3 or 4 (or even just making their own hours and schedules). but when you’re working from 8 or 9 to 5 or 6, that’s absurd. how and why are people just letting this happen? i mean, i don’t really get how we allow a lot of things to happen. but being worked into sickness is on a really weird level, because NO one i talk to has any problem with it. at all. they think it’s no big deal. um, really?

i stumbled across this article that makes all of the points i would have. here you go:

• Almost a third of working Americans (28 percent) took no vacation time at all; half took a week or less; and two-thirds got less than two weeks off. The median vacation time: 8.2 days, far below the three weeks most cited as the needed amount of time-off to prevent burnout.
• The eighth annual Expedia.com vacation survey backs that up, reporting for “the eighth consecutive year, Americans received and used the smallest amount of vacation time among their (European) counterparts abroad.”
• Even worse, despite reporting an average of 14 paid vacation days again this year, about a third of employed U.S. adults will not even use all the vacation days they do get.
• “Again this year, employed U.S. adults will leave an average of three vacation days on the table, in essence giving back more than 460 million vacation days in 2008. Despite these statistics, Americans do see the value in vacation, with more than one-third (39 percent) reporting they feel more productive and better about their job upon returning from vacation and 52 percent claiming to feel rested, rejuvenated and reconnected to their personal life.”
• And even when Americans do take vacation, 24 percent “report that they check work e-mail or voicemail while vacationing.” That’s up from 16 percent in 2005.
• Men who don’t take regular vacations are 32 percent more likely to suffer from heart disease than those who do, and women are 50 percent more likely.

and the worst part by far was actually written in the comment section, by a man named mike burns:

“I have not had a vacation for nine years. My employer can’t afford to give us any. I work for the Oil and Gas industry. In that time, I have lost a family through divorce, and had two heart attacks. I had a quadruple by pass surgery on my heart.
All I did wrong was work. I am still working. Right now, my plan is to die on the job. I am 54. Work is all I have left.
I am living the American dream. I will not hold my breath for O’bama to do anything different. I lost my first marriage when Clinton was in office and that is when I had my first chest pains. The reason? I worked. I am still living the Reagan Revolution. I don’t think the Reagan Revolution will die before I do.”

it’s heartbreaking. but on some level, it’s our own fault.

Get Help From Friends & Family

Appetizer
It helps to have allies on your fitness journey.

Main Course
I’ve met many people who can never quite seem to stick to a healthy eating plan or exercise routine because their relationships with others somehow get in the way, but fortunately it doesn’t have to be that way. With a little effort you can actually help turn those closest to you into partners rather than roadblocks.

Work Out Together - When you work out with a friend or significant other, workout time becomes something more social and fun. Don’t worry if they haven’t yet caught on to the gospel of exercise. You guys don’t have to actually go to the gym. Just spending some time walking around the park together will help you burn calories, but you’ll feel like you are just hanging out.

Ask For Their Help – Well-meaning family and friends can sometimes sabotage your diet plans by constantly offering you terribly fattening food. Usually these people just don’t know any better, and simply telling them that while you appreciate the thought, you are trying to stick to a healthier diet will do the trick. Most people will truly understand, and you may motivate them to even join in with you.

Seek Out Compliments – We all know one or two people who are never shy with a compliment. These people can be key to your overall fitness strategy because hearing “Wow, you look great! Have you been working out?” every once in a while is a good way to give you the extra boost of motivation you need to keep up the hard work.

Dessert
Your circle of family and friends can either be your greatest allies or worst enemies when it comes to losing weight and getting healthy. If you are proactive about asking for their support, you can use them as a great way to leverage yourself into the body that you want.

About Cafe Physique:
The mission of Café Physique is to help clients reach and exceed their personal fitness and nutrition goals. If you’re in need of an a nutritionist in Atlanta or an Atlanta personal trainer – Café Physique is the perfect solution. We offer Atlanta yoga instruction, Atlanta prenatal workouts, and Atlanta personal training. We also have private sessions of pilates that Atlanta residents are raving about. We invite you to let a member of our Atlanta registered dietitian staff or personal training team develop and implement a realistic and healthy lifestyle plan to meet your personal goals.