Month: June 2014

Best Workouts to Lose Weight at Work

Over the years, I’ve found that the best workouts to lose weight at work (or anywhere for that matter) are really the ones that you feel you will enjoy. If you don’t find something that works for you, you won’t be motivated to do it. For example, running really burns calories fast and is something I enjoy but if you loathe it, you won’t be likely to actually do it.

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Something that people always complain about is not having time to workout because they work long hours. It’s true we are all busy with our own daily grind so why not try to incorporate some of those workouts right into your workday. Come happy hour, you’ll be way ahead of the game.

  1. Try parking your car further away from work and getting a short walk in to start your day. If you have a parking garage, park on a different level and walk to level the level you work on, take the stairs or better yet, do a combination of the two.
  2. Skip the elevator and take the stairs to your floor. It may be unrealistic to do this if you work on say the 40th floor but you can still do a few flights and then take the elevator the rest of the way. Try to keep increasing how many flights you can do as you build up your endurance.
  3. Walk, walk, walk! Walking requires no equipment, can be done almost anywhere and really is one of the best workouts. Even a very short walk around the office if you are pressed for time can dramatically increase the circulation in your legs and make you more productive as you go through your day.
  4. Speaking of not needing any equipment…those good old calisthenics exercises also provide a great workout without having to bring in any workout gear. Feel free to do those sit-ups, jumping jacks, push-ups, squats and lunges.
  5. Have some fun with your co-workers by planking around the office. Have them join in the fun and ask them to do it with you. (Make sure you work in a place in which the boss doesn’t disapprove of said planking practices.)
  6. Sit on a stability ball instead of a desk chair or try standing whenever possible to do your work. Any small change that you can make in this area so that you aren’t sedentary for so many hours can make a big difference.
  7. Many employees like to do an intense workout or run during their lunch hour especially if your company offers facilities for doing so. Take advantage of anything offered to you.
  8. Don’t have such facilities? Learn some basic yoga or tai chi techniques or pull up a video on your phone that you can do on your break or lunch hour. While these workouts are effective, you won’t have sweat pouring off you and stinking up the joint in those afternoon meetings.
  9. Stand up and just stretch at least every hour or so to loosen up stiff muscles and get the blood flowing. Reach up to the ceiling and then down to your toes or any combination of stretches that you feel like doing.
  10.  And the last best workout to lose weight at work is…..wait for it….closing your mouth! OK, so the act of closing your mouth won’t actually burn too many calories and can hardly be called a “workout” but it’s really hard to get that birthday cupcake in your mouth when it’s actually closed, you get what I’m putting out there?

 

Roosevelt Elementary School – Gallery Collection Charitable Donations

The Gallery Collection, as part of our charitable donations program, recently donated 6 assortment boxes of greeting cards to Roosevelt Elementary School in Ridgefield Park, NJ for use in auction at their annual Tricky Tray fundraiser. The assortment boxes included Birthday Cards and All Occasion Cards.

birthday cards assortment boxes

The mission of Roosevelt Elementary School is to provide a thorough and efficient education for all students, with opportunities for achievement that encourages skill development, self confidence and the appreciation of cultural diversity, by using a variety of approaches motivating students to gain new knowledge through critical thinking, exploration and discovery in a safe environment.

If you are interested in learning more about Roosevelt Elementary School, please visit their website at http://www.edline.net/pages/7824164183961700866.

Anniversary Gift Ideas for Employees

When an employee or a coworker anniversary comes up, it’s always nice to show your appreciation by giving them a gift they would enjoy. Whether it is their first year or their fiftieth a simple present can express how much you value their efforts. Plus you don’t have to break the bank doing it! Below are ten great ideas if you can’t figure the right thing to give. And don’t forget, always send employee anniversary cards for that extra special touch!

Anniversary_Gifts

1. Gift Card with a Gift Card Holder – Add a personal touch to a gift card with a gift card holder. You can create one out of scrap booking paper with a pretty design and glue it together like an envelope. The gift card could go towards their favorite store, restaurant or even a spa treatment. It’s a simple present but with the gift card holder it’ll look like you put some thought into it and best of all it prevents the risk of getting something they may not like.

2. Gift Basket – They are varieties of gift baskets that can be specialized to what you know your coworker / employee would like. Fill the gift basket with something edible, beauty/bath products or focused on a theme.

3. Bake It Yourself (BIY) Jars – If your coworker likes sweets or likes to bake create BIY jar. Simply add the dry ingredients into a mason jar. Provide them with instructions on how to assemble the ingredients together and tie the top with some colorful string.

4. Handmade soaps/lotions – It always good to show support to local shops and by buying bath soaps and lotions from a local store are authentic and they tend to smell better too. It also looks great to put them together in a basket on top of some brown paper or tissue paper.

5. Tea Assortment Box – After a hard days work, sometimes a cup of tea is all that is required to unwind. Give your employee / coworker the essentials for them to relax at their desk or at home. The assortment will leave the option for them to either to soothe the stress away with some Chamomile or English Breakfast when they need a little pick me up.

6. Coffee Mug – Everyone enjoys a good coffee mug at their desk. Find something that is personal with stuff you know your employee / coworker would love. Pick a design with their favorite sports team, a funny message or of their favorite animal pet.

7. Sport Memorabilia – Sport fans love to show their appreciation to their favorite teams. If you know they are a big fan of a particular sports team and like to show it, give them a jersey, a poster or a ball with their favorite sports logo.

8. Recipe Book – Some people love to cook; a recipe book that’s simple and quick of their favorite cuisine or from their favorite chef. Maybe they’ll enjoy it so much; they will bring something to share with everyone else in the office.

9. Luggage – When they go away for business or on vacation, a travel bag makes the perfect present. Get it with personalization too. For business or vacation, it’s nice to have something to put one’s stuff away when you need it.

10. Office plant – Brighten up your employee’s desk or cubicle with a touch of green. Plants in an office environment are known to improve productivity and purify the air. Although, some office areas can have limited sunlight or central air in the building can vary often, so find a plant that’s low maintenance and can withstand variation of light and shade. Such as; a spider plant, a philodendron or a peace lily.

Time Management Tips for Employees

I don’t have to tell you that today we are being asked to do more than ever; through attrition we are inheriting more and more duties and if we don’t like it, we are pointed to the door. Time management skills are a must to have in your arsenal as you climb the ladder of success. Here are some time management tips that have helped me and will also help you:

Know your job inside and out; learn what is expected of you and the goals you are to achieve. If you don’t know where you are going, how will you know when you get there?

Time_Management

Prioritize you tasks, if you know your job you will know what is important and what can wait. Focus on first priority and everything else should fall into place.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions or ask for advice; your boss will appreciate your effort in getting an assignment finished properly and in a timely fashion. Take notes so you don’t have to ask again, make everything a learning experience.

Make lists, no matter how well trained you are in your job, constant interruptions and multitasking make us forget the simplest thing; do not rely on memory.

If your attendance is not necessary at a meeting, asked to be excused; many meetings are a waste of time.

Be honest with your supervisor, if you are having problems meeting a deadline say something, in advance of the deadline of course. Can you delegate or ask for help? Do you need more training? Maybe your time management wasn’t at its best, again make everything a learning experience.

Organize your day. Before you leave in the evening make a list of pending assignments and prioritize them so in the morning you are ready to go. Set aside time to answer emails and return phone calls. You don’t have to jump at every request. Manage your time and prioritize.

Time management is learned over time so keep your eye on the ball, focus on what is important and you will do well.

Saint Margaret of Cortona – Gallery Collection Charitable Donations

As part of The Gallery Collection’s charitable donation program, we made a donation of several assortment boxes of Holiday cards, Birthday cards, All Occasion cards, and Fine Art note cards to Saint Margaret of Cortona in Little Ferry, NJ. These assortment boxes will be used for raffles and giveaways for the parish Tricky Tray fundraiser in November.

Holiday_Assortment

Saint Margaret of Cortona has been serving the Catholic community of Little Ferry and Moonachie for 100 years in ministry, education and service.

For more information about Saint Margaret of Cortona, please visit their website at http://www.olmvmiddlesex.parishesonline.com/scripts/HostedSites/org.asp?p=5&ID=5939.

Corporate Christmas Cards Make Your Company Look Good

Your clients have helped your business grow and become successful. Don’t they deserve to be remembered and thanked? Don’t you want your company name to stay in their minds? Send them corporate Christmas cards! Holiday cards let your client know that you appreciate them and their business. They spread good cheer and happiness at a very special time of year.

Holiday Ribbon and Stars Card

Choose a good quality card that shows you have excellent taste and spent time selecting your cards. The Gallery Collection has over 700 cards to choose from. You might choose a design that has an outdoor winter scene; snow glistening on the trees or cute penguins or polar bears! Or something classy and elegant with sparkle and shine! (But not the kind that the glitter falls over the card and you’re wearing it for weeks!) Shiny ornaments, bells and bows. Peace on Earth is always a great sentiment for everyone.

Let’s face it, your clients chose you for a reason. Corporate Christmas cards will make you and your company look better!

Gallery Collection Scholarship Contest – First Round Winners

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Congratulations to the winners from the first round of voting in the Gallery Collection Scholarship Contest!

10 Designs moved on to the finalist round as a result of them finishing in the top 10 in voting, plus, our scholarship team also used our 1 save available to us on the design submitted by Schuyler Bjork.

Check out the top 10 vote getters and the saved design that are moving onto the finalist round in the gallery below.

 

Fun Ideas For an Office Birthday Party

I guess I’m from the old school because I can’t imagine going to a party of any kind without bringing something. It might be a little more difficult without all the comforts of home, but with a little thought and planning, anything is possible.

Office_Birthday_Party

The first thing I’d bring would be birthday cards. That way after all the festivities were over the guest of honor would be able to find a quiet place and sit back to read all the well wishes from friends. Then I would get a head count since regardless of where a party is held, the last thing you’d want to do is run out of food or drinks. Then I would have to turn to the menu. I think I’d want to stick with something that could be enjoyed at room temp. You certainly don’t want to find yourself standing in front of the only or tiniest microwave you’ve ever seen trying to heat up lasagna one piece at a time because the only pan you had was made of metal. Depending on the time of year a nice salad in the warmer months is sure the please. If you are absolutely at a loss, do some checking ahead of time and find a local caterer.

Then there are drinks. That’s a tough one since you may not be able to serve anything even remotely spiked in some offices. And don’t forget dessert. Probably the easiest decision for any office party. Everybody loves dessert.

You should probably ask ahead of time about gifts. If it isn’t someone you know extremely well finding a gift that’s not too personal but still looks like you spent some time thinking about it is best. I’ve always tried to look around the person’s desk or cubicle ahead of time to determine their likes or dislikes. If I see a ton of family pictures, I usually go with that theme. Maybe a frame or some sort of keepsake item they can always have with them that they can personalize themselves with a picture. If I can’t get a feeling from what I see, I might ask a few questions of others who may know the guest of honor best.

I have to say, though, when all is said and done, knowing that others took the time to celebrate a special day in your life is amazing. To have that happen at work is even more special when you realize how crazy the average work day is. And when it’s all over, those birthday cards will decorate your space and be a constant reminder of everyone who was there celebrating with you.

Happy Birthday…and many happy returns.

Muscular Dystrophy Association Greater Atlanta – Gallery Collection Charitable Donations

The Gallery Collection, as part of our charitable donations program, recently donated 2 Get Well Assortment Boxes and 2 Sympathy Assortment Boxes to the Muscular Dystrophy Association Greater Atlanta.

Get_Well_Assortment

The Muscular Dystrophy Association is the world’s leading nonprofit health agency dedicated to finding treatments and cures for muscular dystrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neuromuscular diseases. MDA funds worldwide research; provides comprehensive health care services and support to MDA families nationwide; and rallies communities to fight back through advocacy, fundraising and local engagement.

For more information about the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and how you can help, please visit their website at http://mda.org/.