How to Stay in Shape at Work during the Holiday Season

Staying in shape during the holiday season may seem impossible because of an abundance of great food and the comfort of being dormant at home. It’s not uncommon to gain a few extra pounds from the holiday festivities. However, with a little dedication and discipline, it’s not impossible to ward off those extra holiday pounds.

Since most of our time is spent at work, here are some pointers that will show you how to stay in shape at work during the holiday season.

1. Drink a Cup of Coffee in the Morning
Most of us start our day with a cup of coffee already, but did you know that black coffee, without all the extra creamer and sugar, may curb cravings? Drinking a cup of coffee not only helps improve concentration and focus, but it can also help keep off extra pounds gained from dessert by curbing our sugar cravings. Remember though that coffee should never replace breakfast, as it is important to eat a healthy and balanced breakfast to start the day properly with energy and nutrition. Also, coffee still contains caffeine, so it is important to limit your coffee intake to 1-2 cups a day.

2. Walk Around As Much As You Can
It doesn’t matter whether you walk around in circles around your office building, outside on the sidewalk, or even pace inside the lobby! As long as you are moving around, you are helping your body improve through exercise. Fifteen minutes of walking is not only easy to do during a break, but very realistic for most of us who work in an office. Therefore, no excuses! By exercising 15 minutes in the morning, and 15 minutes in the afternoon, you’ve already acquired 30 minutes of light to moderate exercise in a day – a feat not to be laughed at for all those who dread hearing the word “gym.”

3. Don’t Keep Grazing at Holiday Parties
This one is a little tough for me personally but I’m going to try my best this holiday season. If there is a holiday party at work, don’t make the food table your best friend. I know, I know, I also love walking past the food more than once…..seeing the food just makes me happy. However, fill up your plate once and be done with it! No second rounds. This will help save you the “I-shouldn’t-have-had-this-extra-donut-ugh-all-these-calories-argh” regret later.

4. Keep Hydrated at Work
How many of us are drinking the 8 cups of water a day recommendation? If you aren’t already, how about trying to make it an early New Year’s Resolution? Staying properly hydrated with water is important because it’s easy to confuse hunger for thirst. By drinking plenty of water, your body will be properly satiated and you won’t need to reach for a snack as often. Also, water is great for your skin, which can easily become dry in an office environment. There are so many benefits of drinking water in addition to those listed above, so keep a liter of water at your desk so you’ll be sure to reach for the drink.

5. Don’t Drive Yourself (and All Your Coworkers) Crazy
The holiday season only comes around once a year, so if you are looking forward to your coworker’s famous pecan pie that she only brings in for the office Thanksgiving party, don’t miss out. It is far better to indulge in an occasional, well-portioned treat than to be cranky and moody towards yourself and everyone sitting around you for not being able to enjoy your treat. (The opposite holds true too: don’t be cranky and moody if you DO have a treat!) Plus, going crazy worrying about “dieting” and “saying no to everything that has sugar” in it, might be counter-effective in the long-run if you cave in later and overindulge.

This may sound cheesy but the best way to stay in shape at work during the holiday season is really to have a healthy attitude. Don’t berate yourself if you have a treat but don’t overindulge and regret everything later either. Remember, everything in proportion and balance is key to being happy and healthy, both physically and mentally. And once again, don’t forget to drink water, and walk, walk, walk!

Stay happy and healthy this Holiday Season!

Greeting Cards Highlight – Employee Birthday Cards

What distinguishes a great company from a good company? One that remembers to wish its employees a happy birthday! It may seem like such a simple gesture but wishing your employees a happy birthday with a birthday card will show that your company truly cares about its employees. Here are a few picks that will show your employees how much you appreciate them:

The Stars and Streamers Birthday Card on cream matte stock features a dazzling array of gold foil stars and decorative streamers on the front surrounding a beautiful blue gift box. A die-cut box completes the attractive look of the card by featuring your company name in gold.

For coworkers, the Birthday Gathering Card would be an especially great card for department coworkers or the whole office employees. This charming design features cartoon characters as coworkers with the warm message, “Happy birthday from all of us!” There is also an elderly gentleman with a red bowtie waving from a yellow cake with pink icing that says “Celebrate!” The happy message of the card will surely make your employees and coworkers smile.

Another great birthday celebration card for employees is the Party Birds Birthday Card. Wish your colleagues a happy birthday from everyone through this amazingly detailed and colorful birthday card featuring birds with party hats and detailed tail feathers. This card is another fun and memorable card that will impress your colleagues.

The Happy Birthday Glow Card features “Happy Birthday” as beautifully embossed letters. The “Happy Birthday” letters look like birthday candles amongst the decorative detail, such as the embossed, colorful stars. Once again, this card is perfect for companies because of the die-cut window on the front that attractively displays either your company name in gold or a personalized message.

Finally, the Birthday Starburst Card on white matte stock is a simple but truly attractive birthday card featuring a large blue balloon with silver iridescent stars sparkling. Variegated foil in shades of blue and silver sparkle while tiny silver embossed stars surround the blue balloon, creating depth. This card is another “don’t miss” birthday card that would be perfect for your employees.

How to Dress for Job Interview Success

It’s the night before the big interview and the last thing you want to think about is outfit coordination for the big day. I hear you. Before you play closet Russian roulette and pull out an outdated vintage suit, (unless that’s your style!) here are a few tips to simplify the guesswork out of perfecting the right outfit for job interview success.

First, ask yourself three “Goldilocks”-type questions:

1. Is this [shirt/suit/pants/dress/ shoes] too big? Don’t wear it.
2. Is this [shirt/suit/pants/dress/ shoes] too small? Don’t wear it.
3. Is the fit just right? Meaning nothing is overly baggy, stretched out, or cutting off blood circulation?

Good. We are one step closer to finding a successful job interview attire from your closet.

This may seem obvious but the comfort and fit of your clothes is important while interviewing because wearing a fitted outfit will not only look better but make you feel more at ease in the interview. If all you can think about is how tight your shoes feel or how long your pants are, you might seem distracted during the interview.

Suits
1. If you don’t already have one, consider investing in a neutral-colored suit, in black, grey or beige. Pin-stripes are acceptable as long as the lines are small and not distracting.
2. If you wear a patterned-suit, then wear a solid-colored shirt/blouse on the inside. The opposite holds true as well: if you have a solid-colored suit, you have the option to wear a pattern-colored shirt/blouse on the inside. The rule is, just don’t mix patterns with patterns. They can clash and look too distracting.

Dress Shirts
1.  Always have a few presentable dress shirts in the right size. Stick with a few solid colors, like blue or white for safety. If you like more adventurous colors, try a light color like light lavender, which is modern and universally flattering. As long as the color is not too flashy or distracting, it should be fine.
2. Take the extra 5 minutes to iron out any wrinkles. Shirts with crisp collars look neat, tidy, and professional compared to a shirt just pulled out of the dryer.
3. Flatly tuck in your dress shirt/blouse to your pants or skirt to avoid bunching up the shirt.

Pants/Skirts
1. If you are wearing a suit jacket, make sure the pant color matches the suit exactly.
2. Iron out all the wrinkles.
3. For ladies, make sure the skirt hits around the knee for the perfect length.

Shoes
Stick with neutral colors, like brown or black for a professional interview. For ladies, heels are acceptable but sticking with a flatter heel will provide for more comfort.

Remember, you can still customize your job interview outfit to personalize yourself but make sure to pick clothes that give you the best comfort and confidence. Don’t wear clothes that will distract you or the interviewer from the job interview process so you can focus on acing that interview.
Finally, make sure all your shoes laces are tied and all buttons are buttoned up.  Good luck with your interview!

Fun Ways to Celebrate an Office Birthday

Your coworker just turned 21 at work again for the fifth year straight. What a coincidence because you also happen to be 21 this year again as well! Here are some fun ways to celebrate an office birthday for an office that never seems to age past 21.

Fun_Ways_Celebrate_Office_Birthday

1. Ice-Cream Cake
Chip in for an ice-cream cake. Everyone loves ice-cream. Everyone loves cake. This is a guaranteed win-win celebration. Make sure to keep the ice-cream fridge in the office freezer though if you pick it up in the morning. It would be pretty terrible to have melted ice-cream cake all over everyone else’s lunch in the fridge by noon.

2. Party Hats
No one ever looks good in a party hat except maybe Beyoncé, which is kind of the point. Get the birthday man/woman the silliest party hat that one’s office budget can provide for maximum amusement. Everyone else in the office (aka: office peasants) receives slightly poorer quality hats. Or better. Remember, the point is no one ever looks good in a party hat. Got it.

3. Office Balloons
Balloons are the epitome of Fun. Have you ever heard someone say, “Man, I hate balloons?” Me either.

4. Birthday Cards
Get everyone in the office or department to sign a birthday card with different colored metallic pens.

5. Sing Happy Birthday
Don’t be too shy to sing that office birthday coworker a very loud and embellished rendition of “Happy Birthday.” No one ever hates someone who sings them “Happy Birthday.” Probably.