Are you turning into a Teletubby?

When I started working at a consulting firm last March, I had to adapt and acclimate myself to a much different work environment from which I am accustomed, to include working from home on occasion. While this can be a dream scenario for some, I quickly discovered telecommuting has its’ challenges, too. 

After a few days at home, working several hours non-stop, with minimal breaks, I found myself feeling physically horrible, and going stir crazy. There was little separation between work and home, and my days were beginning to blur. Despite maintaining regular bathing rituals and a daily visit to the gym, I felt stale and isolated.  The monotony of staring at numbers for a QC task was making me loopy and fatigued. To get energy, I reached for fast-digesting, empty calorie foods to keep going. As deadlines approached, I craved more empty carbs! My body ached from hardly moving. I needed a break. I needed to move. I needed fresh air. I needed it fast! I stepped away from my laptop for a much needed break and reflected on how I was feeling. That’s when it dawned on me: I was turning into a Teletubby!!

The term Teletubby is a reference to blob-shaped puppets from a BBC kids show in the 1990s, but it also reflected how I felt and was starting to look after staring at my computer all day, fueling myself with junk and barely moving. That’s when I realized, telecommuting – despite its’ alluring appeal – presents some challenges for staying healthy, just like the typical office environment.

Along with a need to create and adopt new structure and balance strategies in my workday, I discovered it was equally important for me to implement some new ‘workplace’ wellness behaviors to maximize my effectiveness when working at home. Based on my experience, here are some tips for staying fit (and sane) when working from home:

• Take regular breaks to give your eyeballs a rest and get the blood and oxygen flowing to your brain and limbs
• Every hour or so, climb the stairs, do a set of 100 jumping jacks, or squat in place for a minute
• Run outside to get the mail
• Set up a standing workstation so you’re not sitting all day
• Incorporate household chores into your breaks (load the washer, switch clothes to the dryer, fold and put away clothes; sweep and dust one room at a time; make the bed)
• Stay hydrated and fueled with nourishing foods
• Do not keep unhealthy snack foods in the house
• Do not keep unhealthy snack foods in the house (this one’s worth repeating)
• When you reach for a snack, ask yourself, “Am I really hungry – or just stress noshing?”
• Take out the garbage (and toss any junk food that may contribute to low productivity or a Teletubby physique)
• Play with your pet (play catch with your canine; lure your feline to attack and chase toys) 
• Set a reasonable and realistic start and end to your workday and stick to it  
• Pick up the phone or send a funny note to a colleague when you’re feeling isolated
• Spy on your neighbors and pick up some new landscaping/home decorating ideas

Admittedly, the last two items are a little off the wall, but I am writing this after a day of being cooped up inside. On that note, it’s time for me to sign off and call it a day.

Kerri L. Mikeska, MHRM, PHR, NASM-CPT

What has your body done for you today? What have you done for it?

http://www.completefitnessconcepts.com/

In the Mood for Comfort Food?

As a native Minnesotan, casseroles are a standard dinner entrée. Growing up in my family, I recall more meals than not where a casserole was the main (if not only) dinner item. While they were comforting and filling, particularly in the cold winter months, most of the family recipes I have are loaded with fat and somewhat lacking in nutrients.

Here’s a recipe I found in Oxygen magazine last year that is not only comforting, it’s packed with nourishment, too. It’s so well balanced – packed with whole grains, veggies, protein, and dairy – it is allowed to be a stand-alone meal in my home.

While it requires a little extra “kick” (a.k.a. hot sauce) to satisfy my husband’s taste buds, this recipe meets a critical requirement for our household: it’s gluten-free.  

The left-overs aren’t too shabby either. Since we make up a two-person household, whenever I make this recipe I serve two servings of the dish to my husband (he’s blessed with a physically demanding occupation and a metabolism to it back it up), while I serve a single serving for myself and immediately store the remaining serving  for my dinner the next night. Enjoy! 

Recipe for: Tuna-No-Noodle Casserole _{(Makes 4 servings) Gluten Free!}

To prepare: Preheat oven 400 degrees. Spray an 8”x 8” dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Ingredients

Directions

·        Non-stick cooking spray ·        1 small sweet potato ·        6 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese ·        1 Tbsp. canola mayo ·        1 tsp. Dijon mustard ·        1 tsp. garlic powder ·        1 tsp. ground black pepper ·        1 cups low fat milk ·        1 tsp. olive oil ·        1 half onion, chopped (optional) ·        1 cup frozen peas ·        2 cups cooked brown rice ·        1 7 oz. can tuna, drained and flaked For extra flavor variety, add cayenne pepper, tabasco sauce, and/or low fat shredded cheddar cheese. This recipe is from the April 2011 edition of Oxygen magazine.

·     Peel sweet potato, heat in microwave and mash well with a  fork. Set aside. ·     In a large mixing bowl, mix cheese, mayo, mustard, garlic powder, pepper and milk. ·     Add mashed potato and blend well to get a creamy, orange sauce. ·     Heat oil in a small skillet. ·     Sauté onion until soft, about two minutes. ·     Add peas. Add brown rice to reheat. Then stir in sweet potato mix. ·     Add tuna and mix to combine. ·     Bake in oven for 20 minutes at 400 degrees ·     Place everything in an 8 x 8-inch baking dish and bake for 20 minutes. ·     Serve on a bed of steamed spinach. NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION: Serving size: 1/4 dish Calories: 330 / Fat: 6 g / Protein: 25 g / Fiber: 8 g / Carb: 45

Kerri L. Mikeska, MHRM, PHR, NASM-CPT

What has your body done for you today? What have you done for it?

http://www.completefitnessconcepts.com/

Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail

Most of us have heard the phrase “Fail to plan, plan to fail” and experienced its impact first-hand at some point in our lives. I suspect very few of us can argue with the truth in this statement. When it comes to health & fitness, I am fortunate to say I have reaped the benefits of setting aside time each week to plan my workouts and meals (higher energy and productivity, greater confidence, quality sleep). On the contrary, I have also experienced the havoc that can occur when I don’t devote a little extra time to plan ahead (poor eating habits and less focused workouts, resulting in increased fatigue, stress, irritability, head and muscle aches, and digestive distress).

For me, planning my workouts and time to exercise is not so difficult. However, when it comes to consistently eating well, and sticking to a good plan, it’s a whole other story. Even though I’m a cooler-toting girl at the office, recently I noticed my late afternoon, evening, and weekend eating habits were in need an “extreme makeover”.

After careful scrutiny and reflection of my eating habits, I identified some potential problem areas and triggers. Here are my findings and the actions I’m taking to get my eating behaviors back on the right track:

 

 

Scenario 1 - The Office: Around 4:00 each afternoon I get the munchies for something sweet. Even if I have a healthy snack in my cooler, I gravitate toward the free-for-all office treats (e.g., troughs of candy welcoming visitors at every other cubicle, and left-over trays of bagels, pastries, and cookie platters from meetings). When I give into these cravings, I find myself elated for a half hour or so, but then shortly thereafter I’m crashing and wanting more.

Potential problems/triggers:  I may not be eating enough earlier in the day and truly need more fuel to have energy to get through the rest of the afternoon. By 4:00 pm, I’ve usually been sitting for a few hours, trying to accomplish all the things on my “to-do” list before I leave the office. Feelings of stress, extended inactivity, and thirst may be playing a role.

Makeover action: I now make a point to eat every 3-4 hours throughout the day to help prevent extreme hunger. To curb my sweet-tooth cravings, I make sure there’s a sweet and satisfying food item in my cooler for my late afternoon snack and pair it with a lean protein to ensure I am satiated until dinner. Before I grab a snack, I take a moment to confirm I’m actually hungry. Sometimes I just need to get up, stretch, and hydrate (thirst is often mistaken for hunger). If I still have the munchies after I climb a few flights and refill my water bottle, it’s time for my late afternoon snack.  

Scenario 2 - Weeknights: As soon as I get home I’m famished! Instead of taking time to prep a healthy meal, I go straight for any quick and crunchy convenience food in the house (cereal, baked tortilla chips, etc.).

Potential problems/triggers: Like my afternoon slump, I may need to eat more during the day. Stress is also a likely factor as I find myself noshing on chips while I catch up on emails and work at my laptop and scurry around the house getting ready for the next day. My husband also pointed out, I may not be getting enough whole grains in my diet. (Ever since our house became gluten free our house has been void of many of our former staple foods like breads, bagels, and pasta). 

Makeover action: I am now adding more to my cooler and eating at regular intervals throughout the day. In addition to my daytime meals, I now prep my dinners for the week on Sundays so they are ready to go in the microwave as soon as I get home. To satisfy my crunchy food cravings, I include a portioned-controlled size of whole grain chips or cereal.

Scenario 3 - Weekends: Saturdays I start my day at the gym then spend the rest of the afternoon on-the-go running errands. I don’t leave the house without a pre-workout mini-meal and a full water bottle, but then I’m running on empty. In absence of regularly convenient water fountains, I nurse my 24 oz. water bottle all day - a fraction of what my body needs - and rely on the occasional grocery store or Costco samples to refuel. Energy depleted, I end up making low-nutrient snack food impulse purchases to recharge, rarely enough to satiate. When I finally get home my head is pounding, I’m cranky, tired and famished! 

Potential problems/triggers: Clearly the lack of hydration and substantive fuel is contributing to my headaches, fatigue, and mood. Waiting too long to eat could also explain my impulse junk food purchases.

Makeover action: I now treat Saturdays like any other weekday and pack a full cooler before I head out the door to ensure I have enough substantive, nourishing food in my body to keep me energized all day. I pack a second water bottle and invested in a HydraCoach to monitor and remind me how much water I need to drink throughout the day. 

In the midst of my eating plan make-over, I came across a brochure highlighting key benefits of having an eating plan: it frees up our time and energy spent thinking about food, thereby reducing the chances of making poor choices in the moment, and minimizes the likelihood of making those choices in an emotional state. For those of us who eat for reasons other than hunger (stress, anxiety, boredom, loneliness, grief, depression, or habit – because the food is there) this speaks volumes! Having and sticking to an eating plan significantly removes the emotion out of eating.

The brochure suggested writing out your eating plan and for extra measure, sharing it with someone who can provide accountability, encouragement, and objective feedback. An accountability partner may spot behavior trends you do not recognize or care to admit on your own. Finally, it recommended keeping your eating plan flexible. If it’s too rigid, it may backfire. Like you, an eating plan will change over time. If you find you’re having trouble sticking to your plan, you may need to go back to the drawing board to see what is or isn’t working – and adjust accordingly.

Applying this information to my findings, I’ve taken a few more steps to ensure my eating plan is more specific, satisfying, and flexible. It is has helped me get back on track, stay focused, and become more aware of what I’m eating, why I’m eating, and how it impacts my mind, body, and spirit.

Stay tuned for a tasty dinner dish that can be prepped in advance.

 

 

Kerri L. Mikeska, MHRM, PHR, NASM-CPT

What has your body done for you today? What have you done for it?

http://www.completefitnessconcepts.com/