26 Wednesday Feb 2020
Posted in Intelligence for Your Life
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Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, get up and move, healthy, heart disease, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, marathon, run, runing, work, workplace
Just because someone runs marathons doesn’t mean they aren’t sitting all day. On workdays, people who run marathons and half-marathons sit for an average of nearly 11 hours! That, of course, raises their risk of heart disease. So get up and move throughout the day – even if you’re sore from your last marathon or morning run.
22 Wednesday Jan 2020
Posted in Intelligence for Your Life
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bad day, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, depression, heart attack, high cholesterol, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, job stress, stress, work, work stress, worst day
…make sure you end the day with some exercise. Most adults say one of their biggest sources of stress is their job. But according to a study in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, a workout after work is the best antidote. Because job stress is linked to heart problems – and the stress from a bad day at work can linger for 48 hours. Work stress can also lead to high cholesterol and depression. But even a small burst of exercise on the day you’re experiencing the stress can reduce those risk factors. So when things get tough, get going and break a sweat.
21 Thursday Nov 2019
Posted in Intelligence for Your Life
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Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, cortisol, cranky, de-stress, destress, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, stress, stress hormones, unwind, walk the dog, work
Well, the lingering stress hormones, like cortisol, could make you cranky, and hurt your health in the long run. So, work-life balance expert Mary LoVerde recommends a “power hour” ritual to help you switch from work mode to home mode. So maybe you walk the dog and take a soothing shower. Or you change into sweats and start dinner if you find that relaxing. Just make your “power hour” a repetitive ritual, because planning something new every day will just ADD stress. LoVerde says rituals make it easier to wind down and relax. They also make you more mindful, so you’ll spend your time at home “in the moment,” instead of stressing about work.
03 Thursday Oct 2019
Posted in Intelligence for Your Life
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Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, high blood pressure, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, job, love what you do, love your job, mental health, work, workaholic, working
Workaholics, if you love what you do, keep working your tail off! It’s not going to hurt you.
The term workaholic was coined by a psychologist 50 years ago, and he compared its toll on a person’s physical and mental health to substance abuse.
But a new study from the Academy of Management Discoveries says people who worked long hours, but who loved what they did, did NOT have excess stress, were NO more likely to have high blood pressure than those who worked less and had a positive sense of well-being. They also didn’t have trouble sleeping, which is common among people who work excessive hours. Bottom line: If you love what you do, don’t worry, because your workaholic ways won’t hurt your health.
01 Tuesday Oct 2019
Posted in Intelligence for Your Life
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burned out, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, lunch, lunch break, lunchtime, no cellphone, tech-free, work
A study found that people who were on their phones during lunch, looking at social media or texting friends, reported feeling more “burned out” and “emotionally drained” as the day went on. That’s because the brain is much more active and more likely to tire than any other muscle or organ in your body. And when you stay glued to your phone, even if you’re not using it for work – your brain stays in “work” mode. So, get off your phone during lunch to recharge.
10 Tuesday Sep 2019
Posted in Intelligence for Your Life
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Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, employee, flu, go to work sick, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, job, presenteeism, sick, work
There’s a name for when people go to work even when they’re sick… It’s called “presenteeism.” And employees do it because they don’t want to seem like slackers – or they have too much work on their plate to take a sick day… so they show up anyway. But know this: Sick workers are less productive, take longer to get better, and make a lot of their co-workers sick, too! So, if you have the flu – when should you go back to work?
Well, according to internist Dr. Keri Peterson, the unfortunate news is – when it comes to the flu, you’re contagious one day BEFORE you get symptoms. So you may infect people even if you stay home once the fever and chills strike. But stay home anyway – and Dr. Peterson says people are still contagious between 5 and 7 days AFTER the first flu symptoms start. That may seem like a really long time to stay home sick… But if you don’t take care of yourself, you could get complications from the flu, like pneumonia, and you’ll be out for even longer. So stay home until you’ve been fever-free for 24 hours – without the use of over-the-counter flu medications.
17 Tuesday Jul 2018
Posted in Intelligence for Your Life
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Berkeley, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, cortisol, coworkers, high 5, high five, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, job, morale, oxytocin, productivity, reduce stress, stress, trust, work
Wanna lift the morale at work – and improve your own mood? High five your coworkers. High fives release the trust hormone oxytocin and reduce the stress hormone cortisol. Experts from UC Berkeley say high fives promote bonding among coworkers, and increase trust and productivity.
02 Monday Apr 2018
Posted in Intelligence for Your Life
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casino, circadian rhythm, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, cubicle, hospital, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, job, mall, melatonin, natural light, Northwestern University, office, sleepy, sunny, sunny day, tired, window, work
If you feel tired all the time, but still find it hard to fall asleep at night, your cubicle may be to blame. Research at Northwestern University found that workers who didn’t have a window nearby – or a source of natural light – slept 47 fewer minutes a night, on average – compared to those who worked near a window. That’s because exposure to natural light helps synchronize our circadian rhythm, and boosts production of the sleep hormone melatonin at night.
So, what can you do if you work in a windowless office, shopping mall, factory, hospital or casino?
Lead researcher Dr. Phyllis Zee recommends spending at least a half hour a day outdoors – or by a sunny window – so you get the natural light you need to sync your hormonal rhythms with day and night. You’ll feel less daytime sleepiness – and be more ready for sleep at night.
20 Monday Feb 2017
Posted in Intelligence for Your Life
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alert, alertness, bed, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, insomnia, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, job, memory, safety, sleep, sleeping, think, thinking, tired, work
Going to bed at 11:30pm instead of 10 is no big deal, right? Not so fast! It turns out, missing even 90-minutes of sleep for just one night can reduce your daytime alertness by as much as 32%. That’s enough to affect your memory, your thinking ability, and your safety on the job and on the road.
03 Monday Oct 2016
Posted in Intelligence for Your Life
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center, Computer, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, Cornell University, desk, Dr. Alan Hedge, eyes, eyestrain, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, job, read, reading, relax, small print, work, working
And it’s not just the light from the computer and the small print. Part of the problem is that we read from left to right, and almost everything we read on a computer is left-aligned… Which means, our eyes keep shifting to the left. So, ergonomic expert Dr. Alan Hedge at Cornell University recommends scooting your desk chair slightly left-of-center. That way, your eyes stay centered and relaxed, so you’ll get less eyestrain.
