Maximizing Your Happiness and Success at Work

We are so busy with work these days. We get used to having a certain routine everyday, and after time, we are afraid to stray off that path. But to maximize your happiness and your overall success at work and in life, you must get out of your comfort zone, work on time management skills, and stay healthy while doing it. Read below to learn more:

1. Get out of your comfort zone: Try something new everyday!

Human beings are afraid of change (this has been scientifically proven). Getting out of your comfort zone by trying something new may seem scary, but this is only at the beginning. Change and lack of familiarity cause these fears to arise in us, however, by practicing something new as often as you can, you will make it a habit and lose that fear. You will start to see the benefits of getting out of your comfort zone as that fear turns into fulfillment and adventure!

Nothing contributes to our happiness more than shattering the delusions to which we cling.

An example of getting out of your comfort zone to try something new could be coming up to someone you’ve never spoken to, and starting a conversation with them. Most people want to meet other people, but are afraid of feeling rejection. If you come up to them and initiate the conversation, they will probably be excited and have a lot to offer to the discussion. People love talking about themselves — so make sure you ask questions about them! You never know who you can meet and who they may know, how they can help you, etc. By getting out of your comfort zone, you have just expanded your network with one conversation!

2. Don’t waste valuable time in meetings

If you work in corporate America, you know how much time can be wasted because of unproductive meetings.

To combat this, prepare ahead of time. If you’re leading the meeting, make sure that all of the meeting participants are on time and are ready to focus in the meeting. It helps when people don’t bring in their electronic devices and when they close their laptops — this ensures that everybody will be engaged and not distracted. Let them know that they can take notes on notebooks, as this is proven to increase retention, memory, and learning.

Another way to combat wasting valuable time in meetings is by keeping them organized and on a time-sensitive schedule. You can do so by making sure to send out an agenda with action items before the meeting, setting specific topics and goals of the meeting in mind before the meeting begins.

Lastly, if you are presenting or in charge of bringing any material to the meeting, make sure that it is open on your computer or email beforehand (such as presentations, emails, or other documents or files) in order to help make easy and fast transitions between presentations and save valuable time!

3. Stay active and healthy

What do most successful people have in common? They are fit and stay in shape. Many studies have discovered the direct correlation that exists between staying in shape and having a successful career. Working out, as well as nutritious eating habits, improve time management, boost mental performance and mental clarity, and improve employee morale, energy, and stress levels.

To stay active, make sure you can fit working out into your schedule. For instance, you can schedule your workouts in the morning by waking up earlier (if you’re a morning person) and going for a walk or jog in the park or around your neighborhood. Working out in the morning will surely give you a huge energy boost that will make you feel rejuvenated throughout the day. If you’re more of a night owl, you can do your exercise in the evening. The key is to find what works for you and do it consistently.

Hope these tips help you feel happier at work, and bring you great success in all of your endeavors!

e

Spicing Up The Cubicle Life

The majority of us who are working in the corporate world spend 8 (or often more) hours every day sitting at our cubicles! That’s one-third of our day, the other third of which we spend sleeping. And we often wonder, “Can I leave my cube, or will my boss think I’m slacking?” or “If I leave my cube, will I miss something important?” Well, chances are that if something is really THAT important and needs urgent attention, the person who needs you will find a way to get a hold of you. So let go of the mentality that you constantly have to be at your cubicle, and start finding a way to improve your work life balance.

We all can work on finding a better balance to our work day — making sure we get all of our work done effectively and efficiently, while also making sure to keep our mental health in check. Here are a few tips I can give you, based on my experiences, which have really helped me improve the quality of my work day:

1. Enjoy the outdoors: Stepping away from your cubicle and into the great outdoors will allow you to clear your mind and make room for good thoughts. Whether you have a large park near your workplace, a shady tree, or even a small patch of grass, fresh air will surely bring you energy, happiness, and a positive perspective. You can take 10 minute walking breaks every couple of hours, meditate, or just sit outside for a bit. Being outside will provide you with a much-needed release from the often stuffy, cluttered, and overwhelming cubicle and office environment.

2. Eat lunch away from your desk: Your lunch hour is the perfect time to step away from your desk and clear your head. You can meet up with friends or family at a restaurant, walk over to a nearby cafe, or just eat outside. If you’re running out of time, you can eat at your company’s cafeteria — as long as you get some time away from your desk.

3. Get some much-needed exercise: Although you may feel like you’re taking away from important work projects or deadlines, getting exercise (whether it is at a nearby gym, a jog outside during lunch, or squats at your desk), will actually improve your productivity at work. Working out boosts your body’s endorphin production, bringing you new energy and a focused mind. If your company has a gym, or if you can find a gym near your workplace, that would be optimal. You can go for a short class before work, during lunch, or after work — and shower at the facility in case you need to get back to the office.

4. Cube swag: Cube swag is super important. Your cubicle is basically like your room at home. Would you like your room at home if you had bland walls, dim lights, office supplies everywhere, and unorganized papers? NOPE. Here are a few ideas to enhance your cube swag: First, decorate your cube walls by putting up pictures or quotes that motivate you, posters, a calendar, a clock, etc. Just make sure that whatever you put up will inspire you every day. Also, make sure you keep it professional. No selfies, please. Second, keep it organized. Keep a file cabinet of important files, keep your papers stacked neatly, and keep your desk clean. Having it organized will boost your productivity, and also assure your boss that you are sane and capable of getting the job done.

5. Find your spot: Take a tour of your company. Go to the cafeteria, walk around different buildings, and survey your surroundings. Chances are you will find a space that particularly appeals to you — you can bring your computer and do your work there. Sometimes, we find that certain places get our juices flowing, increasing our productivity and improving our mood.

I hope I was able to provide you with some tips to spice up your cubicle work life. If you have any other tips or suggestions, please leave them in the comment section below!

e

Clean Eating Challenge

Feeling lethargic, sluggish, and sleepy? I don’t blame you. I feel this way all the time, especially when working a 9 to 5 gig, and barely moving my body! We sit at work with our exhausted eyes glued to the computer screen, and our tired bodies glued to our chairs. But how is it possible to eat healthy when you are so tired, and your body just craves junk and sugar to keep you awake and sane?

Buzzfeed Life edition just posted this short and neat little article about clean eating, which they define as:

a two-week detox plan that’s all about eating real food in order to have more energy.

Sounds doable right? Well, that’s because it is! Rather than limiting yourself and having your body go into starvation mode, this meal plan makes you focus on eating real food – food that is good for you and won’t leave you feeling sluggish or hungry. That includes chocolate (yeah you heard me right!), sugary fruit, and protein. The plan breaks down your meals into 2 weeks, and provides you with recipes and a list of ingredients to make your meals. Simple enough, yeah?

Now this plan is not only about food, but it’s also about water. The plan encourages you to drink at least 6 glasses of water a day, and AVOID caffeine and alcohol. If you must drink caffeine (I will definitely be needing some), you are allowed to drink up to 3 cups of green tea per day or as necessary.

I know you’re probably thinking, how am I going to have time to prepare this food and prioritize this dietary change for 14 whole days? I’m about to break down some key steps and tips so that you know exactly what to prioritize:

1. Buy all of your food ahead of time – Buy on Saturday before the start of Week 1 and on the following Saturday before the start of Week 2 – and cook most of it on those days too.

2. Bring a water bottle with you wherever you go. Make sure you are taking small sips of water throughout the day. If you have trouble tracking your water intake, there is a cool app called Waterlogged which can help you do that.

3. Make it portable. Bring a lunch box to work with you to make your snacks and meals portable.

4. Print out the food schedule so you can keep track of what foods you will be eating on what day.

5. Keep a food journal. Write down when you didn’t stick to the food plan, so you can make up for it the next day.

After eliminating all junk, processed, and heavily-caloric items from your palette, you will start to feel energetic and ready to go about your day! It doesn’t hurt to give it a try, so go for it! And if you find yourself swaying off the path, don’t be so hard on yourself, and just pick up where you left off.

I’ll be doing the clean eating challenge alongside you, so send me your feedback!

Always the best,

e

Embarking on a New Life Journey

Hey everyone! It has been a long time since my last update. A lot has been going on in my life since then, so I thought I would update all of you wonderful followers! I graduated from UC San Diego with my Communication Degree and my Business minor, so thank you to everyone who has been supporting me and reading this blog throughout the process. Since graduation, I have done some traveling locally and internationally. I went to Napa, which was absolutely lovely, and I got to go hot air balloon riding. I also went on my first cruise to Alaska and Vancouver. It was so nice to put away all of my technology and just enjoy nature for once. Alaska was serene, peaceful, and beautiful. Vancouver was also a very cool place to explore. They have a thriving business center and a growing population of millennials, so it was great to see some young people around! Hopefully, I will get to travel again soon. My next adventure will probably be in Japan, since one of my best friends is teaching there. Besides traveling, I have mainly been working at a startup company in the Bay Area called Owl Vision, and I have been learning a lot on a professional and personal level.

I have also been going to the Bay Club for my fitness routine, which is what I wanted to talk about with ya’all today!

Although this blog has been focused mainly on health in the corporate world, I thought I would expand to health for adults in general, since this is such a crucial part of life. Don’t worry, I won’t stop writing about health in the workplace, but rather I wanted to approach health in a more holistic sense. Since recently moving back to the Bay Area from San Diego, I have joined the Bay Club Gym, which offers an array of awesome classes to its members. I have discovered a few that I have particularly enjoyed that I wanted to share with ya’all.

The first one is Body Pump. This class will kick your behind into shape. No matter how many times I go to this class, it always ends up beating me up! It focuses on building muscle strength, endurance, and flexibility by working 8 core muscle groups; from back to chest, shoulders to pecs, thighs to glutes, you name it, it will be sore by the end of the workout. Usually these classes are an hour long, so right when you feel like giving up, they will be over (thankfully). Your muscles will feel sore for a week afterward, but it is WORTH IT! Give it a try. You can check out what it’s all about on their official website.

The next class is called Body Combat. This class was created by the same makers of Body Pump, but it is more focused on intense cardiovascular exercises rather than solely muscular exercises. This class teaches you how to punch effectively, defend yourself, and is essentially like kickboxing. It is a fun mix of very energetic and intense cardio and some strength exercises along the way. Your arms will feel like falling off, but it is definitely worth a try. After a few weeks, you will not only feel more fit, but you will feel like you can defend yourself (if you ever need to…hopefully not). Check it out here!

The last class I would recommend for everyone to try is cycling. Now, I know all of you know what cycling is, but these group exercises held by a trained cyclist are so empowering! You can start on beginner level and add a bit of resistance as you go along, but I’m telling you, this is the class that will take your fitness to the next level. Honestly, I am NOT a biker. I have fallen off my bike on numerous occasions and don’t consider myself an advanced biker whatsoever. But these bikes are stationary (thank god), and are for all levels! Not only do you feel so good about yourself during the class, but you walk out of it feeling like a soldier. Soon, I may start to work on my cycling certification to become a spin instructor, but I need to master the art first!

I know people (me included) feel anxiety when they try new things, especially fitness classes, but trust me when I say that NO ONE has 100% mastered these classes. They are constantly evolving with new moves, new techniques, and new instructors, so you are not behind. Just put on your workout gear, and get ready to sweat! You will be amazed at what you can accomplish.

Get Moving,

e

Don’t Give in to Portion Distortion!

In today’s world, portion sizes have increased immensely, becoming extremely unhealthy, compared to what they used to be. According to this fitness blog, Dr. Lisa R. Young, a nutritionist and author, explains that “portion sizes today are 2-5 times bigger than they were in the past”.

Portion control has never been more crucial than it is today, especially due to America’s obesity epidemic. Because us young professionals are constantly working and have no time to analyze food options or portion sizes, we must educate ourselves about what portions are the right portions for us.

The fitness blog I sited above is a great place to start, illustrating how portion sizes have changed, and the reason behind this change. The blog makes a great point, as we “rely on restaurants and pre-packaged foods to give the proper serving sizes, and often get much more food than we need”.

The truth about HEALTHY portion sizes:

1. Make half of your plate fruit and/or vegetables: For example, if you are ordering at a restaurant, ask for a side salad as opposed to french fries.

2. Make one-quarter of your plate protein: The healthiest serving size is 3 ounces. To help remember this, look at the palm of your hand, and this should be the size of your protein serving. This can be fish, beef, chicken, turkey burger etc. There are plenty of options!

3. Make one-quarter of your plate healthy grains: This can be one slice of whole wheat bread, oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, or 1/2 a cup of pasta.

Take these tips with you to work when eating lunch, or save them for when you come home and prepare yourself a healthy dinner. For a more in-depth understanding of portion control, I recommend reading The Portion Teller, a book written by Dr. Lisa R. Young.

Best of luck with your portion control!

How to Practice Mindfulness

As young professionals, it is crucial to keep our mental health in check. Practicing mindfulness is a perfect strategy of doing so. According to Psychology Today, “Mindfulness is a state of active, open attention on the present. When you’re mindful, you observe your thoughts and feelings from a distance, without judging them good or bad. Instead of letting your life pass you by, mindfulness means living in the moment and awakening to experience.”

You might ask: What are the long-term benefits of mindfulness?

According to psychologist and neuroscientist Britta Holzel, the more mindful you are, the more dominant your relaxation response becomes over time. This means you have fewer stress hormones coursing through you at any given time. Stressing activates your sympathetic nervous system, the driving force behind the body’s fight-or-flight response. Imagine always being in a state of fear, as if you are running from a bear. Being stressed makes your body think that you are in this state of danger constantly. 

With the practice of mindfulness, you will learn how to decrease your stress, and over time, suppress this fight-or-flight response when it is unnecessary.

How do I practice mindfulness? 

Start your practice. Try to set aside 10-20 minutes a day in your work schedule. I recommend doing this first thing in the morning to get a fresh perspective on the day. You can practice mindfulness anywhere, from the cubicle to the park. It is important to find a space that makes you feel comfortable and calm. Let’s begin by going over the steps.

Step 1. Breathe. UCLA’s Mindful Awareness director Diana Winston recommends to just breathe. Sit or stand in a quiet place and breathe naturally. Focus on the sensations in your stomach and chest. Keep a strong posture.

Step 2. Become Aware. Notice the sounds around you, the movement of the grass as you take your daily walk, and the strength of your body as you sit at your desk.

Step 3. Find your center. Use the focus built during this exercise in real life scenarios. If you feel anxious or stressed throughout the day, don’t push your thoughts away. Rather, acknowledge where the stress is coming from so you can make yourself better.

Step 4. Know when to stop. If you ever find yourself angry, sad, or extremely emotional, take a breath and stop. Observe what is happening inside and outside of you, then proceed with whatever you are doing. This will allow your body to relax before you go.

If you don’t have time to do all of these steps above, here are a couple that have really helped me through my internships.

1. Breathe in and breathe out. Inhale through your nose and exhale out of your mouth. When you inhale, imagine good energy coming inside of your body. As you exhale, envision the bad energy leaving your body. This imagery will help you focus on the present moment and allow you to get rid of any stress about the future.

2. Chill out. People who practice a state of relaxation and mindfulness everyday can actually change the structure of their brains, strengthening the areas that control emotions and stress responses, according to Ph.D. psychologist Britta Holzel, a neuroscience researcher at Charite Hospital in Germany. Practicing mindfulness will allow you to focus all of your attention on the present moment, making you calm, relaxed, and ready to face obstacles that come your way.

Hope these steps help you feel more relaxed throughout your workday!

The Importance of Walking and Breathing

When you are sitting at your desk all day, it is easy to forget the importance of movement. As you all know, being a young professional in the corporate world is tough – you have little to no time to take a break, you are swamped with work, and you are trying to build up your reputation. A fast and simple way to incorporate a healthy break is walking and getting some fresh air!

According to Harvard Medical School’s Health Publications, “Walking is a man’s best medicine”. The Health Publication explains, “Whether you walk in a business suit or a sweat suit, on city streets or country roads, it’s still the same left, right, left for health. In fact, it’s not a question of either/or, since every walk you take is a step toward good health”.

Walking is a simple way to burn some calories at work and take a much-needed break from your cubicle. Keeping your body moving during the day will increase your blood circulation, improve your energy levels, and boost your mood. According to the Mayo Clinic, when you put one foot in front of the other, you improve blood flow to your legs, which will help prevent blood clots that are common in people that live sedentary lifestyles. Also, taking a walk will improve your energy levels while burning off some major calories! Lastly, the endorphins from the exercise will boost your mood for the rest of the day. Here are some tips from the Mayo Clinic on how to improve your walking techniques:

• Your head is up. You’re looking forward, not at the ground.
• Your neck, shoulders and back are relaxed, not stiffly upright.
• You’re swinging your arms freely with a slight bend in your elbows. A little pumping with your arms is OK.
• Your stomach muscles are slightly tightened and your back is straight, not arched forward or backward.
• You’re walking smoothly, rolling your foot from heel to toe.

My advice on how to incorporate walking at work:

1. Have walking meetings, especially if you are meeting one-on-one with an employee. It will give you both some fresh air and some time away from the stuffy office.

2. Take a 20-minute walk after your lunch break. It will help maintain energy levels and boost endorphins, putting you in a better mood! Go outside and walk around your company’s campus or at a nearby park.

3. Take walking breaks between work. If you have been sitting for more than an hour, walk around the office for 10 minutes.

4. Park your car further away from work to walk to the office.

5. Take the stairs when you go to another floor or need to use the restroom.

Visit the Mayo Clinic website for more information on the benefits of walking.

Each stride counts, so go outside and get started!

e