The Trickiest Holiday Party of the Season... the office party

The holidays are undoubtedly in full swing which means so are some of the seasons most awaited festive parties; the holiday office party (no matter how obligatory it may be) being among the many. This particular holiday celebration is somewhat of a time for employers to reward their team/staff members successes, and for collaboration between fellow colleagues while looking forward to the year to come... yet its somehow easily forgotten that this event is absolutely NOT the setting to be the life of the party! Over indulgence and undesirable behavior wont be forgotten once the party commences… The cardinal rule is to remember that no matter how festive the occasion, it's still about business.

So before you head out to mix and mingle  throwing caution to wind or ladies letting your hair down here a few words of wisdom to help you navigate the the potentially dangerous festive waters:

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RSVP

Aways rsvp within in 3 days and if you suddenly find out you are unable to attend be sure to give ample notice.

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Dress Code

Dress appropriately for the occasion- find out the dress code for the party and follow it and don’t forget… its business. My suggestion is keep your guard up when deciding on what to wear and stay away from anything that is too short, too tight, too revealing, too casual or that simply looks untidy.

Be on Tme

Never show up early and don’t waltz in 30 mins late. Andn’t be the last employee to leave.

Make Proper Intros

If you are bringing a date or spouse to the holiday party, be sure you are properly introducing him or her to your bosses and colleagues

Limit Your Liquor

Open bar should never be interpreted as an open invitation get to totally smashed… limit your liquor, especially if you’re known to not be the best at handling it… behavior included!

More so, don’t over consume…anything. Whether its food, alcohol or people, its important to enjoy all aspects of the party in moderation.

Dancing

Just because you can get-low does NOT mean you should… especially considering you’re on the office party dance floor, wouldn’t want that picture to fail the two fridge test now would you leading to potentially damaging cyber remorse…

Put Your Phone Away

In our always-on society being mindful of your smartphone use is crucial (practice smartphone etiquette) A holiday event filled with partygoers instagramming, tweeting and just plain virtually sharing just about everything, its plain rude! Memorialize it later or when you’re not in the company of those who deserve your attention far more than your followers and potential likers!

Don’t Talk Shop

Or gossip or talk politics- No matter who you’re talking to keep the conversation light, you and the people around you are there to enjoy themselves.

Know Who to Thank

The planner often times gets overlooked and a simple thank you showing your appreciation can go a long way.   

Moral of the story is, share the spirit sensibly. Follow the above suggestions to avoid falling off the fast track to success or risk damaging your professional reputation in this one night

of potential inadvertent blunders. And once again, remember the cardinal rule that no matter how festive the occasion, it's still about business.

5 Ways To Follow Through on Your Goals: June Goals

I was right! Meeting my May goals would be a challenge... I didn't do so hot and I will come out and say it! While my water intake increased significantly, my DC consumption was still a culprit... However I finished another book tried out 2 new recipes and am hydrating right, so some progress is progress right?! Tracking your goals monthly is a great way to set small (or large) attainable milestones and I believe it also keeps you conscious of your actions day in and day out. Some of the goals I have been setting for myself recently will ideally become habit/second nature in the near future, but until that becomes the case I know it is important for me to continue setting them. As Aristotle is quoted saying "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence therefore is not an act, but a habit." Its always important to forgive yourself if you fail, and while I don't want to attach the thought of failure to my May goals there is certainly room for improvement in June! This month I have taken on the 21 Day Challenge that will in success change my eating habits moving forward. I am excited about creating weekly action plans that combine both fitness and nutrition and even more excited to share results down the line. So for the month of June I am doing something different with my goals and here are 5 ways I plan help myself follow through with my goals.

DIVIDE AND CONQUER

Divide your goals into a set of small achievable steps. Maybe this is weekly, maybe this is daily. Do what makes them digestible and what makes achieving them work for you! 

PUT  FEAR IN ITS PLACE

There will be scary moments when failure seems eminent and reaching your goals may seem impossible. In these cases Nike says Just Do It! So just do it anyway no matter how scary it may seem. 

EXPECT SETBACKS

Setback are a part of any process, but not the end of it. If you begin with the end in mind and know setbacks are inevitable you can plan to rededicate yourself to each goal after any setbacks that cross your path. 

LEARN Along the way... 

Do what works for you! If something isn't working try a new approach. Unexpected challenges are opportunities to learn new skills. 

SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS

With any goal accountability is key. Tell someone who matters to you, write about it, blog about it, tweet about it! Pledge to make your goals a reality!

Boot Camp: Week 4

Monday morning of week 4 started off with a heart pounding Tabata circuit. If you are not familiar with what Tabata is let me explain a bit about it. Based on reasearch conducted byJapanese scientist Izumi Tabata, Tabata is a specific form of workout pumped out in increments of time — 20 seconds on, 10 off - for four minutes and the trick to really benefiting from this work out is going all-out during those 20 seconds of work. This pattern is repeated a total of eight times, making one tabata round four minutes. The following was our Bootcamp Tabata circuit:

20 Seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest.

Tabata Stations:

Wall Sits With Ball Overhead
Plank on Ball
Jump Squats
Oblique’s
Hanging Abs Knees to Elbows
Jump Pull Ups
Burpees
Sprints leaning forward on bar heels to butt
Ab roller of death
Jump Rope

{tabata stations front and center ab roller of death!}

{Wall Sits With Ball Overhead}

{Sprints leaning forward on bar heels to butt}

 

Partner Style:

Wednesday mornings workout was partner style taking turns. Starting with 100 x's up and down the step and then 50 x's each of the following:

Step 100 x’s

Dead Lift
Overhead Lunges
Back Squat Press
Push Press
Superman
Sit Ups
Buddy Burpees
Stairs

As for Friday {as well as this past Monday morning...} I unfortunately missed bootcamp... and I think the following phrase sums it up:

He/she who fails to plan is planning to fail...  

I apologize for not having those 2 days to share with you... More next week starting with Wednesday 2/6.

Sometimes its better to just listen...

 

Intent... Play for Keeps in 2013!

 Just 7 days into the New Year and Im sure a lot of you have your New Years Resolution/s on the mind… And with all of these resolutions and goals flying around me lately, I stand by the idea that we don’t need a special day whether it’s a Monday or a New Year to make changes in our lives… I'm sure change has been on your mind as much as mine over the past week and Im confident that 2013 is promising... bringing a brand new year and a clean slate. Good news is we can use the marker of the New Year to provide us with a measurable time frame for progress which can be very empowering. What we are able to effectively measure we can positively change! I want this New Year to be different from any other year and there isn’t a doubt in my mind that it will be!

How do I want to make this year different you may ask… Well, change is a tough thing, but a good thing nonetheless. In order for this year to be different than any before, SOMETHING(s) have to CHANGE, so without creating some list comprised of two scoops of obsessive and eager enthusiasm sprinkled with a bit of unrealistic expectations all with a cherry on top I will instead create one that is perfectly in line with ideals I feel I already adhere by… and then choose one little word to invite into my life which will remind me to play for keeps in 2013!

My word for 2013: Intent

Intent/ aim, meaning, determined, committed   

I will live with it. I will invite it into my life. I will let it speak to me. And I plan to follow where it leads me. The possibilities are endless.

Resolutions 2013: Intent
Be Strong: work out 3-5 mornings a week without question.
Be Healthy: become a connoisseur of quick and healthy meals. Remember to eat healthy snacks between meals. take a vitamin/s h2O
Be Smart: embrace new opportunities. They help you grow.
Be Happy: remember to be grateful, treasure the small things.

Be Wise: "Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in getting up every time we do."
Be Motivated: shower and get dressed, i know... sounds simple but stuff actually gets done when you do.
Be Organized: just do it 

Give Thanks... Its Good For You & Forgive

Thanksgiving... a time of the year which reminds some of us to be more aware of the things in our life which we are thankful for. While it may not be on daily basis, I count my blessings year round as I believe gratitude is a powerful emotion and being grateful just plain feels good to me. Growing up, my mom would come into my room each night to tuck me in to bed and we would say I simple prayer together:

 "Now I lay me down to sleep I pray the lord my soul to keep, if i should die before i wake i give the lord my sol to take..."

Once we finished the prayer I would then go through a list of people, in my head, family members, friends and sometimes even neighbors who let me play in their yard or my favorite teachers who always made class fun, my dog Heidi and even my hamster Jimmy {im sure you get the point} I would talk about all things that made me happy to have these people in my life and how thankful for them I was. Sometimes at night I still go through this childhood ritual as it feels to be an age old routine and I give thanks... Through the years I continually find more things to be thankful for and more ways to show appreciation for those things, tangible or not...

I recently read a quote which reminded me of quality I confidently possess, which I am most thankful for:
True forgiveness is not an action after the fact, it is an attitude with which you enter each moment...    -David Ridge
This quote brings to mind the cliche line that no one is perfect, and while I know this to be true it seems as though sometimes we continue to punish ourselves and others for the smallest deviation from this so called perfect path. Forgiving all deviations is not always a possibility, but why punish yourself and sustain the anger inside that a grudge beholds? I am thankful to not be one of those people {one that holds a grudge} but with that said, I am completely in tune with the truth that of all people, I myself, am nowhere near perfect. The opposite of taking things for granted is to be thankful for them... and when you are thankful for the good in your life, the good grows and we have more of it. Sadly, the opposite of this is also all too true... when you fail to appreciate the good, when you take the good things for granted, the good depreciates... As being thankful is good the soul, forgiving is good for the heart... and the body as well as the soul. When you appreciate the good, the good appreciates...  There's no playbook for forgiveness, no manual to getting past betrayals, disappointments or hurt, but more over it is a life skill most anyone can possess. Forgiving is good and I am thankful I posses this quality in life...

Simple Wisdom: Reason &Truth

“Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense." -Buddha

Simple Wisdom: In the Moment

"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment" - Buddha

Simple Wisdom: Love

" You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself as much as anybody in the entire universe deserves your love and affection. " -Buddha

Growing Pain: Old-Fashioned TV Wisdom

 

“Maybe the past is an anchor holding us back. Maybe, you have to let go of who you are to become who you will be.”

 

Ok so this quote is so unbelievably relevant to my life right now and when things like this hit so close to home what do i do? Blog it! And its no surprise these wise words of TV wisdom came right from the one and only Carrie Bradshaw... "Anchors Away"

what makes my life real simple...

I truly believe that focus is the most important tool we can posses in becoming more effective and while we live in world where more often than not, more is better; at some point we run into limits. Today {just as every day} I was greeted with a pile of magazines and newpapers at my desk. Typically I sift and sort through and then eventually they all end up in recycling by the end of the week, but I decided to actually throughlly read through one this morning... which just so happend to be Real Simple Magazine. Aside from being just more of the same presented in a "new" fashion there was one... yes, one page in particular which struck a chord with me... and I couldnt agree with her more
what makes my life real simple... Photographer Beth Dow expressed her simple life like so:
When I came across this tree at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, my first inclination was to find out why the plastic bags were on the branches. But then I realized that the tree interests me because I dont know how or why it came to be this way. Sometimes not knowing is better than having the answer. In fact, learning to live with mystery has made my life simplier and more relaxed. This photo reminds me that its OK to let go and accept lifes secrets.  

{modest but memorable... Bags photograph by Beth Dow}

In essence, my take away from this image is cultivated by the focus I think we all posess within... to accept change and all that we cannot control, to embrace the unexpected and live with a little mystery can in turn simplfy your life sometimes ... as Dow expresses, sometimes not knowing is better than having the answer and like i said before, i really couldnt agree with this more!

happy tuesday!

Nothing to Complain About...

Living Your Moksha...

I am all about the “new” so last night when I came in as a new student for the 8:15 class at Moksha Hot Yoga LA and was promptly high-fived for coming in I was already digging the vibe of this place! (Such great energy!)

I have done Hot Yoga many times before, but was so excited to finally have a location within in a reasonable distance from both work and home. I was also pleasantly surprised to not be welcomed by yucky, sweaty, smelly carpet! Instead the studio encompasses a floor which appears to be cork of some sort, which is totally cleaner and more environmentally responsible; if you ask me. I was so ready to feel every pore detoxify and that’s just what I did, so if you’re ready sweat, head on over! Pore-fection will be achieved.

First-timers can sign up for an Ah-mazing deal for $40 for their first consecutive month, but overall monthly dues are very reasonable. I was definitely impressed with the amenities of this place as a whole especially the interesting little iPad kiosk where you can "check-in" and get a free pass for your friend if you decide to bring someone to practice with you- so cool! I already have someone in mind ;)!
The intensity of the 1 hr Moksha class last night was just enough coming right out of an hr of spin prior to, but the words the instructor left us with was just what I needed…

Live your Moksha- what this means is that you live your life congruent to that of your practice on the mat… it is a challenge indeed!

Namaste

chasing big mario

I recently stumbled across a fellow bloggers theory that I couldn’t resonate with more! Being a child of the 80’s and knowing the ins and outs of Nintendo like a true 80’s baby should, this theory not only rang true to my ears but is also truly brilliant! Its The Big Mario Theory and it goes a little something like this: There are certain things in the real world that entirely drain you and by the real world I’m referring to life after college. Any motivation you once had is now channeled into making it. You get mushy from lack of exercise. Your sole sustenance is Lean Cuisines and coffee. Your skin is pale, your hair is dry, and everyone, including your mother, thinks you look “tired.” Anything could hurt you at this point – even a turtle. And there you have it The Big Mario Theory was born. In essence, the real world makes you Little Mario. {Only she uses this analogy is reference to law school and since I’m not in law school I merely adjusted accordingly}


She goes on to further explain Little Mario is a puss. I mean seriously, how can you call yourself a man if a turtle can kill you? Little Mario needs his mushrooms. The mushrooms make him big and strong. The flashing stars of invincibility and fire power- even better…

Overall this theory brings us to realize that focusing on any one thing in life will demote you to Little Mario. Balance is essential to success and, for Mario, mushrooms provide that balance. So its important to seek out the mushrooms life has to offer!

the power of OM

once upon a time every night before bed i would say my prayers... "now i lay me down to sleep, if i should die before i wake, i pray the lord my soul to take..." and while this was simple way back when, i find myself theses days having less and less time for complicated prayers or magic spells. simply put, the word 'OM' (which rhymes with home) will do just as well as it beholds enough power to carry you through your day. typically i find myself engaging in a bit of internal "OM"ing as im not sure it would go over so well sitting in my cubicle... nonetheless i highly suggest it!

more wise words from carrie...

oh how i miss these girls... its a given that reruns of these lovely ladies be found on repeat in my DVD player! 

Il dolce far niente

 is an attitude. it is a mindset. it is the opportunity to live freely and enjoy the simple things life has to offer, whether it is a beautiful sunset, a child's laugh or a long nap outside on a warm summer afternoon... possible... i would like to be there...

il dolce far niente

a little wisdom from sex and the city

How is it that this show is always so spot on??

“Sometimes we need to stop analyzing the past, stop planning the future, stop figuring out precisely how we feel, stop deciding exactly what we want, and just see what happens.”