Are you doing your office work outs??
Are You Doing Your Office Workouts?
OK, I know you’ve been mad at yourself. You do Pilates (whatever the heck that means). You do Jenny Craig. You have a Thigh Master, Ab Master, Butt Master, and Blaster Master. Heck, you’ve had it all, done it all, refused to eat it all, and tried it all. However, for some odd reason, you still ache. You still feel out of breath. You still haven’t lost weight. You still don’t like what you see in the mirror. There are hundreds of gurus who can motivate you, pump you up, and inspire you to get into that dress or go down one belt size. I won’t even begin to compete with them. What I’m trying to do is help you improve your industrial health.
The vast majority of us work in sedentary jobs (jobs where we sit six hours out of an eight hour day) or even a light job (jobs where you’re walking or standing six out of eight hours a day). However, we spend so much time on our jobs that we often forget about our health. So I’m going to give you a few tips that might help you out:
1) Fifteen minutes can make you feel fitter
I know you don’t believe it, but try to get to work about 15 minutes earlier and use it to do a little walking. Nothing major. Just walk. You are going to be there for eight hours anyway, so an extra 15 minutes won’t kill you. Bring your ipod. Listen to some music. Relax and breathe and start your day with the blood pumping through your veins.
2) Get up from that desk
Let’s be real. You could probably sit at your desk for four hours straight and not realize it. And you wonder why your back is killing you. Listen. Set your computer to give you an alarm every 50 to 55 minutes. After that, force yourself to stand up and stretch. I don’t mean stretch like you’re getting out of bed. I mean, actually stretch. Stretch your legs. Stretch your back. Stretch your arms. Trust me. These stretching exercises help.
3) Break your routine. SHOCK your body.
Stop for a moment and look at what you do every day. Your body gets accustomed to doing the same things. So guess what? If you sit every day, that’s what your body is used to doing. Find ways to do the things you used to do differently. If you take the elevator from one floor to the other, use the stairs. If there is a longer path to a place you normally go, take that one from time to time. Force your body to do things it’s not used to doing and you will force your mind to become sharper.
4) Change your diet for the day
I am so sorry to have to tell you this but try to eat something different. I am a loyal follower of the Golden Arches but it’s amazing how your body will respond to a salad or a light sandwich. Try something different and commit to it. I’m not saying you shouldn’t go to McDonalds’s but try not to go every day.
5) Make it a part of your schedule
Look at your work schedule. You already know what you have to do and what you need to get done. Why don’t you integrate your health into your schedule? Think about it. You will make damn sure that you go downstairs to puff on that cigarette. I’ve seen people who go outside for a smoke when it’s raining outside and the temperature is 22 degrees Farenheit. So why can’t you dedicate yourself to making your health a part of your schedule?
6) It is about your way of life, not your weight!
Remember, it’s not about your weight. Yes, I know you would look cute in that size 6 again. Yes, we know you had washboard abs back in the day. But it’s not about your weight. It’s about your way of life. Look at your family history. Any heart disease? Any obesity? Any high blood pressure? Don’t waste your life away on the working grind. Change your way of life.
Now, if you have a few dollars to invest in a work out machine or a personal trainer, go for it. However, these few little steps can go a long way to making your life a little better.
Is your building making you sick?
For those of us who spend eight hours a day in one place every day for five days a week, the answer to this question is fairly simple: HELL YEAH!! Before you start throwing your hands in the air and proclaiming, “SOMEBODY can relate” and getting ready to get your ‘cuss on’, I have something to tell you. I didn’t ask if your building was getting on your nerves. I asked if it was making you sick.
In so many instances, we find ourselves working in environments t on such a regular basis that we don’t even pay attention to the physical effects until it’s too late. The simple fact is that there are many things that go into making sure that your work environment is suitable for you to work. However, if you find yourself wondering if your building is making you sick, here are a couple of things to consider:
1) How do you feel when you’re at home compared to when you are at work?
- Pay attention to how you feel when you come home from work. If you find yourself feeling sick at work but you get better after you’ve been home for a while, you may be exposed to something at work that making you sick.
2) Are there certain areas of the building where you don’t feel right?
- Sometimes, there is a specific area where there may be clear indications that something is wrong.
3) How are your eyes? How about your breathing? Anything setting off your allergies (Even though you don’t have any)?
- Sometimes, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what it is that is making you feel sick but you can definitely tell that something is wrong. Are your eyes watering? Are you having a hard time breathing? Are you sneezing like crazy? Pay attention because these could be warning signs that something is wrong.
4) Has anything changed in your building?
- Yes, we get excited when we get a new roof, new wall, or new system put in place. However, the simple fact is that there are times when putting in these new things may create new health problems. Pay attention if you notice a difference.
The phenomenon that I am referring to is called “Sick Building Syndrome” and it usually occurs when some type of exposure to a particular substance in the building results in you getting sick. If you notice something is wrong, don’t be shy and don’t wait for it to get worse. Let your employer know right away.
The uncut and hard realities about Health Care and Social Security Disability: Just my perspective
This weekend is being billed as Historic. President Obama is on the attack. The Republicans and Democrats are in a dog fight. The media is going crazy. And what is the big hoopla about?? In one word, HEALTHCARE!! Enough said!
This Sunday will be the historic vote on the HEALTHCARE bill. We’ve all heard about it. We know it’s coming. It’s only a matter of time but BOOM, it will be here. I’m always excited about any reform that will benefit the American people but I have a unique perspective. Most of my Social Security client are comprised of that large segment of the American population that does NOT have health insurance. As such, I am particularly concerned with the outcome of this vote.
I’ll tell you. Over the next few days, I am going to review it thoroughly. I am not going to be a hypocrite and tell you that I know the intricacies of the Healthcare bill. I don’t. However, I do have some questions. It will probably fall on deaf ears and more importantly, smarter people than me have probably figured it out already (Please be careful about what you read because there may be some offensive or profane language in this post):
1) What’s it going to do about health care now?
Ok, this may seem ‘ass backwards’ but how immediate is this bill? I do know that some portions of it will go into effect immediately. However, when they say ‘immediately’ is that 2 hours after it passes?? 2 days? 2 months? 2 years? And this is only one part of Congress. What about the Senate? Are they going to STINK It UP and put a STOP TO THIS! If the House passes this thing, and the Senate kills it, are we stuck again?? I don’t mean to be rude but if the majority of the HOUSE (Which are comprised of people who fight for their jobs every 2 years) pass it, shouldn’t we be angry if the SENATE (which are comprised of people who fight for their jobs every 6 years) decides that they are going to kill it? Every time Healthcare comes it, politicians treat it like an illegal drug that you shouldn’t touch. We have people who are in bad shape RIGHT NOW and their fate are left in the hands of those who HAVE INSURANCE and are COMFORTABLE! Do they really feel their pain??
2) What’s it going to do about county care?
For those of you who have the benefit of Blue Cross/Blue Shield, AETNA, or UNITED HEALTHCARE, let me tell you about the COUNTY HEALTH INSURANCE. For alot of people, that’s the ONLY insurance they can. It may not cover much. It may only allow for one office visit every 6 months. It may take forever to get an appointment. However, it is the ONLY thing that alot of people can afford. Unfortunately, alot of counties have found themselves reducing the amount of benefits or getting rid of them all together. These county health plans are the life blood for alot of people who don’t have the funds to get health insurance. Are these programs going to be helped?
3) What’s it going to do about states who play ‘lose’ with federal funds?
OK, this part really PISSED ME OFF! I didn’t know but a few states have furloughed (put on unpaid leave) state Disability Determination Service workers in an effort to save money. For those of you who don’t know who these people are, let me tell you. When you apply for Social Security Disability benefits, your case is sent for medical development. The states are responsible for this work. The state agency that handles this work is called the “Disability Determination Services”. They do it all. They call you to ask you about your condition. They review your medical records. They request your medical records. They set you up for Doctor’s appointments. They get your school records. They get your work records. They make a medical determination through medical records review. In other words, THEY are the ones that play HUGE part in determining whether YOU ARE DISABLED, DAMMIT! Even more frustrating is the fact that the federal government has designated this money SPECIFICALLY to make sure that these cases are processed. I’ve been doing this work for a few years now and I can tell you that Social Security has been doing a KICK ASS job of bringing the backlog down. They have created a National Hearing Center to hear the backlog of hearings. They have hired more staff in the hearing offices. They have hired more staff in the local Social Security offices. They have hired more staff in the DDS offices. And NOW, the feds have to worry about states that decide they want to keep FEDERAL dollars designated for this purpose in their pocket?? I’m sorry. Didn’t President Obama say in this state of the Union that no more spending will occur EXCEPT for VETERANS AND SOCIAL SECURITY????? I guess some states missed that part of the DAMN speech! Fortunately, the federal government is jumping on this trend now before it gets out of hand (http://www.ssa.gov/pressoffice/pr/ca-senate-bill-29-pr.htm) but still, will this new bill address this problem?
4) What’s it going to do about people who apply that DON’T need it?
Now, some people aren’t going to like what I’m about to say here but I think it needs to be said. NOT EVERYONE QUALIFIES FOR SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY. Now for those of you who scream that only the blacks, the whites, the latinos, or the minorities get it, I hate to tell you but YOU’RE an IDIOT if you think it’s only limited for certain ethnic groups. The simple fact is that not enough energy is being spent to EDUCATE people on the standards that it takes to qualify. Most people don’t know about the 12 month rule. Most people don’t know that you have to be incapable of performing your past work or other work. So much energy is spent on all of the other aspects of this program, am I not seeing the money spent on PSA or ad campaigns educating people about what you need to do to qualify for SSA benefits?
Like I said, I’m sure that there are several people who are much smarter than me that have addressed these points already. I’m just fired up because our society is not just comprised of the HAVES but the HAVE NOTS as well. I’ve always been a wee bit concerned that our rights are being fought by people who 1) are earning about $80,000 a year, 2) have health insurance, and 3) are probably not struggling financially. I can only hope that our voice through the grass roots initiatives and the media will let them know that this is a ’serious matter’ and we don’t have time to mess aaround.
The hardest part about proving you’re disabled is relying on the medical treatment you are STUCK with
Today, a report was issued regarding the healthiest counties out 3000 counties nationwide.
Overall, the report found least healthy counties have childhood poverty rates more than three times higher than the healthiest counties. Residents of the least healthy counties are 60 percent more likely to be hospitalized for preventable conditions, a sign of poor primary care. A third of zip codes in the least healthy counties have at least one grocery store, compared to almost half of zip codes in the healthiest counties.
http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/
Of course, this information is probably not going to be broadcast on twitter, facebook or myspace. And with the winter olympics and the BACHELOR going on, few will truly appreciate the impact of this report.
What does this report tell you? Quite simply, as stated in one article, “Looking at each state’s best and worst further illuminates a well-known trend: The least healthy counties tend to be poor and rural, and the healthiest ones tend to be urban or suburban and upper-income. ” http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/chi-ap-us-med-countyhealth,0,2482605.story
Unfortunately, this doesn’t help the millions of people who are applying for Social Security Disability benefits. Why am I stressing this point? Quite simply this. The person bears the burden of proving they are disabled. The government doesn’t have to prove a thing. However, this presents a unique situation when you are sick, you aren’t working and you ‘DON’T HAVE INSURANCE’. So what do you do when you have those things striking against you? Well, you can either go to the free clinic, go to the Emergency Room, or get on the county health insurance.
Here’s how it gets tricky but you gotta try:
1) Ask about free clinics
You gotta ask your health care provider, the ER, social worker, county services, or non profits about free medical clinics. I always tell people that free medical treatment is better than NO medical treatment.
2) Find out if you qualify for county health insurance
Every county is different so you want to check to see if you qualify for any type of medical insurance that the county may offer. You don’t know unless you try. AND, if it’s available in your county but you haven’t tried to get it, it may count against you.
3) if you have a “SHARE OF COST”, make sure you understand what it means
A ‘SHARE OF COST’ basically means that you are responsible for a certain amount and anything above that, the government will pay. However, it gets funky because some people don’t understand how that works so you want to make sure you get a complete explanation so you can get treatment.
4) Go to the ER if your condition gets worse.
The Emergency Rooms are flooded every day. Unfortunately for some people, the only primary treatment they can get IS the ER. Don’t be afraid to go to the ER. At least you can get something if you HAVE to get treated.
5) Make SURE you tell SSA that you’ve done ALL of these things
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had people who literally didn’t do anything. They didn’t go to the county. They didn’t go to the ER. They didn’t go to the free health clinic. AND YET THEY STILL say they can’t get any medical treatment. You gotta try in order to show SSA you made the effort.
I know that is difficult but you have to make the best of what you have available because in the long run, only YOU can prove that you are disabled.
