5 Easy Ways to Break Apart a Work Day

Hello Worker Bee's everywhere!

I think everyone has been at point with their job or career where they have a hard time doing it.  It doesn't mean they love it any less, but it might mean they need a resurge to help them when you are having a hard time focusing.

With my primary job, I feel like I float around a lot.  It makes me feel very much like I have A.D.D. When I am in the office, I could be doing a number of different tasks.  Whether it is order processing, returning calls and emails, researching new prospects, coordinating projects, completing check-ins or just getting out to purchase office supplies OR being at the Salon and doing my thing there--we all need little breaks to help us keep our focus and keep us on track.  I have found that any one of these 5 very silly, but affective measure can be used to keep me fresh and productive during any given work day.  You don't believe me, ehh?  Try one I dare you!

1. Form an "Air Guitar Band" with your friends.  Yes, you read correctly.  This is a real thing.  We meet where ever we are at 9AM and jam.  Usually we pick songs for one another and we have at it.  We all are in our offices (which are all different locations from one another) and at 9AM let the strumming begin!  We do have aspirations to add a drummer to the mix.  We aren't quite there yet.  Don't be ashamed if someone sees you....they will be oh so jealous...

This morning's number: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2AC41dglnM

2. Send someone a quick note of encouragement.  This could be achieved via text, post-it-note, email or even a hand written letter.  Never underestimate how it could make a person feel knowing someone is there encouraging them!

3.  Water your lawn.  This is something so important.  Have you heard of the dance move "The Sprinkler"?  Here is a tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOtAzgw_yEA.  Stand up where ever you are and make sure that lawn is going to STAY GREEN!  Sound effects are optional.

4. Work on your fitness.  Sometimes when my day is beginning to drag and I know my attention span is ready for launch into space, I like to stand up and stretch.  Reach my hands up in the air, lean to my right and then to my left.  If I am sleepy, I do a few light jumping jacks or take a brisk walk around the plant.  It helps me huge to get my blood flow going and get my body rejuvenated!  

5. Draw a picture.  NO JOKE.  My best friend Blair would always tell me if I was having a bad day, draw a hand turkey.  Well my hand turkey evolved into other things....

This was around Christmas time...

Yep this was definitely a more "creative" starving artist moment....(tummy grumble...)

Whatever it is you do to break apart your work day, make it fun.  I am pretty sure the most productive days I have are the ones where I can step away from a project to be silly and shake looking at it for a while, and then get a fresh set of eyes on the task.  I tend to complete it quicker too.  It is amazing what a few random additions to a day can bring!

Have a great weekend lovelies! 

Catie Manning

Out of Hibernation Leapt the Manning Sisters and It All Felt So Glorious

For many of us, this has been an extremely long winter.  I have found it so unnerving with every ounce of my being lacking motivation to work out, clean, and be a productive member of society.  My extreme lack of sunshine is reflected in paleness, mood, and body.  I NEED SUN ASAP!

Recently, I have been spending a lot of time together bonding with my sisters.  You see my beautiful sister Mary Jane entered the world of the married a year ago and then more recently motherhood this January.  We had some fun bonding in between all of her major life changes and it was good.  Our baby sister Claire just got her license.  EEK!  I have been personally trying to spend more time with them as I know they both need girl time and it's important for us to be close.

This past week at work, Mary Jane and I had to replace a few office chairs that were worn.  There were 5 that were purchased.  Well when she got back to work, we got them on a cart and took them where there was some open space to assemble them.  We only assembled 4 of them due to the fact our shipping department got antsy and assembled it by himself.  We started pulling the pieces out of the box and of course we got bothered the whole time.  Our dad, brother and cousin all approached us at different points of starting and everyone had a different suggestion.  Give me a break boys!  We got this.

The old chairs practically leaped into the trash!

Chair Races....ready, set, go!  We did it  :)

I didn't have to work on Saturday.  It was a nice chance to catch up on some spring cleaning, sleep, and laundry.  I asked my sister Claire if she wanted to get a pedicure as we both needed one.  Upon getting the list of Claire's chores we were on our way.  We stopped by Starbucks first then it was on to  the Spa.  I wanted to catch up on everything that was going on in her little world.  She got asked to Prom by her boyfriend of 4 months.  She was excited at her new found freedom of driving and most of all just excited to relax a bit.  I told her that I would help her with part of the list (which included making dinner) in order for her not to get into trouble.

My mom had already started a roast so it was a matter of making sides and a salad to accompany it.  While Claire did her laundry, cleaned and organized her room, and dusted the back porch I produced the remainder of dinner.  No one seemed to be bothered by that so it all worked out well.

Then on Sunday, Mary Jane and I got motivated and finally went out on a walk.  It was warmer than it had been for a while and the sun was still shining.  I'd like to think we had some fun...

We may or may not have started off jogging when we realized that was a poor life decision...

We discussed our current fitness goals, men, Caribou (her daughter Carolyn Rose), and girl stuff.  There were a lot of laughs and honesty.  My phone ended up dying and her phone was left in the car.  Oh darn!  That meant there weren't going to be any distractions and Caribou was in her precious Grandma's hands.  We were only going to do one lap at the YMCA which is 1.65 miles but we quickly decided to do another one as to continue our chat. 3.3 miles down, some great laughs in and awesome bonding time with my sister we finally headed home feeling accomplished.

There is nothing more refreshing than the ritual of sister bonding.  I love hanging out with my sisters and even though we are all at different points of our lives that's what makes it even more special.  All of us couldn't be more different aside from the fact we all may or may not be over achievers!  I am the single, educated (2 degrees) career driven girl who has the social life.  Mary Jane is the educated (going on second degree) married girl with child at 25 and Claire is cute 16 year old who is maneuvering high school well with awesome grades despite her sports schedule, who is boy crazy and dreaming of what's next.

The Manning sisters haven't bonded like we have this past week in a very long time.  It was long over due.  One might say there were a few beautiful byproducts of this long winter.  Out of hibernation, leapt the Manning sisters and it all felt so glorious!

Welcoming Spring with open arms whenever it decides to stay....
Catie Manning

Reacquainting Myself with the Gym: Enjoy the Trip...

All my life, I have been accustomed to working out.  I have spent more than half my life in 3 sports for prolonged periods of time to which "choosing" to work out was never an issue.  It was simply something I did and didn't think twice about doing.  Well now I am faced with forcing myself to "choose" to work out.  Blah.

When did this love for working out die out?  Maybe it was simply because working two jobs and maintaing some social, church and prayer time was completely exhausting!  I don't have time for a riff-raff let alone any other additions to this schedule and yet, I realize there is a gapping hole missing.  I miss working out.  I miss feeling healthy and not tired and sluggish.  I miss the burn.  And for all of this yearning to fill the void, last night I chose to work out.

I left the house with my essentials: full water bottle, iPod, headphones and keys with gym card.  I was wearing and testing out my Bolder Band and a giant sweatshirt.  Normally, I would try and at least look put together in case I would run into someone.  Last night, I just didn't care.  I wasn't there to impress--I was there to work out darn it--but boy this was a trip!

Scrubbin' it!  :-)

The Trip: Part 1

Activity: Cardio and Endurance.

Music: Fun. and Fall Out Boy

Mental State: Do work son!  Ready to go!

I stretched my legs, neck, back and arms.  I rolled my ankles and wrists to loosen up a bit.  After that, I sound an open treadmill and I found myself in the center of the gym anxious as ever.  Anxiety rises.

Treadmill is on and walking starts.  I started walking at a good pace to get the blood going.  I had a full water bottle sitting in the cup holder, so I forced myself to drink it.  I knew I needed more water than just that one bottle, so I had to drink 2 bottles before I could leave the treadmill for good.  My hands started to feel clammy.  I started to fidget.  My anxiety level continues to rise.  Were other people looking at me?  I started to become self conscious and look around at other persons working out.  I tried to keep myself loose by stretching...

"Oh her hair is cute!"

"Her hair is done with full make-up for the gym?  Maybe she came from work or something..." 

"how is that guy running in a ball cap? If that were me, that would have flown off by now"

"oh crap, almost dropped the iPod....again....I need to switch this song to something else"

"holy geez that guy is ripped! I wonder how much he can squat..."

"WOW I could really help that guy out with hair color..."

"He is super cute...oh and there is his girlfriend...."

"Oh her workout gear is so different, wonder where she got it?"

"I hope I'm not bothering this guy next to me with my water bottle crinkle noise...oh well if I am!"

Yes that is literally everything that went through my head for the first 7 or so minutes so I switched to running.  

As seen on http://chrisga262.blogspot.com/2012/04/funny-gym-ecards.html

Surely I was not the only person in the history of working out at a gym that this has happened to! After that, I switched walking and running every 7 minutes from there on out.  I did this for 30 minutes and polished off the second bottle of water.  Refill water bottle....next machine!

The Trip: Part 2

Activity: Stairs; Legs and Gluts

Music: Imogen Heap, Instrumentals 

Mental State: Motivated

I have a love hate relationship with the stair climb machine.  It is hard for me.  I was really going to do work on this one!  Left foot then right foot (repeat).  I almost wiped out because my toe caught the lip of the plastic where the mystery stair appears...then I tried to drop my iPod again.  So I just kept my head down. Sigh. Don't. Fall. Off. Machine....

To my dismay, I was appalled at my progress as I was intentionally trying to burn calories.  DID YOU KNOW, 20 minutes on a low to moderate increase of speed having climbed over 40 flights of stairs burned just over 100 calories!?  I found my mind wandering here too.  You see there is a window on the other side of the machine that leads to where most of the guys lifting major weight go.  So of course I felt like I was putting on a show for them!  "HEY YOU STOP STARING AT MY ASSETS!"  Grrr.....just drink your water, Cate and calm the heck down...."WOOSAH!" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTGdAGPDBpo) Moving back to the mat...

The Trip: Part 3

Activity: Core Strength

Music: Jason Mraz: Geek in the Pink

Mental State: Cool. Calm. Collected.

Then, not 10 minutes later,  I was just annoyed.  There were a bunch of high school girls sitting on the mats taking up space and talking.  There are other places to talk. Don't you go to the gym to exercise?  

Once I switched to planks, I was dependent upon the wall clock to know when my minute was up.  WELL guess who moved right in front of the clock!?  The talking young ladies!  I was scooting to locate the clock.  Could this girl not see me?  Was I not being obvious???  Squirm more.  Ouch this is really starting to burn....come on move?!  Has it been a minute yet....WHAT I HAVE 15 more seconds?!  At the end of my 15 seconds, I collapsed on the mat.  I was done with the gym at that point.  I was just done.  I was irritated and annoyed.  

I stretched for 5 minutes then, I gathered my things and I took my rear home.

Finale: Light Bulb Moment!

Activity: Reflection

Music:  Jimmy Eat World: "The Middle"

Mental State: Partly annoyed with a chance of irritation....

Last night, I realized why it had taken me so long to get back to the gym.  It wasn't the being at the gym that bothered me so much as what happens at the gym.  I get annoyed at others lack of awareness or consideration toward other's space and workout needs.  As humans naturally are comparing ourselves to one another based on a perception of progress.  I won't wear form fitting clothes either because I feel like guys are always ogling over my body despite my perceived imperfections.  I want to work out without catching someone looking at my rear end or cleavage.  It is uncomfortable.  

I think my love of working out paused was when I felt my body change from this fit athletic little girl into a curvy young woman.  I have become overly self conscious with my flaws.  Yes, I have always been muscular, but as the years progress my muscle softens a little bit and is slightly more insulated.  I have let myself go a little bit.  That is directly in relation to me not eating healthy or working out as I should.

I am glad that I have become reacquainted with my old friend the gym as it has made me realize how important it is to take care of myself.  I have a feeling that we are going to become close friends as this year progresses.  I have identified my insecurities of being in the gym environment and flaws with my body.  The trip isn't going anywhere so might as well enjoy the ride and concur these insecurities.

Look out!  Motivated hair stylist coming through...

Catie Manning