Warning: Tobacco may seriously damage your career...

While most of us stayed safely indoors this winter out of the driving snow and sleet, some hardy employees ventured out to stand in the freezing conditions in search of... Nicotine.

While everyone knows that smoking harms your health and the health of those around you, did you know that it could soon damage your career too? 

Two Florida hospitals have joined a growing number of employers in the US who have implemented a ban on hiring smokers.  Part of the hiring process is a nicotine test and continual testing throughout their employment.  In the UK things are changing too.  County councils are insisting that smokers clock in and out as they will no longer be paid for smoke breaks.

According to the Irish Small Firms Association, this anti smoking sentiment has not been driven by the employers but by the non smoking employees.  In some cases there is all out war between smokers and non smokers in the workplace with disagreements about smoke breaks being one of the most common employee complaints reported.

It’s not surprising when - the average smoker spends more than a year of their working life at smoke breaks while also working on average one hour less a day than their non smoking co workers.

Most smokers in Ireland take 4 x 15 minute breaks a day which from the management’s point of view means losing 240 working hours a year per employee.

The associated health implications also cause smokers to take more sick days. Male smokers are a staggering 66% more likely to be absent from work than non smoking colleagues, female smokers are 23% more likely to be absent than their non smoking counterparts.

With this in mind it’s surprising that employers who have cut costs wherever possible have been slow to act and take measures to halt this loss of productivity.

So if you need another reason to quit smoking in 2011 – here you have it. Tobacco may seriously damage your career.

Visit your doctor for a full range of nicotine replacement products available. Some are prescription, some over the counter so go and discuss what option is best for you. Those who discuss a plan fully with their GP are twice as likely to successfully quit smoking.  It’s tough but the benefits of improved health, improved appearance, cash saving and protecting your family’s health make it worth it.

Simple steps towards healthy eating

With weight loss and healthy eating at the top of the New Year’s resolution list - here’s some ideas to get you started.

The key to healthy eating is essentially – everything in moderation. Diets that completely cut out a food group and require drastic changes to your daily rituals are hard to follow and often have varying results.

If you feel that you need some support then groups like weight watchers or the support of a friend can be helpful. If you feel however that you can go it alone then read on and start today – not tomorrow!

·         Use the food pyramid

o   Use a carbohydrate base for your meal (pasta, potato, rice – the brown varieties are especially good) and bulk it out with vegetables.  If you have a big appetite then bulking your meals up with vegetables will help you stay fuller for longer. You will also be benefitting from the array of vitamins and minerals in fresh veg. Try not to overcook veg however as you can destroy the goodness in them by doing so.

o   Snack on fresh fruit during the day. There is a massive range of fruits available – try to get fresh, ripe fruit from a good supplier and you’ll notice the difference in quality immediately.

o   Enjoy good quality meat, fish or eggs with your main meal during the day and include dairy (when possible) to ensure your calcium intake is sufficient.

o   Finally top it off with a little (a little) sweet thing. Having a weekly treat can be very rewarding. If however you find yourself on a mars bar a day then it’s time to cut back. Putting that in Irish terms a single mars bar has the equivalent calorific value of 3.5 glasses of wine... Snacks like curly whirlys and dark chocolate can still give you the sugar hit without the massive amount of calories to boot.

·    Try to cut back on white bread and very starchy foods

o   White bread causes a rapid spike in the body’s blood sugar levels as it’s digested, once that peak has subsided the blood sugar levels fall rapidly creating that sluggish feeling (3pm slump...) and often is the reason behind the craving for sweet/sugary foods.

·         Make sure you are properly hydrated

o   Drinking enough water is one of the best pieces of advice that I can give you.  A loss in hydration can account for loss of concentration, headaches and fatigue.  The recommendations vary depending on weight, activity and health but usually for women the recommendation is approx 2 Litres and for men 3 Litres per day.  If you aren’t used to drinking this amount build it up gradually. You may be irritated by the increased urination but as your body adjusts to the fluid intake this will pass.

·         If you don’t eat a particular food/food group make sure you replace the lost nutrients

o   If you are a vegetarian or vegan then you are probably aware of getting nutrients such as iron and calcium elsewhere in your diet, however for those of us who don’t eat fish, veg, carbohydrates or pulses then you need to think about replacing the missing pieces with other foods.  More info on this to follow.

Try to vary your diet to incorporate new foods, new vegetables, fruit and different herbs and spices. Cooking with fatty foods can make food flavoursome but using interesting herbs and spices to add flavour is a great way to keep food tasting great but without all the added calories.

Overall try to enjoy your food. Healthy eating isn’t a chore – fresh fruit, vegetables, meats, fish and dairy are available in varying levels of quality from the newsagents, to the supermarket, the green grocer and the country markets. Eat the best food that you can afford and you won’t regret it. The quality of the ingredients is so important when it comes to enjoying the end result – your health.

New year - new year's resolutions!

I hope you all enjoyed the festive season and are ready for a great new year.

If like me you ate too much, drank too much and didn’t get out of the house enough then I’m sure you’ll be glad to get back in to normality again (snow clouds permitting...)

Everyone is chatting about New Year’s resolutions - a way to try to better ourselves in the coming year or as Oscar Wilde put it – men simply drawing checks on a bank where they have no account.

Every year millions of people resolve to (in order of popularity) lose weight, get fit, drink less, quit smoking, get out of debt and change job.

Figures vary as to how many succeed but general belief is that if you can make it through the first 21 days you’re home free.  One of the most common traits of those who succeed is realistic goal setting and monitoring.  How can you succeed if the goal posts keep changing?

·         This is one of the few times where corporate lingo might actually help you in your private life – Make your goals SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time bound – yep you’ve heard that one!)

By setting yourself achievable targets with your weight loss, exercise regime or finances, achievable over a realistic period of time you may actually get somewhere. There’s also a huge sense of satisfaction monitoring your progress along the way and knowing how much you’ve achieved as you work towards your end goal.

·         Another way to keep yourself motivated is to buddy up with a friend. Your goals can be totally different but you should agree them with yourselves and each other and keep checking along the way.  This is great if you’re in any way competitive J

·         If you’re a little disillusioned with resolutions then a nice alternative is to make note of the kind of things that you want out of 2011 and review every few months, make changes if necessary. It’s not exactly the same as making time bound promises to yourself and the world but merely reminds you want direction you’d like your life to go in this year.

Wishing you a happy and healthy 2011!

Deirdre

Work Life Balance