Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Why Working Full Time Makes You Fat

 
[I review the movies "On the Road," "42," "What Maisie Knew," "The Loneliest Planet," and two books on musical pioneers.]
 
But first
 
 
 
Why Working Full-Time Makes You Fat
 

Since I retired July 1st, I have lost nine pounds.

When I quit my last full-time job and moved up to Seattle from California, I had packed on 50 extra pounds.  In the first year in Seattle, while working part-time and looking for a full-time job, I lost that 50 pounds.  As soon as I was able to get another full-time job, I gained half of it back.

So I have come to the conclusion that working full-time makes you fat.

And here is why.

Typical Day Before Retirement

7:15am     Dogs allowed upstairs to awaken me.  Drag butt out of bed. Make bed.

7:20am     Shower.  Decide on what fabulous ensemble I will wear that will continue to smash the librarian stereotype.

7:45am     Put on make-up to try to disguise the fact I am a woman of a certain age

8:00am     Out the door, coffee in hand.  No time to eat or pack a lunch, because I spent too much time trying to look fabulous.  But as the wise oracle that is Billy Crystal as Fernando Lamas said, "It is better to look good than to feel good."

8:30am     Arrive at work to learn that the toilets are stopped up, someone pee'd in the book drop and the power has gone out.  Ah, the joys of managing a library.

9:00am     Put out fires, prepare the library for opening, answer voice mail and email and work on reports.

10:00am   Library opens and in come the regulars.

                 "Oh, hello, Mrs. Imakiller. You didn't need to bring me these cream-filled, butter crusted bars smothered in marscapone.  I was happy to find the information for you on how to dissolve human bones in your bathtub.  How did that work for you?  Try one?  Sure.  Mmmm-lovely, thank you."

11:00am    Staff tells me that it's Mavis's birthday and she has brought cake to celebrate.  It's in the break room and it's her mother's recipe.  It would be rude not have a piece of cake, right?

12:00pm    Lunch.  Didn't have time to pack a lunch.  Nothing in the way of fine dining in the neighborhood, so decide to slip out to McDonalds. 

1:00pm     Back on the desk.  In comes Mr. Clark.  He has just passed his citizenship test and wants to thank us for the class we provided.  He hands me a box of candy - my favorite.  I'll just have one.

3:00pm    It's the going away party for our children's librarian and everyone has brought their favorite dish.  Great.

5:00pm    Can't exercise after work. Meeting hubby for a play in town and dinner at our favorite steak house.

11:00pm  Home but starving.  A little ice cream would be a nice nightcap.  I work hard,  I deserve it.

Typical Day After Retirement

7:15am     Zzzzzzz

7:20am     Zzzzzzz

7:45am     Zzzzzzz

8:00am     Zzzzzzz

8:30am     Zzzzzzz

9:00am     Zzzzzzz

10:00am   Lovely light breakfast while reading the paper.

11:00am   Head to the gym

1:00pm     Prepare and eat a healthy lunch

3:00pm     Meditate

5:00pm     Prepare a healthy dinner

8:00pm     Turn the light out in the kitchen so as not to put another ounce of food in my mouth.

Ok, OK, it's not quite like that. 

I'm not that disciplined.  Yes, I sleep in.  Yes, I go to the gym, but basically, now that I am retired,  I don't have the stress and temptations from work which can lead to over-eating and other bad habits. 

Stressful working in a library, you might ask? 

Yes, yes and yes. 

Anytime you have to work with the public it's stressful.  And when you work full-time, you often don't make time for yourself which can also lead to bad habits and weight gain.

I may be retired, but I still have a job.  It's ME! 

And now that I can concentrate more on myself, I am seeing the results such as weight loss, a more relaxed approach to life and more fun.

I know it's easier for me to do that, because I am now retired, but even if you are working, it's important to make time for yourself.

Here are some tips:

Keep track of what you eat.
It really does help to keep track of what you eat.  I use the app "Lose It" on my smart phone, but there are all kinds of websites and apps to help you do that.

Have some quiet time for yourself.
I am currently doing Oprah's 21 Day Meditation Challenge, because I want to learn to meditate.  I also have an app on my phone called Headspace, which I really like.  But you don't need to officially meditate.  Just taking a few minutes to breathe, whether it's in a hammock or in your office, will help relieve stress.  It's way better than a Snickers bar.  And you will thank me later.

Take regular breaks.
Even in retirement, it's easy to get stressed over household chores or errands, so I break it all up with a TV or exercise break every couple of hours.  When I was working, I was terrible about taking breaks.  But it's important to give yourself a little "vacation" from your work.

Set reasonable goals for yourself
I am a list person and I like structure, but I often bite off more than I can chew.  Be realistic about what you can actually do so you don't feel stressed at the end of the day because you didn't get it all done.

Say no.
It's OK.  We all want to be Superman or Superwoman, but hey.  Really? You don't have to say yes to everything everyone asks you to do.  And you don't have to say yes to yourself either.  Say no to ironing when you really want to watch "The View."  It's OK...the ironing can wait.

Make things fun.
In retirement it's easy for time to just go by without anything meaningful or fun happening. 
So I have divided up the week into Blog Day (Monday), Project Day (Wednesday), Fabulous Friday and Slothful Sunday.  I look forward to writing my blog on Monday, and believe it or not, I also look forward to Project Day, because then I don't have to go to the gym!  Yes, I am doing some heavy lifting, as it were, but, I get a sense of accomplishment from completing that big project I was putting off.  And then I can look forward to Fabulous Friday, when I make sure I don't look like the slob I look like on the other days. Slothful Sunday is my day to do whatever I want.  Nothing, if that is what I want to do. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I go to the gym and run errands. 

So hopefully, taking my own advice and slowing down, I will lose another nine pounds in the next month or so. 

In the meantime, I think I will have a cronut. 

What? Is that bad?

How do you de-stress?




***Rosy the Reviewer's
Week in Reviews***


***Films***




On the Road (2012)





Huge disappointment.  Though it ended as the book ended, the rest is a jumble.

Rosy the Reviewer says...Not recommended but the cinematography was lovely and it was fun to see Kristin Stewart smile for a change.





42 (2013)




 
The Jackie Robinson story is hugely inspiring and this is a well-done biopic.  Harrison Ford was excellent as was Chadwick Boseman.  It made me mad to witness all of the indignities Jackie had to endure to play baseball.  But it's something we all need to be reminded of, not just his travails but those of African Americans throughout history.
 
Rosy the Reviewer says...I don't even like baseball but I was riveted and touched.  Highly recommended.
 
 
 
 
 






Ah, the evil that parents do without even knowing it.  Maisie is witness to her parent's custody battle and, though they are loving to her, they create horrible situations that she is witness to.  Little actress Onata Aprile is amazing in the role of Maisie.  Her face tells it all.

Rosy the Reviewer says...A must see if only to see Julianne Moore play a really unlikable person.





The Loneliest Planet (2011)



 
What the hell was this movie about and how did it get made?  What a waste of the talents of Gael Garcia Bernal This film is part of what's called "the slow film movement," and that is an understatement!
 
Rosy the Reviewer says...Hell no!






***Fun***

Books
 

This is my week for reading about musician/songwriters, I guess. 

 
 
 
"My Way" by Paul Anka
 
 
Teen idol turned songwriter and Vegas regular, Anka stayed relevant by finding his niche.
 
Rosy the Reviewer says...a little heavy on the mafia links to Vegas and too light on his personal life, such as why his 30+ year marriage ended. 
 
 
 
 
"Anyone Who Had a Heart" by Burt Bacharach
 

I've been a fan of Bacharach's music for years and his collaboration with Dione Warwick was magical. Fascinating that he didn't realize his  talents until much later than you would expect.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a more readable and candid autobiography than the Anka book.



***Concerts***

Attended a Hall & Oates concert in Redmond, Washington, home of Microsoft and about 20 miles from home.  It was an outdoor concert starting at 6pm.  In the past when a concert has started that early there is usually an opening act.  And we usually get there early. However, that evening we only gave ourselves about 40 minutes to get there, but hey.  There would be an opening act, right?  Wrong!  And traffic was horrible.  We sat at a red light for 45 minutes, so decided to make a run for it.  We parked in a strip mall and walked the last mile or so. Of course I hadn't planned on that so was wearing unsuitable shoes.  As we approached the park we could hear singing.  At first I thought it was a woman and we were just missing the opening act.  But no!  It was Darryl Hall singing "Family Man," and we were missing it!  By the time we took our seats, the show was half over!  Since hubby is a huge H & O fan, it was disappointing especially since we were only 9 rows away from them.  But we had seen them before so it wasn't the end of the world.  We should have known better because when we saw Gladys Knight and the O'Jay's, Gladys came out first at 7pm.

So word to the wise music fans.  The artists must want to do their act and get the hell back to their hotels so don't assume there is an opening act or that the headliner won't come out first even if the concert starts early.

Well, that's it for this week. 

And if I might borrow from how they sign off on "The View" and change it up a bit -
remember to take a little time to enjoy the YOU!

 
 
Thanks for Reading!
 


That's it for this week.


 





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Check your local library for DVDs and books mentioned.


 


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3 comments :

  1. "What Maisie Knew
    ...Rosy the Reviewer says...A must see if only to see Julianne Moore play a really unlikable person."

    ...and for seeing Alexander Skarsgaard do...anything! :-)

    Love your tips on taking time for oneself! Just did yoga for the first time today after more than a few months off, and it felt amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, I liked him too. He was the most sympathetic character - he and the nanny. I don't know if I can do yoga anymore but you should try meditation. It's a nice few moments "away."

    ReplyDelete
  3. I use the "Lose It" app too. I find it works wonders for me to maintain my weight loss. And as a retired person, I work out these days, rather than work. :-)

    ReplyDelete