Doing too much of this at work may shorten your life

Doing too much of this at work may shorten your lifeDoing too much of this at work may shorten your lifeSitting at your desk might kill you slowly everyone knows that but theres a new risk. Men with physically vigorous jobs have an 18% higher risk of an early death than those with sedentary work, according to a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.Typically, physical activity is linked to positive health. International guidelines, acting on previous research, encourage people to get 30 minutes of moderately intense exercise per day.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreAn international team of researchers led by Dr. Pieter Coenen from the VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, wanted to find out the association between people who did high-intensity occupational physical exercise and mortality.They discovered a physical activity paradox, in w hich health benefits add up with working out as a leisure activity, but are a detrimental effect of high physical activity that comes with ones occupation.The study was done with a meta-analysis of 17 peer-reviewed studies which gathered data on 193,696 participants between 1960-2010.It was found that men engaging in high-level occupational physical activity had an 18% increased risk of early death, compared with those whose work required no real active work.The physical activity paradoxOne way to explain the physical activity paradox would be to note the differences between working out in ones leisure time and the strenuous activity of physical work. Occupational physical work includes repetitive motion, standing in one place for a long period of time, working outdoors or in poorly controlled indoor environments, and elevated heart rate and blood pressure over a prolonged period of time, without a proper period for recovery. This can lead to any number of related risks for various cardiovascular diseases.Leisure time workouts take place in moderate or intense bursts of aerobic activity, with ample time to recover.The study also takes into account socioeconomic class, with lifestyle habits like smoking and diet.There was nothing similar found in women in fact, the opposite was slightly true.The results of this review indicate detrimental health consequences associated with high level occupational physical activity in men, even when adjusting for relevant factors (such as leisure time and physical activity, said the researchers in a release. This evidence indicates that physical activity guidelines should differentiate between occupational and leisure time physical activity.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, a ccording to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

How to Validate Your Contributions on Your Resume

How to Validate Your Contributions on Your ResumeHow to Validate Your Contributions on Your ResumeThese 2 Words Are Damaging Your Resumes EffectivenessBeware These two small words could be impacting your resumes success.Every job landseeker wants to be thought of as successful and capable of producing results. The problem is, they think that by using these two words on their resumes, (especially in their career summaries) theyve communicated this to potential employers.What two words am I referring to? Success and results. What people fail to realize is that everyone thinks theyre successful or able to produce results. In actuality, not everyone is. By utilizing these words on your resume what youve accomplished is looking like every other job seeker on the market. Exactly the opposite of what your resume is designed to do.Validate your contributionsIn place of these vague choices, focus on providing evidence. Think about how you can validate your contributions with very clear-cut st atements about what youve accomplished. Originality is what makes you stand out as a candidate, and for your resume to generate interviews (its primary purpose) it needs to articulate why youre a success and what results youre able to produce.Think about your successesWhen youre drawn to use the words success or results on your resume think instead about what successes youve brought to former employers and what results youve delivered. Every time you want to say results-driven or results-oriented, in its place validate the statement with details, facts, figures, or outcomes.For exampleIf you led a team,answer the following questions how many? For how long?If you managed projects ask yourself how many, how much, and to what end?Did your activities help to cut costs, generaterevenue, increase sales, and/or meet or beat quotas or other goals? If so, by how much?Be sure to include the numbers that support your claims wherever possible.Be specificBy being specific and answering how much and how many, youre proving your success and results to the employer And at the same time, you wont look like every other candidate youll look results-driven, successful, accomplished, and confident and will have proven all those things without having had to say so.Want to see how your resume stacks up? Try out our free critique today

How small acts of thoughtfulness can change your life

How small acts of thoughtfulness can change your lifeHow small acts of thoughtfulness can change your lifeI often feel like Im rushing, physically and mentally. And I really would love it if I werent. Im working on slowing down and creating more space in my life, bothpersonally and professionally.Its all too easy for small, thoughtful acts to fall by the wayside when were feeling stressed and overwhelmed. And its even easier to use the fact that were busy as an excuse.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreBut thoughtfulness should be at the top of our priority list. Because the ways we engage with people- even subtle ones- can make such a profound impact on any relationship, whetherbei it be with a client or a loved one.When we feel too busy to call up a friend or write a thank-you note, we need to take a step back and challenge that perception. This departures with taking a look at t he places in our lives where we may be taking shortcuts and making a conscious decision to take the longer, more thoughtful route instead.Being thoughtful is a way of living life with love and appreciation for others. And by slowing down, with a little self-reflection,anyonecan do it. And do it wellHere are some simple ways to be more thoughtful on a daily basisWrite a thank you note by handThis is a really simple way to make someone feel recognized and appreciated.Its always a pleasant surprise for someone to receive a handwritten note, particularly because these days its rarely expected. And if they know youre busy, it means even more, because they knew you took the time out of your busy schedule to do it.Admittedly, Im not always perfect at this. Ive let a stack of cards sit on my desk for far too long. But even when- especially when- Im feeling crazed, I find that taking a moment to write a note to someone can help me slow down and drop in. Knowing the note will make someone fee l good is all it takes for me to make that a priority.Say no more oftenMy assistant recently asked me, Amy, do you ever say no?I thought about it for a second and realized that I really dont. Not enough at least. And this woman who just started working with me has already put her finger on it. Its true Im always saying yes to everything and trying to accommodate everyone. As much as thatseemslike a positive thing, in the end, this pleasing mentality (which means Im reacting to others needs versus focusing on my own) can actually be a problem.So I told my assistant she could help me start saying no more often, especially when Im feeling overwhelmed and could use some time to decompress. It was easy to justify the decision once I realized that saying no to one thing creates the opportunity to say yes to something else (finding time for acts of thoughtfulness, for example).But most importantly, this reminds me to prioritize. And by prioritizing were creating that much-neededspaceI ment ioned earlier. That space creates buffering capacity that makes us better and more present, wherever we are.Since making the decision, I feel like Ive gained agency. Im no longer constantly at the disposal of others. And I can be better for those around me.Be mindful about your phone etiquetteLimit your phone use when youre with another person. Unless theres a legitimate emergency or mission-critical situation, theres no reason to have a phone out during a meal, meeting or any other one-on-one situation with another person. Get it off the tableThe minute I see someones eyes wurfpfeil down to their phone screen, theyre no longer with me- or they might as well not be.But when someone is totally, fully present, its an amazing feeling. One of the most engaging people I know also happens to be one of the busiest- my friend Jimmy, who is president of ESPN. Whether its a 20-minute sitdown at his office or when we find the time to get breakfast, hes always the most present, in-tune person, and its like time slows down. And that makes me feel cared for, respected, and that our relationship is meaningful.If Jimmy can do it, we all canGo out of your way for someoneMy doctor and dear friend Dr. Sadeghi recently gave me a much-appreciated suggestion. He knew a special person was coming to town and that I was going to pick him up at the airport, and he suggested I do something that may have never occurred to me park the car and actually go inside the terminal.This may sound like a simple thing. It may even seem unnecessary since at least in LA, picking someone up at the airport is already a very nice thing to do. But unquestionably, the extra touch of parking the car and waiting for him at the bottom of the escalator when he arrived had a huge impact- he was truly delighted and it felt so good seeing the smile on his face.I personally experienced this feeling of delight and surprise recently when one of my wonderful clients sent me a bouquet of gorgeous flowers, the sweetes t card, and a beautiful bottle of my favorite ros. The gift and note acknowledged that I had been going through a lot of transition at work and that not only did she understand, but also that were all in it together. I felt so supported and was truly touched.Pick up the phoneThese days, were all far too reliant on text and email. Even if were thinking of someone and want to check in on them, often the easiest way to show that is through a quick text or email. And by the way, thats nice.But whats even nicer is to actually take a few minutes to pick up the phone and make a call to your friend, client or loved one. You can even start the call by saying, I only have a few minutes to talk, but I was thinking of you and wanted to say hello. Even if you just leave a voicemail, the sound of your voice and the human touch could make an impact on someones day.Making thoughtfulness a priority may seem challenging when life is crazy. But its not. Its simple. It all starts with increased awarene ss and consciousness about where we can give just a little extra in our lives. And by bringing a little extra sweetness to others, we can immediately feel a little extra sweetness in our own lives. Actually, a lot of extra sweetness.This article first appeared on Minutes.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will ersatzdarsteller your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people