As mentioned in a previous post, we recently got a health club membership. Since we knew how out of shape we were. BTW… pay attention to your weight gain if you work from home, I gained over 35lbs in the last few years. The early part of the week we took the mandatory fitness test that’s required to use the facilities (just another money grab) During the test we had a 30min discussion with one of their fitness “experts” and he went on to explain confuse us about nutrition and how much and what we should be eating. Long story short… to eat the foods which are recommended it would surely send me to the poor house. Why is it that all the foods without all the fat, calories, etc is so expensive? Yea, I read all the package labels the last time I was at the supermarket, for what we were told to look for and what to avoid.

Final comment on this whole watching what you eat… why is is that everyone seems to have their own opinion. What we were told at this fitness test is not the same as what’s published by the Canadian Gov’t. And I’m sure if we spoke to another personal trainer they would say something different.

Hope you enjoyed the extra hr of sleep this am. I forgot to set the clocks back, so I was up and about my usual time.

Chris….

p.s. Why is it all the foods we especially like is no good for us… hope my deepfryer does not hear

p.p.s Do you believe in Karma? A good friend (rip Rick) totally believed in Karma and I must say I’m becoming a believer.

My legs cramp, my toosh is constantly sore and it seems that I now have a pinched nerve (sciatic) running down the back of my leg. With no cushion left, I seriously think it’s time for a new chair for my home office. 7 years x’s at least 10hrs a day x’s 7 days a week x’s over 200lbs.. yep the poor chair is down to it’s frame now.

Here’s today work from home Wednesday tip;

How to Choose An Office Chair.

There are so many different types of office chairs available. From swivel task office chairs to an executive office chairs even ergonomic office chairs.

There are also low back, mid back and high back office chairs.

The options are endless from an office chair with adjustable arms or an office chair with no arms at all.

So how do you choose the office chair that is right for you?

Before choosing which office chair is right for your needs, first consider what are you going to be using the office chair for?

Are you purchasing an office chair for the work place or is this an office chair for your own use at home.

If you’re shopping for an office chair for the work place, consider the person’s position this office chair is for.

If you are looking for an office chair for someone whose in an authoritive position, like a C.E.O., President, or Manager. You would probably look for an office chair that states, “I am the boss!” This type of office chair would most likely fall in the category of an executive office chair. These types of office chairs usually have a high back are pillow soft or leather. It is important for this office chair to be very comfortable, especially when the person sitting in it is making important company decisions.

Maybe you need to purchase an office chair for a secretary or receptionist. Some factors to keep in mind for this type of purchase are how easy does the office chair move around?

Usually you would want to choose a swivel office chair. Swivel office chairs usually have the option of low, mid or high back. A swivel office chair is ideal for someone who needs to move around the desk a lot. Secretaries are constantly moving from the computer, to the fax machine, to answering the company phone. You may also want to consider an office chair with adjustable arms or an office chair with no arms at all. You wouldn’t want to restrict an employee who needs flexibility.

You should also consider how long you would be sitting in your office chair. For those who will be spending a long period of time in their office chair it is important to pick an office chair with the right lumbar support.

Maybe you need an office chair for someone who works in something like printing production. Quality assurance production requires someone to be in the same position for a long period of time. Usually those in this position have a high desk or work station. You would probably want an office chair with a high lift and excellent back support. Usually these office chairs are mid-back or high-back.

If you are purchasing an office chair for yourself at home consider your needs. What kind of back support do you require? There are office chairs that can be specially contoured to your own back. What color office chair best fits your décor? Office chairs come in a variety of colors from black to burgundy and many more. There are many different kinds of office chairs to choose from if you can clearly define your needs.

Courtesy of Toby Pizur. 

Yep! Another one of my pet peeves (it being pet peeve Monday). Yesterday I was told that “I know you” …you’ll never…..

I just hate it when people seem to think they know others and how they would react to certain things. As the situation change, so does the way people react … plain and simple. Please don’t fool yoursellf into being comfortable since you feel you know me. Be prepared for the unexpected. I’m always thinking, calculating  and preparing for the worst .

Final comment this cold Monday morning … TV commercials LIE! There were no sexy girls there.. neither were there any guys with chiseled abs who just had to take off the t-shirt he was wearing to put it in the wash. Yea.. I spent a couple hrs at the laundrymart on Saturday! Had to get those duvets washed.

One of the things you MUST pay attention to when you work from home is getting out of shape and weight gain. Over the past 6-8 years I’ve put on in excess of 50lbs and if I don’t do something about it soon I may have serious health problems.

It’s Work From Home Wednesday time… here’s today’s tip:

Before choosing a health club to join, do shop around!

A couple days ago we decided to drive around to some of the local health clubs in the area to get a feel as to what it may cost us to get memberships and what services were offered. We were BLOWN away by the prices. For the average membership you had to pay a sign-up fee  which is around $400, then a fitness test which is another $100, a card fee $25 and then the monthly fees which for both Caron and I worked out to be around $55. BTW.. those prices I quoted above is per person.

Here are some tips when shopping around (it helped us get a great deal)

- Let the person giving you the tour know that you are shopping around

- before you leave, have that person write down the prices  they quoted on their business card (see below for comments)

- tour the facility

- try to take a tour during the peak time so you know how busy the club gets and how long it’ll take you to get to machines

- if you have children ask about daycare  and if it’s free or no and what times it’s open
- ask about what time they operate, a 24hr club can be great.

- ask about all the classes they offer, if the membership includes those things.

- don’t make a descision there.. let them know you have to think it over. More than likely you’ll get a price drop since they want to get you sign up asap.

- take a close look at the machines to see if they are in good working order

* The reason why I mentioned above about getting the quotes on the business card. The last club we visited we used the best quotes we got when speaking to the “recruiter”. We said, club “b” offered us this price after he said it would cost us close to a $1000 for the both of us to get started. We walked  out paying $200.  When I look back at that $200 he said he could not waive since it’s a for a fitness test (like I need them to tell me how fat I am.. I wonder why I’m here in the first place?) and it’s for their insurance. Funny he said we must take that fitness test, but with the same voice..”but you can start working out today” even though we didn’t have that all important fitness test. Yea, another scam.

Remember these recruiters you speak with at the fitness clubs can and will make deals if you’re willing to ask and walk away. They want your business.

At 11 am today starts another chapter in my get-fit saga!

Chris…

p.s. also remember to pay attention to your bank account to verify that the amount being charged to you as monthly fees is exactly what you agreed on.

I hope you’re adjusting to the colder temps we’ve been forced into.. what ever happened to the gradual transition into winter? It’s been COLD,� wet and in some cases, snowing the past couple weeks. We were lucky to have escaped that winter storm last week in Buffalo. We were there for the evening and as it started to get worse, we hitched up the buggy and rode back into Canada.

I made an observation that led to a complaint a few weeks back at the local Costco here in Ancaster. Yep.. this is my pet peeve for this Monday!

How could you possibly pass by the little restaurant section at Costco (similar to Sams Club) and not get enticed by the wonderful smell of those potatoes skinny dipping in the hot oil - FRIES! Especially when you have a daughter who will eat potatoes in every possible way cooked (boiled, fried, baked, mashed…)

There was one guy behind the counter who took and distribued the orders to customers. As I placed my order I noticed that he was wearing a hair net, cap and gloves…� not bad! However when it was time to take my order I noticed that he accepted my� money then went directly to grab my order of fries and hot dog. When placing the ‘dog’ in the bun he� grabed it with his hand. He was wearing a glove.. not bad! Then it sunk in that he accepted the cash from me with those same gloves, then grabbed my bun and dog with the same gloves. I watched as 2-3 other customers came and went and he did the same thing with the gloves.

Why was he wearing gloves? To protect his hands from any possible germs from our food and� money?

I hope you get where I’m going with this! How sanitary can it be when someone dealing with food (gloves on) accepts cash and distributes food with the same gloves on? Defeats the real purpose for wearing the gloves.