Posted on May 12, 2015 under Random |
Choosing whether to drug test your employees is an important step in any company, large or small. There are benefits and drawbacks to drug testing, both of which should be explored in depth. Understanding how a drug testing program will affect your business is key to making the right choice.
Why Drug Test?
Drug use in the workplace can have a number of repercussions and create an environment that is hazardous for everyone. If there are employees in your company who are using drugs, they can cause equipment malfunctions, slow down productivity and bring down staff morale. They may be more likely to steal company property in order to feed their drug habits. Having employees in your workplace who are addicted to drugs can cause liability issues that can derail your company’s operations.
Drug Test Considerations
If you are going to drug test, it is vital that you create a written policy for the program. Inform potential hires and existing staff that they will be subjected to a drug test as a condition of employment. Make sure that you drug test every employee to avoid the appearance of unfairness.
You can either drug test on site or hire an outside vendor to conduct the testing. You can easily test in the workplace using urine reagent strips that deliver instant results. Test during the hiring process and any time there is a serious safety incident in your company.
When it comes to instituting drug testing at your company, creating a plan that works is the best way to ensure the best results.
Posted on May 12, 2015 under health |
Today, a growing number of company owners are recognizing the value of corporate wellness programs. They realize that healthy employees are more productive and take fewer sick days which can boost a company’s overall productivity. Consider just a few of the ways that companies are getting their employees excited about improving their health.
Weight Loss Competitions
Some companies are setting up competitions that allow employees to compete for prizes as they lose weight and improve their health. For instance, a company may begin a competition that lasts for six months. Each employee who wants to participate creates a reasonable weight loss goal. Employees who accomplish their goal receive a prize. Some examples of prizes are a week of paid vacation, tickets to a popular sporting event or even a few hundred dollars cash. With this sort of competition, employees lose weight and get recognized for their efforts.
Counting Steps
Many companies are holding competitions that ask employees to keep track of the amount of steps they walk or jog per day. In some cases, these steps are recorded by a technological device. Employees may even be able to go online to see how well others are doing in the competition. This is something that employees can do at work or at home. For instance, an employee may decide to take the stairs to get to the office instead of riding on the elevator each morning. That helps to boost the amount of steps the person takes each day. This competition adds fun to the process of getting in better shape.
Trying New Exercise Classes
Another way that company owners are encouraging their employees to get in better shape is to host a competition that involves exercise classes. Employees may be invited to try a different exercise class each day at a fitness center chosen by the company. An employee who continually tries new classes for a certain period of time can earn prizes awarded by the company. Trying new exercise classes can help employees to find one that they really love. WCS is one example of a resource that companies can use to find a convenient fitness center as well as other things that can help with establishing a wellness program.
Finally, employees of a company may be more inclined to lose weight or try a new exercise regimen if they have others doing it with them. Employees can encourage one another in their efforts to gain more energy and get in better shape. Scheduling email reminders can be a great way to keep employees on track, check out Campaign Monitor to learn more.
Posted on May 03, 2015 under Race |
The OC Half Marathon reminds me a lot of the races I’ve ran here in San Diego. The course takes you around Newport Beach, which is almost as nice as the beaches in San Diego. The weather and flat course almost guarantees that you’ll run fast. I’m not exactly sure how many years this race has been going on, but from the website as well as number of participants, volunteers and spectators, it’s fair to say it’s not their inaugural. I’ve actually heard of this race before, I ran the Long Beach Half Marathon a few years ago, which is part of a 3-race series (again, similar to a series for 3 San Diego races..) I haven’t ran a half marathon since the Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas half marathon in early November of last year. Since that race, I’ve done a few 5K’s and a 10-mile race. Because of that break, I dedicated the last 3 weeks or so dedicated to running, that meant waking up early to run before work. Because of that, I was able to run a pretty fast half. Results: 1:35:26, 7:17 min/mile, AG: 20/394, men: 144/3,603, overall: 170/9,069. It was a pretty tough race, but I am very happy with my performance. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on May 03, 2015 under health |
There are a lot of things people copy from celebrities, like taste in music and street fashion. These hair hacks may be too weird for even the most celeb-obsessed reader to copy, though. The good news is that they’re mostly all-natural. You already take an anti-aging supplement, make your own body scrubs, and buy organic foods. Why not give one or two of these tips a shot, too?
Sienna Miller: Ketchup
Sienna had a couple of mishaps when coloring her hair, including coming out with pink locks after trying to go red, then ending up with green hair when attempting to go brunette. She claims that the only thing that got her hair back to normal were regular ketchup applications, under heat.
Suki Waterhouse: Coca-Cola
Suki doesn’t particularly like her hair when it’s squeaky clean, because it gets too limp. She rinses with Coca-Cola to get a tousled look.
Fergie: Olive Oil
This tip doesn’t sound too far-fetched, since olive oil is often used in beauty regimes. On tour, Fergie would use olive oil to quickly pull her hair into a ponytail between songs. The next morning, she’d shampoo and find that her hair felt like silk.
Zoe Saldana: Mayonnaise
This is another hair hack that may have some legs. Zoe found out about the mayo trick after reading a book about natural beauty tips. The mayo is used to tame dry, wild hair. Just don’t forget to shampoo, or you’ll end up smelling like a sandwich.
Not sure if these tips are fact or fiction? Ask your stylist about them before trying anything too drastic.
Posted on Apr 12, 2015 under Reviews |
After coming in to my local Road Runner Sports for their free gait test analysis, I was able to find a running shoe that accommodated my running form, providing just the right amount of support I needed in a shoe. You can read about the entire Shoe Dog process here, I highly recommend both beginning and new runners to try it out. As I mentioned in the post, I was previously recommended stability shoes, but when I came in this time, was told I should run in neutral running shoes. Had I not gone in and taken the gait analysis, I would have just picked another pair of stability shoes! Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on Apr 04, 2015 under running |
I never understood the importance of wearing the right pair of running shoes back in high school when I first joined the cross country team. I would just buy the cheapest or coolest looking shoes available. I didn’t know that some were better fit for different types of runners! And that is probably why I was injured every year I ran in high school. It was not until just a few years ago that I was at a race expo and performed a gait analysis at the Brooks Running booth. At the time, they told me that I should be wearing stability shoes the help support my overpronation. And because of that recommendation, I had ran in 3 different versions of the Brooks Adrenaline GTS series shoes. Fortunately, I have not had any major injuries since high school (even from my 20+ mile runs, which I never did in high school). As a new member of the Running Buddies Team, I had the opportunity to perform this same test the other day at Road Runner Sports, using the Shoe Dog experience.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on Mar 29, 2015 under Reviews |
Although being part of the cross country team was one of my favorite things about high school, I did have more injuries while on the team compared to any other period in my life! Non-runners used to joke that cross country wasn’t a sport, that you ‘just run’. But there was so much more to it than what people saw on the surface. Although runners were running for personal improvements and PRs, it was still a team sport and if you were one of the top runners in your division, you had to work together as a team to defeat the opponents. I think I had my first running injury as early as one month into joining the team. Looking back now, I probably have my shoes to blame. But remember getting the early signs of shin splints in that summer. I would spend time everyday after practice icing my shins. The injury got so bad that I would have trouble putting pants on because it hurt so much to stand on the leg with shin splints! The thing is, I never rested like I probably should have (during practice or races). Since high school, I haven’t really had any major injuries, although I have gotten pretty beat up planing soccer in our adult league.
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Posted on Mar 29, 2015 under health |
It’s All About Taking Care of You
You can’t stop the march of time. You are going to get older as the years fly by. However, you can embrace your age and give your body your best. A coq10 supplement can give you a boost, helping you to feel your best. With the right anti-aging ingredients, you can feel like you are younger than your years. Put the right ingredients in your body and you can stave off illness and other debilitating conditions. You need to avoid the wear and tear that is inevitable if you don’t give yourself some TLC. Supplements can help.
Give Your Body What it Needs
With healthy bones, a strong immune system, and excellent circulation, you’ll feel a new vitality. Your body will seem renewed and the right combination of supplements can make a world of difference. Add a balanced diet and physical activity to have optimal results. With regular visits to your physician and the right kind of attitude, your body will be like a temple. Take care of it, nourish it with supplements that will enhance your health, and feel better than you have in years. Find the right formula and be amazed at what it can do for you. Fight off the damaging effects of free radicals to keep your cells in top form. When you work from the inside out, your efforts will pay off. Your body will thank you when you give it the fuel that it needs.
Posted on Mar 13, 2015 under Race |
At 5 years in a row, the LA Chinatown Firecracker 10K is now the longest I’ve ran the same race every year. Of course, it helps that it has been a tradition to run this race with my siblings and more recently, nephews and even better my mom this year! It’s a great reason to visit my family in LA for the weekend, run a race together with them and then eat together afterwards to celebrate. There have really only been a few years where I have been fully prepared to compete in this race, unfortunately, this year was not one of them. I didn’t do too bad, but definitely not my best performances (actually, I ran 1 second slower than last year!) Results: 42:54 (6:54 min/mile), 8/189 AG, 37/2473 overall. What used to be a very competitive race against my, my brother and his friends, is now just a fun run that only a few people that I know participate in. Hopefully, my family continues to participate and maybe some of those others that missed this year. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on Mar 13, 2015 under Race |
Benefiting the American Cancer Society, the California 10/20 is a 10 mile run along the coast feature 20 bands throughout the course. The California 10/20 is a fairly new race series, the other one taking place in Austin, which I bet would be fun to visit. Unfortunately, when I was reading the race program the morning of the race, there was a letter from the race director saying this was the last year. I know planning and organizing a race is a lot of work, so it’s not too surprising to hear when they do not last. I was actually quite pleased with this race overall, hopefully they will be able to bring it back next year. Just as a reminder, I had ran a sub-19 5K not the previous morning and had not trained to run 10 miles (competitively), so I was pretty happy with the results: 1:10:51 (7:05 min/mile), AG 7/68, 96/2720 overall. Like I said in the race report for that 5K, I started off way too fast (5:50) and was tired for the rest of the race. I really didn’t want that to happen this time since I’d have many more miles to run this time around. Fortunately, I was pretty even paced throughout the run, which you can see in the splits below. Read the rest of this entry »
