5 Ways to Stop Overeating

I have been having problems following Weight Watchers by myself without having to pay for it so I thought I might try the South Beach diet again (I lost 50lbs with this my freshmen year in college). I am starting the South Beach diet today (haha...there was no way I could do it before Easter- not with my Grandma's cooking!). Since I do have the habit of overeating which I am sure is one of the reasons for being overweight I found this article at http://www.southbeachdiet.com/sbd/publicsite/dailydish/dd_20090411.aspx particularly useful.

I have highlighted the main points below.

5 Ways to Stop Overeating:

1. Eat slowly and savor your food.
2. Begin your meal with a salad or clear broth as soup.
3. Drink water before and throughout the meal.
4. Chop some of your favorite fresh vegetables (or cook them) and have them on the table with the rest of your dinner.
5. Assemble your plate of food and then wrap and store any leftovers before you begin eating.

I hope you found these tips as useful as I did. Do you have any tips for not overeating?

Training for a 5K

So I have also wanted to run a marathon but I have never really started training for one and am very on and off with running. I found this great website at http://www.coolrunnings.com/ that is all about how to train for different races. After talking with my friend Jenna, we decided we really needed to run a race together. So why not start off small? Today, I am going to start training for a 5K.

There are many good reasons to run. I feel that it will help me be healthier along with many other benefits like improved mood (exercising 35 minutes a day has been shown to lessen the signs of depression), lowering blood pressure (not that mine is high...yet), protecting against heart disease, and boosting self-esteem (Check out http://www.everydayhealth.com/alternative-health/treatment-regimens/exercise.aspx?xid=nl_EverydayHealthEmotionalHealth_20090410)

Basically my workout today is a 5 minute warm-up and cool down plus alternating 60 seconds jogging with 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Wish me luck!

Mary's Most Advantageous Tricks to Get You Hired

I am two months into being unemployed and it has been quite an adventure. I think it would be prudent to acknowledge some things I have learned in the process of applying to approximately 50 positions.

1. Personalize your cover letter. Find out who the contact is and mention a recent announcement of the firm.



2. Update your resume with each job you apply to. Take words or pieces of the job description and make sure they are covered in your resume. You want to make sure the employer knows your qualified.



3. Print on resume paper. By spending a little extra money you are showing the employer your dedication to the position.



4. Type the address on the envelope. It looks classy, neat, and simple.
   


5. Call regularly. First call to introduce yourself and make sure they have received your resume. Also ask when they plan on reviewing the applications. Second, call once a week to let them know you are still interested. It is helpful to write out an elevator pitch highlighting a strength and/or why you are meant for the job each time you call. When you are speaking to them have the job description out and a copy of your resume on your desk so it is easy to reference in case the phone call turns in to an impromptu interview.


6. Research the company. You can do so by looking at their website and doing a simple Google search to see what others think about them. By researching, it will give you a better idea of whom you will be working for, point out any shady areas that you might want to stay away from, or give you material to use in your interview.


7. Come prepared to an interview. Prepared means a business suit that is dry cleaned, a modest amount of jewelry, extra copies of your resume, and arriving 15 minutes early.


8. Have questions. This is one of the easiest places to be dumbfounded when you have no questions. I have a list of five or six general questions that I reference in addition to one or two that are company specific. A good question to wrap things up is "When will I be hearing from you?"


9. Say thank you. This part post interview is also significantly overlooked. I collect business cards from everyone I meet with (and if they do not have one I write down their name) so I know whom to send the letters to. Depending on the formality of the interview and if I am expecting a second one I will either type up a formal thank you letter highlighting my strengths and something that interviewer mentioned during the interview or send a handwritten thank you note.


10. Follow up. It is always a good idea to touch base once a week to make sure they still know you are interested and why you are the best candidate for the job.

All these tips are things that have helped me to differentiate myself from the competitors. While it may take a little extra time, it will be worth it in the long run.

What tips would you add to the list?

Snuggie

So, my friend Jenna sent me this great article called "How I Fell in Love with the Snuggie" written by Kurt Soller of Newsweek(http://www.newsweek.com/id/189109). She sent me this article probably because I am a pretty cold person (temperature not attitude) and am always covered in a blanket while around the house- especially because my boyfriend keeps the house at a cool 70 degrees.

And no after reading the article and seeing all the infomercials, I think I am hooked and need to buy one immediately. It is only $19.95 for two plus a free book light so I think it would be worth it. I think a guy writing about it from Newsweek definitely adds some legitimacy to all of the buzz.

I think Kurt sums it up great when he says:

"Even if we're not personally feeling the strain, there's a buzz in the air that tells us to stay home, to relax on the couch, to cook our own dinner—to squirrel up and save for a rainy day. For those who have lost their job, there's depression and the desperation of seeking new work. Since November, when Snuggie took off and President Obama was elected, it's gone downhill. And right now, we just want to be hugged—or Snugged, if you will."

I will definitely keep you posted when I try it out. For now, the Snuggie is one of many things I would like to own.

Gemeinschaft Home

Gemeinschaft Home is a place where ex convicts choose to go to be rehabilitated back into society in Harrisonburg, VA. Two years ago, my friend Alison wrote her honors thesis on the idea that rehabilitation for criminals is better then simply throwing them in jail. Despite being a conservative I feel like this makes a lot more sense especially because many researchers agree. My brother-in-law, Chris, is one of these people. He has worked a lot with juvenile offenders. I wonder if crime rates would decrease if this system was tested out.

Gemeinschaft Home may be receiving additional funding from Governor Kaine. I think this is definitely a step in the right direction.

You can check out the article at: http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=36094&CHID=1

Good Cooking

So last night I made the best dinner ever! It was so delicious. It started in the wee hours of the morning (about 10am or so) in the crock pot. It consisted of a beef roast, carrots, potatoes, onions, and Lipton Onion soup mix. It stewed for hours. But in the meantime I made some homemade dinner rolls. I am pretty proud of myself because they are the first bread that I have made with yeast. They turned out perfectly even with my punching skills. I also made my best gravy ever from the broth of the crock pot mixture. It was just the right consistency and flavor. Thank goodness my dad taught me how to make gravy.

Yesterday I also walked for 40 mins (2 miles at 3.0mph at various elevations). Today, I did interval training on the treadmill for 2.5 miles ranging from 3 to 5 mph. Yeah me!

Jason is still working on painting my shelves. Poor guy, they definitely ended up being a bigger project than we both thought.

Tonight I am making shrimp curry with broccoli and cauliflower.

I might be off for a few days since I am heading to PA to visit my older sister Ellen, brother-in-law Chris, and 5 month old nephew Ethan. I will be watching Ethan by myself for about 5 hours. Hopefully it turns out well!

Lots of Changes

I am so sorry but it has been awhile since I have written. I have absolutely no good reason for it then I am obsessed with watching Will and Grace at 11am everyday and CSI NY starts at 3pm. Based on my TV viewing schedule I have only a small window for working out, eating, and looking for a job.

But please give me some credit- I did work on my taxes for about 3 hours today. It is complicated stuff when I basically filled them out four times to determine the best educational/student loan credit I could get with it. I do like the Free File Fillable Forms (that's a mouthful!) especially because they do all the calculations for me. It's fabulous.

Right now I am reading The Duchess by Amanda Foreman. It is about the Duchess of Devonshire who was technically the great-great-great-great-aunt of Diana, Princess of Wales. She lived in England during the American Revolution. It is very interesting. I do like a good biography when it is about someone interesting. I am trying to read some so I do not rot my brain while being unemployed. I plan on purchasing some more books after I finish this one.

I think I do a pretty good job keeping to a schedule. My goal in the morning is to be on the treadmill by 11am for Will and Grace. Then I eat lunch and do some job searching. I am trying to be as optimistic as possible even though it is taking awhile. It is extremely competitive and I am not sure what to do differently with my cover letter and resume to attract employers attention.

I have officially moved out of my apartment as of last weekend and my friend and former co-worker Takunda is subleasing it. It is so great to have him move in especially because my unemployment does not cover one month's rent. I think Jason and I are doing pretty well. He has accepted a good amount of my stuff in his house. The closet has also fit all of my clothes and shoes very nicely. We also got a nice cabinet for the bathroom that takes care of storing all my hair products and make-up. We really just need to find room for all of my books. I do love to read.

Next Monday I am going up to Pennsylvania to visit my sister Ellen, her husband Chris, and my 5-month old nephew Ethan. I cannot wait to see my sister and how much my nephew has grown. It should be a fun trip.

That is pretty much it for now....