The Health Effects of Working Too Much Overtime: It’s Not Good

Sometimes we all have to put in some extra time at work. But too much of that can have a bad effect on your health. Medical science has the data to prove it.

A recent article on WebMD describes a study in the UK that followed British civil servants for about ten years. The subjects who worked three or more hours of overtime a day showed a 60% increase in heart related problems.

One researcher says these subjects showed more “Type A behavior traits like aggression, hostility, competitiveness, psychological distress, and sleep problems.”

There may be a chicken-and-egg issue here:  maybe these people started with competitive, aggressive personalities that made them to work long hours. But maybe their perceived need to work long hours made them more hostile and psychologically distressed.

But in either case, the message is clear– we need to keep our lives in balance.

(Photo: Some rights reserved, Sam Greenhalgh)

Sunscreen: What’s the Right SPF for You?

It’s a long weekend, the first we’ve had in a while. And it’s the unofficial start to summer.

Which means…

It’s time to break out the sunscreen. You’ll need it as you lounge by the pool here at the Remington.

And when you’re picking out some sunscreen, we all know that the higher the SPF rating, the better. Right?

Wrong. It’s not quite that simple.

For one thing, there is some evidence that higher SPF sunscreen can paradoxically lead to less sun protection. You see, when we use super high SPF sunscreen, we tend not to use enough of it, and we figure we don’t need to reapply it every couple of hours as directed.

And the SPF numbers are not very user-friendly. A rating of 90 is not twice as good as a rating of 45. The higher you go on the SPF scale, the less added protection. It’s a case of rapidly dimishing returns.

The consensus seems to be that anything from SPF15 to SPF30 is going to be effective. If you have particually sensitive skin, stay on the high side of that scale. But don’t worry about getting the highest SPF possible.

What’s more important is that you apply the sunscreen liberally… and often.

Read all about SPF factors, and about the different chemicals used in sunscreen in this WebMD article. It also has some advice on what brands to consider.

(Photo: Some rights reserved, Tommy Wong)

Boost Your Metabolism With Peppers: They Don’t Have to Burn

I love me my chili peppers. I love that exciting sweat that breaks out when I’ve been eating jalapeños. It always starts at my hairline, the the back of my neck, and then the lovely and addictive discomfort of the heat warms my whole body.

Mmmm.

And not only am I enjoying the bliss of pepper overload, apparently. I’m getting quite a few health benefits.  I’m revving up my metabolism when I eat chili peppers. It’s due to capsicum, a chemical in hot peppers. And boosting metabolism means I’m burning calories faster than normal. It won’t make me svelte, but I’ll take any help I can get.

I know that, as strange as this sounds in Austin, there are people who don’t really like that kind of pepper spice. It might be how they were raised. Maybe it’s genetic.

But the good news for these folks is research shows that even some milder varieties of peppers can to the metabolism boost. I saw a piece about this on National Public Radio’s health blog.

I pity these people for missing out on the joy of letting jalapeños blow their heads off. But at least they can get the weight loss benefit.

(Image: Some rights reserved, Chris Martin)

How Long Should a Shower Pouf Last?

When it comes to showering, I’m a wash cloth man.

My wife prefers those nylon poofy things. Poufs, I think they’re called. It took me a while to get used to using one, but I did immediately like the pleasant scratchy feel.

And you’d think, being made of nylon, those things would have a long life.

Not so, according to Apartment Therapy.

Some experts (medical experts, not pouf experts) say some pretty nasty bacteria can get trapped in poufs, and they should be replace every three weeks! If you launder them you might get three months’ life out of them.

Walk It Off!

We have all heard the saying, when in a fight, it is best to walk away. What if this was the best policy for more than just anger? We all lead incredibly stressful lives so why not start exercising to relieve stress. Walking is awesome exercise, so turn on some tunes and go for a walk. Here are some of my favorite power walking tunes.

1. Everybody Dance Now: C & C Music Factory

2. Daft Punk is Playing: LCD Sound System

3. Hella Good: No Doubt

4. Just Dance: Lady Gaga

5. Crazy in Love: Beyonce

6. Paper Planes: M.I.A

7. Survivor: Destiny’s Child

8. Tik Tok: Ke$ha

9. Walk This Way: Aerosmith

10. Helter Skelter: The Beatles

Limit Distractions, Increase Productivity and Reduce Workplace Stress

I work in a somewhat open environment…. as in, I don’t have my own private, corner office with a marbled luxury restroom or wet bar.

For the most part, my co-workers are all quite lovely and enhance the work place with their loveliness. But, like in any office, there’s always going to be one or two office mates who just don’t fit that mold, and as a result, are very distracting to productivity.

I can tune out most distractions, but once in a while I have to get creative in finding ways to minimize or eliminate ones that others contribute to the workplace.

In my quest for some new options, I came across these top suggestions for minimizing distractions in the workplace….

Don’t answer your phone.

Turn off your computer or at least don’t access the internet.

Ask your coworkers to tone down their conversations and not to interrupt you.

Seriously? Yes, my friends, these are the top suggestions for limiting work-related distractions. Does this sound crazy to anyone else?  It seems to me that answering the phone, using the computer, and having healthy relationships with coworkers are fairly essential parts of working.

What I’ve found quite useful, is my ipod, listening to tracks of white noise, and my favorite music.

Check out this cool site too.

What works for you?

Mosquitoes, O Noes!

Whether it’s that time of year or not, there will be a time when the mosquitoes return to snack you. They’d snack on me even in the winter if they’d have their druthers. I am quite the mosquito magnet. NaturallySavvy.com has some tips and hints to help keep those buggers away, including some advice on how to do it without using chemicals. A friend of mine is actually allergic to DEET, so she has a rough time in the summer. Me, I spray it on thick and still have to sprint from the car to the apartment, when the weather’s right.

 

Do the little bloodsuckers come for you, too? How do you cope?