By Aimee Johnson, Account Executive

I’ve travelled to many international locations and dream on exploring more (once able). I do have to admit that I am a little embarrassed on how few places and adventures I have taken in my home state of Alaska.

After 30+ years (that’s all you will get from me in sharing my age) of living in Alaska, COVID has reminded me I have a wonderful playground available to explore!

So Hello, Alaska! Let’s plan a summer staycation!

I decided to narrow my adventure list for the upcoming summer. What have I NOT done and have always wanted to do?  I also listed some favorites that may need to be revisited and shared with my almost 2 year old daughter.

This list sure got long quickly, but is really making me excited for a safe summer free of the unknowns and anxiety that last year’s COVID-19 pandemic created.

A few of my top items you may want to add to your summer or anytime adventure list:

• Girls Salmon Fishing Weekend
• Anchorage to Valdez Adventure
• Gulkana River Float Trip
• Anchor Point Halibut Fishing Weekend & Beachcombing
• Between Beaches Getaway
• Denali Private Vehicle Park Road Opportunity
• Caines Head Hiking/Camping Trip
• Gull Rock Hope Hike

My list is just beginning and will have to flow into next summer! I hope you are as excited as I am to take advantage and appreciate what is available in our backyard we get to call home.

Have a wonderful spring and summer!

By Angela Baker, Account Specialist

One of my favorite things to do is to go plant shopping. I always end up bringing a few new beauties home and I need to know how to care for them properly because plants are not cheap. Keeping plants alive is not as hard as you think it is.

There’s no such thing as green thumb or a black thumb, it’s more about how much you pay attention to your plant.  We all have the ability to grow healthy indoor plants, it’s just about understanding the basics of plant care and listening to your plants when they tell you or show you what they need.

https://www.ambius.com/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-indoor-plants/

By Andrew Kupperman, RISQ Consulting Employer Services and Workforce Technology Consultant, SHRM-CP

Do you ever feel like you spend an entire day doing a million different things at work, but by the end of the day, you feel like you’ve accomplished nothing? Even the best planned out workdays can easily get side tracked by the constant interruption we expose ourselves to on a daily working basis. From email to direct messaging systems to phone calls, there are a ton of things in our day to day work life that can distract you from feeling accomplished at the end of the day.

Professor Gloria Mark with the University of California did a bit of research on the impact of task switching, and the toll of distractions on the average worker in the tech industry. The fascinating thing is this research was done well over 10 years ago, but it still strongly resonates in today’s work world, where the chance of distraction and frequent task switching is much higher than it was back then.

The biggest concern from this older research, is the time it takes to get back on track (23 minutes and 15 seconds) isn’t any less based on newer research I’ve heard about. In addition, the stress these types of distractions can cause is still a very high impact in today’s world. Although we’re still advancing from a technological standpoint at a decent rate since this article was written and research was done, we still haven’t solved for the ultimate toll on our wellbeing.

Worker, Interrupted: The Cost of Task Switching

By Casey Kirkeby, Strategy Consultant

We are in 2021 and now more than ever, it seems like everyone is selling something and trying to create a value proposition. We have all had an idea or thought, “could that actually create value and make a difference in the world?” Just the other day I thought about a product that could wirelessly charge your phone when you entered a room of your house and did not require cables or docks of any sort. Man that sounds like the ultimate consumer product but turns out someone has thought of this and it’s called Wi-Charge. My point is how can you vet your idea, figure out if it is something trending and if there is a market to buy? This website includes resources on live events, testimonials from actual customers and access to over 15,000 members that could be your next investor if they like your idea.

I was doing research and stumbled upon something called Trends and it was created by a company called The Hustle, a daily business and tech newsletter read by over 1 million young professionals each morning. Launched in 2016, The Hustle exists to help entrepreneurs, builders, and dreamers make their mark in the world through business.  If you are on the verge of the next big thing and like to do research and collaborate with a community of entrepreneurs, I recommend you check out Trends because what do you have to lose?

Trends

https://trends.co/?utm_source=googleads&utm_medium=fnl2&utm_campaign=brand&gclid=Cj0KCQiAvvKBBhCXARIsACTePW_ar5gDsfBzeyc0zgfJcBVeNIBtpOenbzHhyFOtTbKiUElGEwEnD7AaAkPcEALw_wcB

The Daily Hustle

https://thehustle.co/daily/

By Ashley Snodgrass, Executive Account Manager

I spend a lot of time in my email inbox. Reading, replying, forwarding, sorting, unsubscribing. Repeating. Over, and over, and over again. A weird measure of time I keep is how many messages have sent. If you work in Outlook for Desktop, you can head on over to your Sent folder, and see the number at the bottom of your screen. I’ve sent… a lot of emails. I’m not going to tell you how many, for fear that I’ll be exposed; either because you think I should send way more, or you think I should send way, way less.

The average office worker sends and receives an average 122 emails a day. How many times do we do something 122 times in a single workday? Thinking of any other business operation, if a company asked an employee to do something 122 times, the company would monitor and measure that task extensively to ensure employees were approaching the repetitive task the most efficient way. Yet, why is this not the case with email?

I’ve been inspired by Seth Godin’s recent blog post about “The Weight of Repetitive Tasks”. Seth Godin compares digital tasks to laying bricks – a motion that we repeat numerous times. Yet, as the bricklayers in Seth Godin’s post demonstrate, if you take the time to get your workflow right, you can “avoid paying a penalty for poor digital hygiene every single day.” What are the things in your workday that are repetitive, but that you have not taken the time to address? Once you identify the bricks you’re moving, you can better solve for the most effective way to build the brick wall.

By Tonya Mott, Director of Continuous Improvement

Well, it’s been a few weeks since I wrote about my success in finally getting my butt to the gym.

I Made a Habit of Going to the Gym

I’m proud to say that I’m still going and don’t see an end in sight!

The only concern I experienced for myself was about a month after I was consistently going and my left knee and right hip started hurting. It hurt to the point where I couldn’t jog on the treadmill or do a true leg workout. At first I kind of brushed it off and thought, oh it will go away, my body is just not used to working out so much. Then a week went by and another week with no change.  By the end of week three there was no change and I was worried that I may need to go to the doctor.

I came home from a workout and my husband handed me his old knee brace and said, try this.  I was thinking oh geez, am I really getting that old that I need to walk around the gym with a knee brace on.  I figured oh well what could it hurt, I’ll give it a try.

I also bought myself a nice pair of running shoes at Skinny Raven.  They have you get on the treadmill for a quick 15 seconds and are able to make a recommendation based on your running style and your arch.

The last thing I realized was that I wasn’t stretching or cooling down after my workout.  I came across this article that offers tips on warmups (before workout) and stretching (after workout):

https://darebee.com/warmup-and-stretching.html

After all of these changes I’m happy to say that today is the first day in about 6 weeks that I was able to run on the treadmill and actually feel great during and after!

By Shayla Dablemont, RISQ Consulting Individual and Family Benefits Consultant

My husband and I got married in July in the middle of COVID-19.  This created newlywed comfort along with the push to support our local restaurants. The result? Double the weight gain. I like to call it the quarantine 15, but it was more like the quarantine 25.

When enough was enough, I started working out and eating better, but the weight sure goes on faster than it comes off.  My newfound love for fitness came along with an escalation to my already prominent struggle with my sleep wake cycle.  My maternal grandmother has insomnia and my paternal grandmother had narcolepsy.  For me, this means I have some weird combination of each.  I am wide-awake at night, no matter how eventful the day and exhausted ready for a nap during the day.

I would wake up early to complete my 30-minute exercise before work.  The natural energy would last me until approximately 3pm when it was time for an afternoon pick-me-up.  Ah sweet nectar from the Gods, COFFEE!! After my shift, I spend the evening binging my TV shows and nodding off, so tired.  When it is finally an acceptable time to go to sleep…BOOM WIDE AWAKE.

My mind won’t shut off and I developed a strange tendency to online shop at 3 in the morning. I have always heard the concept that a good night’s sleep and overall health and wellness go hand in hand, so during one of my sleepless nights I decided to help my pocket book and dig deeper into the correlation instead of browse Amazon.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night. Short sleep duration increases the likelihood of obesity by 55%

Why is this?

Sleep deprivation actually lessens the activity in the frontal lobe, which correlates with decision-making and self-control.  If you are having a craving, with a lack of sleep, it much harder to resist.  There is also a correlation between lack of sleep and an increase in cravings.  For example, you are craving a big bowl of ice cream and your brain is making it hard to resist.  That is when excuses of why it’s okay to eat the big bowl of ice cream start creeping in.

Poor sleep can also decrease your metabolism.  Your metabolism burns a certain number of calories when you are resting.  This is your resting metabolic rate.

Poor sleep can cause muscle loss.  Muscle burns more calories at rest than fat, so when muscle is lost your resting metabolic rate decreases.

Poor sleep can cause insulin resistance.  Insulin moves sugar from the bloodstream to the cells where it is used for energy.  When your cells are insulin resistant, the sugar can’t get there and remains in the bloodstream and your body creates more insulin to compensate. The additional insulin makes you hungry and tells your body to store more calories in fat.

What you can do to help get a good night’s sleep: (I am still practicing)

• Avoid dark during the day. Open the windows turn on the lights.  This helps keep your circadian rhythm (natural sleep wake cycle) in harmony.
• Reduce Blue light exposure up to 2 hours before bed. Blue light comes from devices like smartphones, tablets, TVs and computers. Blue light tricks your brain into thinking it is daytime, which reduces melatonin.
• Stop caffeine intake around 3 PM. Caffeine can have effects in your body for up to 8 hours after consumption
• Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. This will help reset your circadian rhythm.
• Do not exercise before bed. Exercising releases endorphins, which can make you wide-awake and alert.
• Keep your room cool and dark. The sweet spot for night temperature is between 60 and 67 degrees. Use a blackout shade or curtain to block light from entering the room.

Since implementing the above suggestions, (and a little melatonin) I have found myself sleeping better and waking with more energy. I have completely cut caffeine from my diet, I no longer make large purchases in the middle of the night and I am happy to say my clothes are fitting much better!

Sources:

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/physical-health/weight-loss-and-sleep

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/sleep-and-weight-loss

By Tonya Mott, Director of Continuous Improvement

Against all odds because it took me 20 years to make it happen, I have been going to the gym 6 days a week consistently since January 1, 2021.  And, no, this was not a New Year’s resolution type deal, it just so happened to line up with the new year.  I’ll add that I’m married, have two small children, a full-time job, and a million excuses why I could never show up.  So here goes…

It started with a book I was reading for work called, Atomic Habits by James Clear.  Initially, the book had me analyzing my current habits.  After carefully considering what I do from the minute I wake up to the time I go to bed I decided that there wasn’t much I wanted to change.  So then I moved onto thinking about what new habits I wanted to incorporate into my life.  The gym!!!! Challenge accepted, can I get my butt to the gym consistently?  Probably not, knowing my “rebel” self, I notoriously can talk myself out of anything.  Hmmm, go to the gym, meh, it was a long day, maybe tomorrow, I’m tired, maybe tomorrow, I’m too busy, maybe tomorrow…and on and on the vicious cycle continues.

So here’s what I did and it seems to be working:

• Make it an obligation – I hired a personal trainer, choosing the least expensive option possible because I’m not rich. This managed to get me to the gym at least once a week for 30 minutes.  It costs me money, I made an appointment with someone that’s expecting me to show up,  and it made me feel like there was no way I could back out.  This plan had its benefits but it wasn’t enough, so next…
• Just show up, even if it’s only for 10 min. – Strive for action, not perfection. Sounds easy enough:

“Where to focus:

For the beginner, execution.

For the intermediate, strategy.

For the expert, mindset.” – James Clear

• Best time to show up, morning, during the day, or in the evening? – I imagine this is different for everyone. For me, it’s first thing in the morning before everyone in my house is awake.  This guarantees no excuses for not showing up.  At first it took some major discipline, to the point of even sleeping in my gym clothes so I could just roll out of bed and run out the door.
• Bad-ass playlist – Having a playlist specific to working out is a must for me. I need music to get me and keep me motivated.  My music of choice is mostly gangster rap:
  • Tupac
  • Logic
  • Nipsey Hustle
  • Drake
  • Eminem
  • Three 6 Mafia
  • DMX

What can I say I’m an 80’s baby J (warning all mostly explicit language).

• Bonus – There’s lots of eye candy. I found this good for inspirational purposes. When you don’t have a clue what you’re doing it’s nice to see others that are in great shape and get ideas from their routines.  Of course, I try to do this without staring like a creeper, lol!

In summary, I’m six weeks in to consistently going to the gym.  I know it doesn’t sound like a long time but that’s short of a miracle for me so I’ll proudly run with that.  I feel great and for the first time in my life I look forward to going to the gym.  I actually get a little anxiety with the thought of possibly missing a day.  This is something I’ve never felt before and it amazing.  Now, let’s see if I can keep it going, wish me luck!