Spreading Holiday Cheer to Your Team this Christmas

Spreading Holiday Cheer to Your Team this Christmas

by Lifestyle

If you’ve been feeling more like Scrooge than jolly ol’ Saint Nick lately, now is the perfect time to shake off your “Bah, humbug!” workplace stress and give thanks to your team by spreading some holiday cheer. Although it can be tricky to find the time to celebrate, remember that even small gestures can be meaningful in showing your appreciation for your team and all the hard work they’ve done over the past year.

So spread the holiday cheer to your team this Christmas with some of these simple holiday suggestions.

Thank You Gift

‘Tis the season of gift-giving, so why not offer some Thank You gifts to your team to show that you’re grateful for all of their efforts? Whether it’s a bonus, gift certificates, or something else, giving a Thank You gift to each of your team members will show your appreciation for all of their hard work that supports you and the company.

Team Celebration

There’s no better way to spread holiday cheer to your team this Christmas than by hosting a team celebration. You can rent out a hall, head to the bar for drinks on the company, or plan an activity that you can all do together. Taking the time to let loose, relax and have a laugh with everyone not only shows your appreciation, but it also allows you to bond, get to know each other better, and build great morale among the team.

Secret Santa

A classic holiday activity that is sure to liven up the weeks before Christmas is the Secret Santa game. Simple to play and lots of fun, it’s a wonderful way to get everyone into the gift-giving mood. All you need to do is set a budget and get everyone to choose a name from a hat. Then it’s up to that person to drop off secret gifts to their selected person throughout the week. It’s a simple and fun way to get everyone involved and boost up the camaraderie.

Decorate The Office

If your office is looking dull and depressing, spice it up with some holiday decorations! Adding splashes of decorations like trees, tinsel, twinkly lights and anything else, will help liven up the atmosphere in the office and holiday spirit. Encourage your team to get in on the decorating by adding any of their holiday favourites.

Team Holiday Photo

Get your ugly sweaters and elf hats on and gather the team up for a team Christmas photo to commemorate the holidays. It’s a fun way that will guarantee to have just about everyone smiling while lightening up the positive vibes during the season.

With Christmas just around the corner, why not show everyone how much you appreciate their hard work by spreading holiday cheer to your team with some of these simple suggestions? Remember, having a team that feels happy and appreciated is guaranteed to feel more motivated to support you and the company in the future.

 

6 Great Date Ideas This Holiday Season

6 Great Date Ideas for this Holiday Season

by LifestyleTravel & Leisure

Looking for some great date ideas for this holiday season? As corny as this time of year may be, the festive spirit is what makes it so much fun. And with all of the magic and beauty of the holidays sprinkled everywhere you go, there’s no shortage of ways to embrace the romantic and sultry atmosphere. To take full advantage, here are some fun, romantic, and festive date night ideas to consider.

Binge on Your Favourite Holiday Movies

When it’s cold and snowy outside, binge-watching some old Christmas classics is the best! You can cozy up in your PJs, make some popcorn and hot chocolate, grab your date and dim the lights to enjoy a night full of holiday nostalgia.

Check Out the Christmas Lights Display Downtown

No matter where you live, there’s always a core of the downtown area that boasts some impressive light shows and entertainment. Bundle up, get some hot chocolate, and keep each other warm as you take in the festive displays and enjoy the entertainment of the holiday season.

Make Some Gingerbread Houses

Why not feel like a kid again by making some gingerbread houses together? You can make an evening of it, decorating one together or individually and then munching on them as you dive into a holiday movie.

Roast Some S’Mores

If you have an outdoor fire pit, roasting up some S’Mores is the perfect way to stay warm. You get to enjoy the beauty of the winter night while enjoying something delicious. You can make it a double or triple date by inviting your friends over to join in on the fire and good times.

Go Skating

Skating is another great date idea for the holiday season. You can head to a local rink on a more secluded spot that you may know of, or you can opt for a lively atmosphere downtown with the bright lights and music to skate along to with your date. It’s a fun and romantic way to spend some quality time with your beau.

Late Night Tobogganing

Who doesn’t love tobogganing? If you’re looking for something that’s a little spontaneous, heading out for a late night ride down the hills gives you some time away from the screaming children and more time alone with your date. You can have fun flying down the hills together and then head to a late café for some hot chocolate to warm up.

The holiday season offers so many different, simple ways for you to create fun and romantic moments with your date. So if you’ve been struggling to pinpoint what to do, consider these to get you inspired.

 

Surrounding Yourself with Positive People

Surrounding Yourself with Positive People

by Life ChangesLifestyle

Having the right kind of people in your life can make an enormous difference for influencing the quality of your life. It’s important to choose those whom you hold dear carefully, as they help foster your environment, your experiences, and even your emotions. If you find that the people in your life are holding you down with negative emotions and tendencies, then it may be time to declutter your social circle in order to make room for more positive influences.

By surrounding yourself with positive people, it can make a lasting impact on your life in some of these simple and essential ways.

 

Absorb More Positive Energy

We often absorb other people’s energy through their direct mood and attitudes. When we take in their stress, anger or negative emotions, we can easily end up emitting that energy back onto others. Wouldn’t you prefer to be attracting and sending out positive energy to the people around you? Of course you would! And you can easily achieve this by simply spending more time surrounding yourself every day with optimistic people that have happy and positive energy to share.

 

Mirror Healthy Goals

We become a lot like those who we spend the most time with – mirroring their goals and ambitions. For instance, if you surround yourself with healthy, active people or those with positive outlooks on life, you can’t help but feel influenced by their energy to engage and share a value in leading a healthier lifestyle as well. So instead of surrounding yourself with negative and self-destructive people, find others you admire and can look up to in order to help improve and enrich your life.

 

Get Rid Of Negativity

Negativity can affect every aspect of your life – from your relationships to your work, to your overall wellbeing. No-one wants to be around a person that is always complaining or putting others down. You can quickly rid your life of any negativity that exists by making the decision to no longer accept it in your life.

 

Foster Growth

When you have more renewed energy from the positive vibes around you, there is more time and energy to foster growth in your life. Those who don’t waste time complaining and instead focus on how to be productive and solve problems for the greater good, can help uplift your spirits and get you motivated to take on life in a new and improved direction.

 

Move Forward

When you are feeling negative, it’s easy to enter into a slump by dwelling on past experiences and emotions that serve no purpose in your future. By surrounding yourself with more positive people, you can begin to move forward in your life and learn to alter your thought patterns to focus on creating a positive future.  When you begin to do this, you get to enjoy a renewed sense of motivation, energy, and excitement for what’s to come.

Surrounding yourself with positive people is more important than you may realize. The people that you see and interact with the most are the people who end up influencing your thoughts, your habits, your focus and essentially, your quality of life. Remember to always choose wisely; if you have people surrounding you who are bringing you down with negativity on a constant basis, it might be time to filter them out to make room for more positive influences instead.

The Whole-Life Benefits of a Hobby You Love

The Whole-Life Benefits of a Hobby You Love

by Inner HealthLifestyleTravel & Leisure

Being able to retreat from the humdrum of everyday life and partake in a favourite hobby can help to revitalize your mental and physical health. Not only that, but the advantages stemming from taking the time to entertain your passions can bring about changes that can last your entire lifetime. Refreshing your vitality with an exciting hobby can bring about many whole-life benefits.

 

Inspiration and Motivation

Nothing beats the feeling of being inspired by something, and indulging in a hobby that evokes such sensations can do wonders for the mind. Whether it’s painting, sailing, or golf, a hobby acts as a never-ending source of inspirational energy that can motivate and encourage you throughout your entire life. Enjoying multiple hobbies can bolster this effect and make it even more powerful, and it’s a highly effective way of combating depression and boredom, particularly as you get older.

 

Creativity and Stimulation

Many hobbies such as writing and music creation allow for you to have a creative outlet. Throughout life, it’s important that we have a way to express ourselves and produce physical exhibitions of our personalities; otherwise our minds lack creative stimulation and adverse mental health effects can set in. By discovering a way to use your left brain from a creative angle, you’ll experience a greater sense of fulfillment and newfound excitement over what you’ll come up with next. Many who enjoy hobbies are excited to climb out of bed every morning and see what they can will into reality, and it also can help protect against Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and other mental health issues.

 

Mood and Emotion Control

With something to do that’s enjoyable, you’ll most likely have a more positive outlook on life. Rather than grumbling out of boredom and loneliness, you’ll have a way of focusing and refreshing your mental energy. Many hobbyists, regardless of preference, encounter uplifted moods and firmer emotional control, particularly if they use their hobby as a distraction from life’s bumpy road. Many experience increased vitality and enthusiasm as a result.

 

Stress Relief

When you take the time to enjoy a hobby that makes you happy, it can help to relieve stress and mitigate frustration. Therapeutic in nature and highly effective at calming nerves, hobbies of a tranquil and calming variety such as painting, model-making, or reading offer a window into a new and evocative environment — a mental playground, if you will — that frees the mind from focusing on stressful situations. It doesn’t mean that life won’t be without problems, but it can make it all the more easy to navigate any incoming storms.

 

Comfort

It makes sense that when we’re having fun with a hobby, we feel relaxed and comfortable. This is because we’re willingly taking the time to simply have fun and indulge our passions, which can generate a feeling of contentment. In moments of crisis or hardship, having a hobby to turn to is a great way of numbing pain and creating solace. Essentially, it is the mental equivalent of comfort food.

Taking the time to enjoy a hobby you love enables for a lifetime of positive atmospheres, comfort, solace, inspiration, and expressionism. If you’re willing to take the time to indulge in a passion, it can refresh energy and the mind, leading to a happier, healthier, and more content you.

 

Woman sleeping in her bed

How to Improve Sleep Hygiene

by Inner HealthLife ChangesLifestylePhysical Health

Obtaining a healthy and restful night’s sleep on a regular basis helps to improve productivity and overall quality of life. However, many of us simply fall into bed when it is convenient or don’t implement lifestyle adjustments that allow for a healthier night’s rest. Here are some ways you can improve your sleep hygiene and feel more refreshed each morning.

Avoiding Stimulants, Fats, and Sugars Prior to Bedtime

That last cup of coffee or nightcap can disrupt the effectiveness of your sleep cycle, particularly during the second half of the night when your body begins to process alcohol, caffeine, and sugars. Cutting them and fats, spices, and carbonated beverages out of your evening ritual can help to enhance overall sleep hygiene, and it doesn’t hurt to make it a rule to brush your teeth a little earlier so as to avoid temptation.

Put the Phone Down

The light emitted by your smartphone’s screen can cause for a horrid night’s rest fraught with discomfort and irritability if you’re not careful. Laying in bed and scrolling through social media news feeds until you pass out is going to do you no favours in regards to a restful sleep and refreshed body — in fact, it can sap your energy even more quickly and cause you to get up n the wrong side of the bed in the morning. If you absolutely must check that final email before bed, however, enable your phone’s blue light filter to minimize eyestrain and better simulate natural lighting.

Limit Daytime Nap Length

As we get older, we fall into the habit of taking catnaps to compensate for inadequate nighttime sleep. However, sleeping for hours during the day can wreak havoc on our internal clock and mood, making it more difficult to properly sleep at regular hours. Naps are all well and good, but set an alarm and limit them to half an hour long. In fact, naps of 30 minutes or less can help to boost alertness, overall mood, mental stimulation, and even performance. Don’t waste the potential of a nap by lying down for half the day.

Regular Exercise

While it should be embraced by middle-aged people either way for various physical and health benefits, practicing regular exercise helps to promote high quality sleep. Even as little of ten minutes of aerobic exercises — such as a walk or bike ride — can make a major difference. Bear in mind that this should be approached in moderation, however, as working out strenuously close to bedtime will have negative effects on your sleep cycle. The overall effects of regular exercise vary from person to person, so try different approaches and activities to see what works best and helps you sleep most comfortably.

Good sleep hygiene promotes good mental and physical health. Feel less drained in the morning by encouraging a healthy night’s rest, and you’ll be refreshed and comfortable every morning, ready to handle each day.

People practicing yoga

Why Practice Yoga?

by Inner HealthLifestylePhysical Health

In modern society, we worry. It’s perfectly natural, given that nearly everything we do affects us in the long run. Whether you’re fretting over securing a solid future for your children or are concerned about taxes, it’s important to find the time to release tension and de-stress. You might not have considered it, but yoga is a highly effective way to hone your mental focus, rid your system of harmful toxins, and lower stress levels — particularly important for those working hard to secure financial stability and support their families for the foreseeable future.

Stress Management

It has been said time and time again that practicing yoga is a fantastic way of negating stress, but there’s more to it than that. The intricate and flowing motions of yoga implement a number of meticulously tested relaxation techniques, which can enable for a calmer personality and more optimistic mood with regular practice. Yoga enables you to more readily think before speaking, and serves as an effective way of training your mind to see the bigger picture and act from integrity as opposed to becoming frustrated by pent-up stress. This is crucial in order to guarantee efficient and sensible decision-making as opposed to knee-jerk reactionary planning.

Chronic Pain Relief

Many studies suggest that the regular practice of yoga helps to reduce neck and back pain, as well as suffrage of those with cancer, multiple sclerosis, autoimmune diseases, hypertension, and arthritis. Through the carefully orchestrated stretching and bending of one’s body via fluid movements, chronic illnesses are a little bit easier to live with thanks to a decrease in aches and pains.

A Better Night’s Sleep

It is important for adults to sleep for at least 8 to 9 solid hours every evening. Through the negation of stress and increased calmness associated with regular yoga practice, you’ll sleep better than ever. This is important for those of us normally kept up at night with worries over finances, work-life balance, and risk management, as the less stressed we are, the better we sleep at night. Cancer survivors and those suffering from insomnia have benefited from many a good night’s rest upon practicing yoga, according to various studies.

Body Detoxification

Deep and natural yogic breathing enhances lung functionality, which enables for your brain to work more effectively. In addition, the physical activity associated with stretching and shaping your body through yoga helps to increase the motility and mobility of your organs and muscles. This allows your body to filter toxins out of your system more effectively, and breaking a sweat now and then ramps up the efficiency of muscle and organ detoxification even further. Burning calories through continued yoga practice will also help to control weight through reduced stress and introducing mindfulness to your diet. For those bent over a desk on a regular basis, it’s also highly effective at improving posture through core strengthening.

In essence, why not practice yoga? Even a few minutes’ worth of regular practice a day can help alleviate anxiety, reduce stress, help you breathe better, and detoxify your body. Many hold this delicate form of exercise in high regard as a cure-all of sorts, and it’s easy to see why when considering the bevy of mental and physical benefits it can bring.

Becoming Grandparents for the First Time

Becoming Grandparents for the First Time

by Lifestyle

It can be quite a joyful experience to meet your grandchild for the first time. What an adventure you’re in for! If you are experiencing some nerves about your new role and where you stand, don’t worry – it’s common. You can’t help but want to be the best grandparent you can be.  Here we provide several tips to help you ease into becoming grandparents for the first time:

Focus on Support

As a grandparent, your focus should be on supporting the parents through this challenging time. You’ve been through this all before, but they haven’t; so, they may need guidance and someone to talk to. Don’t be too overbearing by telling them what to do, instead, listen for what they need and offer help. It can be hard to keep your thoughts and emotions contained, especially if you disagree. It’s important you let your children raise their new baby on their own terms.

Mend Broken Wounds

If you are divorced from your child’s other parent, now is the time to mend those wounds. You are now grandparents.  Getting along with one another will make everyone’s life a lot easier; especially when it comes to visits and events that revolve around your new grandchild.  You don’t want to be left out because of stubborn animosity.

Give Parents a Break

Taking the new baby for an afternoon while mom and dad get some personal time can be a big help. Find ways you can step in and save the day. Whether it be making meals, running errands, or babysitting. Forgive and forget when your child becomes bad-tempered or cranky – being a new parent is hard, remember? Just offer your help and let them know you are there when they need you.

Follow Their Rules

This time you don’t get to be the parent. It’s hard not to be the one in charge, but this time you have to follow your adult child’s rules when it comes to their baby. If they say no TV, phones, or bedtime at eight you should respect their wishes and follow their routines.

Don’t Spoil if Not Welcomed

It’s hard not to want to spoil your new grandchild, but first make sure you talk to the parents about their expectations and wishes when it comes to shopping. You don’t want to overstep your boundaries as many first-time parents want to make the choices themselves on what to buy their kids. Knowing what they need and want, and not going outside the boundaries, will help you to stay on good terms.

Becoming a new grandparent can be scary at first, by focusing your time and efforts where it’s needed can lead you to being the best grandparent you can for your new addition to the family.

Why Family Vacation is Important

Why Family Vacation is Important

by Lifestyle

Feeling that dire need to take some much-needed downtime? How about taking a trip that the whole family can enjoy? Taking a family vacation is an excellent way to spend quality time together and create lasting memories, strengthening your relationship with your spouse and children.

Time Together

A family vacation is a great time to really get to know each other. At home, you can easily get caught up in work, school, and activities that are done separately. A vacation gives you time to do activities as a family and spend more time talking with each other, discovering each other’s interests. Kids are much more likely to open up on a sandy beach or dinner in New York City, versus at home playing video games.

Experience New Things

A family vacation can help you teach your children more about the world around them. They’ll have the opportunity to experience different food, climates, environments, and cultures together. Seeing different places first hand can give your children a whole new perspective on the world. And they can gain new experiences they would have never gained at home.

Recharge the Batteries

Sometimes life at home can become hectic – from work and school to extracurricular activities, errands, appointments, and everything in between. Taking the time for a family vacation can really help everyone enjoy some downtime away from the hectic schedules and get some rest and relaxation time. We all know it’s important for our health to recharge our batteries every few months, but it’s also crucial to ensure your children get a break from their busy routines as well.

Become Fun Parents

At home, you’re viewed as a parent – the person who throws down the house rules. But on a family vacation, your kids can finally see the silly, fun side of you. Letting your hair down and having some fun with your kids can really help them to see you in a whole new light.

Spouse Time

Family vacations aren’t only beneficial for strengthening relationships with your kids – they can also help to strengthen your bond with your significant other. Taking the time away from your hectic daily routines and life stresses can help you focus on each other and grow closer together.

Spending family time together outside your busy schedules is important. A family vacation is worth the investment. It will help bring you closer together and provide memorable experiences that will last a lifetime.

Bon voyage!

The Importance of Daily Physical Activity

The Importance of Daily Physical Activity

by Lifestyle

We all know that exercise is good for us, but beyond the fact that it makes us look and feel better, what exactly does it affect? From your health to mood to preventing disease – here are just a few good and important reasons to make time for daily physical activity.

Combats Weight and Makes Us Feel Great

When you maintain a daily active lifestyle, it’s a key factor in the maintenance of a healthy weight. With all of those endorphins running through your body when you exercise, your brain triggers those “feel good” vibes that boost self-confidence and positivity.

Improve Balance and Coordination

Exercise doesn’t necessarily mean that each day you need to involve high-intensity workouts at the gym. The key is to find more moments throughout your day to move your body, whether it’s taking a brisk walk around the park during your lunch break or taking the stairs instead of the escalator. Stretch before bedtime, attend yoga class, play street hockey with the grandkids, go golfing with colleagues, or go swimming. Just move! When you do, you’re helping to strengthen your bones, joints, muscles, and connective tissue. This is especially crucial as we begin to age, since exercising can help reduce inflammation and pain and give us that boost that allows us to carry out our daily activities with ease.

Improve Cognitive Function and Mood

Aside from daily physical activity helping to improve our mood and coordination, it also helps to boost our brainpower and cognitive functions. Being active helps enhance and sharpen our thinking, learning, and judgement skills as we age.

Reduce the Risk of Disease

Incorporating exercise as a part of your regular routine has been proven to combat the onset of various diseases and ailments, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and even lower the risk of some cancers. In addition, regular exercise helps to lower blood pressure, improve circulation, and lower cholesterol levels.

If you’re not getting enough exercise throughout each day, it’s time to make it a priority. Try to begin by committing to 30 days of walking more, taking the stairs, or incorporating simple ways to boost up your level of physical movement throughout each day. By setting this timeframe, it can help you get started, and develop it as a part of your regular routine thereafter. Gradually start to incorporate more intense activities and workouts to keep your body and mind sharp so you can enjoy life to its fullest.

Establishing a Good Rapport with Your Staff

Establishing a Good Rapport with Your Staff

by Lifestyle

The larger your company grows, the more people you become reliant on to represent your company name. If you have built your company from the ground up it may be difficult to let go of certain tasks that were once handled by you, but as the company grows it becomes necessary to distance yourself from the daily grind and focus more on the management side of things. With the transition from workhorse into management, it can be easy to lose touch with the daily ongoings of your business. However it is important for the boss to maintain a good rapport with the staff, and here’s why.

Reputation Matters

Your staff are suddenly responsible for the reputation of your company. Anytime someone answers the company phone or writes and email with your business name on it, your business reputation is at stake. Ensuring that you have competent and intelligent staff working for you is the best way to ensure that your business is being upheld to the standard that you want it to be. Listen to your staff while they work. Talk to them, get to know them and know how they interact with clients. If you discover that they are rude or ineffective at client relations, then it may be time to consider moving them to a different role or letting them go from your company altogether.

Minimize Theft

Another reason to keep a good rapport with your staff is to minimize any internal theft. This is a problem when you have physical inventory that your staff are responsible for selling and monitoring.  If your staff think you, as a boss, don’t care about them or don’t appreciate them there may be an increased chance that they will start to steal from you, whether that’s physical theft or “stealing” time. It’s easier than you may think for staff to steal inventory especially if they are ever left alone. By showing them that you care about them and are willing to treat them with respect, it will decrease the likelihood of internal theft.

Your staff are an extension of your company, and if you want your company to continue to be successful you need to be certain that your staff are all representing the company in a positive light. Rewarding good behaviour, bringing in food or treats spontaneously to show appreciation, and just showing a general interest in their work life and personal life, where appropriate, are all great ways to ensure you keep a good rapport with your staff.