The 5 best exercises to counteract your bad desk posture

The 5 best exercises to counteract yur bad desk postureThe 5 best exercises to counteract your bad desk postureFor most desk-job workers, sitting at a desk for hours at a time is unavoidable. And when this happens, its hard to maintain a perfect posture. Despite our best intentions, as the day goes on our shoulders round and our heads start to inch forward closer to our monitors. This bad desk posture can causeserious health problemsover time.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreWhen you chronically slouch at your desk, the muscles on the back of your neck and shoulders begin to lengthen and become underactive. Your chest muscles, on the other hand, become tight and shortened. These muscle imbalances can result in permanent muscle deformities over time, if not properly corrected. Luckily, some exercises can help you reverse these imbalances before its too late. These five exercises w ill make it easier for you to maintain good posture at your desk. For best results, its important that you do them regularly - daily, if possible.1. Chin TuckStepsabflug sitting or standing with your shoulders rolled back and down. While looking straight ahead, place two fingers on your chin, slightly tuck your chin and attempt to draw your head directly back without tilting it up or down. Hold for two to three seconds and return to the starting sttte. Repeat the exercise 10 times.Why its effectiveThis exercise helps reverse that forward-head posture. Its also effective at relieving neck pain and headaches.2. Shoulder RetractionStepsBegin by standing upright with your feet hip-width apart, shoulders down and back and a neutral head. Bend both elbows to a 90-degree angle, keeping your triceps glued to your sides and your forearms out in front of you. Begin to move your forearms to the back of your body until both hands are parallel to your sides, squeezing your shoulder blades toget her throughout the entire movement. Hold the end position for five to 10 seconds. Complete three to five repetitions.Why its effectiveThis exercise strengthens the muscles that are responsible for keeping your shoulder blades retracted, making it easier for you to avoid the urge to round your shoulders when youre seated at your desk.3. Doorway StretchStepsBegin by standing in a doorway with the right side of your body close to one of the door jambs. Assume a staggered stance, with your right foot in front of your left. Lift your right arm so that its parallel to the floor and bend your right elbow to a 90-degree angle so that the fingers of your right hand are pointing toward the ceiling. Maintain this position, placing your right hand and forearm on the door jamb. Slowly lean into your raised arm and push against the door jamb until you feel a gentle stretch in the chest and right shoulder - hold for 20 to 30 seconds. Repeat this exercise three times with each arm.Why its effectiv eIt loosens the tight chest muscles that become shortened when you chronically slouch at your desk.4. SupermansStepsStart by laying on the floor in a prone position (on your stomach, facing the floor). Extend your arms straight out in front of you so that they are parallel to the ground. Lift your arms and legs off the ground as high as you can while still keeping your stomach and pelvis pressed into the floor. Hold this position for five to 10 seconds, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Return to the starting position and repeat three to five times.Why its effectiveAlthough this exercise is commonly known for its butt-toning abilities, its also great for combatting the rounded-shoulder effect that frequent sitting has on many of us desk job workers.5. T-Spine Mobility ExerciseStepsBegin on all fours, with your knees directly underneath your hips and you hands underneath your shoulders. Place one hand on the back of your head with your elbow pointing toward the floor. Rotate y our chest until your bent elbow points towards the ceiling. Lower back to the starting position and repeat the exercise eight times before switching arms. Pro tip Make sure that youre keeping your hips square and your lower back as still as possible throughout the entire movement.Why its effectiveA lack of mobility in the thoracic spine can cause your shoulders to slump forward due to inactive upper-back muscles. This exercise will help you regain mobility in your upper back, allowing you to stand upright and taking some of the weight off of your lower back.Sign up forDaily Fit by Swirled, our newsletter featuring a wohlbefinden tip of the day and must-read health news from around the web Youll be one step closer to living a healthy, balanced life.This article first appeared on Swirled.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily sc hedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

If you do this on your resume, there is a 79% chance you will not get hired

If you do this on your resume, there is a 79% chance you will not get hiredIf you do this on your resume, there is a 79% chance you will not get hiredLiteracy seems to be paying the most significant price for the progression of technology. As a Harvard study from a few years ago pointed out, its not necessarily that Americans are becoming worse spellers on some fundamental level,its more that the accessibility to technology, that does most of the grammatical heavy-lifting for us, has made us comfortable overlooking critical grammar and spelling errors.Whatever the cause behind the reported national decline in literacyis, our confidence remains as buoyant as ever. Recently,Dictionary.com reported that four in five Americans considered themselves to be good spellers even though the majority of the very same participants observedsaid they often noticed spelling mistakes from others.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Sat isfaction, Neuroscience, and moreS-P-E-L-LA new study from our friends over at Signs.com corroborates this curious conviction and its implications in the workplace as well as in the boudoir. The studys participants were composed of 101 Baby Boomers, 168 Gen Xers, 619 Millennials, 108 Gen Zers, and four individuals selecting the other option. The average age of the respondents in the study welches 33.Interestingly enough there wasnt a notable distinctionin spelling efficiency with participants that attended public school versus private school. Eighty-four percent of individuals that attended private school said they were happy with their education, and three-quarters of Americans that attended public school echoed this. In any case, most said that English wastheir best subject in school.Here are some of the other intriguing finds Sign.coms report across variousindustries and generations uncovered.Some things wrong hearThe study found that Americans tend to overestimate their abilitie s when it comes to spelling as well as grammar and reading comprehension and several other subjects.Eighty-six percent of women and men felt they were reading comprehension virtuosos. Seventy-eight percent of the 1,000 Americans involved in the survey described themselves as super-spellers, and more than 74% reported being proficient in grammar.The problem is that in America, more than 30 million adults currently have reading, writing and math skills that are more akin to that of a third grader. The American Journal Of Public Health reports, Low literacy is said to be connected to over $230 billion a year in health care costs because almost half of Americans cannot read well enough to comprehend health information, incurring higher costs.The self-assured respondents that participated in Sign.coms study were tasked with a spelling test following their charitable self-evaluations and the average score was about 75%. Fortunately, the irony didnt end there the words that stumped Americ ans the most were misspell and hypocrisy. Nearly 43% of Millennials incorrectly spelled the word Millennial, even though on balance, this generation scored the highest compared to older generations.Is bad spelling costing you work?Sixty-five percent of respondents said that typos were absolutely unacceptable in their respective industries. Seventy-nine percent said they would not hire someone that frequently made grammar or spelling errors in their resumes. Of the professions analyzed, jobs in advertising, logistics, and government, proved to be the less forgiving of literacy mistakes. Conversely retail and consumer durable occupations cared the least about typos, with only 45% describing them as unacceptable.The vast majority of American women said they privilege intellect over beauty when looking for a partner, but a good portion of men expressed the contrary view. Amongst male respondents, the importance of these values was split almost evenly. Forty-three percent of men valued l ooks over brains in women, and 56.4% felt the opposite way. For both genders studied, spelling, grammar, and math skills carried a lot of negative points when seeking a partner to date and even more so when marriage was added as a consideration.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

4 Steps to Becoming a Boomerang Employee

4 Steps to Becoming a Boomerang Employee 4 Steps to Becoming a Boomerang Employee If you have ever considered returning â€" or boomeranging â€" to your former employer, you are not alone. In a recent study, nearly 40 percent of those surveyed said they'd consider returning to their former company, according to the study from The Workforce Institute at Kronos Incorporated and WorkplaceTrends.com. Among those surveyed, 15 percent said they already had boomeranged back to an old employer at some point. kronos.com/pr/boomerang-employees-and-the-organizations-they-once-left.aspx Boomerangs may be onto something. They're already accustomed to the ins and outs of the company culture, technology and leadership. And perhaps their goal for leaving â€" to earn a higher salary or develop a new skill â€" has been achieved, and it feels like time to revisit the old stomping grounds. Intrigued? Well, there are several ways you can immerse yourself in this trend. Market yourself appropriately and, better yet, strategically position your career moves, so that returning to your former employer is the natural next step. Here's how. 1. Leave on good terms. The adage "never burn your bridges" couldn't be more true. You should always resign on a positive note. Resist the temptation to text your resignation and always give at least two weeks' notice. And write thank you notes to your former boss and colleagues. Besides the fact that you may need to reach out to them as references in the future, you never know when you may cross paths with your colleagues â€" especially under the same roof â€" again. 2. Strive for impeccable performance reviews. When I worked in recruiting, former employees who applied to my jobs were always highly considered. Regardless of the employer, the common denominator was always to give significant weight to boomerangs and put them at the top of the virtual pile. Why was this consistently the case? For starters, ramp-up time for boomerangs is significantly shorter than with new hires. They're already familiar with the internal workings of the company, from the culture to the time sheet system. That said, I still always looked into their performance reviews from their time at the company and, more importantly, to find out why they left. Were they terminated for poor performance? Or was their department eliminated? If anyone had a "needs improvement" rating on their record, they were an immediate "no." So, during performance reviews, and upon exiting a company, find out what's going to be on your permanent record. Granted, there's not much you can do to change a "needs improvement" rating after the fact, but it's always good to be knowledgeable about where you stand and make sure that records are 100 percent accurate before you leave. 3. Stay in touch. It's always smart to maintain your professional relationships, and it's especially important to reach out if you're contemplating returning to your former employer. While you're enjoying lunch or coffee with them, dive deeper. Ask about ways the company's culture, leadership and values have changed and what growth looks like. Is it a happy environment to work in? Are there opportunities to grow? Figure out what you're looking for in a new employer and ask specific questions to determine whether they're aligned with your priorities. Keep your original reason for leaving in mind. If you previously felt that the company's core values weren't aligned with your own, but now it seems like things have changed, then by all means consider pursuing them. At the same time, just because certain things have changed doesn't mean that everyone at the company will share your beliefs. For instance, if your former horrible boss still works in the department you'd be joining, or if compensation hasn't changed, and you previously felt underpaid, it might be better to simply stay away. 4. Showcase your knowledge about the company. It's not only likely that old colleagues will forward along job opportunities to you as soon as they hear about them â€" there's a good chance they'll send your application directly to the hiring manager. When recruiters call you for the initial interview, be prepared for an alteration to the ubiquitous question, "Why should we hire you?" And of course, "Why do you want to work here?" You need to be prepared to convince them why they should rehire you and, of course, why you truly want to work there again. Yes, being a boomerang certainly boosts your chances of being a front-runner for that job, but don't solely rely on it during the process. You still need to ace it. Demonstrate how knowledgeable you are about the company. Don't be a know-it-all, but remind them how you're already ahead of the curve without saying, "You know, I'm a boomerang. I should get first preference." It's a show-don't-tell scenario â€" show them that you're well-versed on company happenings by mentioning nuggets of information you found on their social media feeds, for example. Make it seem like you haven't missed a beat in the time you've been gone, and you'll boomerang back into familiar territory in no time.