Saturday, June 7, 2008
Single Moms Organizing Against Prejudice
Single Moms Organizing Against Prejudice
It’s become evident that in America, the one big thing that can undermine your financial success is not divorce, death, or illness, but rather being a single mother. Single moms may land in this category through divorce, death, or an incapacitated spouse, but these are not the essential reasons why a single mother loses earning power. She loses it because of an inherent bias and prejudice in American business that stereotypes single mothers and discriminates openly against them.
Many single moms have been too exhausted and over-worked to notice, but now this is becoming a major issue in the fight for woman’s rights. We live in a society that demands that in order to succeed we must play the corporate game, get better jobs, better pay so we can put our children into better educational institutions. However, this only works if you are married.
If you are a single mother, the perception is that you are a business risk, and in many states like New Jersey, it is legal to ask the marital status and number of children of a job applicant. Business owners claim this allows them to refuse to hire single mothers and pay health care costs for their dependents. Or, if they do choose to hire them, to deliberately pay them less to make up for perceived health care expenses. But, because it is legal this is not seen as discrimination. That this inequality exists and is legal in our society has many single moms absolutely fuming with rage.
Single mothers were asked to get off welfare and go back into the workforce, but the workforce is decidedly biased against them. Many single moms work over 40 hours a week to support their children with minimal help from the state or deadbeat dads. Yet, they are hired at lower wages than single women or married women, if they are hired at all. They have minimal support and must hire someone to care for the children when they are working. If they get sick, the situation becomes desperate both in terms of income and childcare.
In 2006, the census estimates that over 10 million Americans are single mothers. Many of these single moms are starting to band together in local organizations to help other single mothers. Babysitting clubs, financial and social services are a few of the benefits these clubs provide. Other single moms are petitioning their public officials to change laws that make it legal to ask a mother’s marital status or if she has children. There is a very big grass-roots movement of single moms rising after taken care of their children. Now, they are looking out for other single mothers like themselves and helping them up the ladder to success.
For more great information on Single Mother Assistance visit our “Single Mother Assistance” Guide.
It’s become evident that in America, the one big thing that can undermine your financial success is not divorce, death, or illness, but rather being a single mother. Single moms may land in this category through divorce, death, or an incapacitated spouse, but these are not the essential reasons why a single mother loses earning power. She loses it because of an inherent bias and prejudice in American business that stereotypes single mothers and discriminates openly against them.
Many single moms have been too exhausted and over-worked to notice, but now this is becoming a major issue in the fight for woman’s rights. We live in a society that demands that in order to succeed we must play the corporate game, get better jobs, better pay so we can put our children into better educational institutions. However, this only works if you are married.
If you are a single mother, the perception is that you are a business risk, and in many states like New Jersey, it is legal to ask the marital status and number of children of a job applicant. Business owners claim this allows them to refuse to hire single mothers and pay health care costs for their dependents. Or, if they do choose to hire them, to deliberately pay them less to make up for perceived health care expenses. But, because it is legal this is not seen as discrimination. That this inequality exists and is legal in our society has many single moms absolutely fuming with rage.
Single mothers were asked to get off welfare and go back into the workforce, but the workforce is decidedly biased against them. Many single moms work over 40 hours a week to support their children with minimal help from the state or deadbeat dads. Yet, they are hired at lower wages than single women or married women, if they are hired at all. They have minimal support and must hire someone to care for the children when they are working. If they get sick, the situation becomes desperate both in terms of income and childcare.
In 2006, the census estimates that over 10 million Americans are single mothers. Many of these single moms are starting to band together in local organizations to help other single mothers. Babysitting clubs, financial and social services are a few of the benefits these clubs provide. Other single moms are petitioning their public officials to change laws that make it legal to ask a mother’s marital status or if she has children. There is a very big grass-roots movement of single moms rising after taken care of their children. Now, they are looking out for other single mothers like themselves and helping them up the ladder to success.
For more great information on Single Mother Assistance visit our “Single Mother Assistance” Guide.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Have you noticed that your workouts suddenly feel harder than before
By Jen Mueller, Certified Personal Trainer
http://www.healthandfitnessindex.com/
We’ve all heard that a combination of diet and regular exercise is the best way to lose weight and keep it off long term.
For some of us, common sense dictates that the more you work out—and the higher the intensity—the better. But that’s not necessarily true. Even if you’ve gradually increased the intensity, duration and/or frequency of your workouts, you can still run into problems.
Have you noticed that your workouts suddenly feel harder than before, even though you haven’t changed anything? Do you feel like you are losing ground, even though you’re working hard? If so, you may be overdoing it.
The cause of overtraining is simple. You’re not resting enough to allow your body time to recover, or you’re doing the same exercises too much. Here are some common symptoms of overtraining:
Feeling tired, drained, and lacking energy
General body aches or mild muscle soreness
A decrease in performance
Inability to complete workouts
Headaches
Insomnia
Lack of motivation
If you have been overtraining, it’s not too late to get back on track! Follow these three steps:
1. Your first priority should be rest. Just a day or two probably won’t do it. Depending on how severely you’ve been pushing yourself, three to five days should give your body enough time to recover—both physically and mentally.
2. Get plenty of sleep and make sure you’re eating well, particularly during this recovery period. Focus on getting adequate amounts of protein, complex carbohydrates, and lots of fruits and veggies.
3. When you are ready to return to your exercise routine, start off slowly. Most research shows that it is okay to return to that same level of intensity, but you may need to cut back on the length and frequency of your workouts for the next few weeks. After that, you should be able to resume normal activities.
Here are some simple things you can do to avoid overtraining and burnout:
Use common sense! Work out less on days when you’re not feeling up to it. Schedule at least one or two rest days per week. Resting might mean no exercise at all, or just “active recovery,” which is light activity (an easy walk around the neighborhood, for example). Rest days should give you the feeling that you’re storing up energy.
When you push yourself through a high-intensity workout (cardio or strength training), tiny tears develop in your muscle fibers. Allowing your body to rest and recover for a day (or two) gives your hard working muscles time to repair those tears, and a wonderful thing happens—your muscles start to grow back stronger! Without ample recovery time, you continue breaking down the muscle fibers, and that’s when fatigue and injury can occur.
Incorporate a variety of activities into your exercise program. Or, if there is one thing you really enjoy, mix up your routine. Add speed or distance, increase the incline, or change your route—all of these variations can improve fitness, prevent injury, and keep your motivation high. Try different kinds of workouts within each week. For example, try an interval walking workout, a long distance walk, and a few “regular” walks at an easier speed and distance.
Don’t do too much, too soon. Some people take the “all-or-none” approach, going from a sedentary lifestyle to exercising for 45 minutes or more, 5-6 days per week. At this rate, exercise doesn’t make you feel good like everyone says it will. You’re tired, your knees hurt, and your muscles are sore. After a week or two, it’s easy to get frustrated and want to give up. Instead, increase your workouts gradually and allow adequate recovery time to reduce these symptoms.
Take care of yourself. Make sure you are eating a well-balanced diet, and getting adequate sleep. Allow for flexibility in your program. If you’re planning to walk and its 110 degrees outside, think about exercising in water, or at least avoid the heat of the day. If you’re not feeling well, give yourself a break—no guilt allowed. You may end up doing more harm than good by pushing yourself to exercise if you’re getting sick.
Exercise should make you feel refreshed and energized—not exhausted. If it’s causing fatigue, soreness, or a feeling of utter dread, listen to your body! It may be time to make a change.
http://www.healthandfitnessindex.com/
http://www.healthandfitnessindex.com/
We’ve all heard that a combination of diet and regular exercise is the best way to lose weight and keep it off long term.
For some of us, common sense dictates that the more you work out—and the higher the intensity—the better. But that’s not necessarily true. Even if you’ve gradually increased the intensity, duration and/or frequency of your workouts, you can still run into problems.
Have you noticed that your workouts suddenly feel harder than before, even though you haven’t changed anything? Do you feel like you are losing ground, even though you’re working hard? If so, you may be overdoing it.
The cause of overtraining is simple. You’re not resting enough to allow your body time to recover, or you’re doing the same exercises too much. Here are some common symptoms of overtraining:
Feeling tired, drained, and lacking energy
General body aches or mild muscle soreness
A decrease in performance
Inability to complete workouts
Headaches
Insomnia
Lack of motivation
If you have been overtraining, it’s not too late to get back on track! Follow these three steps:
1. Your first priority should be rest. Just a day or two probably won’t do it. Depending on how severely you’ve been pushing yourself, three to five days should give your body enough time to recover—both physically and mentally.
2. Get plenty of sleep and make sure you’re eating well, particularly during this recovery period. Focus on getting adequate amounts of protein, complex carbohydrates, and lots of fruits and veggies.
3. When you are ready to return to your exercise routine, start off slowly. Most research shows that it is okay to return to that same level of intensity, but you may need to cut back on the length and frequency of your workouts for the next few weeks. After that, you should be able to resume normal activities.
Here are some simple things you can do to avoid overtraining and burnout:
Use common sense! Work out less on days when you’re not feeling up to it. Schedule at least one or two rest days per week. Resting might mean no exercise at all, or just “active recovery,” which is light activity (an easy walk around the neighborhood, for example). Rest days should give you the feeling that you’re storing up energy.
When you push yourself through a high-intensity workout (cardio or strength training), tiny tears develop in your muscle fibers. Allowing your body to rest and recover for a day (or two) gives your hard working muscles time to repair those tears, and a wonderful thing happens—your muscles start to grow back stronger! Without ample recovery time, you continue breaking down the muscle fibers, and that’s when fatigue and injury can occur.
Incorporate a variety of activities into your exercise program. Or, if there is one thing you really enjoy, mix up your routine. Add speed or distance, increase the incline, or change your route—all of these variations can improve fitness, prevent injury, and keep your motivation high. Try different kinds of workouts within each week. For example, try an interval walking workout, a long distance walk, and a few “regular” walks at an easier speed and distance.
Don’t do too much, too soon. Some people take the “all-or-none” approach, going from a sedentary lifestyle to exercising for 45 minutes or more, 5-6 days per week. At this rate, exercise doesn’t make you feel good like everyone says it will. You’re tired, your knees hurt, and your muscles are sore. After a week or two, it’s easy to get frustrated and want to give up. Instead, increase your workouts gradually and allow adequate recovery time to reduce these symptoms.
Take care of yourself. Make sure you are eating a well-balanced diet, and getting adequate sleep. Allow for flexibility in your program. If you’re planning to walk and its 110 degrees outside, think about exercising in water, or at least avoid the heat of the day. If you’re not feeling well, give yourself a break—no guilt allowed. You may end up doing more harm than good by pushing yourself to exercise if you’re getting sick.
Exercise should make you feel refreshed and energized—not exhausted. If it’s causing fatigue, soreness, or a feeling of utter dread, listen to your body! It may be time to make a change.
http://www.healthandfitnessindex.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
