Workaday Superstar

WORKADAY TIP #142: Buy Gifts When You Find Them

TypePad is featuring an Intel  widget in their gallery right now that is right up my alley!  It's called "Tips of Tomorrow" and it basically gives you a new tip for today and tomorrow that will make your life better.

The tip for today, 7/21 is particularly good.  It recommends that when you find that perfect gift for a loved one, buy it!  Don't wait until their birthday or a holiday cuz we all know that as soon as you are under pressure to find a gift you never can and you end up with a lame and thoughtless gift instead of something they'd really love! 

It's definitely a good source of tips so if you want the widget yourself, check it out here.  Plus, you can adopt it from my blog on the right hand side!

WORKADAY TIP: #141: Healthy Plants

So last week I remembered hearing that having spider plants is "good for you" but I couldn't recall why.  So I started searching the web to find good answer but quickly gave up as all of the resources seemed questionable and not super clear. 

And then my weekly Real Age tip popped into my email box and there is was.  An article about plants that clean up indoor air.  Pretty crazy, right? 

So I have confirmed that spider plants are in fact "good for you".  They get rid of harmfull compounds in household air.  I also discovered that philodendrons and ivy do the same thing.  While I have no idea what a philodendron is, I am sure going to get some for my place. 

The next challenge will be keeping them alive, anyone have a tip for how to keep plants alive w/o having to actually take care of them?  :)

WORKADAY TIP #140: Travel Price Predictors

I've booked two flights in the past week and it seems airfare is on the rise!  I was in the process of trying to book a flight from San Francisco to Chicago when a friend reminded me about Farecast.com

Do you remember these guys?  It's a site that will predict for you whether your flight is going to increase or decrease in the next 7 days based on historical data.  I haven't used this site in quite some time since flights have been so affordable but since SFO to CHI was coming in around $400 I figured I'd give it a shot.

Well it looks like Farecast is now a part of Bing.  So I went ahead and looked up my flight through the Bing Travel search engine and it told me there was an 80% chance my flight would drop in price in the next 7 days.  I was then able to sign up for daily alerts notifying me if the price falls so I am sure not to miss it. 

I think this is going to be a good way for me to save a few dollars on my flight with a limited amount of risk.   Plus, rather than spending hours each day searching for reduced flights, Bing will notify me!  Next week I'll report back and let you know how it goes!

WORKADAY TIP #139: Increase Your Metabolism

I recently read in Women's Health Magazine that taking Fish Oil before working out will increase your metabolism and burn more calories.  Since I typically take my vitamins with breakfast which generally happens after my workout, I have yet to start this ritual.  

I was also concerned that take Fish Oil on an empty stomach may be an issue but since it's oil, I am think I'll be okay.  I think I'll start taking it this week and report back!

I also came across this article that offers a bunch of different ways to increase your metabolism.  Many of these were new to me however I had heard of fish oil, green tea, coffee and peppers before.   If you've had any luck with any of these, let me know.  I'd love to hear your experience with them (positive and negative).

WORKADAY TIP #138: Take The Stairs

This tip was inspired by MarkThink.  He was telling us last night how he and his wife have to carry their son 42 stairs to their apartment numerous times a day.   After hearing this, I realized that taking the stairs is a great Workaday Superstar tip! 

Taking the stairs is not only good for your health but it likely will save you time as well.  Elevators mean waiting plus many stops to get to your floor.  Escalators mean standing behind people who refuse to actually walk on an escalator.

So while you may not be able to give up your gym membership, taking the stairs will burn a few more calories, save you a few more minutes and a bit of your sanity as well!