The Office Season Training Diet

Lately, many of my posts have not been camp related, but rather office related. The reason why is because this is what i like to all "Office Season." Just like Summer Camp Season, the Office Season has it's own schedules, trainings, and diets. Office Season sends the administrators in our complex on trainings, meetings, and conferences. Most of these are what I like to call "Road Games". Summer Camp Season is full of "Home Games", for the obvious reason that everything about Summer Camp Season is done on-site. While the Summer Camp Season sends us outside into the warm temperatures, provides us with plenty of light to moderate aerobics, and nourishes us with hot dogs, burgers, tacos and spaghetti - the Office Season offers little opportunity for over-exertion (physically, anyway), provides little to no aerobic or anaerobic exercise, and nourishes us on items such as deli sandwiches, lasagna*, chicken in various oven-roasted forms, and heavy & decadent desserts.

So that I can attempt to outlast all of my staff members in the summer, I put myself through daily strenuous workouts everyday of the year. However, for this current Office Season, I have found that I am sometimes not up to the task of my administrative duties. I have to retrain myself on the: fax machine, copier, stapler, staple-removing fang thingy, and pencil sharpener.

Making the transition from the Summer Camp Season meals to the Office Season meals is also quite tricky. Feeling largely lethargic after an Office Season meal is both possible and probable. I imagine the different layers of the Chicken Parmigiana served at Conference X spreading throughout my circulatory system...ensuring to coat my interior with gooey & delicious cheese. A blanket of cheese would comfort anybody, right? The cheesecake that would be served as dessert, would make an excellent pillow for my lethargic relaxation period - firm but forgiving. As wrong as these items are for my diet, they certainly feel so RIGHT!

Last year, the Eastern 4-H Center had it's first weight-loss support group, made up of staff members. The results were great! It was nice to see people give up the regular Office Seaon diet for vegetables and fruit. Charles, the Maintenace Supervisor lost the most weight - his diet, coupled with lots of exercise had him looking like a mix of Brad Pitt and Lance Armstrong. While Charles would say that this would be a down grade to his superior good looks, he certainly looked very fit.

Unfortuately many offices are always in Office Season. It is really important to make sure you get exercise while at work. When the weather is pleasant at the Center, most of the ladies will take a stroll around the Center - or "Pull the Loop", as I have heard it called. The most dedicated to an exercise regiment, year round, is Ms. Mittie. She parks her car as far away as possible, and makes trips to the mailbox throughout the day. Terri Spear, our Housekeeper, doesn't even park at the building she works out of...she has to walk 3/4 of a mile just to get to her car...all for exercise! Lee, our Leader has even changed the way he walks, so that he can gain endurance and build massive calf muscles! There are ways that other people can get exercise at work: take the stairs, take short but brisk walks before eating, and even regular stretching are all good ways to get some exercise. I prefer to glue all of my office equipment to concrete blocks...this makes everything really heavy. My stapler ways 32 pounds because of my methods, and since I placed the concrete block on the top of the stapler, it is strong enough to staple two New York City phonebooks all the way through.

It's really difficult to ignore all of the tempting items that are laid before you at an office luncheon or conference buffet. I partake*, but I try to always drink water and regulate my portion sizes. Also - GET PLENTY OF EXERCISE...this is how I survive the Office Season. Enjoy the cornucopia of delights - but save enough room for exercise, too!

* = Lasagna is not good. In fact, I don't even like it, and refuse to eat it. Before I go to any lunch meeting, I prepare a "Lasagna Prevention Plan", or LPP for short. It is made up of fig newtons, a bottle of water, nose clips, and sour gummi worms.

Also - I would like to issue an "across the pond" HELLO! to Jeanette Bennett. Jeanette is responsible for the production and cultivation of one Laurence Bennett, an excellent summer staff member with an affinity for dressing in gold pants and tossing citrus. Jeanette is the most distant follower of this blog. Laurence is English, so its my supposition that Jeanette is, too. Jeanette is "mum" to Laurence...