City Profile: Detroit

Detroit gets a bad wrap, but lets look at "The D" a little closer as it pertains to the young professional.

Corporations:
     1. General Motors
     2. Ford
     3. Chrysler
     4. Ernst & Young
     5. BCBS

Downtown Attractions:
    1. Comerica Park & Ford Field (Home to the Tigers and Lions, respectively)
    2. Fox Theater
    3. MGM, Greektown and Motor City Casino's
    4. Campus Martius

Best Restaurant: Slow's BBQ
Best Bar: Old Shillelagh

Universities:
    1. Wayne State University
    2. Detroit Mercy
    3. Oakland University - Rochester

Best place to live for the YP: Millender Center
  
  
            

Water Cooler Talk

This is my weekly, albeit selfish, update on the current events in the sports world. I always enjoyed chatting up coworkers about sports when I started (at appropriate times) and it showed people at work I was more than a Junior Consultant, fresh out of college, afraid to engage in conversation.


Feel free to study up and use these tidbits while getting to know your coworkers.

1. Notre Dame is 11-0 and will play for the BCS National Championship. Big news here in the Midwest.
2. Good NFL teams: Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers
    Bad NFL teams: Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs
3. The NHL is STILL on strike.
4. The Detroit Tigers signed Torii Hunter and will be the odds on favorite to win the 2013 World Series.


I use sports to relate and get to know my coworkers, because that is what I know. Find something in common, build some camaraderie and don't be afraid to engage in some water cooler talk with veteran employees. I promise you this will make the work day that much more enjoyable.

What do you talk about around the water cooler?

   

Quick Dinner Fix

When I first started my career 7 years ago, I thought I could survive on Chinese take-out, Hot Pockets and Skittles. I was wrong. Finding some fast, go-to recipes I could handle (I'm no Iron Chef) was one of the best things I ever did. Not only was I satisfied that I made something edible, but I felt better during the week. That's the goal, right?

Generating some skills in the kitchen can be benificial in leading a healthier and more balanced life, all while saving some hard-earned money. 

Visit my friends at Dash Recipes and try some of these delicious, and most importantly, quick after-work dinner recipes.

Do you have a favorite quick-fix dinner after a long day at work?

Make Time for Exercise

Just home from a 12 hour day at the office? Feeling sluggish? Cant find the motivation to get to the gym? While I'm sure the couch and a five hour "Swamp People" marathon sounds pretty appealing, I can't stress enough how important it is to find time to exercise.

My solution:

     Time: 20 min
     Where: Your home
     Equipment needed: None

Like so far? "Exercise" doesn't have to mean a 3 hour trip to the gym, it can be quick, easy and occur in the comfort of your home. Dont worry, the couch will be waiting for you after.

     Routine: The following exercises are to be performed in a circuit.  5 sets of each exercise, 10 seconds rest between sets, 1 minute rest between circuits. Follow?

        1. 10   Body Squats
        2  10   Push ups
        3. 10   Reverse Crunches
        4. 10   Jumping Jacks
        5. 30 second Plank
        6. Rest 1 minute. Sweat. Repeat 5 times though.

Do this whenever you just "can't" get to the gym. Trust me, you'll feel better today, and tomorrow.

  

Plank:

       Reverse Crunch:

    
     

Getting enough Sleep?

When trying to enjoy a day at work, it's not easy to do so when running on 3 hours of sleep. Yes, I know you average 8 cups of coffee before 10:00am, but a good nights rest is essential if you want be your best at the office.

Lets look at a few college habits that often die hard:

1. Video games until the sun comes up. 
2. 4th meal.
3. An "all-nighter" at the library, cramming for a test. 
4. Sleeping in, only to get up in time for a nap.

Just a few examples, but you get the point. All four scenarios I'm sure have led to numerous memories with close friends, but none are conducive in ensuring a productive work day.  

My Thoughts:

First, aim to get between 7-8 solid hours of sleep every night. While a 14 hour hibernation would be great, its just not realistic. 7-8 hours every night will go a long way in helping keeping your brain crisp and alert for a great workday and overall feeling better.

Allow for one night a weekend to get your "college" fix. Play video games all night, order $14 of Taco Bell at 1am and sleep until noon the next day. You will soon find that these behaviors will become more exhausting than enjoyable, but allowing yourself some freedom (just 1 night buddy) will help make the transition into life as a young professional a little easier.