Although far too many people in this country aren’t exercising enough, some people are exercising obsessively to the point where it is an addiction.  For a person with “exercise dependency” working out has become an obsession which dominates their life much like an addiction to drugs or alcohol.

A compulsive exerciser is different from a serious athlete in three fundamental ways.  The serious athlete is:

• Working out towards a specific goal, event or season
• Looking for performance-related results from their training (beyond weight loss/management)
• Taking breaks and/or decreasing in their training when they are off-season

A compulsive exerciser is doing none of these. 

Exercise addicts begin to experience symptoms of withdrawl within 24-36 hours when they are not able to exercise due to circumstance beyond their control.  These symptoms include:

• anxiety
• irritability
• nervousness
• guilt

Exercise addicts are most often women between the ages of 35 and 60.  Typically, these women started working out in adulthood to lose weight and get in shape. They tend to have a history of issues with low self-esteem and are perfectionistic by nature.  Working out has given them a sense of power and self-confidence they hadn’t experienced before.

Sharon Stoliaroff, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist based in Chevy Chase, MD, developed this checklist to screen for addiction to exercise.  Rate yourself as honestly as you can on the checklist below:

ATTENTION: You can get rich quick online with no investment and in no time at all!!! I did it and you can, too!

It’s amazing to me how many people I’ve met recently who have been scammed online by the very same type of marketing schemes we saw on TV in the 1980s and 90s. “Get Rich Quick” schemes, wherever they are marketed and whatever they entail, might work .01% of the time, for .001% of the population, but it breaks my heart to see so many desperate people getting scammed and losing their money and their self-confidence when the promises simply don’t come true.

This is like the weight loss industry promising that you can lose 20 lbs in two weeks without diet or exercise. Even if it were physiologically possible, it could not possibly last.

Lasting success is based on behavior, not trickery. No quick scheme in the world, whether for making money or losing weight, will be successful in the long-term unless you learn to incorporate daily behaviors (habits) that will maintain success.

It’s tough to get motivated to evaluate your career path, whether you’re a directionless college student or a well-established professional with family obligations. A big stumbling block to career change is the fact that something about your current situation works for you. Otherwise you likely wouldn’t be there. (Except if you’ve been hit by a bus…)

Some examples:

• You’re underemployed (working in a boring job that doesn’t challenge you) but you receive a steady paycheck needed for your family.
• You’re a college student who has chosen a major but has no idea what career path you want to take after college. Maybe you don’t want to face life’s reality that you can’t live off student loans/parents forever. Or you think “real” work, by definition, can never be fun.
• You’ve been laid off, out of work and directionless for several months. You suffered blows to your self-confidence; and you have a limited monetary and family support system.

I’m not trying to be the “Dr. Phil” of career choice and say, “that dog don’t hunt” to people in the above examples. I just want to give you a push to say, stop talking about how much you don’t like your job or you don’t know what to do next – and do SOMETHING.

Start by writing down:

1. Positive aspects or comforts of your current career situation. Even unemployment can be a “pro” – think of all the time you have to work out! Talk to friends on the phone, surf the Internet (even if it’s for free at the library). Yes, I’ve been unemployed before so I know what I am talking about.
2. Negatives of your current career situation. Go beyond “not making enough money” and look at yourself – “I don’t feel challenged” or “I find little to no joy or fun in my work.”
3. Do the positives outweigh the negatives? If so, you’re not ready for change.
4. Take small steps to evaluate your career path. Even if it’s for a half hour after work each day. Getting started with the suggested activities in these 3 steps will lead to a career choice you won’t regret:

1. Know Yourself.
2. Know Your Options.
3. Make a Good Decision.

Get a cup of coffee and pick up your pen. Good luck!

This blog post was graciously submitted to BizzyWomen by The Career Key Blog, run by Juliet Wehr Jones, J.D.  The Career Key™ gives you expert help with your career search and career choices — career change, career planning, job skills, and choosing a college major. Our career assessment helps you find a career by matching your personality with careers and providing you complete and accurate information about each career you choose to explore.

We all remember how on Seinfeld, George would break up with a lady and use the ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ line. While that was funny on a sitcom, in real life no one appreciates rejection. Whether it’s from dating, job hunting or a relationship with a friend, no one enjoys rejection. Here are 4tips on dealing with rejection that will end up making you stronger.

Fruitfultime wants you to look at the future. “But instead of concentrating on how bad it feels when someone rejects you think of new possibilities, new doors that will open soon. The new opportunities might be better than what you have aimed before. Having such a mindset helps you handle rejection and keep on going in life.”

Pickthebrain has a list of ways to deal with rejection. The site says that there are a lot of people in the world and rejection is inevitable. ” There are six billion people on this earth. We are all beautiful, unique and different. There are times we are in demand and times we may get rejected. Knowing that rejection is an emotion that many people go through is a reality check! So get over your victim mentality and move on!”

Sometimes, if you handle the rejection well, you may just get rewarded. Lealea’s BlogBlog has a great story of someone passed over for a job, and a few months later received another offer from the company that rejected her in the first place. ” In fact, she revealed that she applied for the same job a few months previous but she was passed over for someone else. Even though she didn’t get that job, she wrote a personal thank-you note to the people involved for considering her and even personally arrived at the office to give them some cookies. The person at reception thought she actually got the job because she was being so nice, when the opposite was true. She was gracious through and through.

… and a few months later, when a contract position opened up in this place, she was immediately called back and subsequently hired. They didn’t have to waste money or time interviewing her all over again — they knew who she was. She didn’t let them forget her because when the first opportunity passed her by, she didn’t hold any grudges and was also very clever in leaving a great impression. ”

That’s awesome.

Dramaquill says that rejection doesn’t necessarily mean that you are a bad person. “ Rejection isn’t a reason to give up. If you get personal comments from an editor, read them and really evaluate if what they say can help you improve the piece before you send it out again.  And rejoice in the fact that the editor took the time to actually comment – that’s a good sign.

Keep your chin up. We all get rejected at one time or another, but pick yourself right back up and get out there and I’m sure that something good will come your way.

With summer vacation in full swing, many parents spend hours trying to figure out where to send their kids so that they don’t have to deal with them. My hunch is that many of these parents also view school as some sort of glorified babysitting service. For them school is not a place to send your children to develop their minds and gain the information needed to be a productive adult, rather it’s a way to get your kids out of the house for 6-7 hours.

Without the pressure of school, parents should use the summer break to forge stronger relationships with their children. For working parents, things tend to be a bit more laid back in the summer anyway, so why not take off from work a couple hours early and do something fun with the kids? Beth Lynne likes the idea of teaching the kids some home economics, as both a way for them to get some practical knowledge as as a bonding method. She says, ” Cooking with a child can be a fun and very rewarding experience. Teaching a child to cook will result in a lifelong valuable skill.”

You may want to include your child in the planning process. Let them choose an activity for the family to do. This will make them feel like an important part of the family ( which of course they are), and make them feel that their opinion is valued. 

Some quality time with the kids will also help build their self confidence as well as keep them off the street. It gives you a way to impart some of your value system to your children in a fun and friendly way. Have a good summer!

Aaron Katsman is Managing Editor of the Israel Opportunity Investor newsletter. He is lead portfolio manager for the Israel Growth Portfolio and Managing Director of America Israel Investment Associates, LLC. For more information, go to www.israelnewsletter.com , or email aaron@profile-financial.com.