Why gamification is a good workplace strategy

Making the workplace more fun and competitive is not a really a new concept. But given the many new technologies in the digital age, it’s easier now to recognize gamification as a viable workplace strategy. Sales are boosted, for example, by creating a healthy competition among your staff, premised on a nice incentive or improved commission.

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More and more gamification techniques are becoming available in real time. These are contests designed for everyone and the spirit of competition. You can cultivate such a culture in your office by considering even minor-prize events like having customer feedback become a basis for rewarding your customer-facing staff or offering prizes to employees in the back office who can quickly reduce accounts receivable within a given period.

Keep in mind that every job position can be better measured, and workload further improved with these small gestures of fun. You get your staff to mingle and interact among themselves, which is always a great way to boost productivity. Set up regular gamification undertakings and aim for better incentives and more creative prizes.

Image source: medium.com

Lastly, gamification won’t be very effective if management is not on top of things. Ensure leadership’s full awareness of the ongoing competition and announce standings in real time, whether verbally, via email, or through screen postings all over the office. Update these as needed to motivate your team more to attain increments of successes, which are ultimately beneficial both to their work habits and well-being and your office efficiency.

Steven Rindner is a graduate of the University of Delaware and St. John’s University School of Law. He is now a business and corporate development executive with experience in media, technology, real estate services, and healthcare businesses. Follow this Twitter page for more business tips and insights.

Top non-running exercises for runners

Relying on running to build muscles fit for a marathon will take a lot of time to accomplish. Building and strengthening specific muscle groups is necessary to avoid injuries or make sure that your body is strong enough to withstand everything a marathon can throw at you. Here are the top on-running exercise runners can do while training for a marathon.

Image source: zoomzee.org

Planks

Planks are great at working several groups of muscles at a time, the most basic one already targets your core, lower back, and shoulders. They are great for building endurance, stretching out tired muscles, and improving flexibility. It’s also a great way to fix improper posture.

Russian twists

Russian twists target your obliques and your abs. Having a strong core helps runners by stabilizing their balance, posture, and overall control. This prevents unnecessary movements which use up energy which marathon runners need to conserve during the race.

Image source: menshealth.co.uk

Back extensions

Back extensions work your lower back, glutes, shoulders, and your middle back. Strengthening the lower and middle back equates to better shock absorption for your upper body. For a lot of people, standing for an extended period already gives them back problems. Running for a few hours is impossible with a weak back.

Overhead forward lunge

This workout develops your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, shoulders, and your core. This muscle-building routine targets key areas in the legs, upper, and midbody that are usually strained during a marathon. Toning your leg muscles also helps lengthen your stride and improve single-leg balance.

Steven Rindner is a business and corporate development executive with an experience in media, technology, real estate services, and healthcare businesses. He is also a marathoner. For more reads about running, visit this blog.

The importance of pace for long distance running

Image source: athleticsweekly.com

It’s often been said that in marathon running, pace is everything. While this is an exaggeration, there is still a substantial amount of truth to it. One of the most important skills a marathoner needs to develop is pacing. The best marathoners know this all too well.

How often have we seen a thrilling end to a marathon wherein two or three competitors take over the race in the final half-mile? It’s happened more times than anyone can care to admit, that at the final stretch, marathoners sprint. After all those miles spent running, they wouldn’t be able to have that one final burst without pacing.

Image source: twooceansmarathon.org.za

But pacing isn’t just for that final explosion. It’s also important to keep one’s body in tune with the race, throughout the first 90 percent of the marathon. Pacing involves more than just the speed of running. It also includes breathing techniques and mental focus.

Go too fast and the body will run out of oxygen, the lungs will tire out, and the muscles start to cramp. Go too slow and risk finishing last. Pacing is what dictates a marathoner’s performance. There needs to be a natural rhythm with a slightly varying tempo, which marathoners need to adapt, depending on several factors that include the point of the race, the weather, and the elevation of the race location, among others.

Conserve and spend energy wisely. Those are the basics of pacing.

A graduate of the University of Delaware and St. John’s University School of Law, Steven Rindner has served in various companies across different industries. He is also a marathoner. To know more about Mr. Rindner, visit this blog.

How to recover properly after running a marathon

 It’s not every day that you run 42 kilometers. Running a marathon takes months to prepare for, and the toll it takes on your body can be severe. That’s why recovering correctly is crucial for runners if they want to join the next race. Not taking care of your body after a run can lead to structural, fascial, and metabolic problems that can derail your training for months. Here are some steps on how to recover properly after a marathon.

The first thing you need to do after a marathon is to take a bath. Hygiene is important for obvious reasons, but cleaning yourself after a grueling run can quickly hydrate your skin and prevent yeast infection.

Image source: 80percentmental

Make sure you have a protein-rich meal and a right amount of sleep after completing the marathon. And as much as you are tempted to take a light jog or a run the next day, save it for the day after that. Your body needs to rest. However, being active on the second day after the marathon is necessary as circulation can do wonders in helping your body recover.

If the marathon was particularly challenging and you feel like you’ve exceeded your limits, it’s a good idea to see an Active Release Technique therapist. While running a marathon, it is possible that certain parts of your muscle groups break down, leaving your body asymmetric in a sense. These therapists can help you regain that symmetry as well as treat other injuries you could have gotten during the race.

A graduate of the University of Delaware and St. John’s University School of Law, Steven Rindner has served in various companies across different industries. He is also a marathoner. To know more about Mr. Rindner, visit this blog.

What types of nutrition to take when training for a marathon?

Marathon is a vigorous sport. And training for it and the race itself is physically taxing. Therefore, proper nutrition should be followed to prepare the body for conquering 26.2 miles. Discussed below are what the body needs when training for a marathon: 

Image source: bmovanmarathon.ca

Carbohydrates 

The most important macronutrient required in long-distance running is carbohydrates for it is the body’s primary source of fuel. The recommended amount of carbohydrates is 7 to 10 grams for every kilogram of body weight. However, the type of carbohydrate is also important. To be specific, complex carbohydrates, such as whole grain bread or pasta, brown rice, and low-fat dairy foods, should be consumed. 

Protein 

Running long distances and periods makes extensive use of the various muscles in the body. To promote growth and repair of the muscles, protein is essential. When training for a marathon, around 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight is the recommended consumption. 

Fats

Marathon is all about endurance. And to help the body improve its endurance, fats are beneficial. Fats slow down the depletion of the muscles, allowing a marathoner to cover more distance when running. The right form of fat, though, should be consumed. Examples of sources of healthy fats are avocado and nuts. 

Image source: alimentarium.org

For more tips on training for marathons, follow this Steven Rindner blog.

How To Train For Your First Marathon

So, it’s finally happening: you’re joining your very first marathon, and it’s one of the biggest physical challenges you’ve set for yourself to test those limits or go the distance – quite literally. But how do you properly prepare for a marathon and stay motivated to do well?

Know the different kinds of marathons

The distance may be well-established, but marathons could range from low-key community races to much-celebrated ones that see thousands of spectators. It may be best to choose a marathon that’s close to home, as it will entail running on familiar roads and routes. To identify what you want, run a few shorter races with a friend or volunteer at marathons.

Find the right training plan

Image source: Pixabay.com 

Follow a plan that will help you slowly build up your mileage and endurance while integrating enough rest to avoid injuries. This plan will consider your background and experience and will make room for enough recovery time so as not to get to the finish line beat up (or worse, not get to it at all). 

 

Know the four building blocks of training

Base mileage is about building your weekly mileage over time, such as running three to five times a week. The long run, on the other hand, is done every seven to 10 days to help the body adjust gradually to long distances. Then there’s speed work or practicing intervals and tempo runs to fortify cardio capacity, and then rest and recovery to prevent injury as well as mental burnout.

Have the right equipment

Image source: Pixabay.com

Choose running shoes that are light, flexible, and comfortable. Go to specialized stores for advice and try on several different pairs. Get high-quality socks, too, for optimal protection. Prevent blisters by applying a thin layer of Vaseline on your feet.

Build mental toughness

Mental preparation is just as important as physical preparation, so build your confidence by achieving good results in training runs and tune-up races. Use maps or see the course for yourself and try to be as relaxed as you can on race day. Have fun!

Steven Rindner is a business and corporate development executive with expertise in media, technology, real estate services, and healthcare businesses. More articles like this on this page.

Real Estate Marketing Ideas Through Social Media

Gone are the days when all property listings were found in printed materials. Nowadays, people are more likely to go online than to look at printed ads. And since putting up ads and information online is so cheap and easy, everyone is doing it. Though social media is available for everyone to use, taking advantage of certain strategies can give one distinct advantage in this playing field. Here are some great marketing ideas for real estate through social media.

Image source: titlequest.net

In this search engine driven market, choosing the right words can make or break a sale. Be smart when making titles. When doing so, think about what your potential client will be typing in the search engine and use those. 

The people who visit your website might not be the one to invest in your real estate, but they might know someone who could be interested. By making it easier to share materials like images to social media, viewers can easily share what they find with friends or family who are looking for real estate. 

Lastly, the all-powerful Facebook is a door to many opportunities. Think about creating your own company page and participate in groups within the locale of your company or the properties you are selling. 

Image source: deltamediagroup.com

Steven Rindner was the practice director for Perfect Sense Digital, where he developed and executed business strategies for clients such as The Chronicle of Higher Education, VetStreet, and Besins Healthcare. He also served as executive vice president of Kastle Systems International, senior vice president at Citigroup, and senior vice president at AOL. For more insights on real estate, follow this blog.

Technology’s Possible Role In Real Estate Development

People have said time and again – real estate is the best business there is. This is true. People will always need space, whether to live in or to work. That being said, the real estate industry is immense, with countless moving parts. For today, let’s focus on real estate development and the impact technology will have on it in the years to come.

Image source: Guardian.co.uk

First of all, traditionalists shouldn’t worry about technology changing the landscape of real estate. Tech only facilitates its internal workings. For real estate developers, new tech presents new ways to develop and market properties.

Nowadays, virtual tours of homes, apartments, condominiums, hotels, malls, and other properties, even before these structures are built, are available to investors and buyers. This has never been done before. Sure, there are scale models built by architects for people to check out, but never with virtual tours.

Real estate developers know only too well how hectic their days can be. Mobile technology has all but assured developers that they can work on a project from almost anywhere. Developers can check projects real-time with foremen live-streaming the construction, especially if they (developers) need to be somewhere else.

The construction of a project itself has already benefited from technology as more machinery is built and developed, and new construction techniques have allowed for the quicker completion of projects.

Image source: Tweakyourbiz.com

Can you think of any other technological advancements that can help in real estate?

Steven Rindner is a results-oriented executive with a strong background in business development and growth strategy across a number of industries including media, technology, real estate services, and healthcare. To learn more about his professional work, visit this page.

Three More Future Trends In The Real Estate Industry

Nowadays, it seems, everywhere you look, there’s a gadget that resembles something from a science fiction movie. That’s how much technology has advanced in the past few years. Almost every industry has benefitted from this, including real estate. Below are some of the trends the world of real estate may be taking on in the next few years. 

Image source: washingtonpost.com

 
3-D printed housing

There are a few technological advancements that turn more heads than 3-D printing. The 3-D printers of today can create anything from an entire living room to a car. But the buck doesn’t stop there. There are companies in Asia and Europe that are preparing large-scale 3-D printing. And what do they have in mind? Houses. In fact, in China, 3-D printing has already been used to create a few buildings with materials recycled from construction waste.

The new suburb

Suburbs have always been a haven for families. Nowadays, urban planning is taking it a step further by constructing homes and apartment and condominium complexes that would house more families but at the same time, creating more space for people to move around. If that seems contradictory and an impossibility, it has already been done in many places around the world.

Fitness
With more and more people becoming health-conscious, several real estate developers plan to create living areas that come with world-class gyms. Not only that, even outdoor amenities such as artificial hiking and biking trails are being given some thought to foster a more active lifestyle among residents.

Image source: therealdeal.com

 
Steven Rinder is a business and corporate development executive with experience in different fields, including real estate. He is also a running enthusiast. To learn more about Steven and the stuff he’s passionate about, check out this Google+ page.