Presidents Day: Healthy Ways To Make The Most Of It

It's a rare gift to have a day off from work. According to the American Time Use Survey, employed Americans work an average of 7.9 hours a day on the weekdays, and 35 percent of us work on the weekends, too.

In the U.S., there's no set amount of holidays an employer is required to give to workers, but on average, American workers are awarded 15 holidays during the year, according to financial services consulting firm Mercer's Worldwide Benefit & Employment Guidelines report.

When you consider that many of those days off are religious or American holidays -- days usually full of family or spiritual obligations -- there aren't many days set aside for you to just be.

On President's Day, there aren't any family meals to attend or religious rites to uphold, making it the ideal day off. If you have today off, reclaim it as a day for yourself. Working too much has been linked to depression, heart problems and trouble sleeping, among other concerns, so here are a few of our healthiest suggestions for how to make the most of today.

Comments

[mass maritimer]

07:39 PM on 02/24/2012

prep healthy foods for the week....yuck, I hate old food

[mlshea1983]

10:40 AM on 02/23/2012

Enough with the damn feet popping out from beneath the covers. This is like the 5th story with this kind of picture on HP in the last month. Bill Maher should do a new rule on this one.

[Lily P]

04:44 PM on 02/21/2012

Who the heck gets Presidents day off?? I certainly don't. They need to add it as a federal holiday.

[casey hoffman]

10:08 PM on 02/20/2012

a buddy's step-sister makes $83 an hour on the laptop. She has been laid off for 7 months but last month her paycheck was $18531 just working on the laptop for a few hours. Read more here..MakeCash2.Com

[Siobhan Landis]

02:41 PM on 02/21/2012

At $83/hr, she worked over 223 hours to make that $18531 paycheck.

"A few hours"?

[mass maritimer]

07:39 PM on 02/24/2012

a budy's step-sister makes it believeable

[DismayedRepub]

09:00 PM on 02/20/2012

I cleaned the clutter out of my garage today. Now I’ll be able to change out the starter in my car in spite of the rain.

[joenp3]

06:28 PM on 02/20/2012

Juggle 5 bowling balls, while tight-rope-walking across the Grand Canyon on light-test, monofilament fishing line:)
My list isn't as obvious...

[IndyvoterRob]

04:20 PM on 02/20/2012

Isn't President's Day Washington's birthday?

What was wrong with simply having a day to celebrate George Washington? I would rather celebrate a persons contribution then a vague political position which some true rascals held.

Aside from that who, outside of pampered Fed and State workers, gets this day off? I took a vacation day to have it off.

Anyway, I'm taking the day to drink wine and play Deus Ex.

[OdinsEye]

12:08 PM on 02/21/2012

You are correct. The actual federal holiday is Washington's Birthday. There is no federal holiday called Presidents Day.

[madcityy]

03:44 PM on 02/20/2012

WOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

ALL GREAT THINGSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

[joenp3]

06:31 PM on 02/20/2012

;) ... as good as a nod ...

[TalkTalkTAlk]

01:38 PM on 02/20/2012

i'd only volunteer on my day off if they paid me time and a half to do it!

[Nathan Pennington]

12:58 PM on 02/20/2012

Thanks for the post. As a military member I certainly appreciate days off. It is a welcome break.

Nate
www.rundreamachieve.com

[stilllearning2b]

11:29 AM on 02/20/2012

I enjoyed a beautiful 5 mile hike with my awesome pup. The sounds of 8th graders were replaced by the sounds of the woods. Heaven.

This was my classroom today:
http://lessonsfromtheendofamarriage.com/2012/02/20/this-was-my-classroom-today/

[mass maritimer]

07:41 PM on 02/24/2012

my in-laws have a house in the Poconos on some amazing trails.....I'm sad my two dogs are elderly now but they get some walking in.....