Best 3 Recess Breaks

Recess Breaks are broken down into 3 categories: Nourishment, Movement, and Recovery. Find balance in your health by paying attention to these game changers. The following three Recess Breaks are sure to give you the most bang for your time.

Nourishment: Make your first meal a "green" smoothie 12 hours after your last meal. First, that 12-hour fasting period will allow your cells to metaphorically reset. Many of your nutrient stores will have dropped over that time so your cells are thirsty for a healthy shot of nutrition! *This strategy isn't for every person / goal type so talk with you physician before changing your diet. Next, the term "green" is referring to plant based. Add a leafy vegetable (like Kale), a solid vegetable (try carrots), frozen fruit (pineapple is great), a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, some protein powder (hemp, soy, or pea are my choices), and finally top if off with almond or cashew milk before blending it into a smoothie. *If there is no fat in your protein powder or milk add a half tablespoon of coconut oil. Drink enough to fill you up for the next 4 hours. If I know I'm going to have an active morning, I'll add some oats to the shake. 

Movement: Tense up every muscle in your body for 10 seconds squeezing from your eye lids to your toes. Then exhale and relax everything for 5 seconds. Repeat this twice. 30 seconds is the minimum time for a Recess Break. The goal is to create small habits that result in magnificent benefits over time. Sure, you could do this for 5 minutes but it would interrupt your work flow. These Recess Breaks should fit right into your work schedule. At another time of the day you should get your 10-60 minutes of heart rate raising activity. This Recess Break is a quick mind/body reset to make you more productive.

Recovery: While outside in fresh air near green plants (not next to a highway), inhale and visualize clarity. Take a deep breath in through your nose filling every space of your lungs with fresh oxygen. Picture one of your special goals being completed. Then, exhale through your pursed lips. Repeat this process until you can truly see that goal being accomplished. If it takes longer than 1 minute, go back to what you were doing and try again later. There are two reasons for this Recess Break. The first is to help your body function more efficiently by getting quality oxygen into your body by using your full lung capacity. The second reason for this break is to convince your subconscious mind that your goal is within reach. 

These Real Recess Breaks can all be done in the same day and even repeated everyday. For more tips and information about Nourishment, Movement, and Recovery Breaks, please click through the website or purchase a full 9 week Lifestyle Modification Program.  

Designing the Future of Fitness

              Time could be argued as the most important commodity in modern day. We all want more time for leisure and most of us need more time for work. The majority of recent successful inventions help the user save time. Transportation has gotten faster, meal prep has gotten easier, and electronics / A.I. are doing many tasks for us. So which industry is next to make us more efficient?

                It’s actually going to be a race between two industries: Furniture and Fitness Equipment. We all know we need to move to stay healthy. The average trip to a health club takes an hour and a half with the commute.  Some businesses have fitness centers inside their building. Soon that fitness equipment might actually be a desk and chair or your small filing cabinet might be your plyo box. At home your book shelves could turn into a cable column, doorways into pull-up stations, and recliners into punching bags.

                Which industry, however, is going to conform to the other? Does the couch manufacturer design a couch that doubles as a squat rack? Or, does the fitness equipment manufacturer produce a squat rack that has a hammock/swing attachment and looks good in a living room setting? Both are very easy and I hope to be in the forefront of this transition. Whichever industry moves ahead first has a successful future ahead of them.

*Did I mention that I have an entire Healthy Lifestyle Program to go along with this new line of home/office equipment? Visit the website! 

Sell your $2000 couch and replace it with this $1000 multi functional piece. 

Without Health, What Else is there?

This question changed the path of my life. 

Immediately after college I sat for the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist test provided by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. It was great for what I was doing at the time, making athletes stronger and faster. Over the years I realized the lack of health education in not only the parents of these athletes but also the coaches. Twelve years after getting my CSCS, I let it expire. 

If I could teach these adults about Movement, Nourishment, and Recovery then they could surely reach more children than just myself. So, I sat for the Certified Health Coach test provided by the American Council on Exercise. Now I coach average, normal, everyday people about the principles of living a healthy lifestyle. It's about balance and everyone is different. Hopefully the information trickles down to their kids. 

My message is simple. Take short breaks for yourself throughout the day. Those little breaks will add up to magnificent benefits. Because without your health, you may not be able to gain wealth or even amazing memories to share with family and friends.

So, what is more important than your health? Maybe nothing. 

Who Else Wants a Playground at Work?

Besides the convenience of having fun activities right beside you, wouldn't an Adult Playground in your office be inspirational? Take a minute to visualize your ideal "fun zone"...

How would you get to your desk from the front door?

Suspension bridge, trapeze, a go-cart, a freakin' paddle boat?

What would you sit on at your desk? (maybe you have multiple desk options)

Exercise ball, Leaning Chair, Swing, Treadmill, a beanbag?

Where is your breakroom located?

Through a tunnel, behind a trapdoor, down a slide, suspended above everything?

Why is it even called a breakroom?

Let's have monkey bars, rings, ropes, balance boards, punching bags!

You might be thinking, "Corporate would never go for this!" It just takes a little planning and scheduling to get everyone on the same page to be productive. Schedule "jam sessions" where you focus and work hard for a set time. Then employees get to take a Recess break if they reached their work output goal. Geez, I'm pumped up just thinking about this atmosphere. If you are too, contact Real Recess to get the ball rolling at your facility. 

Everything starts with baby steps. One Recess at a time grows into magnificant results.