Recess Staple: Rotating Wave
Breathing through movement is the best way to connect your mind to your body. This Rotating Wave exercise will do just that with three ability levels. Share this Recess Break with friends, family or coworkers to get a real laugh!
Breath-work might be the secret to connecting the mind and body.
During this Staple Recess Break called the Rotating Wave, you will break each movement down with either an inhale or exhale (hum).
It has three parts including a Squat, Push and Rotation.
(The wave is just a little extra to work coordination and dexterity. )
There are 3 levels to this exercise in each of the Beginner (standing), Intermediate (leaning) or Advanced (prone) Positions:
Level 1- Just Perform the Movement
Level 2- Add Breathing to the Movement
Level 3- Hum During the Exhale
Reminder that this is only a 30-60 second Recess Break and not a full workout.
Every 30 minutes of inactivity (staying in the same position) should involve 30 seconds of activity like this!
The goal is to reboot your mind so you don’t become unproductive and keep your body fluid as to reduce the risk of injury.
A few reminders:
A sharp ‘stabbing’ pain means back off and minimize the range of motion. A dull stiffness, on the other hand, is just uncomfortable and is typically okay. If you question what you feel, see you doctor.
You can perform this Recess Break while laying down, sitting up, or standing as long as you are in a safe environment. A moving vehicle or in a crowded area are not safe environments.
Putting pressure or clapping helps keep your bones and joints strong.
Humming during exhale clears the sinuses, promotes calmness as well as tightens the core area.
Below is the video explanation:
Small Life Hack for Major Success
There are many aspects that encompass overall wellness. Here are 3 quick ways that Real Recess values in order for you to determine what to focus on during your daily recess breaks.
KEEP SCORE
Real Recess Uses Three Assessments to Score Your Health and Track Improvements:
1) How's your balance?
Level 1: Can you stand with both feet together for 20 seconds? Time stops when you step or touch any assisting object with another body part. (1 point for attempting, 2 points for accomplishing)
Level 2: If yes, can you complete the same assessment while only standing on one leg? Time stops when you step down or touch any assisting object with another body part. (add a point if accomplished)
Level 3: If yes, can you complete the same assessment only standing on the other leg? Time stops when you step down or touch any assisting object with another body part. (add a point if accomplished)
Level 4: If yes, can you complete the same assessment while only standing on the front half of one foot? Time stops when you step down or touch any assisting object with another body part. (add a point if accomplished)
Level 5: If yes, can you complete the same assessment while only standing on the front half of the other foot? Time stops when you step down or touch any assisting object with another body part. (add a point if accomplished)
Level 6: If yes, can you complete the same assessment while only standing on the front half of one foot while closing your eyes? Time stops when you step down or touch any assisting object with another body part. (add a point if accomplished)
Level 7: If yes, can you complete the same assessment while only standing on the front half of the other foot while closing your eyes? Time stops when you step down or touch any assisting object with another body part. (add a point if accomplished)
If yes, your balance is way above the skills needed to be a typical functioning human. There is no need to progress your balance. Simply maintain the exercises your perform.
Record the highest level of assessment that you successfully completed by using a score of 1-8 and put your time for the level you did not complete after the decimal. Example: Completing level 3 and getting 10 seconds on level 4 would be a score of 4.10.
We can improve this score with base of support exercises, center of gravity exercises, proprioception, vision and hearing exercises.
2) Check Strength, Endurance and Coordination all in one using The Burpee.
Practice the various ability levels below and determine which you will use in the 20 second assessment.
Level 1: Find a sturdy object between waist and knee height that will not tip over. Place hands on the object and walk your feet back to a push-up position (with shoulders over hands). Keep elbows locked and walk your feet back under the hips and get to a standing position. This is one repetition. Complete as many as you can in 20 seconds.
Level 2: Place hands on the floor and walk your feet back to a push-up position (with shoulders over hands). Keep elbows locked and walk your feet back under the hips and get to a standing position. This is one repetition. Complete as many as you can in 20 seconds.
Level 3: Place hands on the floor and walk or jump your feet back to a push-up position (with shoulders over hands). Lower your sternum (breast bone) down to touch the floor then get back up to a standing position. This is one repetition. Complete as many as you can in 20 seconds.
Record the ability level you performed with that corresponding number then a decimal point followed by the total number of burpees that you completed in the 20 seconds allotted. Example: Level one with 6 burpees would equal 1.6.
*Be safe making sure you master the prior level before progressing to the next. These aspects of fitness can be improved by breaking down the movement into parts.
3) What's your purpose?
Let's find meaning!
Your reason for existing could be that your job/position is so fulfilling that you totally want to be the best possible in your career. Perhaps your family is so important to you that you simply want to be the best possible parent. Or, maybe you have a skill that you are striving to be best in the world. We are all driven by different things. (Focus on one for now).
Experiment and find that one thing that drives you to be a better person. Now, shoot for the moon and use that purpose for motivation each day.
Record your purpose somewhere you can see it daily. Now, record one small goal pertaining to that purpose that you will accomplish in the next year. Make it specific. If you reach that goal early, reward yourself and create a new goal.
Example 1: Walk around the entire block with my dog in under 7 minutes by June 20 of next year.
Example 2: Stay one step ahead of my boss so she does not need to ask me for a report.
Now that you have some structure to your overall wellness. Revisit these scores monthly to re-test and be sure you are progressing.
Here is the Secret to Living Pain-Free
These 5 little movements will help you prevent potential injury by keeping muscles balanced. Have you ever seen a cat pull a hammy? No. That’s because they are always stretching and moving, even in the middle of a nap. Take it from them, they have nine lives!
Ready???
Learn How to Move!
It sounds silly, really.
Don't we all know how to move?
The real problem is that we stay in a single position so long that our body gets tight muscles and compensates with poor posture.
Think that affects our movement?
Practice these 5 movement patterns every 30 minutes of inactivity. (only 30 seconds at a time)
You can perform them laying down, seated, or standing up.
There is the Roll, Crawl, Squat, Push, and Pull movements.
Think of them as pre-hab therapy. Just a couple seconds a day really goes a long way.
More Confident in 30 Seconds
Real Recess builds confidence in 30 seconds. Here is your chance to increase your own confidence right now. Read on to see how it works.
Have you heard the advice, “Be The Best In The World At Something”?
It’s not the title as much as the process of getting there that actually builds your confidence.
If a genie granted your wish of being the strongest person of all time, you would have no concept of how difficult that was to achieve.
On the flip side, say you went through one year of training and only became the 1,000th strongest person of all time. Nobody could dispute your progress.
That is why we need to celebrate our achievements.
Every little accomplishment counts. And it slowly adds up to greatness.
Understand that you improve every time you put in work.
Let’s try something…
Clap your hands together 25 times as fast as you can. GO!
Not only did you just improve muscular speed, but you also improved brain function by performing a skill that you (probably) do not complete on a regular basis.
At this very moment in time, you just improved yourself more than 75% of all other humans did (thats about 6 billion people).
CONGRATULATIONS!!
That’s crazy to think about, isn’t it?
How confident does that make you feel?
Real Recess is the process of short breaks that add up to magnificent benefits (including confidence).
Stimulating Your Senses Reboots Your Soul
Real Recess developed this Relaxation Meditation to help busy people like our customers to destress and reboot. It only takes 5 minutes and is easy to remember once your practice it the first time. Do it at work, home, with friends or by yourself. You mind may be the most important part of your being. Take care of it.
You know that stressful task you despise?
This Five Senses in Five Minutes Relaxation Meditation will make it worth the anxiety!
Seriously.
I look forward to these 5 minutes each and everyday.
Here’s how it goes (even if you did not have a stressful day):
PREPARATION (Use the restroom prior to beginning, this is total relaxation)-
1) Gargle with a natural, good tasting rinse to stimulate your tastebuds. This will help later while you are breathing.
2) If you cannot get out into a pine forest or fresh ocean breeze, start an essential oil diffuser using Rose or Lavender within 5 feet of your location.
3) Find a comfortable and safe area to sink into a relaxing position. Might be a beanbag, hammock or beach sand.
4) Again, if you cannot get out into nature near a waterfall, windy forest or calming ocean waves, plug into relaxing soft spa music (just make sure your phone is on “do not disturb”.
5) Now, let your eyelids fall shut as we experience this 5-minute sequence…
THE PROCESS (Start a 5-minute timer with a calming notification when to awaken)-
A) Take a long, deep inhale through the nostrils filling every space in your lungs.
B) Slowly and completely, exhale through the nostrils while making a gentle humming sound.
C) As you repeat this breathing technique, start a visualization body scan:
Relax your scalp being aware that all muscles are disengaged.
Relax your face being aware that all muscles are disengaged.
Relax your neck and shoulders being aware that all muscles are disengaged.
Relax your hands being aware that all muscles are disengaged.
Relax your hips being aware that all muscles are disengaged.
Relax your feet being aware that all muscles are disengaged.
D) This takes practice. If your brain drifts off losing focus, come back to the last body part you remember scanning. You may fall asleep and that is okay, too.
E) When your alarm gently wakes you, take note of all your sense one last time:
What do you taste?
What do you smell?
What do you physically feel?
What do you hear?
Slowly open your eyes to see your hands opening and closing.
Know that you are limitless and can accomplish things nobody thought possible!
NOTE- If you do not have use of one or more of these senses, simply visualize what would be happening if you did. Can you paint a vivid picture of these experiences? Our brains are extremely plastic (the younger you are, the better) and you can teach your brain to smell through your taste or hear through your hands, etc.
Below is a video explanation of this process. You may purchase the poster by clicking on the link after the video.
What Teaching Tech Taught me About Health
It took teaching seniors how to use smart phones, computers and tablets during the Corona Virus Outbreak for me to understand why my business was failing. This is what I learned…
I’ve been a Certified Personal Trainer / Health Coach since 2002.
The main objective of my sessions has always been education so people eventually do not need me.
During this COVID-19 outbreak, I learned something so valuable that it may change my complete business.
I started teaching seniors how to Facetime and Video Conference with loved ones that they are no longer able to see in person due to this contagious virus.
How in the world does that relate???
The level of specifics that I need in teaching seniors how to use phones, computers and tablets is undeniable.
You can’t really say, “You have option A, B or C depending on how you want the outcome.”
Statements need to be phrased, “Do X, Y, then Z” in order to execute this function.
See the difference?
It is really the same in fitness.
I have been teaching people about their options because every ‘body’ and personality is different.
No wonder success rates are low!
Even if I give someone a great outline to maximize results, it is putting too much work in their hands.
A sub-par, generalized routine might have a higher success rate because it is easier.
With this new knowledge, I am redesigning my Recess Website to be a specific plan rather than educational philosophy.
Let’s hope it works!