Active Home Re-Design
A loft is a great way to add "active furniture" like hammocks or punching bags. How would you get up and down from the loft: Cargo net, firepole, trampoline, maybe a sliding board? Let's redesign our living space to make it more active. It starts one small step at a time to create these new habits and turn them into a lifestyle.
You get home from work. Throw on the comfy clothes. Grab a snack and turn on Netflix. There you lay for the next 4 hours.
Sound familiar? It's only because that is the way you have your home designed. Now, take 30 seconds and think about removing all that your furniture except your TV. Let's replace the couch with a oversized beanbag, replace the area rug with a gymnastics mat, add a climbing cage over your bookcase, that overhead light fixture could be a yoga hammock, and your walls could be more durable with targets on them to play catch with yourself.
This doesn't change anything you already do. It's just making movement more convenient while you "chill". I have done this at my house and it's made a world of difference in me and my family's evening activities. It's like having a rec center in our living room. There are limitless activities and games we can play while watching TV. Sometimes we even forget to turn on the TV and focus on games / competition so much that we go to bed early because we're exhausted.
Give it a try one step at a time by taking away your coffee table to make space on the floor. Now add an exercise ball in its place or even a balance board to stand on while watching TV. Let me know how it goes after a week. Soon enough houses will be designed like this and it will become second nature. Why do we need to lay down for 4 hours before we sleep for 8 more? Because we made it a habit. Let's create new habits that benefit our health!
Why You Should Pay Attention to What I Am Doing
Prioritize YOU. Learn basic health and wellness principles through short breaks scheduled into your day. Living these principles yourself will teach family and co-workers who need help. These tiny recesses will add up to magnificent benefits!
Health. It's definition changes from person to person. There are many aspects of it from physical to mental, from occupational to social. The topic can be overwhelming. That is where I personally struggle from day to day. My goal is to simplify health but the information I want to share is seemingly infinite.
In my recent Healthy Lifestyle Workbook (available for purchase in my Virtual Store) I blueprint how to organize your health schedule for 9 weeks. One step at a time builds momentum and helps the user take control of their health. It's content should be taught in schools so we understand prioritizing personal well being.
Since most of us have graduated without this information, here is your opportunity to learn about scheduling time for yourself (and how to teach your family and co-workers). Tiny breaks scheduled into your day will accumulate into magnificent health benefits. Take time now to create these habits. It is literally an investment into your future. Your future healthy self will be most grateful.
Free Team Building Contest
Challenge your co-workers / teammates to take just 3 Recess Breaks per day. These small habits could result in massive lifestyle changes and make your team more productive. Downloadable scorecard is included for free!
The Holiday season (end of October through the beginning on January) is notorious for weight gain. Between all of the amazing food we eat and the limited daylight for outdoor activities that Old Man Winter brings, it's no wonder we pack on some extra LB's. Now, it is not appearance issues that cause the most problems. Each day, these extra calories literally make you lose sleep. You body knows it has extra energy and therefore you get restless at night. When you do not get a good recovery sleep at night you tend to crave fattier foods during the day (because you have been moving all night). As you can see, it's a viscous cycle.
Suggest this Team Building Contest to your co-workers. It takes minimal time and can change your lives in the process.
Click above for a downloaded PDF of the contest and scorecard.
This contest fights that downward spiral of eating poorly and limited sleep. One small Recess Break at a time retrains your brain to feel good about accomplishing healthy habits. Reward yourself for small accomplishments even if you do not win the overall contest!
Best 3 Recess Breaks
This is a Real Recess "test drive" for you. Try these best of the best Breaks from each Nourishment, Movement, and Recovery category. One only takes 30 seconds, and you can do it almost anywhere! If you like what you are experiencing then visit the website for more free health hacks.
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
Two industries need to merge for the development of a new market. It will save space, it will save time, and it will make us all healthier. Imagine a more efficient (and fun) way to stay healthy. Help me influence this movement!
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?
The eternal question of Health VS Wealth. And so many of us don't think about it until it's too late. Where is your priority?
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.