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).
Who Else Wants to Be Better at Life?
An overview of how to follow the Real Recess Lifestyle. No, there are not details here with it being an overview. By reading this blog post, you can figure out if this is a concept that you want to dig deeper. Simplifying Healthy Lifestyles.
It does take a little practice.
Luckily, most of these habits are only 30 seconds long!
We first start by reinforcing good habits with easy modifications to your current lifestyle.
Finish a full glass of water before each meal.
Create and say a life Motto to motivate and guide you everyday.
Move around for 30 seconds every 30 minutes of inactivity.
Practice a breathing and meditation technique when stress rises.
Eat 3-4 meals per day about 3-4 hours a part so you’re fasting 12 hours.
Follow a pre-bed routine to prepare your body for 6-8 hours of rest.
Make each meal a combination of nutrient dense macros.
Increase your heart rate 10-60 consecutive minutes per day.
Experiment with new and challenging activities and groups.
The best way to go about following these steps are 1 week at a time.
BUT THAT’S 9 WEEKS!!!
Yes, do not overwhelm yourself. 1 new habit each week for 9 weeks.
You can do this slowly and surely. It will create a whole new lifestyle.
Deep details are available on the Real Recess Website for you to dig in deeper.
Please ask for help if you need it. I am here for you!
Employee Meditation Station
Start talking with your company now about implementing an employee relaxation station. It is the future of wellness in the workplace. These simple steps can get you on the right path.
Whether stress in your life is caused by work or home, productivity and focus will suffer until you address it.
A quick walk in nature is the best solution.
But we don’t all have access to that!
5 minutes in a quiet area is all you really need.
Your employer can help by setting up a relaxation station.
WHAT IS THAT?
You are basically trying to reboot your senses.
Start by consuming any kind of mushroom mix (I recommend Live Ultimate) to nourish your nerves and brain function (as well as benefiting in many other ways).
The next step is to evoke emotion by stimulating the sense of smell. Think about seeing a freshly baked batch of your favorite item. Now imagine it’s aroma. A whole different set of emotions, right? That is what we are trying to find. Typically a natural smell is best.
Third, setting down in an extremely soft piece of fabric or furniture where you can completely relax.
Create a sound that is calming to the ear. Again, nature noises are best but some spa music can do the trick!
Gently shut your eyes and begin a full body scan. Real Recess puts focus on 6 parts of the body while your subconscious is being distracted by the environment you just set-up.
Finally, use a breathing technique to calm the heart rate and relax your muscles. Real Recess teaches a simple method to assist in this final step.
Are you calm just by reading this?
Start talking about a meditation station with your co-workers and employer now. This is the future of the workplace. You don’t want to be the last company to de-stress their employees.
Mind Body Recess for Beginners
Your brain burns 25% of total expended daily calories, mostly using carbohydrates as energy. You definitely need a good night’s rest to recover from that. Try this class to make the brain more efficient and reset the neural pathways. Plus, you’ll have fun doing it!
Mind-Body Connection Class
30-Minute Beginner Session (practice once a month indefinitely)
Use this 30 minute guided movement and awareness to stimulate the largest nerves in your body. All five senses improve focused, challenge reaction time, and help you gain appreciation of what your body can do. If you journal about gratitude (which I recommend), note what you are learning today.
SENSES
Sight-
Exercise
Reason
Awareness
Smell-
Exercise
Reason
Awareness-
Taste-
Exercise
Reason
Awareness
Hear-
Exercise
Reason
Awareness
Touch-
Exercise
Reason
Awareness
Bonus- An afternoon walk in nature is a great way to positively stimulate all of these senses
MOBILITY
GOAL - Practice following instructions, balance, circulation, flexibility, and body control.
Side to Side
Forward and Backward
Twisting movements
Reaction Time Clap/Stomp
Cool-down with 4x4 breaths while humming exhale for relaxation.