Could You Live In a Playground?
Is life too easy? What if we made things a little more difficult? Would this improve quality of life? Here is a perspective of living space design to mimic playground in your house. You might just love it, and it’s results!
Life is easy. Seriously. We get new technology and cool products advertised to us everyday that make our lives easier.
This easy lifestyle comes with a price. We move less, do less and even think less.
Imagine for a minute that you set up your living space to make life harder. Climbing, crawling, jumping and even swinging just to get into the next room. For most people, it’s like being a child again. Watch this video to get a better idea of this possibility:
How much more engaged would you be with some of these stations in your living space? Would you want them at work also? It is a reality is some instances. But now imagine if every home was designed with active lifestyle concepts. How much disease would be eliminated if people had to be more active during the day?
It might take a long time to convince people they need to install these stations or even build their new home like this. But until then, I’m going to keep playing from room to room.
What Force Has Acted Upon You?
This could be the motivation you need to take the first step toward a healthier lifestyle. And that step is as easy as pie (I’m not sure I understand that saying). Here’s a short read, you can start today!
You remember the definition of Inertia. Way back in high school we studied physics and it has truth with your physical body. A body at rest stays at rest and a body in motion stays in motion until acted upon by an outside force.
Well, why aren’t (most of) you as fit as you were in high school? Is it work? Did you start a family? Maybe it was an injury? Whatever the case is for you, this is your outside force getting you moving again. Real Recess was created as a lifestyle. It is nine basic habits that make up a healthy way of living for you, for free.
Here is a sneak peak: Week 1 of learning these habits, all you have to do is drink a glass of water at each meal before drinking any other beverage. That is it! Staying hydrated is super important for many bodily functions. An important function is keeping you satiated (feeling full) so you do not overeat. Sounds easy so far, right?
The point of this article is motivation. I am pushing you in the right direction. It’s for your own good and the future you! Click a link below for the next step…
You Can Start Each of These Right Now to Fight Dementia
Sometimes an entire class is too long for your busy schedule. These genius tips will allow you to get your dementia prevention training everyday. Start small with 30 seconds at a time. It’s easy and fun!
Real Recess has taken you through many Cognitive Workouts. But you may not have time to add those 30 minute classes into your schedule. That is why we are breaking down the principles into 3 simple practices you can do everyday; like a Real Recess Break.
First, breathe through motion. We have done that in our classes but try it while walking, anywhere. You are going to start with slow and steady steps and breathe in for the first step and out for the next step. Continue this process for 10 steps (unless you get light headed, then stop the pattern and go back to normal breathing). If you accomplished that task, move on to breathing in for 2 step and then out for 2 steps repeated 10 times. Continue to slowly increase your breaths and steps as you master the lower numbers. Just practicing the pattern is helping, it doesn’t matter how many breathes you get up to. Practice, practice, practice.
Second, sing from memory. You could memorize and learn new songs or better yet, try to recall old songs that bring back new feelings. To take it a step further, be social (which is great in itself for fighting dementia) and sing with a group maybe in a religious setting or just at a concert.
Lastly, plan your sleep by using the 7 steps below. It may be overwhelming at first so only do one step at a time. Once these seven steps become a habit, it should be a natural part of your lifestyle.
Stop consuming caffeine 5 hours before bedtime.
Dim the lights (including screens) 1 hour prior to bedtime.
Monitor the bedroom temp between 65-75*F (depending on the season).
Invest in comfortable bedding for you (mattress and sheets)
Prepare a quiet atmosphere with earplugs if needed.
Keep pets and kids in their own separate rooms during sleep.
Set your alarm for 7-9 hours after you intend to fall asleep with a gradually increasing volume.
That is all. You can do these everyday without wearing yourself out. Which one are you going to start right now? Maybe a little tune from your past? In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight…..
Easy Motivation
In your search for motivation to look forward to…. try creating a day that you can your friends / family get together and do something special. This article is what me and my friends do every August 14 (814 Day).
What is the next event you are looking forward to?
Whether small or large, you need something to motivate your day to day routines.
Once a year, I schedule a large race. Maybe it’s a road 10k, maybe it is a mud run sometimes it is even a weightlifting competition. You should consider the same. However, once a year is too long to go for that motivation. So, when you schedule smaller events, it adds more consistency to your schedule.
Even a celebration might be motivation enough. Take your area code. Does it match up with a day of the year? Mine is 814. That is August 14. On August 14, I made up a workout I do with my friends. It goes like this:
Jog one lap around the block then do 14 push ups. Repeat this 8 times. At the end, eat a Creamsicle because it is national Creamsicle Day.
We even made shirts for the yearly event. (You can purchase them here https://my-store-ce573a.creator-spring.com/listing/814-day
I suggest making up some fun annual event like this that you can enjoy with family or friends.
Evolution of Active Living
Challenging that rate at which humans are falling out of shape, the new Metaverse looks to increase that pace. You can combat this certain trend with fun ninja style home designs today. Take a step back and look at your health. Are you getting enough activity to burn the cortisol your body produces from stress? Follow these easy steps.
Way before there were buildings, humans had to be active in order to survive. Of course, our lifespan at this time was not very long but for the most part everyone had to be “fit” as hunters or gatherers and running away from danger. When we created structures to protected us, life got a little easier. This means we did not have to be ready for a fight or flight scenario as often.
Evolving further as buildings got larger, more jobs were needed inside to maintain these structures. Again, making life a little easier for those few people. This repeated over time as more and more buildings were built. This seems like common sense, right? Why are we even discussing what everyone knows? Let’s see this timeline out a few more centuries.
Today, we are in the middle of the technology age. It is commonplace to sit in a chair for 8 hours per day making a living. When you analyze this evolution over time, it is clear where we are headed. Thousands of years built the human body to be active and durable. Over the last 100 years we made life easier without the NEED to use our bodies in ways which it is capable of performing.
Looking forward to virtual and augmented reality within the Metaverse, we are making life even easier with less need for physicality. It is certain that physical health is on the decline. There are fitness programs out there to combat this decline on an individual basis. However, to keep our human race progressing forward and evolving, a transformation in our lifestyle needs to take place.
As more and more humans will soon be sedentary in the addictive Metaverse, the best place to start this transformation is in our homes. We are looking globally at the future of the human race. Our lives right now are simple and low friction. Creating obstacles in our current homes to climb over, under or around will add more versatility to our physical (and possibly mental) well being.
The sport of Ninja is on to something interesting as they challenge balance, coordination, dexterity and in turn improve confidence, risk management skills and decision making. These obstacles in our homes can be dressers or couches pushed into our normal pathways. It is a start to bringing back activity into our lifestyle. The evolution after this step is to build new homes not for comfort and convenience but to challenge us in climbing up to the second floor or crawling out the back door.
Altering our homes in these ways is a lifestyle change. Soon, rooms will not be cubes of perfect space but open areas with climbable walls and unlevel floors. That is just the right amount of difficulty and friction we need in our lives right now. It will challenge us but not break us. Take a break and be active, my friends.
6 Ways to Health Hack Your Current Habits
Everyday you have many opportunities to fix bad habits. Try one of these 6 habits to start your journey to better health. Share with your friends or parents so they can also start this process. It takes time to get healthy but you have to start somewhere. Remember to download the free posters, workbooks and schedules in the Real Recess shop.
CURRENT DAILY HABIT HEALTHIER ADD ON TO HABIT
Wake Up. Before getting out of bed: say your Life Mantra (your personal motivation and direction for success), take a deeeeep breath in then out 5 times, perform your morning metabolic priming (can use any of the Real Recess Staple Movements or create your own 2 minute circuit).
Bathroom. Each time going to the bathroom (sitting or standing) try these dexterity exercises to maintain coordination and reboot your brain: Finger or toe patterns while reaching across your body’s centerline (one example is simply taping them in a specific order), or there is also Face Movements where your exaggerate different expressions with your face muscles (eyes, mouth and forehead are happy, sad, excited, scared, etc).
Eat and Drink. You are literally what you eat. Seriously. Food breaks down into carbs, fats and proteins and your body rebuilds that energy to make new cells. So, while you are eating or drinking, do some research as to what’s in it, what’s not in it that should be in it and away to make it better for you.
Sitting. Practice Posture. Start with your head by tilting it side to side, twisting it left and right, then nodding up and down, finally chicken heading forward and back. Next try your shoulders by raising them up and down, then pushing them forward and backward and finally reaching one arm at a time overhead. Move on to your hips by rocking side to side as well as thrusting forward and backward. Finally, whether you are sitting or standing, try a full body twist with your arms out and looking at the back hand.
Walking. Observe your environment. Notice new things. Look around and try to find one thing happening from each sense. What new do you see, smell, taste, hear and feel? If this is tough or you run out of items, play new music (not something you listen to all of the time). Try a new genre or new release that will really make you think about the pattern, pitch and or lyrics.
Go to Bed. Write one thing in your journal that you are thankful for today before getting into bed. Once you get into bed, visualize each part of your body relaxing and rocking to sleep. Start with your feet, move up to your knees, then your hips, up to your torso, out to your hands, and finally up to your head. When you are actually concentrating on it, you’ll be amazed the muscles you are squeezing without knowing it.
*All Recess Breaks should be at least 30 seconds.