You know I read a lot of blogs and try to peruse the internet for the latest and greatest idea/study/happening. Today has a winner that might beat everything.
INSTANT RECESS. For adults.
Check it out! Dr. Toni Yancey came up with the idea and I can’t tell you how much I adore it. Instead of taking a coffee or (heaven forbid!) cigarette break, the entire office takes an exercise break. Ten minutes of simple, basic moving about and then back to the grind.
I bet you 95% of those who take the exercise break go back to their desks with smiles on their faces. Maybe more.
I think part of the problem here is that some people have had some experience with exercise being boring. So they don’t want to do it. So they don’t do it. And when they hear how much they should do it, they want to do it even less than before.
So how do we fix that?
We make exercise fun.
I have a bootcamper who finished her first month with me and announced “I thought I hated exercise. After I came to bootcamp, I realize that I don’t hate exercise! I hate the gym!!”
How wonderful!!
This is why I stress to everyone that it isn’t about hating what you do for exercise. If you want to stop calling it “exercise” for crying out loud don’t call it exercise. But move yourself. Get your heart rate up. Get off the couch. Get outside.
Go have fun. Play. Take a break from the sucky parts of your day. Get moving and get smiling. Talk to each other, even if your words come out in gasps. There isn’t competition at recess, unless it’s who can make it to the swings faster or go higher or zip faster down the slide; whatever it takes to have more fun. Even for ten minutes!
I bet if you mention this at your next staff meeting you will NOT get only angry stares and glares. I bet at least one other person will think this is a great idea. Shoot; send a link to this post to your boss! As our world values efficiency and expediency more and more, our overweight bodies have become less efficient. Who wants slow employees? We all want a vivacious workplace – no one wants to hate heading to the office every day.
So let’s get it started with an Instant Recess. Ready? Set? GO!!
