As if the music weren't bad enough.....

Some people like the gym. And that is great - good for them, I say. Provided they avoid anvils falling from the sky, errant busses or other such freak accidents, they are ensured a long, healthy life. Better yet, after hours spent gawking at a tv above their treadmill they will never be behind the times when coversation inevitably drifts to the latest sitcom.

On the flip side some of us, well statistically speaking most of us, just can't get all that enthusiastic about a wellness routine that requires we basically add a second shift to our full work day. And for the few months where we reliably adhere to our gym schedule every trip is preceded by "I have to go to the gym" - as if we were being sent to detention.

The thing is, there are a lot of gyms, studios and fitness buffs that are earnestly trying to reach us - this hardened (or maybe softened?) demographic who appear to be immune to the lure of shiny lights on a treadmill dashboard. From pole'lates (yes, you heard that right) to Zumba (isn't that, like, a cordless vaccuum?) the experts have tried to tempt, spice and sassy up just about every type of movement you can fit into a glass walled, bamboo floored, hour long class .

But there's just one problem. The folks adding the spice aren't the ones eating the dish. Finding something that we working stiffs will find fun and enjoyable requires being able to understand where we are coming from in the first place. Apropos, a client of ours sent me this email (below). I figured I would forward it along in order to help bridge the gap between the beautiful people who love the gym and the rest of us.

THE BIRTHDAY GIFT

For my birthday this year, my wife (the dear) purchased for me a week of private lessons at the local health club. Though still in great shape from when I was on the varsity chess team in high school, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and try it. I called the club and made reservations with someone named Tawny, who identified herself as a 26-year old aerobics instructor and model for athletic clothing and swimwear.....hmmm. My wife seemed very pleased with how enthusiastic I was to get started. The club encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress for the week:

MONDAY:

I started my day at 6:00 am. It was tough to get out of bed, but well worth the effort when I arrived at the health club to find Tawny waiting for me. (She's something of a goddess with blonde hair, dancing eyes, and a dazzling white smile. WOO HOO!!!) Tawny showed me the machines and took my pulse after five minutes on the treadmill. She seemed a little alarmed that my pulse was so fast, but I think just standing next to her in that outfit of hers added about ten points. I enjoyed watching the aerobics class. Tawny was very encouraging as I did my sit-ups, though my gut was already aching a little from holding it in the whole time I was talking to her. This is going to be a FANTASTIC week!!!

TUESDAY:

It took a whole pot of coffee to get me out the door, but I finally made it. Tawny had me lie on my back and push this heavy iron bar up into the air. Then she put weights on it, for heaven's sake! My legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill, but I made it the full mile. Tawny's rewarding smile made it all worthwhile. Muscles feel GREAT!!!

WEDNESDAY:

The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying the toothbrush on the counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I am certain that I have developed a hernia in both pectorals. Driving was okay as long as I didn't try to steer or stop. I parked on top of a Minicooper in the club lot. Tawny was a little impatient with me and said my screaming was bothering the other club members. (Her voice is a little too perky for early in the morning, and when she scolds, she gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying.) The treadmill hurt my chest so I did the stair monster. Why on earth would anyone invent a machine to simulate an activity rendered obsolete by the invention of elevators? Tawny told me regular exercise would make me live longer. I can't imagine anything worse.

THURSDAY:

Tawny (what kind of stupid name is that anyway?) was waiting for me with her vampire-like teeth exposed in a full snarl. I couldn't help being a half hour late, it took me that long to tie my freaking shoes. She wanted me to lift dumbbells. Not a chance, Tawny! The word "dumb" must be in there for a reason. When she wasn't looking, I ran and hid in the men's room until she sent Lars looking for me. As punishment, she made me try the rowing machine. IT SANK!

FRIDAY:

I hate Tawny more than any human being has ever hated any other human being in the history of the world. (stupid, skinny, anemic, little cheerleader wannabe). If there was a part of my body I could move without unbearable pain, I would beat her with it. She thought it would be a good idea to work on my triceps. Well I have news for you, Tawny, I don't have any triceps. And if you don't want dents in the floor, don't hand me freaking barbells or anything that weighs more than a sandwich. The treadmill flung me off and I landed on a health and PE teacher. Why couldn't it have been someone softer, like a drama coach or choir director?

SATURDAY:

Tawny left a message on my answering machine in her grating, shrilly voice, wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing her made me want to smash the machine with my planner. However, I lacked the strength even to use the TV remote and ended up watching eleven straight hours of the Weather Channel.

SUNDAY:

I'm having the church van pick me up for services today so I can go to express how thankful I am that this week is over and pray that next year my wife will give me something a little more fun...like a free root canal !!!!

So you want to be a sumo wrestler?

Well first things first: let's set the record straight. The correct and most respectful term for what we think of as sumo wrestlers is Rikishi (meaning Strong/Powerful Man). Sumo is a Japanese style of wrestling and Japan's national sport. It originated in ancient times as a performance to entertain the Shinto gods.

The basic rules of sumo are simple: The wrestler who either first touches the floor with something else than his sole or leaves the ring before his opponent, loses. The fights themselves usually last only a few seconds and in rare cases up to one minute or longer. Typically, bigger is better when it comes to being a successful sumo wrestler.

So what are the secrets that Rikishi use to bulk up? And what lessons can those of us not planning to enlist as professional Japanese strong men take from their example?

1. Skip breakfast. Rikishi typically do not eat breakfast, or lunch .
2. Workout without fueling up. They begin their daily exercises at 9 am. Remember this is with no breakfast. i.e. they exercise on an empty stomach. By exercising with no fuel, they force the body into "starvation mode." The body's response is to lower metabolism.
3. Avoid cardio and training that promotes whole body toning. They have a training regimen that does not include sustained aerobic exercise, cardio intervals or whole body muscular toning exercise - all of which would promote fat loss, or, increase lean muscle.
4. Sleep after digesting food. When Rikishi do finally eat they follow their meals by sleeping for at least four hours. They go to bed with full stomachs. Like all of us, their food is broken down by the body into glucose (blood sugar). Blood sugar is one of our body's most tightly regulated systems because of its importance to keeping the brain alive. So in the rikishi's case, once the food is converted to glucose they do not move much and their bodies must respond with a rush of insulin which will carry the glucose to their cells as, mostly, fat. If they were to exercise after digesting their food it would increase the efficiency of insulin and thereby reduce their circulating insulin levels, which would not help in their quest to store their food as fat.
5. Eat large portions of calorie dense food. The wrestlers eat huge portions of a relatively healthy dish called chankonabe. Thei dish is heavy with protein and most proteins are calorie dense. With the exception of children, aging individuals and those recovering from illness, most healthy adults need much less protein than you would think. But because protein is so dense in calories when they exceed their body's need for its nutrients, the rest is simply stored as fat. So protein provides a relatively healthier means for wrestlers to get as many calories as possible per bite.
6. Eat in a social setting. They tend to eat with others in a social atmosphere. A healthy diet blog states, "a meal eaten with others can be at least 44 percent larger and with 30 percent more calories and fat."
7. Bottom's up! Drink beer and alcohol. What's more, social gatherings are a great place to drink beer! According to one source, "Sumo wrestlers also drink large quantities of beer. Alcohol increases cortisol levels which leads to fat deposits around the abdominal area, creating the ‘beer belly’. This is desirable in sumo wrestlers since a large stomach makes them more stable in the ring."

Dreaming of Snow

As I sit here in my office melting, I can't help but think of the cooler months ahead and the anticipation of a new season on the mountain. My friend must have been on the same brain wave as me because she sent me this video earlier today. So if you are like me, melting in the heat, and looking forward to seeing some snow - take a minute and watch this video. Makes me want to pull out my winter hat and grab a mug of cocoa.

A search for the Holy Grail (finding happiness at work)

My pursuit of happiness has taken me all over the world. I have climbed mountains, slept on beaches, danced on cobblestone streets, hiked through a rain forest, been caught in snowstorms, all in search of happiness. All of these experiences have fulfilled my search for a time, but it was never enough. Why couldn’t I have that feeling every day? Why couldn’t I wake up every morning excited to go to work? Is it just me, or do most of us ask ourselves this question most mornings?

This scattered worldwide search has found its way in to my academic and professional career. I studied liberal arts at PSU, which only reinforced my idea that I could have it all. Case in point? One semester I took Fundamentals of Financial Accounting right alongside Early Music, in which my final project involved attempting to play a squeaky recorder with sheet music from Ancient Greece that looked more like it should be in a museum than on my music stand.

Unconvinced that my smattering of fascinating classes couldn’t be used for some higher purpose I set out on the next leg of my career’s journey – my first job. Never would I work for a corporation I told my mom! So with my heart on my sleeve, and a head full of accounting and flute music I took a job with a non-profit organization. Life in the nonprofit world was not all that I imagined. On one hand I was happy to be making a difference in my community. I could see the results from the work that I did and it made other people happy. On the other hand, I had to bring my own pens in to work and cram myself into a cubicle with three other people. Every winter I would covertly monitor my cube-mates, noting every time flotsam from their persistent sneezing made its way over to my keyboard. After three years on sneeze watch, I decided it was time to move on!

Maybe working in a corporation wouldn’t be all so bad. I had a sneaking suspicion that it might be possible to do something good for the world, and still make money from the comfort of a cube inhabited only by me. When a green development firm hired me I thought I’d hit the jackpot. I worked in a beautiful office and got all the pens I wanted. In fact they even paid for my own hybrid car, free lunches and fancy after hour events. But everything in the office moved at breakneck speed. I was in by 7 am (3 hours later than my boss) even after a work sponsored dinner the night before. I powered through 60 hour work weeks and an endless stream of emails propelled by my coworkers’ peanut M&M’s, cookies, and coffee. I’d go to bed with work on my mind and wake up 5 hours later to do it all again. I was working so hard I didn’t even realize that I wasn’t happy. I did realize, though, that I missed my friends, family, being outside with my dog, and that I was spending most of my waking hours in a place that was chipping away at my body mind and spirit.

How could I take all of my experiences both in and out of the office and put it towards not only helping others, but also helping me. The answer came at Recess. Recess’s mission is to promote lifelong wellness through physical fitness, nutrition, rest and play. I could hardly believe that a company like this existed. How happy was I to witness first hand high powered lawyers taking time out of their busy day to attend a nutrition seminar, software engineers moving their desks out the way to hold a yoga class in the middle of their office, and service technicians taking the time to stop in to their office to have their cholesterol checked! I imagined all my previous employers and coworkers doing downward dog in the middle of the office and how having classes like these would have addressed the missing part of my search for happiness at work.

I am not saying there is anything wrong with working hard. Working hard is second nature to me. I still work through lunch most days and find myself checking my email on the weekends. But some days I take off an hour early so I can take my dog hiking, or I take a run in the afternoon if I didn’t have time in the morning, or even take a few hours out of my day to attend a meeting for the organization where I volunteer. For me personally, it is about having the support of my boss and company that makes me feel like the all-over-the-map life that I am living is welcome at work.

Work is work, but now I have seen that there are things we can do with in our work place to make the Monday blues go away. Just like the green revolution that prompted businesses to recycle and reduce carbon emissions, progressive businesses want to support a culture with healthy work life balance. Doing so, and reaping the rewards of loyal and happy employees, means embracing some of the messiness that comes with hodge podge of life experiences and interests that we all bring with us to work each morning.

I see it a lot with new clients. Sometimes to truly embrace the interests and needs of their employees, the groups I work with have to step outside of their comfort zone. At Ruby Receptionists, they knew that the job was demanding and wanted to make a change but weren’t really sure how to approach things.

“This is not the most exciting job and it can be hard on the body to sit all day, so we wanted to provide some kind of fitness stipend to our employees to help them feel good,” says Jill Nelson, the company’s president. As a result, the company agreed to pay for half of any membership to the gym around the corner. Nearly every employee took advantage of the offer, but they found they never went. The reasons ranged from inconvenient class times to not liking the meat market feel of the place.

It was exciting to see a company ready to make a change and their desire to take care of their employees. I went right to the employees and asked them what they wanted. Turns out they wanted a fun, safe, and inspiring workout.

So twice a week, after these virtual receptionists hang up their headsets for the night, they slide their furniture to the side and roll out their sticky mats for an hour of yoga—and they love it!

When I was working at my corporate job I remember thinking, there is no way I could ever workout during the day. I too had a membership for the gym a few blocks away, but the thought of changing my clothes, getting sweaty, showering, getting dressed and then going back to work all within an hour made me want to eat another cookie. It has taken me working with the clients for us both to see that the benefits outweighed similar doubts.

Besides increasing their flexibility and core strength, and decreasing aches and pains, the Ruby employees admit that the Recess classes have made them feel calmer, more centered, and just plain healthier. Plus, they have taken a lot fewer sick days.

I know firsthand that looking to balance work and life can feel like a quest for the Holy Grail. It was scary for me to draw a line in the sand and commit to finding a place where both my personal and professional interests were welcome. I think that is why every relationship I have with my clients is so rewarding for me. I can directly relate to feeling like work and life just don’t match but wanting badly to try; however, I also know that once you take the plunge the water’s pretty nice over here and I wake up feeling motivated to give the businesses I work with some gentle encouragement (and sometimes a shove) to take the leap.

What’s in it for me? It feels great to think I can help create places where more people like me feel at home. Every once in a while I get a letter like this from an employee at a business where Recess works and it reminds me of my own challenges and how important the work I am doing is.

Today was my 8th class and I can hardly believe what a difference they have made in my flexibility and stamina. I have virtually learned to breath again……not realizing that I have been breathing shallowly for so long. I believe it has lowered my stress levels a tremendous amount. Let me give you a great example that has shown me what great progress I have made. Last Sunday, I spent that very sunny day working in my garden, potting plants, pulling weeds, etc. Normally, I am not very comfortable bending/stretching and working in the garden is really hard work for me. This time, I felt so strong and flexible, I was able to bend, stretch and lift heavy pots with no pain. It felt really good and I ended up working for much longer time than I normally would have. Not only did I feel good on Sunday, but my muscles are not sore as they usually are after working in the garden. Normally, I hurt for a couple of days after but that didn't happen this time.

I feel happy and proud that I have accomplished so much in such a short time. And this success has motivated me to take the next step, which is to pull out my weight machine and start working out regularly. I've wanted to do this for so long but haven't followed through with any action. The progress have I made has provided the impetus for me to move forward.

So here I sit in my sunny corner office looking out at this beautiful Portland afternoon. And I don’t feel a longing to be anywhere else. Through my entire scatter brained trials and tribulations, I have finally found that elusive spot where my happiness, my health, and my work can all thrive together. A place where I can build relationships, make a difference, take care of myself, and help others find their elusive inner happiness at work too.