Health Tip: Give yourself a pat on the back

Give yourself a pat on the back! Keeping those New Year's resolutions is a difficult task, but according to Dr. Bernard Davidson of Medical College of Georgia Health System tracking your progress and giving yourself positive feedback can make all the difference. Be prepared for setbacks, and evaluate yourself every few weeks to observe your progress. Above all: don't compare yourself to others, and celebrate your successes with family and friends!

Free, cheap, and charitable wellness events

The following Recess events are open to the public. See full details on all events by clicking here.

Beach Body Boot Camp - Tell us how you want it

The concept?

Why swelter away in a boring gym when the Pacific Northwest offers so many fun, exciting ways to get and stay healthy? Recess and Oregon Surf Adventures offer a three-month, intensive swimsuit weather prep course that focuses on making you healthy from the inside out and getting you ready for a two-day surf camp in May.

What do we want from you?

We want your input into how the ideal swimsuit ready bootcamp would be for you. Take just a second to fill out a survey by clicking here. All who complete the survey will receive a coupon for one free admission to any Recess public class (good for one year).

Have so much fun getting fit that you'll forget it's supposed to suck - Increase your capacity to handle stress - Look better in and out of clothes - Optimize brain and body function through better nutrition - Have the energy to face life with confidence - Positively impact your outlook on life and communication - Meet a community of cool, like-minded individuals - Run, jump, climb, box, stretch, surf!

You like us! You really like us!

See what our customers have to say about us in their own words:

"I am a full-time mom with little children. Joining a gym did not work for me because it had been so time consuming. It took hours just to get a one hour workout. The Recess instructors teach my friends and me in the comfort of my own home. There's no time wasted driving to the gym and putting my kids in daycare. Physically, I haven't felt better in years. I am much more limber and toned and I have a better sense of balance and agility. My immunity system has improved, including my problems that are associated with asthma. I also feel like I'm able to tackle the stressful areas in my life better using the breathing exercises that I've learned in my yoga classes. Recess has been a great fit for me!" - Jeri in Tualatin, OR

Healthy lifestyle D.I.Y. - Resolve to stretch at your desk

Sitting, standing and repetitive motion are a pain in the neck!

Is sitting at a desk all day killing you? Maybe not, but after a long day it's challenging to find the energy, time or motivation to work out. On the flip side, prolonged periods of physical inactivity and stress can complicate physiological issues like weight and quality sleep. Sitting also shortens certain muscles while over stretching others (e.g. piriformis, hip flexors) making you more susceptible to sciatica, low back pain, neck pain and headaches.

Back pain can have serious longer term consequences.

Back pain is a leading cause of absenteeism from work and can affect people's ability to interact with their families, children or carry out normal, daily functions. Intense pain leads some individuals to seek surgery in order to ease the pain. Yet after all of the cost and lost time from back surgery, research suggests that surgical procedures are no more effective than non-operative alternatives in treating pain.

Stretches you can do at your desk

Strengthening the muscles that support and upright posture and stretch those muscles that are hunched, contracted and compromised during the workday. This month's healthy lifestyle D.I.Y. gives you a series of stretches you can do at your desk. Click here to download a .pdf file with eight upper body stretches from our exercise and stretching in the workplace series.. Add a daily Outlook reminder to your calendar as a way to remember to take 5 minutes to do these stretches before your breaks and at lunch.

If you have a health topic that interests you and you would like to see it in the next D.I.Y. Healthy Lifestyle then write to recess@recessfitness.com with your request.