Daily Resets Quest
you were born to move
For our ancestors, daily survival required a variety of movements that kept them healthy, limber, and strong.
Before chairs, we humans would sit on the ground in positions that nourished our joints and massaged our muscles. We would forage for food by squatting close to the earth or climbing high into trees. We had to carry our own water, navigate challenging terrain, and craft our own clothing, tools, and shelter. This added up to a lot of physical activity per day!
Today, we are lucky to have the convenience of electricity, running water, and machines to do most of the work for us. Almost all of our work, travel, and entertainment involves sitting. The problem with this is that most of our biological systems have evolved over millennia to rely on diverse physical activities in order to function properly.
The World Health Organization has identified physical inactivity and sedentary behavior as a leading cause of disease and disability in the United States. When you have an inactive lifestyle:
Your immune system may not work as well.
You may have poorer blood circulation.
Your body may have more inflammation and pain.
You may develop a hormonal imbalance.
Your mood and energy levels decrease.
You burn fewer calories. This makes you more likely to gain weight.
You may lose muscle strength and endurance, because you are not using your muscles as much.
Your bones may get weaker and lose some mineral content.
Your posture degrades, which wears down your joints and exposes you to greater risk of injury.
Your metabolism may be affected, and your body may have more trouble breaking down fats and sugars.
how will this quest benefit me?
When many people think of fitness, they imagine activities that exert a lot of energy - like running, lifting weights, or playing sports. This kind of fitness is only one side of the equation! As much as we seek to expend energy, it is just as important that we devote some time each day to getting out of our chairs and nourishing our bodies with more restorative movement.
A strong, aligned posture improves our ability to breathe, move, and resist injuries.
Flexible joints improve our ability to move without pain, move more efficiently, and prevent injuries.
Ground movements and hanging expand our “vocabulary” of movement by freeing up our joints, armoring our shoulders, and teaching us how to feel comfortable in diverse positions.
How to achieve This Quest
Your Quest is to energize your day and undo the harmful effects of sedentary behavior by completing 6 Daily Resets. Requiring only an exercise band, a foam roller, and a comfy way to sit on the floor, these Resets are designed to fit seamlessly into your life, whether you do them at the office, while watching TV, or relaxing by the pool!
STEP 1: Complete at least 5 minutes of each Reset, daily. Click For Video Demonstration!
Posture + Shoulder Health - Band Pull-A-Parts x 10 each: Palms Up, Palms Down, Up and Over, Hugs, Triceps
Ground Movement - x 60 sec each: Rock, Bridge and Reach, Roll, Side Sit, Step Out, Get Up
Upper Body Foam Rolling - Traps, Spine, Lats, Pecs, Snow Angel
Lower Body Foam Rolling - Glutes, Hamstrings, Calves, Quad, Hip Flexor
Flexibility - x 30 sec each: Band 3-Way Hamstring, Windmill, Side Sit, V Sit, Quad, Chest
Deep Squat + Hang - Start with 1 min Deep Squat and a 10-30 sec hang. Build up to 5 min Squat and 60 sec Hang
For Weeks 1-2: Just focus on Resets 1 and 2
For Weeks 3-4: Focus on Resets 1-4
For Weeks 5-6: Strive to complete Resets 1-6 each day.
Step 2: Record your completed Resets in the Quest Log.
Tips, Tricks, and FAQ
-
This Reset is specifically designed to break up prolonged periods of sitting or sedentary behavior. Every hour, stop what you are doing and spend at least 5 minutes recharging your body with one of these Resets.
-
The key to success is figuring out how to fit these Resets seamlessly into your life. Ideally, you are dividing these Resets up throughout the day, so that you are accumulating 30 minutes of restorative movement.
On days when you are going to be busy - it may make more sense to do 2 x Resets in the morning, 2 x Resets at noon, and 2 x Resets in the evening.
However you break it up, be sure to look ahead at your day’s demands and plan accordingly.
-
We suggest setting a recurring reminder or timer on your phone to go off every 30-45 minutes, or 6 times per day. Post-it Notes placed in strategic locations (like your computer monitor, bathroom mirror, etc.) can also serve as a helpful reminder.
-
While you should strive to complete all six Resets daily, remember that doing even 1 Reset, or 1 minute of each Reset, can provide lots of benefits!
Even if you can’t complete every Reset on a given day, identify which Resets give you the most benefit, and prioritize those first.
-
Resets 1 and 2 are excellent as a warm up to a workout, or as a morning energizer.
Resets 3-5 have been shown to improve sleep quality if done before bed.
You can do the Resets at any time or in any order that you desire.
-
The key to foam rolling is not to roll back and forth like a mindless rolling pin on dough.
Instead, you are using the foam roller as a massage tool and searching for the points of your muscle that feel hot, tender, knotted, ropey, or moderately uncomfortable.
If you do not feel this discomfort at a certain muscle, you are free to move on to the next muscle group.
Seek out the knots - pause when you find them, and breathe into the tension. When the muscle releases, you will feel a change in tension or a decrease / dulling of the discomfort.
The Importance of resets for resilience
Resilience is the ability to handle and adapt to stress in our lives. Like a well-tempered blade, our bodies must be able to flex and bend when it matters, without breaking. As medical research has proven, a sedentary lifestyle places a great deal of stress on our bodies, especially our joints and posture. This makes us more likely to experience pain and injuries when we are active.
These Resets ensure that our bodies are aligned, mobile, protected, and ready for action!