Exercise And Diet Don’t Stop You From Dying At Your Desk!

Posted on May 1, 2015 by Tessa Todd Morgan

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Did you know that exercise and diet don’t stop you from dying at your desk?

We all know there have been countless articles about how we are dying at our desk from Harvard to WebMD, NBC, Time, Huffington Post, and the list goes on…

CNN just posted an article a couple of months ago though talking about how exercise and diet don’t cut it and do not make up for the fact that we are sitting all day. Neither do stand up desks. Or, let me rephrase that…stand up desks are great, but DO NOT STAND ALL DAY! There are risks in that also. You can increase joint strain, varicose veins and back pain if you stand all day.

Depending on the number of hours you are sitting (typically around 6-12), your risk of heart disease, prostate or breast cancer, high blood pressure, depression and type 2 diabetes increases by 60-125%.

So, is there a solution?

YES!

What is it?

You MUST take small breaks throughout the day. Anywhere from 1-5 minute breaks every hour. Some studies say every 30 minutes, but most say every hour, so I like to go with the latter as I think it’s more attainable.

Getting up and walking around, doing light stretching or even breathing exercises and meditations are good ways to give yourself a break mentally and physically. We get distracted and it’s hard for us to focus, so you will be more productive, less stressed and do your body and mind a huge favor by choosing to take these breaks and it just might save your life!

Need some help?

To get you started, I’ve created a YouTube channel that provides short breaks that consist of light stretching, breathing exercises and coaching tips to get you reset, re-energized and re-engaged. It’s called Daily Reset Break, but feel free to follow along with multiple breaks throughout your day.

Daily Reset Break YouTube Channel

It doesn’t matter if you are not working in an office all day, the same goes for stay at home moms and retirees. Pay attention to how long you sit each day and please make sure that you take breaks.

Take good care of your beautiful self!

Photo credit: Hal Samples

What Is Your Gift To Bring Out The Best In Others?

Posted on December 1, 2014 by Tessa Todd Morgan

Do you know what you do to bring out the best in others?

I realized lately that I don’t love getting my picture taken. I’m working on launching a new product here soon and got some photos taken to go along with the project and to update my website.

I noticed how awkward I was at first and then how brilliant my friend and photographer, Hal Samples was at bringing out a different side of me that was much more comfortable and playful.

He put on just the right tunes blaring in the background to make me loosen up and I was even playing air guitar on my leg and jumping up and down a bit. I ended up having a blast!

What is your gift that helps people feel comfortable enough that you bring out the best in them?

Are you a good listener, provide a safe space or maybe just the right amount of humor to lighten things up?

How often to you use your gift and would you be willing to use it more?

What could you start doing today to use it more so that people can benefit from your gift?

I hope some of you participated in keeping a gratitude journal leading up to Thanksgiving and that you had a wonderful holiday. This blog is coming in late due to all my celebrating, but I had a fabulous time. If you enjoyed keeping a journal, I’d love to hear from you. You can shoot me an email to share any comments tessa@findyourtriessence.com

Until next time…may you find ways to continue to bring out the best in others…

Photo credits: Hal Samples – www.halsamples.com

Can You Use Mind Over Matter In Tough Or Scary Times?

Posted on September 5, 2014 by Tessa Todd Morgan

A couple of weeks ago I did something that I knew would scare me and I had to use mind over matter to get through it. Which reminds me, I was preparing for this “something” and chose to skip my bi-weekly blog, so my sincere apologies if you happened to notice.

I taught a 9 hour workshop on “Fulfilling Relationships” and knew that I would be up in front of the room in front of some people I had just met that morning speaking for an entire day. That wasn’t what scared me the most though.

I had a few people I did know attending, two of which I knew I wanted to give some feedback to and one that I planned on doing some heavy duty work with and I knew that it would benefit that person greatly, but it made me quite nervous.

As a result of my nerves being turned up to high, I began getting a migraine (which is extremely rare for me) and my feet were killing me from walking around in heels. I had to just mind over matter it because I knew in the end, if I did, I would be so grateful for the opportunity, learn a ton from it and that it would be easier next time. The cool thing is I do want there to be a next time.

At the same time I was doing my workshop, my boyfriend was riding a 100 mile bike race in about 100 degree weather. He has done quite a few of those in his life, but he too was having to use “mind over matter” during his ride and talked about the ways he had to talk himself out of stopping and how he was able to keep going through mind over matter despite any cramping or thinking he was going to have to quit at times.

Would you be willing to take on a challenge and come up with something that scares you or would push you to your edge and see if you could do it anyway?

I can’t say that I would ever be able to do a 100 mile bike ride, unless that was a huge goal of mine and I believe I could find a way to make it happen. I do know though that I was able to get through something that I was afraid of doing by pushing through it knowing that the people in that room came to learn something and I wanted them to get what they came for and I sure hope that they did.

Once it was over and I got plenty of rest, I was able to reflect and celebrate the joy of doing something that scared me. And you know what? I didn’t die. I didn’t fall. I didn’t stop. I didn’t not know what I was doing, which has been a reoccurring fear of mine in the past. And I didn’t have anyone walk out of the course (always a bonus ;)). And most importantly, my two friends are still talking to me and I’m pretty sure still love me 😉

I did however realize I had way too much content and the course needed to be two days long! So, what do you do? You send material via email to the participants afterwards and note to self for next time to extend the time frame or to make it into two different courses. Had I not just done the course without having it all perfectly figured out, I may have never done the course. And now I have the confidence to do another one.

Wishing you opportunities to learn and grow and the possibility of needing to use mind over matter to get yourself through a tough or scary time in your life in order to live your life to your fullest potential.

Until next time…

Photo credit, Hal Samples: www.halsamples.com

Do You Know When Enough Is Enough?

Posted on March 14, 2014 by Tessa Todd Morgan

Do you know when enough is enough? I’ve been asking myself this question all week long.

I won’t bore you by going into how busy I am right now. But, just so you know I’ve been juggling working on a project the past few months through the end of this month that has led me to almost need help having someone run to the store to buy toilet paper for me if that gives you any idea. And the other day it occurred to me that sometimes enough is enough.

I’m not saying that caused me to stop working on the project by any means, but it just made me realize that sometimes it is mandatory to stop and take a break.

I had a meeting scheduled at a coffee shop and got notice that the woman I was meeting wasn’t going to be able to make it. I decided to go sit in my car and make a phone call. Before I made the call, I had a chance to just sit and be by myself for a few minutes in complete silence and feel the sun beating down on my arms through the sunroof in my car. I felt like I was on vacation.

Did I mention that earlier that morning I had interviewed the mayor of Dallas, a pastor and one of the heads of the Dallas Police Department? What?!?! My head was spinning a little bit to say the least…

Amazing that being able to sit alone in silence for a few minutes can seem like being on vacation. But, it really can. And I was so grateful for those few minutes that I had just to sit. Taking time to breathe and be silent is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves for our mind, body and soul.

I also had a chance last week to escape the hustle and bustle of the project for a bit and go have some fun with a few people that I’m working with (see photo above) and was so grateful for that opportunity as well.

When you’ve reached a point where you are maxed out after going 100% for so many days at a time, you must stop at some point and breathe, do something fun, do something that you love to do or that you enjoy doing.

Thank you Hal and Alisa for treating me to a break to go have some random fun! I am so lucky to be working with such talented artists right now and am grateful for the experiences that we are having together. You two inspire me more than you could ever possibly imagine. (To see more about their awesome work, you can visit http://www.halsamples.com and http://www.alisalevy.com)

I hope you find a way to stop and breathe along the way of your journey and hopefully have some fun too. Here’s to an awesome weekend…

Cheers!

Do You Help Others Live Out Their Passions And Be Their Best?

Posted on February 28, 2014 by Tessa Todd Morgan

Do you help others live out their passions and be their best? I know someone who does an incredible job at doing just that and I’m having the privilege of working with him on a special project right now. His name is Hal Samples and he’s in the middle of producing a film that will be launching April 1st. You can see more information about it on his blog that he posted yesterday: http://halsamples.com/blog

Throughout coaching him and assisting him with the film, I have learned so much through watching video footage that he has filmed over the past 10 years, along with interviewing people that he has known throughout the years that know him very well and that he has greatly influenced.

I had an epiphany the other night because it hit me that we are both actually trying to accomplish the same goal, we just do it in different ways. I say that my greatest passion is helping people live their life to their fullest potential. I’m learning that one of his many passions is getting people in touch with their passions and through speaking the truth in love, he inspires them to go and live them out. My work is through coaching others. His work is portrayed through his art whether it be photography or film or through just having conversations with others or having people witness his life and actions.

The funny thing I realized the other day is that I’m doing for him what he does for others. I’m helping him live out his dream and passion by being there to speak the truth in love, while holding him accountable (see photo of project map above :)). Considering I think he’s a genius, it’s a great reminder for me that sometimes in order for us to be the best us we can be (even for a genius!), we need someone there to speak the truth in love and challenge us to do things differently every once in a while. I know I’ve had many years worth of a couple of coaches working with me in the past to do the same for me and I feel like I literally owe them my life. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be living out my dreams today, including being a part of this amazing project. Did I mention I’m having the time of my life?

What dreams can you challenge yourself to take a step towards today? Do you have someone who can lovingly speak the truth to you in your life? If not, would you be willing to find someone?

Happy weekend!