18 Trial Lawyer • Spring 2022 While on a weekday, outdoor adventure, Rizk checks in with her office to confirm the day’s arbitration is running smoothly. (Photo credit: Roxanne Christiansen) Jill Rizk By Jill Rizk The exhilaration of arriving to my destination is the same, whether mountain biking, skiing or windsurfing. The views of the Cascades or the foothills on the Columbia River continue to amaze a Midwest transplant such as myself. As I prepare for an epic descent, I tighten my ski boot buckles, lower my bike seat or sheet in my sail to let it rip. I feel the air whooshing by, filling my lungs and causing me to yelp with joy. I have achieved the “optimal experience” described by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in his book “Flow.” The Center for Disease Control recommends 150 minutes of vigorous activity each week. This roughly translates to 2.5 billable hours per week or 30 minutes per day for five days. Exercise has numerous benefits including reducing stress and making us feel more alive. Professionals who exercise grow to value the camaraderie that develops, whether it is on a sports team, at the gym or in many of Oregon’s outdoor venues. Finding time The legal services industry has a reputation for long working hours. Adding thirty minutes of exercise on top of work and family obligations seems insurmountable. Multiple studies document great benefits for integrating recreation into a busy routine. People often ask me how I find time to exercise daily. I respond by stating simply, “A little bit of something is better than a whole lot of nothing.” While I may not mountain bike three hours per day every day, a 40 minute run around my neighborhood provides enough benefit to get me through most of my weekdays. Even during trial prep, I choose to walk to work versus riding the bus and sprinting to the courthouse to hand my attorney key evidence. (My personal best from a downtown office to Judge Matarazzo’s Multnomah County court room is five minutes and twenty-three seconds.) outdoor ventures
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