27 Trial Lawyer • Spring 2022 See Stay Healthy p 28 The bottom line is we are all busy, yet we all have the same 24 hours in a day. So, it’s not about having time, it’s about making time. Make space The room we described above — the one with the big mirror — is our “Health and Fitness Room.” In 2017, when we moved our offices to the Centennial Block building in downtown Portland, we had the opportunity to build the space to our specifications. That room could have become an attorney’s office – rentable, productive, lawyer space. But we looked at each other and had an “aha” moment: Make this room into a (tiny) gym! And we did. It now houses a wallmounted television, a Peloton bike, a Peloton tread, hand weights, resistance bands, yoga mats, a bench and a step. A decal above the television reads: “You don’t get what youWANT; you get what you WORK FOR.” The window opens completely to the sunlight and a breeze. We originally called this room our “Fitness Room” until we realized it would be used for so much more, for meditation, for stretching and even a solid power nap! It is our haven from the harshness of the workday, a place for staff and attorneys to schedule themselves first. Making room for your wellness requires dedicated space, even if it’s as minor as moving the coffee table to make space in your living room. As long as its your space for at least a little part of the day. Gather what you need When we built the “Health and Fitness Room” we mounted a television because a few of us like workout videos, some of which don’t require anything other than your body. Then we got a set of weights: five, eight, 10, 12 and 15 lbs, a weight bench and two yoga mats. That’s all we needed for the first few months until… the room became so popular, right around when Peloton bikes had just become a thing for home fitness, we all chipped in to get one! Turns out it fit nicely in the corner, facing the window. About a year later, we invested in a Peloton tread. For a while we even had a punching bag and we brought in a trainer for a little boxing 101 — where we learned how to properly wrap our hands and throw basic punches. The room became so busy we set up a calendar to reserve time on Team Up! Around the office it was common to hear people swapping time slots or making sure the person signed up was in there, using the space. Buddy up We have buddied up over the years on many occasions — our first was the Fight for Air Climb — taking the stairs of the Big Pink office building and pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone to benefit a good cause. We are suckers for fundraisers.Why not join something that will benefit our health as well? We also like to lead fun participation challenges together within our firm and within a small group of friends over the years. Many members of our firm have teamed up to run or walk in the annual Shamrock event, benefiting Doernbecher or Valenzuela, McCall and Randy Pickett pursue fitness together.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Nzc3ODM=