Newspaper Article

Take a stress break

Vista resident helps create Web site designed to ease workday wear

By Leah Masterson | leah.masterson@tlnews.net

Sunday, June 29, 2008

For 25 years, Vista resident Sherry Zak Morris and Gayna Scott of Tucson, Ariz., were self-described “corporate warriors.”

They both worked in business development for a handful of high-tech software start-up companies and were on call 24-7. They spent their days traveling, meeting sales quotas, sitting in front of computers, running reports and constantly checking their BlackBerries.

“The amount of e-mails I got each day were over the national average, which is about 76 a day,” Scott said. “You’re dealing with so many issues.”

Today, Morris and Scott have a new mission. They want corporate America to take a break. They hope office workers will visit their take5moment.com, where they will find a library of five-minute videos featuring experts offering tips on everything from health and wellness and nutrition and diet, to meditation and motivation.

Users can register and have access to a variety of topics that give them a reason to take a short break.

“With all these experts at our disposal, I feel like Oprah Winfrey sometimes,” said Morris, who met Scott in 2005. Two years later, they began creating their own start-up company around the kitchen table.

“I brought my husband and Sherry brought hers, and we realized that between the four of us we had the makings of an interesting business,” said Morris, whose husband has more than a decade of Web site experience and provided the technology.

The goal was simple: “We’re really trying to think about that person sitting behind the computer,” Morris said. “The core message is: Take five minutes for yourself and take a break.”

Once the idea hatched, the pair began recruiting experts to feature on the site. Morris, who co-owns The Yoga Vista Studio in downtown Vista with Danielle Osicki, used her networking skills and got several health and wellness experts on board. Morris has a degree in community health education.

“I pursued a career in high-tech because that’s where the money was, but my passion was always in health and wellness,” she said. “That’s one reason why I bought the yoga studio. In such a male-dominated, high-tech, fast-paced world, I needed to balance my energies.”

Morris also has contracts with Tri-City Medical Center and the San Diego County Library system to teach yoga on site.

Scott, a former ice skater with a degree in psychology, also had a background that helped build the Web site’s foundation.

“I have always been involved in sports and understanding the mindset of being healthy and taking care of yourself,” she said.

Within a few months, they had made contact with several experts in Southern California who agreed to tape segments for the site.

“My philosophy is, ‘Don’t be afraid to ask,’ so I just sent an e-mail (and a letter) and made a plea,” said Morris of her request to fitness guru Richard Simmons. “He got my letter in the mail and wrote back that day and said, ‘How can I help you? I’m interested.’ ”

She brought her film crew to Simmons’ Beverly Hills fitness studio and filmed him between his classes.

Scott and Morris say the site has had visitors from all but three states, and the team is hoping to launch about 40 more videos in the next few weeks.

“We’d love to take it on the road one day,” Morris said. “The pace we live in is just so intense. We just want to give people the opportunity to pause and take a breath.”

Recognize carpal tunnel syndrome

Dr. Mark Elliott is a chiropractor and founder of Performance Chiropractic Center in Vista. He offers advice on detecting carpal tunnel syndrome.

It is a condition of the hand and wrist usually caused by swelling and inflammation from overuse. Common symptoms include tingling of the thumb and fingers; night pain; numbness; and shoulder, elbow and wrist pain.

Neck stretches

Jade Puckett is a yoga teacher and director of Spiritual Yoga Training in Carlsbad. Her Take5 segment teaches gentle neck stretches that can be done at a desk.

1 Sit tall in a chair and drop the shoulders back, down and away from the ears. Close the eyes and take a few deep breaths. Drop the chin in toward the chest. Breathe deeply and visualize creating space between each vertebra.

2 Lift the chin up and away from the chest and slowly drop the head back toward the shoulders, lifting and pressing the chin up to the ceiling. Close the mouth, bringing the stretch into the jaw and the throat. Then slowly lower and bring the head back to the center line of the body.

3 Slowly turn the head and look over the right shoulder, creating a gentle stretch on the left side. Extend the stretch by bringing the left arm down alongside the body while keeping the chin parallel to the floor. Then turn the head to the other side and look over the left shoulder. Slowly release back to center and drop the chin back in toward the chest and rotate the right ear toward the right shoulder.

4 Do a few neck rolls, bringing the chin back to the center of the chest and then to the opposite side. Bring the chin back to center of the chest and pause for one last deep breath. During the inhale, lift the chin and sit tall.

This exercise should produce increased circulation through the back of the neck.

Avoid the afternoon crash

Christa Orecchio, a certified clinical nutritionist and holistic health counselor, said, “Seventy-five percent of us have some form of sugar addiction, which is lessening our productivity, decreasing our mental acuity a bit and affecting our overall health.”

People should be careful what they eat in the morning, she said. If it’s sweet, it could cause a crash later in the afternoon.

She recommends incorporating natural sweeteners, which can be found at most local health stores and markets. Agave nectar comes from the juice of the agave cactus and is sweeter than sugar. It’s safe for many people with diabetes, Orecchio said.

Orecchio also suggests walking or drinking a glass of water to battle an afternoon crash. She said most of us are slightly dehydrated and don’t realize it.

Reach reporter Leah Masterson at (760) 752-6754.

About Take5Moment           
Take5Moment is an innovative YouTube-esque video and content library of 5-minute “moments” targeted to deskworkers, stressed-out, busy people and over-worked employees who are feeling over-whelmed, short on time, but need a healthy break. Currently the Take5Moment library collection of videos and Expert blogs spans 13 categories that offer movement-based, motivational, educational and inspirational content.  Experts from multiple disciplines share their health and wellness knowledge in short video segments or blogs meant to relax, refresh, regroup and recharge their audience. Take5Moment content is delivered via multiple communication vehicles beyond the internet, including Cable TV as “Stress Relief” commercials, on DVDs which focus on specific stress-reduction strategies, content clips in print media as well as talk radio. For more info visit www.Take5Moment.com

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