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Teaching is a demanding job. Between long hours grading and making lesson plans to trying to help students learn effectively, fitness and health end up taking a backseat. It’s important for teachers to give to themselves as much as they do to their students. Here are ways teachers can stay fit.
1. Don’t Underestimate Walking
People think exercise has to be intense to be effective. Walking is an undervalued option. For example, a 10-minute walk after a meal can aid digestion and boost metabolism. Taking walks around the school or grounds is good for burning calories. During your breaks, before the students arrive, or after they leave are perfect times to get some laps in. To maximize your walks, you can take the stairs. A Fitbit or other wearable device can help track steps and calories burned.
2. Exercise At Your Desk
Teaching can require long hours at your desk. A good way to help stay fit is to incorporate your desk into your fitness routine. There are many different seated exercise options. There are full-body cardio workouts, strength workouts, toning workouts, and fat-burning workouts. Whatever your fitness level and goals are, you can
find a seated version. You can do a quick workout between classes or on breaks.
3. Exercise With Colleagues
A good way to stay motivated is having others work out with you. See if your colleagues would be interested
in exercising together. Perhaps joining or creating an exercise club that meets on evenings or weekends would be ideal for you all. Having support from people who understand the trials and triumphs you go through will make it that much more rewarding for all of you. Working out together and supporting each other may also boost morale and improve professional relations.
4. Eat Healthy
Diet, nutrition, and caloric intake are hugely important when it comes to staying healthy and fit. Bringing healthy meals and snacks to school is a good way to avoid the temptation of less-healthy choices. If your break room and cafeteria do offer nutritous foods, you may not need to bring meals to school. You might be able to have a salad and low-calorie sandwich for lunch from the cafeteria instead. The main goal is being mindful of what you eat and how much. Meal prepping on evenings or weekends might be helpful to you, as well. Not having to worry about meals daily can take some stress off of your mind when it comes to health.
5. Make Time For Yourself Nonnegotiable
It’s very easy to come up with reasons to put yourself last. Make yourself a priority. Schedule your workouts if you have to. If teachers are stressed out, worn down, and unhealthy, they can’t be as effective as they should be. Giving your health and fitness precedence will help you and your students. Exercise is great at managing and relieving stress naturally. It produces chemicals that make us feel good while simultaneously reducing stress hormones in our bodies. Being able to see changes in our bodies and fitness levels can increase confidence and motivation. The confidence and motivation we feel can carry over to the classroom. Taking care of yourself will help to make you the best teacher you can be.
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