Teacher support!

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khallmt
khallmt Posts: 5 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hello folks! Just wanted to see if there were any other teachers out there who find themselves struggling to sneak in workouts in their busy schedules. I thought it would be nice to have a group of teachers motivating each other and sharing tips!

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  • graycaro
    graycaro Posts: 71 Member
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    Hi there! I'm a fifth grade teacher who lives 45 minutes away from school. I find it a lot easier to work out if I force myself to pack my gym bag in my car before leaving for work. I see it when I put my school bag in my car, so I feel guilty if I end up not going. It also helps me to have a snack during dismissal while the kids wait for their bus so I feel better and not so famished when driving back, otherwise I tend to head right home and eat!

    I'd love to be in the group!
  • cathylopez1975
    cathylopez1975 Posts: 191 Member
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    Wow! I thought I was the only one! I have a really hard time working out. To get my cardio I walk to school and home (1.25 miles round trip). Not a lot, but it helps. But on nights with PTA meetings or school music shows or other activities, that doesn't happen.
  • Ideabaker
    Ideabaker Posts: 509 Member
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    Hi, I teach at a combined middle/high school... I find that having a Fitbit helps keep me aware of activity levels throughout the day... I often glance at it, then find a reason to run something down the hall (rather than email) or pick something up in the copy room. At lunch, I try to find somewhere to walk, even it it is just to the other side of campus and back.

    Bumping your post because I'd love to hear other ideas from teachers!
  • graycaro
    graycaro Posts: 71 Member
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    I love your copy room comment! I'm sure I burn a ton of calories just because my room is at the opposite end of the building and I'm incredibly forgetful!
  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,301 Member
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    We have a teacher in our neighborhood up at 515AM runs three days before her kids go to school. Tomorrow at 530AM they have a Les Mills BP class at the high school before school. Educators typically get earlier and get it done when their will power and habits push them to get it done. Good luck.
  • khallmt
    khallmt Posts: 5 Member
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    Wow! How exciting to see responses so quickly! I went ahead and made an actual group. Go search for Teacher Support and join if you'd like! Glad to get some tips and share with others!
  • amrichards0711
    amrichards0711 Posts: 23 Member
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    I teach high school English, and I have two young children (ages 6 and 3). I find it extremely difficult to get in official workouts. But, I try to stay very active in these ways: I very rarely sit at my desk during class and I'm always walking around the classroom, I run errands all around the building, and I always park far away when picking my son up from school, going to the store, etc. I find that all of these things help. I always thought that I wasn't active since I didn't go to the gym or do a lot of traditional workouts. While I'm not discounting the value of those things and I try to do them when I can, I have discovered that I am actually a lot more active than I ever thought I was.

    I would love to join the group, and I will look for it!
  • krysialisia
    krysialisia Posts: 15
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    Hi, I teach math in grades 3-5. I joined MPF today and I am very excited to start new plan. I have problems getting in an official workouts. I like to walk and jog after I get back from school, but the snow is piling on most of the sidewalks making it very dangerous. Can't wait till spring.
    I will try the idea of walking around the school for everything instead e-mailing the office.
  • Justifier
    Justifier Posts: 336 Member
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    I'm a substitute teacher, so every day is different. That makes it difficult for me to plan out my meals and schedules, but I am determined. I'm just starting over after a couple weeks out sick.
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
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    Hi! I'm a secondary school teacher in England - I teach French and Humanities.

    I've got a 2 and a 4 year old and am 31 weeks pregnant, so I go on maternity leave soon.

    I only work 3 days a week, but my husband does shift work, so on his late shift week exercise on my working days is hard.

    On a Thurs and Fri of my husband's late shift week I usually head to the gym straight after school, then I pick up my son from after school club, then my daughter from nursery, then head home to do dinner, baths etc. it's tiring, but I like the 'me' time at the gym.

    On my days off I get to go to the gym or do a class, and I do aerobics on a Saturday morning, and sometimes do a workout on a Sun at the gym. I also take my kids out for walks.

    I find at work I rarely sit down. Being a part timer means I don't have my own classroom, so I do move about the school a bit. We do lots of duties too, so most days i work I do a half hour duty at break or lunch, which means walking around.
  • tiggerhammon
    tiggerhammon Posts: 2,211 Member
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    I am not actually a teacher but work at my daughter's school in the lunchroom.
    Just wanted to share what I have seen some of the teachers do.
    The principal goes to the gym every single day after school. 5 days a week and doesn't do anything on the weekends.
    One teacher shares a car with her husband. They live about a 20 minute running distance from the school, they work within two blocks of each other. She drops him off in the morning, he gets off work and walks to the school and picks up the car, she runs home every day.
    Another teacher makes it a point to join in every recess, lunch break and PE with the kids. He runs the track with them, plays ball during lunch or just walks around the field during recess.
    The school has a competition running with other schools in the district to see which school puts in the most exercise minutes in a term. Currently the school I work at is #7 out of 9 :'(
  • abradeen2013
    abradeen2013 Posts: 16 Member
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    I signed up to work out with a personal trainer twice a week. That way it is in my calendar and I treat it like any other appointment I have to keep. Sometimes those two workouts are all I squeeze in for the week and I work out MUCH harder than I would on my own. I would love to be a "morning person" and squeeze in my workouts before school, but I already have to wake up at 5:30 as my contract time begins at 7:10. We are an early school. I live overseas and work on a US military base school. One of my biggest challenges here has been childcare. I have a teen and an 8 year old. When the teen is available, I can head to the gym, but when she is busy I don't have any options for my 8 year old. Back in the states, my gym had a great child care facility with an inddoor/outdoor playground and games for the kids so it was a win-win for both my son and me. My biggest challenge is not falling into the temptation to go out to eat when I am too tired or busy to think about cooking. Do any of you have strategies for planning out meals for the workweek that you find helpful?
  • schaskes
    schaskes Posts: 103 Member
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    I am a sixth grade teacher in middle school, and I have two kids (11 & 14). I do most of my workouts in the mornings (5:15) but I also try to squeeze some in after school when I can. It's hard, but I've really tried to make it a priority. I plan all the dinners ahead for the week, shop on the weekends, and make sure to take into account any days when I don't have much time to cook. I also can do some "cooking" during a strength workout (turn on stove, flip a burger, etc.), which saves time. As far as in-school activity goes, I always use the stairs, and I drink a lot of water, which keeps me running up and down to refill the water and/or go to the restroom. I don't really snack, and I especially avoid sugary faculty room food. I guess my overall mantra is PLAN, PLAN, PLAN!
  • graycaro
    graycaro Posts: 71 Member
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    I signed up to work out with a personal trainer twice a week. That way it is in my calendar and I treat it like any other appointment I have to keep. Sometimes those two workouts are all I squeeze in for the week and I work out MUCH harder than I would on my own. I would love to be a "morning person" and squeeze in my workouts before school, but I already have to wake up at 5:30 as my contract time begins at 7:10. We are an early school. I live overseas and work on a US military base school. One of my biggest challenges here has been childcare. I have a teen and an 8 year old. When the teen is available, I can head to the gym, but when she is busy I don't have any options for my 8 year old. Back in the states, my gym had a great child care facility with an inddoor/outdoor playground and games for the kids so it was a win-win for both my son and me. My biggest challenge is not falling into the temptation to go out to eat when I am too tired or busy to think about cooking. Do any of you have strategies for planning out meals for the workweek that you find helpful?

    I plan my meals on Saturday and cook for the week on Sunday. I will usually prepare something healthy, filling, and simple in the crockpot (I just put pork shoulder in for a week's worth of carnitas). This works for me because I can eat the same food for a few days without getting sick of it and not having to think about what I'll eat really doesn't interfere with my overall morning fog (I wake up at 5). :sad: I also make baggies of snacks that I can grab and take to work and eat while the kids are eating their snack. My favorite current go-to is trail mix and I also love taking fresh berries and string cheese. These snacks definitely keep me sane because if I don't have them I am absolutely famished by the end of the day and have occasionally (ha!) ended up swinging by McDonalds for a "snack" because I couldn't make it home without something to eat...
  • amberflo143
    amberflo143 Posts: 94 Member
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    Hello,

    Yes I am a teacher and do my workouts in the morning. Up at 5am workout for an hour. Shower and then breakfast and leave at 7am. I have to get it out of the way or I am too tired once I get home and play with my own kids and do dinner put them to sleep , there is no way I could workout at night... but the morning workout does give me energy and motivation and I am a beeter teacher in my opionion.
    :smile:

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