Ah, January!
The time of renewed gym memberships and firm promises to eat better, exercise more and lose weight. These are tough changes for any of us, but teachers are faced with unique challenges that can make these goals even more challenging.
Focus on Others: The very nature of a teacher’s job is to put the needs of students first. If you are also a parent, spouse or partner, it may be even harder to put your own health on the front burner and those intentions to care for yourself get postponed.
It’s Not That Bad: Teachers, like many other Americans, may not realize the health risks of eating poorly or being overweight, and may underestimate the benefits of a plant-based diet.
Brains not Body: Face it, teachers are excellent and creative thinkers but with such a focus on teaching and learning, it can be difficult to prioritize caring for the body as well.
No Time: A teacher’s day begins early and often goes non-stop well into the night. That leaves little time for thoughtful eating and it isn’t always easy to bring or prepare healthy food.
No Energy: On that same note, there isn’t much time left over for exercising or rejuvenating, which leads to low energy, which can encourage teachers to consume sugar and caffeine and thus continues a cycle of energy spikes and fatigue.
Swallowing More than Food: The demands of high-stakes testing, ever decreasing budgets and the growing needs of children and families can lead to a great deal of stress, frustration and anger, feelings that are not always wise to express. Some teachers resort to emotional eating to swallow or avoid these feelings.
So What to Do?
Take advantage of the New Year to set goals for small, but sustainable changes in diet and fitness. There is strength in numbers, start a fitness challenge with your co-workers. Designate a bulletin board where staff can share recipes and fitness tips. Consider monthly potluck lunches of all those healthy recipes you’ve been pinning to your Pinterest board to try ‘someday’. Pedometers are affordable and fun ways to challenge each other to increase movement, and wouldn’t you like to know how many steps you actually take in a day as you move around your room and back and forth to meetings? Add a fruit bowl to the faculty lounge and encourage co-workers to leave fruits, nuts and seeds to share instead of bagels and doughnuts. Research indicates that dramatic changes in diet and habits do not last more than three or four weeks but small changes to your daily routine and having a friend or group to keep you focused can lead to a new lifestyle of health.
