I know that I’ve said it before, but there is a reason why teachers have typically been depicted as old spinsters. The hours that are put into planning and preparing take up too much of a teacher’s time to leave any room for having a social life. Those of us that are teachers WITH a family know that juggling the lives of our own kids along with planning and preparing to educate other people’s kids, does not give us much time to do anything that is just for us.
This lack of time has made me try to be creative. I have incorporated yoga into my classroom...but this is sporadic and hardly warrants being called a “workout.” I even tried “Algebra Aerobics.” Yes, my students were counting by 3s, 4s, 5s, even 7s to do sit-ups and leg lifts….and, of course, what we did to one side, we had to do to the other….Just like each side of the equals sign needs to stay balanced, we wanted our bodies balanced, too.
I tried fitting in trips to the gym. I even tried going while my kids were at karate, since it was right down the road. It just wasn’t working. I tried pulling out the dusty box of Insanity discs that were in my cabinet, but time just wasn’t allowing for it.
What changed?
I was tired of being tired and I needed to feel better about myself. Don’t get me wrong, I like who I am...I just didn’t like what I was beginning to look and feel like. I knew I needed a change and I needed something to actually stick.
Around this time, I saw a commercial for Focus T25. I already knew that I liked Shaun T….I did have him back on my dusty shelf….and if THESE workouts were only 25 minutes, MAYBE I could just get up 30 minutes earlier and get it done.
For those that know me, I love my sleep and loved hitting the snooze button! I knew that getting up EARLIER...and to workout? Well, that was going to be the biggest challenge yet. Knowing this, I joined a group of people on-line who were also doing T25. I checked in with them daily, and, knowing that I would have to face them and say “I overslept” got me to roll out of bed with that alarm clock and not miss a single workout. Don’t get me wrong...there were many mornings that were really tough, especially in the first few weeks, but around the three week mark, it started becoming a habit. It got to the point where I HAD to get up and work out, or it felt wrong.
The results of making this a habit? Well, I lost a little over 10 pounds during that program and improved my nutrition, energy levels and sleep habits….not to mention my mood. I also have continued this habit and now have lost about 18 pounds.
The point to this story? I know that we, as educators, have limited time for ourselves, but we DO need to make taking care of ourselves a priority. However you do that doesn’t matter, you just need to find a way to do it.
If you want any help trying to find a way to make that change in your life, please contact me and we can talk about what it is you need to do for YOU. My email address is coachmomnteach@gmail.com.
