Based on the information on the area school district sites, it looks like we have a few days before some in the world of education shift from traditional education to online education and we want to do this as close to the best way as possible.
Many times, we want to drill down and focus on the specific tasks of the job and we can lose sight of valuable pieces of the process. Pieces that can benefit us greatly.
In this case, our physical health which is extremely important no matter what we do in life and becomes especially important in online education where we are less mobile.
One of the best ways to drill down on our health is through physical training.
In addition to the physical benefits, it helps train our mind to remain clear and focused, so that we can better assist our students with tools to help them keep their mind clear and focused.
As educators we do not realize how much we are on our feet over the course of the day. Let’s think about our steps for just a moment. We stand at the door to greet our students, we walk around our classroom to closely monitor the activities, we walk to the front office, we walk to the cafeteria, the library, the gym. We monitor the halls before and after school, during recess and many of us participate in some other school activity throughout the day. Now, we are working from home and suddenly our movement is confined to walking to the kitchen to make the next snack or up the stairs to check on our children.
Moving from teaching in a traditional program to an online program can present similar challenges to the Freshman 15 that we warn graduating seniors about as they move on to college.
Similar to our college years we want to work to find a way to discourage those pounds from stacking up so quickly. This is why it is important to establish a consistent workout routine.
The wonderful news is that you are now working from home, so you no longer commute to your place of employment. Your level of dressing up will shift a bit. And, currently the schools are all closed, and your children are home with you, so there is no driving or walking to school. No waiting in line. Look at the time you just got back!
Most likely, you have saved at least an hour, so consider dedicating 30 – 45 minutes of your time saved to a workout regimen each morning.
Consider creating a space for a home gym. It does not need to be anything elaborate or even that big. A hallway could work if necessary. Get a yoga mat and a set of 5 lb and 10 lb dumbbells. You do not need much, especially starting out. A wonderful place to start is with a 30-day pushup, plank or squat challenge.
A walk, run, or bike ride around the neighborhood each day would be ideal because it not only gets you going, but you get a little sunlight too.
Many of you are still learning more about what your schedule will look like and of course we do not know how temporary our current world situation is, but it would be great to start getting into this routine now. I think it is safe to say that your work time will be similar to your normal school schedule, so let’s start there.
Let’s say you will need to be online and working at 8:00 am.
Workout to 6:00 – 7:00 am.
Walk by your computer and turn it on.
Dress and Eat Breakfast – 7:00 am – 7:45 am
In between making breakfast and getting dressed. Log into your computer and give it time to boot up.
Make a few extra eggs and fry a little extra bacon for the beautiful full-time students living with you. Let them sleep or wake them up. Your choice. We will talk more about managing your schedule and your children’s schedule soon.
7:45 – 8:00 am – Review your calendar and “Daily Tasks” List & square away your family as much as possible.
8:00 am – School begins
And, you thought that was the end of your workout. HA!
Stop at the top of each hour and walk away for 5 minutes.
Consider doing one of these:
10 pushups
1 – 2 minutes of arm curls with the dumbbells
1 – 2-minute plank or a series of 20-30 second planks
Hit a heavy bag for a couple of minutes.
While, it is important to stay focused during your workday, it is equally important to walk away from the computer and move your body. This is a critical piece to help drive you from task to task.
Keep in mind your students are also moving less, so you may want to talk with them or their parents about some ways to work physical training into their lives too.
We will talk more about how to drill down and limit distractions for you and your students in the upcoming days.
For now, consider getting into a physical training routine now, so that when your online classroom doors open this is already part of your schedule. Tomorrow we will talk nourishment. 😉
Further resources to help you are located at Get Strong With Jen!
In no way am I trained to provide you with training. Only here for suggestions, thoughts, motivation, and my greatest hope is that in some small way your transition into our new world will go just a bit smoother because of the information you learn.
Ya'll have a beautiful day!
All My Love,
Jen
