by Bex Mawn, Guest Blogger
No matter what your job is, it is so tough to stay healthy by eating well and staying active. A few years ago I decided to learn how to eat healthier and recommitted myself to getting more exercise. Like many teachers and others, I could not afford to get a treadmill or something like it for my home. Additionally, it was January in New England , so outdoor activities were limited So, I put my mind to it and came up with a wide variety of ways to get some exercise.
Fitness for Busy People
Many of you have gym memberships, but if you’re used to doing your own thing at the gym, you could try taking a few classes. Spinning is a lot of fun, and let me tell you, burns a lot of calories. I have not tried Zumba (yet) but the people who take it always seem to be having a blast. If you’re lucky enough to have a gym with a pool, try swimming. It’s quite a workout and no-impact. I also noticed that right after the holidays, gyms were promoting a lot of personal training bargains. Ask and see if there are any promotions at your gym. Try a session or two and see if it works for you.
In warm weather, walking is a great workout and if you don’t have much time just go on a short walk. If you go for a short walk, you might end up being able to do 5, maybe 10 minutes more. There are also dozens of DVD workouts you can try. Traditional fitness and dance videos are great; I also recently discovered walking workout DVDs featuring Leslie Sansone. You can pick and choose workouts up to 5 miles. They’re fun, easy, and can do them whenever you have time. A one mile walk is only about 17 minutes.
I also have enjoyed trying out different exercise workouts with Comcast’s On Demand programing. They offer yoga, Pilates, dance, aerobics, strength training, and more. Short and long workouts are available. Gaiam has Gaiamtv on YouTube and of course, there are tons of other YouTube channels for exercise. If you just have a very short time, you can even walk the stairs in the house or building. I have tried it a few times and caught one of my neighbors doing the same. A friend of mine also says “just keep moving – never sit down”. She reduced her TV watching habit and when she does watch a show, she tries to avoid sitting down- always moving means you’re burning calories!
We all know how exhausted we can get from teaching and trying to get everything else done in our busy lives. Sometimes it is really tough to get motivated to do a big workout. I had one of those nights last week when I intended to go to the gym but did not. I finally made myself do a one-mile walk video. It didn’t take long but afterwards, I felt better both physically and mentally. I was delighted that I at least did a little something.
Just give a try – give yourself a quarter hour or if you can, a few more minutes than that, and try one of these approaches to fitness. You may find something that really works for you!
About the Author
Bex Mawn has been an elementary school teacher for 15 years and is a recently certified reading specialist. She is a blogger, teacher entrepreneur, book lover, and owner of a supremely goofy Saint Bernard, Bailey. You can check out her blog at http://readingandwritingredhead.blogspot.com , follow her on Facebook and on Twitter.
Amy says
Great post! You are exactly right. Sometimes you really do not feel like working out, but after you do, you feel so much better. With our busy lives, teachers need a way to release some stress.