How to Make Holiday Workouts a Family Activity

As the holidays are approaching we as educators need to emphasis the "fun" in working out and being active. We need to teach our students about the importance of exercise because it will help you deal with added stress and give you energy for everything you need to accomplish. It will also help you manage your weight through the maze of parties and gatherings your students will be attending.

Below is a list that you can discuss with your students before the holidays arrive:

·         Shorten Your Cardio. Pare down your cardio routine to whatever time you have, even if it's only 5 or 10 minutes

·         Exercise wherever you can. You already know to take the stairs, park far away and so on to get more exercise. This holiday season, wear a pedometer as you're running around, and see how many steps you can accumulate!

·         Make it a family affair. As you gather together with your family, plan active things to do. Walk around the neighborhood to look at holiday decorations.

·         Don't forget strength training. Maintain your muscle mass by paring down your routine to the basics.

·         Control Your Eating: eat small portions and do not skip meals.

Living Healthfully is Simple!

             With finals coming up and holidays and breaks right on the way, it is important to take care of yourself. Class loads, studying and stress is building up and if you do not act fast you will begin to see yourself get into a rut. In order to succeed in life it is important to take some personal time for yourself whether it is to recollect, simply eating right and/or exercising. All play an important role in staying focus and becoming a healthier, happier you.

Below I have provided 12 steps to wellness:

1. Drink more water
2. Practice cooking
3. Increase whole grains
4. Increase sweet vegetables
5. Increase leafy green vegetables
6. Experiment with protein
7. Eat less meat, dairy, sugar and chemicalized, artificial junk foods; consume less coffee, alcohol and tobacco
8. Develop easy and reliable habits to nurture your body
9. Have healthy relationships that support you
10. Find physical activity you enjoy and do it regularly
11. Find work you love or a way to love the work you have
12. Develop a spiritual practiceide in how you can live a healthy life.

*You don’t have to do all these steps at once; it’s better if you don’t. Just get out there and start with a little more water each day.
*Remember these little changes aren’t a short-term diet; they’re a long-term lifestyle. I know each step you take will have a huge, positive impact on your present and your future.

Physical Education Time

How valuable is physical education time with our students?

      We preach and hear about how we need more physical activity time with our students because of all the benefits that it will have on the child, but why haven't we acted on them yet? I do not understand why education systems feel that it is okay for students to have "gym" every day for only one semester. My theory is that everyone would benefit more if teachers saw their students every other day for a WHOLE year. We need to educate our students about working out mostly every day and about having a healthy, happy lifestyle of lifelong physical activity. We can not do that if we do not enforce physical education classes for a whole year. Most students who are not involved in sports, this is the only time for them to do active- so why are we taking this away from them? Please respond back if you have an opinion or statements or any other information that you feel goes along with this.