Hello, you two!
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Originally Posted by ak812
First of all, it's EXHAUSTING. Being responsible for 11 four and five year olds for 8 hours straight, 5 days a week makes me want to curl up in a ball, in my PJs, as soon as I am in my apartment and just eat and watch TV. I don't find that exercise relaxes me (although that may be because I haven't been doing it nearly enough) so I've never wanted to come home from a long, stressful day and jump around doing some cardio. I'd much rather come home, lay down & watch something on my laptop. I am slowly starting to change that now & hope I will see the results of this lifestyle change soon.
I find that being a teacher also makes healthy eating pretty tough unless I pack a lot of my own lunches and snacks to prevent me from grabbing the yummy (but not healthy!) treats that always show up in the kitchen. Since I work at a daycare center, I eat lunch with my kids & it's a struggle to portion control when we're having delicious foods like mac & cheese, enchiladas, etc. I have been doing a lot better with this but it's a tough road and I don't see it getting any easier.
Ohh, I feel your pain. I had pre-schoolers last year (also teens and adults), and they drained all my energy. That's how I usually feel about gym, most of the time
We don't have school lunches in any of the places where I work/ed, but there is always a canteen...and most of the times, the options aren't very healthy. When I was eating normally, many times I would end up eating a piece of veggies or cheese and tomato pie as a snack and then have dinner >.> I can only imagine how hard it is to control eating those tasty things.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ak812
I can only imagine it must be even harder for you, being that you eat gluten free! What kinds of things do you pack with you to get through the day? And what kinds of exercises are your favorite given that you don't always have a lot of time to get stuff done?
Well, usually, it depends on which school I am working; also, my diet has changed since March and I got strict into the plan 2 or 3 weeks ago, so that has changed even more. Before this eating plan, I would take either a fruit, nuts or rice cakes, or maybe a couple low fat yogurts. Nowadays, it depends. To the morning school, I usually just taken water and lunch, as my breakfast leaves me full for several hours (and I don't really have time to snack between classes). I might take a low fat, sugar free yogurt or sugar free jell o if I feel I will be hungry, but it's not usually the case. My lunch is alway some protein and vegetables, and a fruit for dessert. Sadly, I haven't been able to cook lunch very frequently, but the supermarket near the school is very happy to take my money, hehe
There I usually buy a salad or a chard tortilla (low in calories, fat and salt; they have a special section like that there). Since becoming more strict with the diet, I usually have the tortilla, as most of the salads have some sort of dressing. For the evening school, I am taking carrot sticks, which keep me going pretty well until 11 pm and are very quick for me to prepare.
Regarding exercise, well, I try to do what I can when I have time and space (that's another problem; lack of privacy to exercise). I like doing some isometrics, which I can do even if tired, and I got an exercise ball which I use to relax and do a basic abs exercise, as well as use it as a seat to keep my back well. When I sit on the ball, I do some bouncing on it. But whenever I have a moment, I try going to the gym. My little bit of walking is on Tuesdays, when I do a special trip to the supermarket (5 or 6 blocks) in between my last class and the teachers' coordination.
Gym should be easier now that I have to get up before 9. Also, I have the objective of getting into a bikini by December, when my boyfriend comes to visit me :3
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Originally Posted by sontaikle
I had an old microwave that I put in my classroom so that I can warm things up without having to run to the faculty room. Makes it easy to eat lunch in my room because without fail a trip to the faculty room will take 3x as long because people will stop me to talk and I'll never get work done!! I DO make sure to go in there to talk with others occasionally, but I find it very unproductive to go there often.
Can I envy you for having your own class?
I have to go to each class every time (though hey, walking! :3) We have one microwave in the faculty room at both schools, so that's an advantage at least (although this is not in all schools; I worked in a school 3 years ago where I once had to try to heat my still half frozen food on the tiny heater at the faculty room).
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Originally Posted by sontaikle
Otherwise you can do a lot with just some jogging and bodyweight exercises around your house/neighborhood. On Mondays, for example, I will jog to the nearby playground and use the equipment to do some bodyweight exercises. It takes as long as I want it to.
Aye, though sadly I can't jog due to back trouble (although walking is okay). I made the decission of going for a walk or ride my bike on the weekends, but last weekend (first of my decission), we had horrible weather
Looking forward to the next one. At home we have an exercise bike (which I hate, because you can't regulate the weight anymore, so it's horribly heavy) and one of those leg magic machines. I love the workout with it, but I have noticed I get a bit of back trouble, so I am using it little and for short series (I am a bit paranoid about my back).
What I have found that works very well is a bellydancing workout video I have. I feel really well and relaxed after doing it. My only problem is that I don't like doing it where everyone can see me, so I have to use the very few chances when I am alone
Hopefully this will change when i move out in September.
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Originally Posted by sontaikle
We DO get a lot of activity in during the day already, so we're better off than people who have completely sedentary jobs.
Good luck, and I hope you get better real soon!
That is true! :3
Thank you
The last health trouble is healed now, and hopefully I will remain healthy the rest of the year. I am actually wanting to get to change some of my bad sedentary habits, as I think it will help me to relax.
Thank you both for answering, sharing and for the advice