Teachers spend a great deal of time sitting at a desk, checking papers and staying busy with work until late into the evening. The demands of the education field leave little time for exercise. Encouraging teachers to get daily physical activity increases their health and fitness, while also making them feel better overall.
Organized Exercise Sessions
Organized exercise time before, during or after school hours gives teachers a social and healthy activity option. They might be more likely to participate in exercise if the opportunity is right there. Ideas include walks around the school grounds, weightlifting in the school weight room or a mini exercise class put together by the gym teacher.
Incorporating Fitness Into Meetings
When teachers are stuck in meetings or trainings, add physical activity if possible. Warm up with some simple calisthenics and continue weaving them throughout the meeting to keep the teachers alert. If the training or meeting is on activity ideas in the classroom, have the teachers play a few sample games or activities that involve movement. They get a small dose of exercise and get to see the activities themselves so they are better able to implement them in the classroom.
Challenges
A weekly fitness challenge helps fire up the teachers to stay healthy. Post the challenge at the beginning of the week in the teachers' lounge. If you're running short on ideas, ask teachers to volunteer each week to come up with challenges. Ideas include walking a mile, exercising a certain number of minutes, playing an active game with the students or walking a certain number of laps around the school. Teachers keep track of their own progress toward the challenge goals. Those who complete the challenge get recognition such as their name posted, a paper award or an entry into a drawing for a small health or teaching prize.
Teacher Fitness Buddies
Pair up the teachers who want to participate with a fitness buddy. Because the teachers see one another every day at school, they are able to encourage one another frequently. The buddies might exercise together or simply touch base regularly to hold one another accountable for fitness. Schedule healthy lunch dates with the fitness buddies once a week or once a month. The lunches provide a larger support group and might encourage the teachers to share tips and stay on track with exercise.
Organized Event
An organized fitness event encourages teachers to exercise in preparation. A fundraising walk or fun run event works well. If you add a fundraising component, the school also benefits from the proceeds of the walk, or you can choose a charity to support. Get the parents and kids involved in the event to promote exercise and fitness school-wide. If you don't want to undertake the organization of an event, organize a team for a local walk or other athletic event. Encourage the teachers to join the team and hold practice sessions periodically leading up to the event.
Member Comments