Healthy Ways To Maintain Your Energy During Long Days
The dreaded after-lunch exhaustion- it is a fact of life in any job, but a dire one for teachers.
You have to both keep yourself and your students awake and focused.
It is one of the hardest lessons to learn when learning how to be a teacher.
There are commercials and ads for energy drinks and energy bars, but how healthy are they for you? Better yet, are they worth it? While they may be short-term solutions, if used over time, they can wreak havoc on your body.
Plus, one of your New Year's resolutions was to be healthier, right? But, as educators, we are also on a budget; so inexpensive solutions to healthy living are a necessity.
That is why we have come up with a list of ideas for you to keep your energy up in the long run and for those strenuous days.
1.
Know the revised food pyramid.
Research is popping up with new results all of the time - most are in line with previous studies, but the results have been fine tuned.
The food pyramid is in fact no longer a pyramid at all - it is a food plate.
Don't worry, the new guidelines can be found on the USDA website.
It now says you should fill half of your plate with fruits and vegetables.
2.
Eat 6 meals a day - starting big and ending small.
You wake up after a 6-8 hour fast and only eat a banana? Yet you end the day with pasta loaded up with veggies? While both meals are healthy options, think differently.
Your first meal of the day should be your biggest and your last meal of the day should be your smallest.
In between those two meals, you should eat at least 4 more small meals; it will build up your stamina and help you sustain it.
3.
Keep Moving.
It may seem contrary to common sense, but the more tired you get the more you should keep moving.
Not all people, but most, are done the second they sit down during the afternoon.
It becomes impossible to get the motivation to get back up.
Walk around your classroom and stand up instead of sitting down if you're reading to your class.
Eventually you will build up the energy that it takes to last all day.
Soon, an entire school day will feel natural and you'll be able to energetically show others how to be a teacher.
4.
Save your caffeine for the afternoon.
Or don't drink coffee or soft drinks at all.
But, especially do not drink them in the morning.
They will give you energy to get out of bed and get to work, but you will be crashing by your mid-morning lesson.
Caffeine should be reserved for when you really need it - the afternoon.
Though, if you eat healthy, you should only need it on extra-strenuous days.
5.
Sleep 6-8 hours a night.
This tip is the big one.
It is the one everyone tells you, but you always skimp on it.
Don't worry; we make excuses for not sleeping enough too.
But, the truth of the matter is that we all need to sleep more.
It is what allows your brain to reset and cope with day-to-day stress.
The less you sleep, the less your body and brain will be able to cope with daily stress and challenges of the classroom.
You have to both keep yourself and your students awake and focused.
It is one of the hardest lessons to learn when learning how to be a teacher.
There are commercials and ads for energy drinks and energy bars, but how healthy are they for you? Better yet, are they worth it? While they may be short-term solutions, if used over time, they can wreak havoc on your body.
Plus, one of your New Year's resolutions was to be healthier, right? But, as educators, we are also on a budget; so inexpensive solutions to healthy living are a necessity.
That is why we have come up with a list of ideas for you to keep your energy up in the long run and for those strenuous days.
1.
Know the revised food pyramid.
Research is popping up with new results all of the time - most are in line with previous studies, but the results have been fine tuned.
The food pyramid is in fact no longer a pyramid at all - it is a food plate.
Don't worry, the new guidelines can be found on the USDA website.
It now says you should fill half of your plate with fruits and vegetables.
2.
Eat 6 meals a day - starting big and ending small.
You wake up after a 6-8 hour fast and only eat a banana? Yet you end the day with pasta loaded up with veggies? While both meals are healthy options, think differently.
Your first meal of the day should be your biggest and your last meal of the day should be your smallest.
In between those two meals, you should eat at least 4 more small meals; it will build up your stamina and help you sustain it.
3.
Keep Moving.
It may seem contrary to common sense, but the more tired you get the more you should keep moving.
Not all people, but most, are done the second they sit down during the afternoon.
It becomes impossible to get the motivation to get back up.
Walk around your classroom and stand up instead of sitting down if you're reading to your class.
Eventually you will build up the energy that it takes to last all day.
Soon, an entire school day will feel natural and you'll be able to energetically show others how to be a teacher.
4.
Save your caffeine for the afternoon.
Or don't drink coffee or soft drinks at all.
But, especially do not drink them in the morning.
They will give you energy to get out of bed and get to work, but you will be crashing by your mid-morning lesson.
Caffeine should be reserved for when you really need it - the afternoon.
Though, if you eat healthy, you should only need it on extra-strenuous days.
5.
Sleep 6-8 hours a night.
This tip is the big one.
It is the one everyone tells you, but you always skimp on it.
Don't worry; we make excuses for not sleeping enough too.
But, the truth of the matter is that we all need to sleep more.
It is what allows your brain to reset and cope with day-to-day stress.
The less you sleep, the less your body and brain will be able to cope with daily stress and challenges of the classroom.
Source...