The Teacher Burnout Podcast

self-care-for-educators-part-1-how-to-prioritize-exercise
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Today I have a bonus episode for you. That's part of my self-care for educators series that I did a couple of summers ago. And I am sharing it with you again as a bonus, because I think it's so important as educators. To prioritize our self care in the summer. And these episodes are great tools to do that.
So this is a four-part series that I hope you find helpful. And I hope that you take away something to really focus on your self-care this year and focus on your own wellbeing.
Welcome to the Teacher Burnout Podcast, where we explore the challenges of burnout for teachers and share practical strategies to support teacher well being. I'm your host Barb Flowers. If you're a teacher looking for ways to prevent burnout or an educational leader searching for strategies to support your team, this podcast is for you.
Let's dive in. Hey everyone, and welcome to the teacher burnout podcast. Today we're going to start a series on self care for educators, and we're going to be focusing [00:01:00] on prioritizing our physical health and focusing on exercise. So I'm going to I think this will be a great series to start thinking about ways that you can implement healthy habits and different aspects of self care into your daily routine.
So, and I love talking about exercise because this is one of my biggest areas that I am a huge advocate for self care. I exercise every day and I notice a huge difference in my mood and my own physical abilities when I exercise. So, we are going to be talking about that, but first I want to talk about.
self care for educators because this has been a big topic that's been talked about in education. I just did a book study last year with my teachers and we talked about self care and all the different ways that self care can look because it doesn't just have to be exercise. Self care could be hanging out with friends, it could be exercise, doing yoga, going for a walk, but it could also just be sitting in nature or, taking time to just sit and decompress.
[00:02:00] So self care looks really different, with the different things that you want to do with it. But I do want to talk about the importance of self care and having something that you consider to be your self care. Because, self care is a way that we stop the stress cycle that causes burnout. Our bodies are made to be stressed, but then after that stress response, we're supposed to come down from that and release that stress.
And a lot of times what happens is we don't, and our bodies aren't meant to stay in that stressed out state for long periods of time. And when we do stay in that stressed out state for long. periods of time, that's when we get burnt out. And so if we have some type of self care that we do, that can stop the stress cycle, that can relieve stress, and that can make us feel better so that we don't get burnout.
According to an article by Psychology Today, quality self care is linked to improved mental health, with benefits like enhanced self esteem and self worth, increased optimism, a positive outlook on life, and lower [00:03:00] levels of anxiety and depression. Self care can also build up our resilience, which helps us bounce back from stressful situations, which again, is important.
can help reduce burnout. So having the ability to take care of ourselves, avoid burnout, be more resilient, have better self esteem, better self worth, those are all skills that we need as educators to be the best version of ourselves for our students and our families. And then, of course, just be good for us.
So when I prioritize self care, I'm thinking about what is something I do for me. So other people could be involved in that, like for example, I like to exercise with my husband or meet a friend for a drink. Those are all self care things, but it's about me taking time for me. So that's the importance of self care.
So now I want to talk about the importance of exercise and physical activity on us. So according to the CDC, being physically active can improve your brain health, it can help manage weight, [00:04:00] reduce the risk of disease, strengthen our bones and muscles, and improve our ability to do everyday activities. An article from Better Health stated that exercise can boost your mood, your concentration, and alertness.
It can also give you a positive outlook on life. So, , they also talked about how it has a huge effect exercise does on your stress hormones and can change when you exercise and it helps your ability to cope with situations and be more positive overall. which is what I was talking about earlier with self care and building resilience.
So there's a lot of things that exercise does for us, not only physically, but mentally. And there's also even been studies that talk about how it helps with the neuroplasticity in our brain, the blood flow, and can help With changes in our thinking which is why you know it helps with optimism and having us have a more positive Overlook on things so the number one issue of why people don't exercise is typically time.
I hear this a lot [00:05:00] That they don't have time to exercise and I just want to remind you that we are all busy Not I don't think I know anybody who's not busy doing something and so we and we all have the same 24 hours So it's really about how we manage our time You and decide to put that, um, where we could fit exercise in.
So I'm going to give some recommendations here in just a couple of minutes, but first I want to talk about the recommendations for how much exercise you should be doing per week. So according to the CDC, you should be doing moderate cardio for at least 150 minutes a week and strength training, which is weightlifting at least two days a week, um, working all of your major muscles.
And kids need at least 60 minutes a day of physical activity. So if you're a parent or even just thinking about your students, all of those things that we said about exercise, like helping with brain health, positive thinking, , managing weight, reducing risk of diet, disease, and diabetes. Those are things for kids too.
So think about our [00:06:00] students who might sit a lot or be on technology a lot, right? That physical activity is so important. So promoting that for ourselves and for our students is really important. And I wanted to break down the difference between cardio and strength training. So cardio is running, swimming, cycling, it could be kickboxing, anything that gets your heart rate up and is helping build your cardiovascular system and increasing your endurance.
So, and those, that gives you the benefits that I talked about with exercise. Improved circulation, improved mood, reduced stress. So cardio is really good for you. But strength training, I think a lot of people overlook strength training that helps with bone health. It can increase your metabolism because the more muscle you have on your body.
The higher your metabolism is. So if you're thinking about if you're somebody who wears like a smartwatch and you exercise, if you burn 300 calories running and then you strength train and you only burn 100 calories, I used to not want to strength train because I would be like, I [00:07:00] want to burn the 300 calories.
But what I didn't realize was happening when I was strength training is even though I'm only burning 100 calories in that 30 minute session, Your body's increasing its calorie burn throughout the day because you're building that muscle, you're increasing your metabolism. So you actually get more from strength training.
And again, that recommendation's at least two days a week, and it helps with joint health, overall strength, and can help with injuries. So now we know the benefits of exercise and why we need to do it. But how do you get started if you don't exercise? Well, my first tip is to create a plan and schedule exercise into your day.
So I schedule exercise into my day first thing in the morning, because I'm really tired after school. When I get done with school, my, you know, I have my kids and there's a lot going on, but I'm tired. And so I plan and schedule my exercise in the morning. Now, there are times that I might be busy and so I'll schedule it knowing that my daughter has gymnastics and I can walk or run while she's at [00:08:00] gymnastics or, you know, my husband, he and I might, schedule a workout together that we're going to do at 430, when I get home from work.
So. Whatever it is, just make sure you create a plan of when you're going to exercise and schedule that into your day. If you're new to exercise, start out small by even walking daily, even if it's 10 minutes, and then just keep increasing your time. Just remember if you're walking, it needs to be moderate walking.
So it's not walking the dog and the dog stops every two seconds and you're not getting your heart rate up. It's moderate walking where it can be hard to talk. You want your heart rate up. You want your cardiovascular system working. So, and starting with walking is great. You could start on your lunch break where you go outside and walk.
Maybe right after school would be a good way to get started, but you can start with 10 minutes and then increase your time that you're walking over time. Also decide if you want to join a gym or exercise from [00:09:00] home. So, you know, when I first started working out, I was actually in high school. I was in high school.
I started with home workouts. What got me hooked was, I did P90X and Tybo and Jillian Michaels DVDs. So that's kind of what got me into workouts. And I, you know, realized how much I liked the effects of physical activity. And then eventually I transitioned to the gym and group X classes when I was in college and had a free membership.
And then eventually I taught group X classes and that kept me motivated and wanting to go. So Those are all great ways to start workouts. The one tip I will give you if you've been exercising for a while, group X classes are a great way to get in, but I would say find a program. Because the problem is if you're just exercising every day after you get it as a habit, you need a program where you're working different muscle groups that you can actually progress over time.
So for example, I do body, which was formerly beach body. And I do the programs, like I was saying years ago, I did [00:10:00] P90X, well now they have like, it's a Netflix of exercise programs, and I track my weights for every workout I do so that I can continue to progress. I also have a calendar that schedules the programs, the program and what workout I'm supposed to do so I can cross off each day and know that I'm doing the correct workout.
YouTube also has some great workouts that you can do for free. I've done yoga. I've done kickboxing. I know they have some programs and things. There's commercials and stuff in them, which I don't really care for, which is, you know, another reason I prefer body. Um, but just a program where, you know, you're, you're working towards something, you're getting better.
My other tip is to have an accountability partner. So someone That is going to keep you accountable, going to help you, you know, meet your goals working out. So maybe it's a friend that you decide you're going to walk after school with. I have a lot of teachers who, um, walk with other teachers and they walk, you know, just down the halls after school.
Um, it could be somebody. in an online [00:11:00] community. So I have my body community that I check in with and we check in on our workouts every day and what workout we did and what we ate. And it's just somebody that we are accountable to. So, um, that's another way to have an accountability partner. Another way I've stayed motivated, motivated with exercise is by having a goal to train for something.
I start, I got into running and I started running and I ran a 5k and then I ran a half marathon and then I ran a marathon. And And then I tried to do each type of run faster. So every time I'd run a 5k, I'd try to beat my time. Every time I ran a marathon, I tried to beat my time. So having that goal and training for something's been helpful for me to keep me accountable to my exercise.
And even when I haven't trained for a 5k, it's just trying to get stronger, tracking my weights and trying to do better each time. But the biggest advice I have is just start. And if you miss a day, get right back on track. And you know, I, I have a lot of people who will say to me, cause I've been [00:12:00] exercising for years.
Like, Oh, that's, you know, it's easy for you. You love to exercise. I'm like, no. I do love to exercise because I know the benefits, but there are many times I'd rather be sitting on the couch than exercising, or there's times that I slept in and didn't get my workout in. And I'm so tired after school that it, it takes a lot of motivation to get me to exercise.
And what I'll do is sometimes I'll say I'll do 10 minutes of something. And once I start 10 minutes, I usually can get myself to do more, but if I'm done after 10 minutes, I just leave it at 10 minutes and I'm okay with that. But, um, Don't be hard on yourself. Just start. And you know, the more you do it, the more it'll become a habit and you'll realize how your body likes that physical activity.
I'm so used to doing it in the morning that when I wake up, I feel like. I need to stretch and I feel all achy until I do my workout and then I just feel so great afterwards. So, um, once you get that habit and those routines in place, you're going to want to work out. So I hope that today's [00:13:00] episode was helpful and you got a good understanding of why exercise is so important and how you can incorporate it into your daily life.
But the biggest thing I want to stress is don't tell yourself stories about how you're too busy Or you feel guilty about taking that time for you. Decide that you want to be a person that exercises and do it. You get to decide who you want to be. And another thing I love about exercise is I've had so many opportunities to, share it with my students.
You know, I, as a teacher, I was always training for races, so I would tell my students about that and they would be excited to hear, about my races and how I did. And then, I also loved like field days. I would do the relays with the kids and I would run with them and, and they were excited about that.
And even as a principal, I had the opportunity to train. We did girls on the run at my school. And I had the opportunity to train and run a 5k with some of my students. And I just thought it was really cool that I get to be a role model and show them [00:14:00] how important physical activity is. And then even to my own kids, you know, they see that every day I'm working out and how important that is to me.
So, Don't ever tell yourself a story that it's selfish to work out because I think you can share it and bring that As a role model in so many ways to your students and your own family members And just like I said decide that you're a person that exercises and do it even if it's for 10 minutes a day You tell yourself that I exercise i'm a person who exercises i'm fit i'm healthy and do it and get yourself out there and, and have that mindset and get that physical activity.
And because as we discussed, there's so many benefits to it and it can be so helpful and it's such a great tool for helping with burnout.
if you are a teacher who wants to overcome stress, burnout, and overwhelm, join me in the resilient educator academy.
This is such a great place to get group coaching Monday, motivation access to all of my courses, which I add new courses throughout the year, and just a supportive [00:15:00] community of like-minded educators. Thank you so much for joining us today for another episode of the teacher burnout podcast, make sure to follow me on Instagram at Barb flowers, coaching.com. If you like the show, share this episode with a friend.
Keep in mind, you have the power to shape your life. According to the mindset you choose. I hope you have a great week and I'll see you back here next time.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.