With after-school meetings, returning parent phone calls, writing lesson plans, providing valuable feedback on student work…it is very easy to stay at work too long. You may not feel the effects of those bad habits for 5-10 years or even 20. However, at some point you are going to feel burned out. So, start early in your career and develop healthy habits. One of those healthy habits is staying active.
If you haven’t belonged to a gym before, it can be a bit intimidating to walk into a building. You have to learn gym etiquette. Maybe you aren’t in shape, and you feel like you will be out of place. Well, the first thing that you need to know is that there are people of all different shapes and sizes and ages at our local YMCA. You will fit right in…As they say at NIKE, “JUST DO IT!“
The Kingsport YMCA and Aquatics Center is fantastic. In my opinion, it is the nicest facility of its type in the region. I should also add that the Bristol YMCA is also a great facility. You might be like, “Hey, this is an education blog. Why mention the YMCA?” Well, I am glad that you asked. In an earlier post I talked about having balance. Teachers, students, and parents….when the school day is over, you have to be about the business of something other than school. Your mind needs a break. Being active needs to be part of that balance. It is good for you, and it keeps you healthy.
I grew up going to YMCA day camp in Knoxville. We played a lot of dodge ball and swam even more. It was glorious. So reconnecting with the YMCA brought back great memories.
This past year, part of winter became very cold. As runners, we needed an indoor place to train. We had used our Y memberships sparingly up to that point, but the cold pushed us to utilize those memberships to the max. They have an indoor track, treadmills, ellipticals, plyometric stuff, and two weight training areas – great resources for running. One of those weight training areas is accessible to young people. The staff is very helpful and professional. The facilities are as good as any metro area. They have plenty of seating areas. It is meticulously cleaned. There are also basketball courts and pickle ball courts.
The adjoining Aquatics Center is exceptional. You have the options of a warm indoor pool, a 50 meter competitive indoor pool(sometimes split into 25m), an indoor splash pad, a lazy river outside(seasonal dates), and another pool outside (seasonal dates). There are locker rooms, and also dressing rooms for families.
Being an educator can exact a heavy toll physically on your body. Believe me – I know. During the day, you don’t fuel correctly. After school, you are often too tired to do much. Resist the urge to chill. I encourage you to utilize our local Y facilities. Even better, the YMCA membership in Kingsport also lets you use the YMCA in Bristol which is also fantastic.
Pro Tip: There are days I just don’t feel like running. I mean – I really don’t feel like running. However, when I do run on those “meh” days, I rarely regret it. I really wish our local school systems (without the temptation of regulating this!!!) would recognize and promote fitness. Yes, we throw a little bit of money at it. However, we need to provide teachers time to do stay fit. Healthy teachers are going to be better teachers. We do not want our teachers in those school buildings(or virtually from home) working lots of hours after work. They need to be living and experiencing life with the people they care about. Being mentally, physically, and spiritually fit is a must for having any kind of a sustainable career in the field of education.
The following is true in both they gym and the classroom…
Champions are everywhere, you just have to train them properly. ~ Arthur Lydiard
