Let me tell you how it's different.
- Step One: Play soccer with your girls. Instead of just telling them how to do something, actually do it yourself. Get in there. Get dirty. Play a little dirty too. Don’t go easy on them and don’t let them go easy on you. Show them how it’s done.
- Step Two: Move with them. If they run, you run. Even if you’re not in shape. Especially if you’re not in shape. Show them what it’s like to push through the pain, to cross that mental barrier that tells them their bodies just can’t handle one more step. It can. You can. They can.
- Step Three: Work hard, play hard. That’s why we’re here: to play soccer and have fun while doing it. But it’s a fine line between goofing off and having a good time — you’ve still got to work for it. Who better to model that behavior than you? You’ve walked that line your whole life.
So, I can see my reflection in the screen right now and it’s not pretty, in a you’ve just worked out and you’re not supposed to be look good right now type of way. This is it. This is the type of coaching that was out of my grasp last year and I’m so so thrilled. We’ve got a good leader now.
Fit Teacher 2013 Goals!
With all the talk of New Year and resolutions, Fit-Teacher is hopping on board. We’re going to make some fitness goals for 2013 - but here’s the kicker: you have to join in to help!
The goal is for the Fit Teachers collectively to accomplish these things:
1 full marathon
3 half marathons
10 10Ks
25 5Ks
10 other competitive sport activities [swimming meets, triathalons, bike races, tennis matches, curling tournaments, etc.]
If you complete any of those things this year, make sure to message us so we can add it to the tally! As always, if you want us to add your race to the Fit Teacher calendar do the same. And make sure to tag all your training under “fit teacher” so that others can cheer you on.
Let’s do this!
HEY, FIT TEACHERS!
I wanna join! Hey!
Here’s the deal:
I want to eat healthy this school year, and I don’t know where to start. I have been blessed with wonderful metabolism, and I eat whatever I want, whenever I want. Last year a typical day was yogurt for breakfast, something carb heavy for lunch, pizza/chinese/whatever take-out, and ice cream. Almost everything I put into my body was crap, and I know that affected my attitude.
So, I want to change, and I need your help. I just want to eat right, I’m not looking for losing weight. I want meals that are simple enough for my culinary challenged brain and tasty enough for my veggie despising mouth.
Wonderfit teachers powers activate!
Introspection & Other Things
I signed into my myfitnesspal account this morning and realized that I have been doing this “get fit, lose weight, improve my physical well-being” for about a year now. I started in earnest right around this time last year; I began tracking my food on May 12, 2012.
That day, I consumed a tall soy hazelnut latte, a chocolate donut, 2 Jack-in-the-Box tacos, 3 Jack-in-the-Box stuffed jalapeños, and some pasta carbonara.
I was still learning how to eat, you see. I look at that now and I think… wow. I didn’t yet understand balance, healthy choices, or how much choosing not to make excuses could affect my well-being. I did exercise that day; I think I tried Jillian Michaels’ 30-Day Shred. I thought I was going to throw up after about 5 minutes of it, so I stopped.
What was the switch, you ask? What was the impetus? I think it was an amalgamation of things. Working at a school where people value their bodies and what they can do played a big part in my changes; having to hike and run and keep up with kids on snowshoes proved to me that I really had gained a lot of weight in the last few years.
This next piece I admit with some shame: part of the push was from my ex. In mid-April of last year, he called me and professed his love. He said he was ready and willing to be with me, and be with me for real. In the same conversation (perhaps the same breath), he said, “But Britt, you’ve gotta lose some weight.” That hurt. It knocked the wind out of me. My alcoholic, semi-employed, stoned ex-boyfriend was telling me how to improve myself. And not only how to, but that I needed to.
We tried meeting again, I went slightly crazy and then decided to tell him to get out of my life, but… but his words stuck with me. Partly out of spite, and partly out of self-awareness and self-love, I decided to start taking care of myself. There are few things as powerful as the desire to prove you can to someone who has hurt you or implied you can’t.
People at school and in life ask me how I’ve done it - what’s my big secret? How have I lost all this weight? In my head, I think, “I’m not sure, but probably mostly out of spite.” But really, it’s not that. It’s because I finally took that step toward really caring about myself. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I decided to start taking care of myself physically at the same time as I made a very big, icky decision about caring for myself emotionally. I decided not to stay with the boy who had hurt me and ruined my trust, in spite of the fact that I did love him. I chose to honor myself instead.
“But really, how did you do it?” people still ask. I eat less. I make healthier choices more often. I move and exercise and stretch and race and run and love it. I get high off my endorphins. Do I still eat chocolate and cake and have lattes? Sure, sometimes. But not all day, every day. I think of myself. I think of how good it feels when I can finish my run. I think of how happy I am when I eat something tasty, but only until I am full or want to stop. These are skills I didn’t have before. If it was tasty, you had better believe I was going to eat the whole. darn. thing. And maybe seconds.
My radical choice, the secret to my success, was to care about myself. This self-care has extended to other areas as well; I set boundaries for myself between school and home. I don’t answer calls from my family if I think they’re going to stress me out. I am a happier, better person for it, and it shows.
So yes, I’ve lost 55 pounds in the past year. And yes, I’ve increased my endurance and can run (mostly) a 5K. But more than anything, I have proven to myself that I can take care of myself. And wonderful things are coming from that lesson. It’s been a good year.
Race Report!
Most important point first: I ran the entire distance and maintained a steady pace.
Less important: My time was slower than my times last spring.
Positive and interesting: Last year, after each 5K, I felt completely wiped out—like, sprawled in bed for a few hours wiped out. Today I did briefly go back to bed, but I wasn’t laid out by the run—it was just still really early. I felt functional and healthy, not exhausted.
From here: I feel ready to work on a 10K.
I’ve been feeling like I need to start work on strength training if I want to see real improvement in my running. I’ve got the running base down—I know how to breathe. But at the end of the day I don’t have the muscle I need to increase my speed or distance significantly. The 10K training plans I have been perusing all seem to confirm this—they all have days set aside for strength training.
I think I am in good enough shape to start working on a 10K. However, I’m not sure how I’ll mange it without access to a gym. I don’t have any free weights and I don’t really have any way to cross train at home (I don’t have a bike, and even if I did, there really isn’t anywhere in my neighborhood where I could seriously cycle).
Logistically that’s a little challenging right now. I could try to join a gym near work, but that would be expensive, and there’s only two-ish more weeks of school. I could find a gym here near where I live, but I’m only going to live here another month. I could wait until I move, but immediately after I move I’m hitting the road for a month.
I guess I should just wait until August to start actually training.
Whisper Post: Fit Teacher edition
For the past almost 3 months, I’ve been quietly Fit Teacher-ing all over the place. I joined a gym. I have been going 3-4 times a week. I’ve been tracking on MyFitnessPal. For the past month, I’ve stepped up to 5 workouts a week and today is my 7th consecutive workout day in a row. Friday is a serious timed 5K fundraiser for my school.
I’m trying. Really hard.
Recently some teachers commented that I look “different” and have asked me what I’m doing. Particularly, the boy keeps mentioning how he is inspired by me, and how he definitely sees a difference in my body (which made me swoon), even if I don’t.
And I don’t really. Sometimes I notice that clothes are fitting differently. I’m buying small sizes. Things are too big. But when I look in the mirror, I don’t see it. All the physical benefits are there: I feel good, lighter, more energized, have more endurance, and all that jazz. But at the end of the day, I’m doing this as much for weight and confidence as health.
My biggest fault…I can not bring myself to get on a scale. Not at the start. Not now. I’m far too scared and nervous and don’t want to set myself emotionally back.
Ahh the woes of fitness.
Epitome of Fit-teacher
Leave house: 6:50
Eat breakfast in the car
Arrive at school: 7:00
Kids leave: 3:35
Faculty meeting: until 4:45
Run 4 miles
Eat SALAD (thankfully provided by Reading Specialist)
Make copies for Family Reading Night (We’re reading Swimmy by Leo Lionni)
Set up other things for Family Reading Night
Family Reading Night: 6:30 - 8
Go home and create documents for the next day: until 10?
Wake and go back to school: 6am
I’m tired. But I got my miles in.
