10 Ways To Stay Fit In a Virtual Classroom
I am a virtual teacher. I am a mama. I am a blogger. I am not a fitness expert. However, as a teacher, I know that my students perform better when they are physically active. As a mama, I know my children are more ready to learn when they have "shaken their wiggles out." And as a blogger, I know that we all love a good top ten list! Indeed, we don’t have to have a degree in fitness science to know that moving helps us to stay happy learners!
Did you know that the *US CDC published a report that outlines a research based link between classroom physical activity and academic achievement? It states, that 8 out of 9 studies, conducted in primary and secondary schools internationally, there was a positive association between physical breaks and academic performance when students took 5-20 min breaks during the day in a classroom.
So let’s get moving!
1. Eat your breakfast it will help you want to start moving.
2. Go outside for a jog and listen to your English novel with a free download from Librivox.
3. Place a healthy snack and a HUGE glass of water at your desk.
4. Sit on an exercise ball instead of a chair to work your core.
5. Stop work every 30 min and do 100 crunches…then in another 30 min for pushups….then….
6. Put your laptop on your kitchen counter for a while and stand while you take assessments.
7. Purchase some sort of a fancy-smanchy "fit desk" to pedal ($), ride ($$$), or walk($$$$).
8. Keep a jump rope next to you and every time you finish a lesson "jump for joy" until you are too tired to continue.
9. At least twice a day, take a dance break! Yes! Stop working, turn up the volume on your favorite song and dance. Then start working again by tweeting your vine dance video to @k12_INTL and @MsMcPeacock #healthystudentdancebreak.
10. Make your parents, grandparents, guardianparents proud and pick up a broom and sweep. That’s right, according to Shape.com you can burn 136 calories an hour sweeping. Who knew?
What do you do in your virtual classroom to move every day?
*Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The association between school based physical activity, including physical education, and academic performance. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2010.
