Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many teachers get an hour off for conference period also, so could get in a 30-45min exercise routine there if you needed more. Use the school's facilities, they always have a gym and other equipment.

There's no way you're a teacher. Definitely not an elementary teacher. You're lucky if you can find 2-3 minutes to pee.

Funny you say that. I was for a while. Loved having a whole hour to sit and watch movies, catch up online (early internet days), or just lock my classroom door and take a nap.
Have cousins who still are teachers also.

So dunno what your issue is or was. Perhaps you waste too much time at other points during the day? Learn to delegate and run a classroom.

Early days of the internet? So you were a teacher (if you aren't lying) over 20 years ago. News flash: things are VERY different now.

I technically have 90 minutes "off" every day. Here's a example of how my planning periods ("off periods") go most weeks:

-- Monday: CLT meeting for general education. The meeting is 75-85 minutes.

-- Tuesday: IEP or 504 meeting. If not an IEP or 504 meeting, usually a parent conference. These meetings are usually 60+ minutes.

-- Wednesday: CLT meeting for honors. The meeting is 75-85 minutes.

-- Thursday: Actual planning period. Occasionally, I have an IEP or 504 meeting, but I usually get this day for planning.

-- Friday: Instructional leadership, literacy, or department meeting. These meetings are always 60+ minutes.

I've been teaching for 25 years. Things are vastly different than they were in the early 2000s, before we had so many mandatory meetings and fewer than 10% of my students had IEPs/504 plans for which I had to attend meetings. Out of my 150-160 students I now have, approximately 30-40 have an educational plan of some type. I have to attend meetings for no fewer than 25 of those students (all 504 plans and at least 5-10 IEPs).

Teachers truly struggle to find time to use the restroom. There is no way they have time to watch movies or play around on the internet, let alone get in a workout. 🙄

You need a gym that has classes at 7am or 4pm. Or working out to a YouTube video at home like PPs said. Studies show that late evening exercise messes with nighttime sleep, so don't choose a late option.

But congrats to you for making this work. When I was a teacher, my hours were 7:00-4:30 plus 1-2 hours of grading in the evenings. I didn't exercise regularly. I hope you can do it.

I'm also a teacher. Prior to 2022, I was at work by 6am and rarely left until after 7pm. While teaching virtually, I worked even longer hours than that. There was no time for the gym.

Since 2022, however, I have put my wellness first. I only stay at the building from 6am to 3:30pm, which allows me to get exercise and down time into my routine. I'd recommend you do the same.

Perhaps try something such as:

1. Early morning workout by yourself, either at the gym or on your own.

2. Work

3. Evening class if you so desire. Otherwise, workout again on your own if you didn't feel satisfied by your morning workout.

Set limits so you can balance work and wellness. Your gym offering evening classes around be fine for your schedule.

When the last bell rings and the kids are gone I pull down my shades, change, and do a workout video. Then I finish my work. It’s not perfect and I swear one day someone will walk in on me, but if I go home first there is no way I’m venturing back out for a late class once my own kids are home and I have to make dinner.

Exercise. Not excercise. Yikes. I hope op isn’t actually a teacher.

Mine are 8:05-4:25 3 days a week, and 9:05-4:25 the other two. I’m exhausted by the end of the day. Wake up at 5am, have some coffee, exercise at home for 30-45 minutes, shower and head out. The days I skip exercising, I feel much more sluggish.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems like 5:30-9 would work just fine for your work schedule, no?

Not the OP but going during that time could potentially interfere with family time.

For me, working out first thing in the morning has always been the answer. I don't use gym classes; I work out at home with a small set of various weights and follow videos from Fitness Blender.

That's not a teacher hours problem. That's just a working parent problem.

Anonymous wrote:I'm a teacher and looking at gym memberships.

My work hours are 8:30-3:25.

The gym has group classes at 8:00-11:00 and then they pick up again at 5:30-9:00.

Should I even bother?? My thought was to go either before or after school.

You should not bother with this gym, that's for sure.

Do you have to have a gym, though? Is exercising at home an option? If you don't need the benefits a gym offers some people, buying some equipment is going to be less expensive in the long run.

If you need a gym, are you looking both near your house and near your school? There's got to be something with earlier hours.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many teachers get an hour off for conference period also, so could get in a 30-45min exercise routine there if you needed more. Use the school's facilities, they always have a gym and other equipment.

There's no way you're a teacher. Definitely not an elementary teacher. You're lucky if you can find 2-3 minutes to pee.

Funny you say that. I was for a while. Loved having a whole hour to sit and watch movies, catch up online (early internet days), or just lock my classroom door and take a nap.
Have cousins who still are teachers also.

So dunno what your issue is or was. Perhaps you waste too much time at other points during the day? Learn to delegate and run a classroom.

Yeah, you don’t know what it means to be sitting in PLCs or CLTs every planning hour, do you?

Do you NEED group classes?

Could you just run or use an exercise bike for workouts during the week, then take classes on the weekend?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a teacher and looking at gym memberships.

My work hours are 8:30-3:25.

The gym has group classes at 8:00-11:00 and then they pick up again at 5:30-9:00.

Should I even bother?? My thought was to go either before or after school.

You work 7 hours a day.

I don’t understand why those hours won’t work for you? What do you think most people with jobs do for gym time?

I assume you have kids, work out on your own at the end hours (530 or 10pm) or workout 530pm and get home at 630, when most working parents who work 8+ hours get home.

Most teachers work hours beyond their reporting hours. Arrive an hour earlier in the mornings. Stay 30-60 minutes after (more on mandatory staff meeting days biweekly), plus an hour or two in the evenings.

When pp/OP says "my work hours are 8:30-3:25" she means those are the bell hours. Not her actual work hours.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a teacher and looking at gym memberships.

My work hours are 8:30-3:25.

The gym has group classes at 8:00-11:00 and then they pick up again at 5:30-9:00.

Should I even bother?? My thought was to go either before or after school.

You work 7 hours a day.

I don’t understand why those hours won’t work for you? What do you think most people with jobs do for gym time?

I assume you have kids, work out on your own at the end hours (530 or 10pm) or workout 530pm and get home at 630, when most working parents who work 8+ hours get home.

DP. I’m a teacher, too. I work 10-11 hours most days. My time *with students* may equal about 7 hours.

There’s a huge misconception on DCUM regarding teacher work. It isn’t the easy, breezy job people like to pretend it is.

But to answer the question: I work out at 5am before I get ready. I’m way too tired after the work day.

Anonymous wrote:I'm a teacher and looking at gym memberships.

My work hours are 8:30-3:25.

The gym has group classes at 8:00-11:00 and then they pick up again at 5:30-9:00.

Should I even bother?? My thought was to go either before or after school.

You work 7 hours a day.

I don’t understand why those hours won’t work for you? What do you think most people with jobs do for gym time?

I assume you have kids, work out on your own at the end hours (530 or 10pm) or workout 530pm and get home at 630, when most working parents who work 8+ hours get home.

I think getting some weights and doing at home workouts could be the solution. I'm a teacher, and I can't imagine working out after a day with kids. When I don't have access to a gym I do love being able to step outside and do a sunrise run.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a teacher and looking at gym memberships.

My work hours are 8:30-3:25.

The gym has group classes at 8:00-11:00 and then they pick up again at 5:30-9:00.

Should I even bother?? My thought was to go either before or after school.

Sounds like you're looking for easy reasons to not exercise. Are Self fulfilling prophecies a thing for you too? Read Atomic Habits.

This. ^

People get creative when it comes to trying to blame others or find excuses to get out of work.