By 1pm (or sooner!) your energy may be lagging and the final hours until school ends may seem a lifetime away. How are you going to make it through to the end of the day? We asked Really Good Teachers across the country how they keep their energy up throughout the day and found some great ideas, advice, and practical solutions. While not every solution may work for every teacher, there are some easy ideas that might work for you!
5 Ways to Beat the Midday Blahs
1. Watch What You Eat
Nutrition plays a huge part in how long your energy lasts throughout the day. Teacher Cait Marie said, “Just like children, you shouldn’t eat a lot of sugar in the morning. Focus more on protein and your energy will last instead of crashing.”
Check out these 10 High-Protein Breakfast Recipe Ideas to give you some ideas.
2. Early to Bed, Early to Rise
Going to bed early means different things to different people. For night-owls who do not go to bed until midnight, going to bed early may mean heading to bed at 10pm. Start by heading to bed a half-hour earlier and slowly work up to an hour or two earlier than your current bedtime. If you wake up early and in plenty of time to get to school, there is no need to wake up earlier than you already do. However, if you constantly feel rushed in the morning, try waking up 15 minutes earlier than you usually do. If you are going to bed a half-hour earlier than you were before, you will still be getting an extra 15 minutes of sleep even with waking up a bit earlier in the morning. The better rested you are, the easier it will be to maintain your energy throughout the school day.
3. Exercise
If you are chuckling and wondering where you are supposed to squeeze in a half-hour of exercise in your day, you are not alone. Time constraints are one of the biggest deterrents to daily exercise. Thankfully, as a teacher, you have a classroom full of exercise buddies who will make moving around a lot more fun. Pop on a song every time you start to feel your energy level dropping and get moving! Five breaks with 4-minute songs, gives you 20-minutes of dancing exercise throughout the day. Not only will you be able to squeeze in that exercise, but you will find that your energy stays up and you will be much more positive throughout the day. The best part? Your students will be more focused, happier, and have less behavioral issues if they have the chance to get their wiggles out at regular intervals.
4. A Cup of Coffee Goes a Long Way
If you are a coffee drinker, a midday cup of coffee can give you that extra pick-me-up when you feel your energy slipping away. Not allowed to have hot beverages in your classroom? Make an iced coffee instead. Fill a large cup with ice and pour in coffee. Add extra ice and your favorite flavored creamer or half-and-half to top it off. Put it in a large, insulated cup with a straw and you can sip on it throughout the afternoon.
For non-coffee drinkers, a cup of tea, iced tea, an energy shake, or a cup of juice can also have the same effect.
5. Drink Water
Just like coffee will give your body a caffeine boost, water will help combat dehydration and make you feel better. Teachers often do not drink a lot of water during the day, because bathroom breaks are few and far between. Once your body gets even mildly dehydrated you start to feel sluggish and may also find yourself becoming less patient with your students, more prone to headaches, and find yourself eating energy-zapping sugary snacks for a quick fix. Keep a bottle or covered cup of water on hand at all times.
Do you have a tip for stopping those midday blahs? Share them with us below!