Oh My Gosh! Quads,Hammies,Calves,Biceps,Triceps& Glutes!
This weeks trainings hit every single inch of my body and it hurts so good! As The burn intensified as I lunged “around the world” (doing a set of lunges forward, side and back) with Glenna, my mind became at ease.
It was in that moment that I really realized the importance of working out. I understood the obvious reasons, but in this moment It became clear that my mind has a lot going on in it and sometimes I can’t turn it off. This usually occurs right around 10pm when I’m preparing for sleep. When I do these full body workouts with Glenna, this not only physically exhausts me, it mentally exhausts me. THIS is the combination I have been searching for.
After our training session yesterday, I think my endorphins were on overdrive and Glenna and I sat for a second to confirm our training schedule. We started chatting and I learned some fun facts about Glenna. She was a teacher herself, and I instantly I started to think about the children I teach and how I strive to be a role model for them and their families on many levels, especially health and wellness.
Each year it is a teaching goal/strategy of mine to physically/cognitively challenge each child who enters our preschool. Again, the obvious physical challenges of kicking a ball in the gum or sliding down the slide on the roof are easy ways to target physical challenge, but the big question is, how to present activities that challenge both the physical and the cognitive? I have challenged myself over the years to research and experiment with this inquiry, and have found small doses of success. As with most things in life, more answers led to more questions, the next lesson to be learned or the next goal reached.
By participating in full body trainings, I am now able to understand more of what exactly I am seeking for the students in my classroom. It is one of my teaching strategies and my philosophy, that if a child is physically and cognitively challenged, they are then able to understand and control their bodies, brains and actions. If a child is connected to their body, they are able to connect deeper to learning and build more meaningful relationships. It’s been amazing to fully experience what I want for my students, and find out how well it works! The science behind early childhood fascinates me and I feel grateful that I am in a profession I am passionate about.
Enough reading! Go challenge your mind and body!
Nili Talis is one of our beloved preschool teachers who had an epiphany about what it might take to truly be at her best.
In January, each preschool teacher at the 14th Street Y was given the opportunity to participate in “the passion project.” The idea behind this project was to motivate, inspire and connect each teacher with the feeling of passion. It was up to each individual to define their passion. When we found out that Nili would pursue her passion for health and wellness with us, we asked her to share her workouts with us, in the hopes that it might inspire a passion for health in others.
Thoughts + Happenings 