Like many teachers, Patti Lenahan and Steve Nielsen at Indian Springs Elementary School in Big Bend seldom exercised, had poor eating habits and wound up with health problems.
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Shasta County teachers Patti Lenahan and Steve Nielsen (below on this page) created a support group of sorts to keep themselves serious about working out and eating right. |
"Last February I had chest pains and a lot of symptoms you might think of as associated with a heart attack," says Lenahan, who is 50. "I'm sure the physical symptoms were from stress."
"When I first started teaching, I gained 10 pounds and my blood pressure went up," says Nielsen, who will admit only to being "middle-aged." The stress of teaching made him want to eat more often, creating a "false hunger." And fattening food was always around.
"In schools, food is available all the time - but it's not necessarily healthy food," he says. "You may find a muffin in the teachers' lounge with 60 grams of fat instead of something that's good for you."
The coworkers, who belong to the Shasta County Teachers Association, decided to form a support group of sorts to get healthy. They started commuting the 52 miles from Redding to their school together as a way to relieve stress, and encouraged each other to work out at Redding health clubs on a regular basis to improve fitness. Both have lost weight and feel much healthier as a result.
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Shasta County teacher Steve Nielsen |
"One to two hours totally devoted to cardio and strength training three days a week has increased my stamina and endurance," says Lenahan while exercising on a cross-training machine. "My old routine of going to school early, staying late, dropping into bed at night and paying no attention to myself is over. I have a better attitude and I'm happier. How can that not be a benefit to my students?"
"I also find it helpful to eat a salad at lunch and fruit for snacks," she adds. "My greatest complaint is staff gatherings where muffins, brownies, doughnuts and sweets dominate the landscape, and leftovers hang out in the staff room for another week."
"I now have my blood pressure under control," says Nielsen while lifting weights. "I'm feeling much less stressed. I'm getting back to what I call normal. I've lost 10 pounds and feel great."
"Teaching is a never-ending job, but you have to make time for yourself," he adds. "You can't make yourself sick over work."