Keeping a food journal is an eye opening experience to say
the least. I think many times I don’t even realize what I am even putting in my
body. As I began to write down everything I was eating right away I began to
monitor what I was allowing myself to eat. The reason was because I didn't want
anyone to know how I ate because it is embarrassing. That is when I discovered
I am a closet eater. I would prefer to eat by myself because I don’t want
anyone to make a judgment on what I am eating. I also began to notice I live a
very sedentary life. I come to school and sit all day then I go home and sit
all night. Seeing how I was living in just a week made me feel like a failure.
I was uncomfortable with who I was and I knew that I had to change because my
students are not going to listen to what I have to say if I am not living in a
way that is worth emulating.
Over the weekend I set a goal: I was going to be more active
and make better food choices. This task turned out to be a little harder than
expected. I started with going to the gym every other day and them walking on
the days I was not at the gym. I also decided to bring my lunch and if I had to
eat out I was being conscious of what I was ordering. The results were great I
did make it to the gym, but missed a day because we were in Seattle. Even
though we missed a day at the gym I still got walking in. I have to say that I
quite enjoy walking and it wasn't like I was doing anything else interesting at
home besides sitting at my computer. As a teacher in training I am really worried
because I see how easy it is to choose to stay home and watch TV or play on the
computer and how the health implications or so negative. I want to encourage
students to be active and limit their screen time. I also really want to
influence students to make better food choices. We are living in a world of
processed convenience food that has all its nutrition striped. I hope to show
my students that you can still have the food you love, but choose moderation or
healthier versions. For example Mac & Cheese if you make it home made then
you are not using powdered cheese products and actually get the calcium and nutrients
of the dairy.
If I were to ask my students to keep a journal I would start
with asking them to write down what they ate and how they felt. Then we could
do a reflective writing lesson. We could do a research project and read about
nutrition and so on. I stop there because health and fitness deserves to be incorporated
into every aspect of teaching. If we as teachers or better yet American’s want
to influence a generation we will work to influence living a healthy lifestyle which
is all encompassing. 
Wow! I am absolutely floored by how you shared your truth and experience with us, your readers. Looking at the progress you have made and the positive experiences that you have been having along the way is incredibly meaningful to me. I noticed, in my own life, that it is so easy to get into a rut of inactivity. When in said rut you feel lethargic and like you don't want to be active but if you make that push and just force yourself to get out there it starts to feel amazing. For me, the trick is to make sure I don't allow myself to get to that inactive place, although it does inevitably happen from time to time.
ReplyDeleteI feel lucky to be an audience to your honesty. Thank you for sharing!