What does being a healthy teacher mean? Based on the way I used to live, I can definitely tell you what it doesn't mean. For starters, it doesn't mean grabbing Cheetos and Coke in the morning and calling it breakfast. Nor does it mean buying candy and fudge every time a student comes by for a fundraiser.

But there's more to it than just your nutrition. Healthy teachers don't sit at their desks, grading for hours on end without moving, and they don't lie awake at night obsessing over every single thing they forgot to do that day and every single thing they have to do tomorrow. So yeah, I was nowhere near healthy.

It's far too easy to fall into bad habits. During my first two years of teaching, I gained 40 pounds. I was no longer walking a mile each day to get to my job, and because I had too much work to do, I never went to the gym. With only 20 minutes to eat lunch, I grabbed whatever was quick and fueled myself with soda and candy to get through the day. It wasn't good for me, and I knew I couldn't keep it up. I'm working to get back to health and happiness, and if you want to join me, here's how.



