Do You Have Balance?

Today's post is all about balance. You may have noticed I haven't been blogging as much as I used to blog. I used to blog 2 times a week religiously, but I'd sometimes blog as much as 4 or 5 times a week! It was a lot, and it took up a lot of my time.

This summer, I got married, my grandma passed away, I went on a honeymoon, I ran a few summer camps, I nannied, and I was settling into the house I just moved into. I had a LOT on my plate. I wanted to be super-teacher-blogger-entrepreneur-extraordinaire, and I just wasn't finding the time to do it all the way I wanted to.

I realized that I was spending a lot of time on all work and not a lot on play (you know, besides the honeymoon thing). Now, that's not to say I don't love teaching. I sure do! And I love blogging too. But... I was so overloaded that I wasn't doing anything the way I wanted to do it. I didn't know how to find time to play with my dogs, cook food, do typical chores, and run my TPT store. I could do that and sacrifice sleep, but that wasn't going to work for me. I haven't put any new products in my TPT store for a while. I was kicking myself about it, but I still wasn't taking care of myself well.

I ended up pulling away from some things for a little bit, and I'm SO glad I did. The past 2 months, I have decided to work really hard on a goal that is NOT directly related to teaching, but I see it as so, so incredibly important to my teaching career. I am excited to say that I am officially a POP Pilates Instructor! POP Pilates is a fun, upbeat version of Pilates that uses classic Pilates moves and turns them into a dance on the mat.

Now, how does that help me as a third grade teacher? Well, for one, when I consistently exercise, I have a LOT more energy. And, since this exercise format is the right one for me, I really enjoy taking time out of my day to do it. It's fun, and it is honestly a hobby and passion of mine. I'm lucky that it gives me so many health benefits. When I start my day with POP, I'm much happier. If I have to do it in the afternoon after work, it's something awesome to look forward to.

It helps to give me BALANCE.

So, here's why I wanted to write this post today, Teachers. I want to know... do you really have BALANCE? Are you taking time out of your day to take care of yourself? Yes, meal prep is important. Yes, the kids are important. Yes, the lesson plans are important. Yes, the bill paying, house cleaning, and other stuff is important. BUT WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR YOU? Do you like to go for walks in nature? Do you like to craft? WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR YOURSELF?

The less you do for yourself, the less productive you will be. I promise you that. One thing I've started doing is taking my weekends off. I will work really late during the week if need be, but I make sure that my weekends are my weekends unless it's a SUPER crazy time, like conference time or report card time. But honestly... I don't like to spend much weekend time on even those things!

If you are working on finding some ME time for yourself, I suggest starting with exercise. Find a POP Pilates class (they are popping up ALL over!) if that sounds fun to you. If you want something more intense... try some PIIT. PIIT 28 is a Pilates and high intensity interval training blend that will get you all excercised-up in only 28 minutes a day.

I tried PIIT a few months back and lost 8 inches off of my body. I was filled with energy and was much happier at work. If this is interesting to you, click the picture above for some more info. Now that I'm certified to teach POP, I will have time to put PIIT back into my workout routine again. I plan to do both PIIT and POP.

I know it's easy for you to forget about yourselves because I fall into the same trap if I'm not careful. I challenge you to do ONE thing EACH DAY for yourself! What do you want that one thing to be? Comment below to commit to yourself!