Inside the Club: Get Teachers Healthy

We continually blame video games and television for the childhood obesity epidemic. Although technology may play a role in the sedentary lifestyle, I believe it’s a cop out for our own disengagement as adults.

It’s easy to point a finger at growing trends and instill blame for negative impacts going on around us. However, you don’t hear adults blaming technology for making their lives easier. We are able to exercise and track every heartbeat, calorie burned and distance traveled — if you want to lose 100 pounds, there’s an app for that.

I recently read an article stating that grade school children only get about one gym class per week. Additionally, I recall that by sophomore year of high school, I was no longer required to take a physical education class. I was required to take math, science and social studies, but no one ever said I had to take a gym class.

Today, kids are able to go through entire school years with only a very minimal amount of exercise. However, we continue to blame technology. What about the people working inside the school?

I have a lot of teachers in my family and inside my group of friends. I have the highest respect for the teachers I know. Teachers work hard to give hope to the youth of America. But, I never recall a teacher telling me that diet and exercise could help me with focus and potentially better grades.

Additionally, there were a lot of teachers at my small high school in Central Kentucky that couldn’t remember the last time they exercised. What type of role model is this for our children — in my case, potential future children?

We spend countless hours blaming the systems and technology for what has happened to our youth. We are quick to look around us and point at what has happened, but it would take a miracle to look into the mirror and harbor some of the blame.

As an industry it’s our role to not only help children get in shape, but to also help adults. The starting line is with the role models, not the people watching the role models. Have you ever thought about providing the school board with discounts to get teachers moving? What about a program just for teachers to help them get in better shape?

Imagine a world where, when the school bell rings, teachers make their class stand and stretch for 3-5 minutes — this includes the teacher. What if kids could not only enroll in physical education, but they could choose to take yoga or Pilates for an hour a day? What if instead of being forced to play volleyball, they could sign up for a boot camp, HIIT course or Zumba?

We live in a world of options. We have the option to sit still, or get up and move. However, if we grow up sedentary, it will be much harder for us to want to move later in life. This week, take some time to meet with principals and teachers in your community. See if there is interest in you offering discounted memberships if the entire staff will enroll. Become close with your superintendent and see how your missions match up. Let’s make a move to get our teachers healthier, so that they can set a good example for proper health for our youth.

Tyler Montgomery is the editor of Club Solutions Magazine. Contact him at tyler@clubsolutionsmagazine.com.