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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Teaching and going to the Gym

141 replies

liquoricecolours · 18/08/2021 22:05

Hey everyone, I'm doing a PGCE for the next year, any advice on having a routine for going to the gym from fellow teachers, I used to go to the gym before the pandemic but have fallen off the wagon and not been to the gym since. I'm a bit worried that I'm going to be so busy working that going to the gym will simply not happen as I would like to get back in to going to the gym.

OP posts:

speakout · 18/08/2021 22:06

Why only teacher advice? Surely many working people have similar constraints?

Funnylittlefloozie · 18/08/2021 22:08

Is this about going to the gym? It isn't totally clear from your post .

LawnFever · 18/08/2021 22:08

Surely it’s the same for anyone working full time in a busy job? Why does being a teacher make any particular difference?

I work long hours, I find I stick to a gym routine better if I book classes rather than do my own session.

LawnFever · 18/08/2021 22:09

@Funnylittlefloozie

Is this about going to the gym? It isn't totally clear from your post

Original poster

liquoricecolours · 18/08/2021 22:09

Oh you don't have to be a teacher sorry, all jobs are welcome. I was just thinking of those who are teachers as it's the same job but other insights from people will be helpful.

OP posts:

Bluntness100 · 18/08/2021 22:10

Ok, kinda weird op but like anyone who works full time you do it when you’re not working Ie mornings, evenings, weekends etc.

Cherryana · 18/08/2021 22:11

I used to go at 6am. Drive to school, have a shower, eat breakfast and start a 8am.

I always packed my clothes, shower stuff, breakfast and lunch the night before.
I kept a hairdryer at school.

The routine of it made my life more productive.

cariadlet · 18/08/2021 22:12

I'm a teacher and what works for me is to go to the gym after school, come home and have dinner then do any school work after dinner.

AllThatFancyPaintsAsFair · 18/08/2021 22:12

Aside from the assumption that teachers are a homogeneous group who all have exactly the same lives how can anyone give you anything other than very generic tip

Might it not be better to look at your life and see where you have a gap of enough time to fit in a gym visit?

Msgiggles30 · 18/08/2021 22:12

I assume OP means because she will be working full time long hours as a teacher when on placement but also doing all the essays and coursework needed for uni side of things so no not the same as just a full time job really. Im a lazy teacher and do not get to the gym lol but most colleagues that do go before school in the morning. However it is important to set times for yourself so maybe ensure you leave school at a decent time twice a week and go straight from school to the gym early and then can do work at home afterwards on those days x

HunterHearstHelmsley · 18/08/2021 22:13

You just fit it in where you can.

Personally, I finish work at 4pm. I pop to the gym afterwards for around an hour. I have my whole evening free then. I could go before work but morning exercise is not for me.

The majority of full time workers who go to gym that i know go straight there after work. There's a couple that go in the morning or at lunchtime.

KindergartenKop · 18/08/2021 22:13

Get into school early (7:30ish). Book a class at the gym for 6pm. Leave school at 5:30pm to go to gym. Eat dinner at 7pm. Work 8-10:30pm. Sleep. Etc.

Ponoka7 · 18/08/2021 22:14

I used to go to a gym that a lot of teachers went to. They came straight after school. I left because of them. I was sick of the moaning.

Bakingwithmyboys · 18/08/2021 22:15

Be kind to yourself and then find your working pattern.
You will find out if you are someone that likes to mark everything in school or whether you prefer to mark at home.
Can you go to the gym knowing you will need to do some more work after or does it have to be the last thing you do?

For example, now I have kids, my focus at the end of the school day is setting up for the next day and making sure all but 1 set of books are sorted.(I'm primary so we have to mark everything everyday, we have an expectation that 1 set of books is done at lunchtime). I will then leave to pick up children and be mum to do dinner etc until they are in bed. Then I will finish marking and sort out any extra bits needed.

I also make sure I keep some evenings free to spend time with DH.

Be kind to yourself though. Having something other than school is so important. But you will need to work out where your priorities lie.

user1493494961 · 18/08/2021 22:15

I think you'll need to be organised.

ILoveAnOwl · 18/08/2021 22:15

Go before work, or book classes in advance. You will always always leave work later than you expect/have a load of stuff to take home in the evening so just get it done in the morning or schedual weekend time for it.

Good luck next year. PGCE is brutal!

Monestera · 18/08/2021 22:19

There’s no way I could have managed the gym as a full time teacher. When I left, I went crazy - joined a gym and hit the council pool at 6:30am

MotionActivatedDog · 18/08/2021 22:21

@Funnylittlefloozie

Is this about going to the gym? It isn't totally clear from your post

😂😂😂

YouMadeABear · 18/08/2021 22:26

My routine mainly involved coffee and crying and no gym whatsoever but maybe I was doing it wrong. Good luck.

BabyRace · 18/08/2021 22:29

Pack clothes the night before, lay out gym clothes. Wake up early and go work out. Shower at the gym, eat a protein bar and have a coffee when I get to work.

Booboosweet · 18/08/2021 22:37

I'm a full time teacher and between work and parenting I have 0 time for the gym.

borntobequiet · 18/08/2021 22:39

Find a gym that none of your pupils go to.

KnackeredHag · 18/08/2021 22:44

Was just about to say make sure you find a gym.that none of your students attend but someone beat me to it

Needingideas · 18/08/2021 22:48

Might not be a desirable option for all but my school fitness suite have staff-only sessions after school most days. It means I can tag it into the end of my day and fit it in before picking DS up from his childcare.

TheMoth · 18/08/2021 22:50

It's a long, long time since I did my pgce, but it didn't leave much time for anything resembling life away from work.

I commented on the other gym thread. Basically, as a pp said, you make a time and stick to it. They are nights when I think:"shit, should have really marked those books/ finished my data analysis/ worked on the spreadsheet tonight instead of going to the gym", but it's easy to fall into a trap of never not working. And often, when your normal day suddenly turns into a shitshow resulting in having to take more work home than you planned, you have to make that call: I've already worked until 6. Can I give myself the rest of the night off? Can it be done tomorrow night?

When my kids were v small, I used to go on Friday after work. Or before work.

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