The Teacher's Health Journey: Episode 5

A few easy tips to help you on your health journey…

They say that diet is 60 percent of being fit and exercise is 40 percent (percentages vary depending on who you talk to). But the idea is that both are important and go hand-in-hand. Remember, it’s never too late to start your journey towards being a healthier you. Even if you binged on breakfast or shorted yourself on movement you can always make a better choice next time. Here are some tips for helping you on your health journey:

Nutrition Tip:
Start eating soup! Soups and stews are great because they are nutritious, there is a wide variety, and they often taste even better the next day. That means you can save them and have them for lunch or dinner later that week! Not to mention the fact that one pot of soup contains a lot of servings. Try this delicious vegetable soup recipe that is easy to make:

Vegetable Soup:
Brown 1 lb. of ground beef and an onion. Stir well.
Dice up two small potatoes and two carrots. Add to mixture.
Add a can of crushed tomatoes to mixture.
Add two cups of water.
Cook about 20-30 minutes until the potatoes are done.
Add half a can of corn, half a can of green beans, and half a can of peas.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add one cup of pasta like macaroni or half a cup of rice.
Cook for another 30 minutes until soup thickens.
Optional: Add a tsp. of garlic

Fitness Tip:
Squats are one of the biggest calorie burners because they engage all of your major lower muscles. And since they build up your leg muscles, they can help you get toned for shorts season! There are a ton of squat challenges out there for beginners or experts that are a great way to motivate yourself and get in better shape for the summer. Plus, squats don't take up any room and don't require you to get on the groud, so you can pretty much do them just about anywhere. Check out this video from Howcast on how to do a proper squat.

Carolina Fransen is the EdTech Apps and Tools Editor at SimpleK12.com. She writes regularly about the use of educational technology in K-12 classrooms. If you have an app, tool, website, or service that you think we should know about, please send your information or tip to editor@simplek12.com.