More Student Questions!

How long do you workout in a day?

As far as working out, I think it’s important to move as much as you can throughout the day.  Being a PE teacher, I get to do that as I’m rarely off my feet.  Besides my constant daily movement, I try to really challenge my body a couple times a day – usually before school or over the lunch hour, and then sometime after school.  

 

How long have you been a PE teacher?

This is my 6^th year as a PE teacher.  It’s an awesome job!

Is lots of apple juice bad for you?

I would never recommend lots of any fruit juice.  When you just drink the juice, you miss out on many of the other nutrients that were in the fruit including the fiber and some vitamins and minerals.  Some juice is ok, but most of the time go for the whole fruit.

Does every sport help you get healthier?  What is the best sport for health?

Most sports do help you get healthier unless the sport is very high impact.  If your body is constantly taking a beating and not recovering properly, then the sport may not be helping a lot.  Make sure you get extra sleep and good quality protein in your meals if you are playing a high impact sport.  I don’t know if there is one particular sport that is the best for your health.  I say do whatever you enjoy, and as long as you’re moving, that’s great!

 

If you’re not good at doing push-ups, is there any way you can practice at home?

Absolutely!  Just do what we do in class. Try modified push-ups, plank push-ups, push-up holds, and then work on a regular perfect push-up.  I recommend working on them every other day to give those muscles time to rest and rejuvenate in between.  

Does sleeping improve your body at all?

I actually talked about this in a previous question, but yes, sleeping is ESSENTIAL to keeping our bodies working properly.  Sleeping is the most important time our bodies use to recover, repair, and grow.

Don’t you want your heart to beat slow?

If you have a strong heart that is working very well, your heart will beat slower when you are at rest.  That is because it is able to pump/push more blood throughout the body with each beat.  One way to measure one’s cardiovascular fitness is to check resting heart rate.  Also, someone who has a very fit heart will have to work harder to get their heart rate up compared to someone who doesn’t have as fit a heart.

How would you loose weight and get muscles?

A combination of real whole fresh food (low in sugar), resistance exercise (push-ups, lunges, squats, lifting weights), some great aerobic/anaerobic workouts (sprints, jogging, jumping, skipping, biking, swimming, basketball, etc), having fun & controlling stress, and getting plenty of sleep.

How can I work out in the winter without equipment?

Do all the things we do for our dynamic warm-up!  Remember, your body weight can serve as your resistance.

Quadriceps Stretch

Sleep - Mr. Recker's Tips

1.  Make sure you are active throughout the day.  As I have previously mentioned, the more active you are, the more your body will want to sleep to repair your muscles, bones, and joints.  

 2.  Eat fresh vegetables & fruits, especially leafy greens and cruciferous veggies.  These foods contain high amounts of magnesium, which relaxes the nervous system and will calm you before bed.  

 3.  Don’t eat anything after dinner.  Eating too close to bedtime will cause changes in your blood sugar and hormones throughout the night.  This can make it hard to fall asleep or cause you to have restless sleep. 

4.  Try not to do anything stimulating close to bedtime like playing video games or using your computer.  These devices can often times speed up brain waves and make it difficult to fall asleep.   

5.  Try to discover things that relax you in the evening.  Some suggestions could be reading a book, taking a walk, stretching, listening to calming music, or prayer/meditation.  Try different things and find what works for you!

March PE Stars!

Here are the March PE Stars!  They showed excellence in the "5 Star Qualities."

- Work Ethic
- Focus
- Positive Attitude
- Sportsmanship
- Leadership


3rd Grade

4th Grade

5th Grade

6th Grade

New Student Questions!

Sorry for the delay on the student questions.  Here are 5 new ones and my answers.  Feel free to comment or question below the post by clicking on "comments." 

How do you prevent against disease?

The best way to prevent disease is to live a healthy lifestyle.  The key components to a healthy lifestyle are exercise/movement, nutrition (the food you eat), sleep, and stress management.  If you keep your body active, eat fresh whole foods, get 8-9 hours of restful sleep (you feel rejuvenated in the morning), and don’t let stress get you angry, depressed, or sad for long periods of time, you will be doing your best to prevent against disease.

If you eat veggies all the time is that bad?

Eating veggies all the time is definitely not bad.  Just remember, it takes more than veggies to make a healthy eating plan.  Protein and fat is just as important as veggies.  Sources of protein & fat like meat, eggs, cheese, and nuts provides the body with necessary vitamins and nutrients to grow & repair our bodies, and allow our brains to function properly.  

Does working out help you sleep better?

Working out does help you sleep better.  For one, your body will sense that you need to repair and rejuvenate (from the workout) and will want to sleep.  Also, vigorous exercise helps your nervous system calm down by expelling stress chemicals from the nerves that run through your legs.

How do I sleep better at night? 

I’ll give you a few tips:  1.  Make sure you are active throughout the day.  As I mentioned in the question above, the more active you are, the more your body will want to sleep to repair your muscles, bones, and joints.  2.  Eat fresh vegetables & fruits, especially leafy greens and cruciferous veggies.  These foods contain high amounts of magnesium, which relaxes the nervous system and will calm you before bed.  3.  Don’t eat anything after your last meal.  Eating too close to bedtime will cause changes in your blood sugar and hormones throughout the night.  This can make it hard to fall asleep or cause you to have restless sleep.  4.  Try not to do anything stimulating like playing video games or using your computer.  These devices can turn on the brain too much sometimes.  5.  Try to discover things that relax you in the evening.  Some suggestions could be reading a book, taking a walk, stretching, listening to calming music, or prayer/meditation.  Try different things and find what works for you!

Can you do too many healthy things?

That’s an interesting question.  If you can make “healthy things” or healthy habits a normal part of your life, and you enjoy those things, then you are on the right path.  If you spend every hour of every day worried about whether or not you are making a healthy choice, that could cause too much stress, which could ultimately be bad for your health.  Fortunately, many healthy things (exercising, staying active by playing, sleeping, relaxing, laughing, eating delicious food that isn’t junk) are very enjoyable.  Nobody does all the right things – not even me!  What matters is what you do most of the time.