Spinning Students Learn Self-Regulation

There is something special about exercise! As a running fanatic for all of my life, I have always tried to share my enthusiasm with others, particularly my students. It is not just the movement of running that I enjoy, nor the health benefits, but there is something else that makes it special. I used to get terrible headaches when I was a kid. They interrupted my life throughout childhood, until I started running cross-country in ninth grade. The headaches went away and upon reflection, I am quite sure they were related to stress. When I am out on a run or riding my ElliptiGO, I can solve problems, think creatively, and keep my whole world in working order. This is a guest blog post by myself. It comes from my teacher's blog and reflects something cool that I am doing in my classroom. I recently added a classroom spin bike to my fifth grade class. It is not really for fitness, but for something called self-regulation. As my class cycles through 5 minute spins on the bike throughout the day, I hope they are learning the benefits of movement to relieve stress, help with focus and attention, deal with anxiety, and to calm down when overwhelmed.  The bike is a huge success with my students and is gaining attention throughout my school. Already there is talk of other teachers at my school getting spin bikes in their own classrooms.

Using a Classroom Spin Bike to Learn Self-Regulation 

I have always liked to exercise and have been a long time competitive runner ever since running  cross-country during high school. I have competed in about 50 marathons and 5 Ironman distance triathlons among hundreds of other races, so I love the challenge and the competition, but there is something more that I gain from exercise. A daily workout of an hour or more helps me solve problems, think creatively, and deal with the stresses and pressure of daily life (particularly when teaching). That appreciation for movement is something I have always wanted to add to my classroom environment, but how do you get your students to understand the benefits of movement and exercise?
You can read my entire post here: Using a Classroom Spin Bike to Learn Self-Regulation