The Teacherpreneur’s Guide to Physical & Mental Health with Andrea Mishio [Ep. 77]

 
 

Click play to learn about mental health for teachers:

 
 

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Here’s what to expect from this episode:

Calling all podcasters, teachers, spouses, and parents! Your health goes way beyond working; it's your habits, your mental well-being, and even how you talk about your health (and how it rubs off on your children). 

And if you, like many, feel like you're often juggling a lot all at once, then today's episode is the perfect conversation to help set yourself up for physical and mental health success. I have Andrea Mishio on the show today, and we are talking all things health and taking care of ourselves. Andrea shares her story of finding holistic wellness, creating a wellness routine that works for you and your schedule, plus the importance of accountability and community. 

So if you're feeling burnt out (or close to it) and just not as physically or mentally healthy as you'd like, I really hope this episode gives you the gentle push you need to start taking steps to take care of yourself from the inside out.

Meet Andrea:

Andrea Mishio has been a teacher for 15 years and is now subbing full-time. She discovered a passion for wellness and health and for helping others become healthier & happier versions of themselves. Most importantly, she wants to remind educators of the importance of self-care.

Topics Covered:

  • Andrea's health journey and how she's kept up her routines

  • The importance of figuring out what works for you

  • Starting small and finding pockets of time throughout your day

  • Balancing your physical, mental, and emotional health

  • Setting yourself up for success by focusing on the things you love doing

  • Andrea's go-to protein pancake recipe (full recipe below!)

mental-health-for-teachers
mental-health-for-teachers
 

Connect with Andrea:

  • Sara Whittaker 0:00

    Hello, hello, welcome back to podcasting for educators. Thanks so much for being here with me today. Today's episode is a conversation that I think is perfect as we're just a few days away from starting a brand new year. I have Andrea meesho on the show, and we are talking all about how to really take care of yourself as a teacher. And as a business owner. I believe that health goes way beyond working out. It's so much more than that. It's our mental health. It's our habits, and even how we talk to ourselves. Andrea shares her story of finding holistic wellness. And we talk a lot about how to create a wellness routine that works for you and for your schedule, plus the importance of accountability and community. Another subject we touch on that I really love talking about is how our habits and the way that we talk about health rubs off on our children in every way. If you're feeling burnt out and just not physically or mentally healthy at this time, I really hope this episode gives you the gentle push, you need to start taking steps to take care of yourself from the inside out. Andrea has been a teacher for 15 years and she's now subbing she discovered a passion for wellness and health and for helping others become healthier, happier versions of themselves. Most importantly, she wants to remind educators the importance of self care. Let's get started.

    Sara Whittaker 1:27

    Your Podcast is a powerful tool that serves your audience and your business. But how do you manage it all bring in new listeners and convert those listeners into customers. That's what this show is all about. Welcome to podcasting for educators. I'm Sara Whittaker classroom teacher turn podcast manager. And I'm here to help you get the most out of your show, all while making an impact on other educators.

    Sara Whittaker 1:53

    All right, welcome back. We are here with Andrea. Andrea, welcome to the show.

    Andrea Mishio 1:58

    Hello, thank you so much for having me. Of course,

    Sara Whittaker 2:01

    I'm excited for you to be here. And to chat all things about health and taking care of ourselves, which I think will be a really great topic for everybody. Because people who are listening are not only podcasters, but a lot of them are also teachers and spouses and parents. And it's a lot to juggle at once. So I'm excited to hear all of your advice on how we can better take care of ourselves. But first, can you just share a little bit about you and your health journey? For sure. So

    Andrea Mishio 2:33

    I've been a teacher now for 15 years. This I just I guess resigned from teaching last year. And now I'm full time subbing which I love. But in 2017, I really wanted to get like my health and fitness back on track, if you will, I had just had both my babies and it was trying to balance how to be a mom, how to be a wife, how to be a teacher, and all these things. But then I kind of was like realizing I was really forgetting who I was in the center of it. So I really wanted to bounce back. And so I was like, You know what, I want to do a fitness photo shoot for my 40th birthday. So I had this big goal, it was three years away. I was like, I'm gonna do it. So I set out on this journey. And I took it very slow. And it was like going from working out two days a week to increasing, running a little bit and walking and then going into CrossFit. And then the pandemic started. So it was like, Okay, how do I navigate through this because things were all shut down. And whatever else. I was working with a nutrition coach and a mindset coach as well, just trying to like, my fitness level was good, but I knew I needed a lot of help with my nutrition. So I was getting on that track and whatever. And then I had like the biggest bomb of all, in the midst of all that was my mom had passed away super suddenly in August 2020. And which was three months before my photo shoot that I wanted to do. And my mental health with between dealing with that my mom passing away going back to school with COVID Getting ready for this photo shoot, like my mental health just fell apart. Looking back now I can recognize that that's what happened. But in the time that I was in it, it took me a long time to realize that that's what had happened. So I took a lot of steps and procedures to kind of take care of myself, which was what I needed to do in the big picture because I learned and it took me a lot of time to learn that if I don't take care of me. I can't take care of others and I can't take care of my students and I can't be a good mom and all that stuff. So yeah, I just kind of like went to a lot of counseling and used fitness as my coping mechanism, I guess as you would to really like start dealing with my grief and to get back on track and help myself get through those like super tough COVID Time days teaching all that kind of stuff. So in the end of all of the journey and mindset and all that kind of stuff, like, I feel it's such an insignificant thing. But I did lose like 60 pounds and have kept it off. And I think that that is also a big thing, because people will lose weight and want to do this quick thing and all this kind of stuff. And then they don't realize the aftermath of it. Okay, you did it. But now what, and this is kind of like, okay, having that maintenance and figuring all the things out. So now I'm just about promoting teacher health and wellness, because I know having been there done that, in the classrooms being in different schools right now, like, I just see the struggle that teachers are going through, and they're still dealing, they're still burnt out from the last like two years, and there's no like, catching their breath kind of thing. Like, they're just maybe their shoulders are out of the water a little bit right now, not just like head. So I'm just really trying to help and improve and give tips and tricks to teachers, and really just anybody in general, like, how to take care of yourself.

    Sara Whittaker 6:02

    Yeah, and first of all, I'm so sorry about your mom. I mean, 2020 was such an awful year all around. So I can't imagine having to go through that on top of everything. And I feel like, a lot of us, like, we're just going through the motions of every day. And we know we're overwhelmed. And like, we know, we need to take care of ourselves. But like you said, you don't have a moment to really like catch your breath. And it takes that like realization of like, okay, I need to change something in order to make some changes in my life that are actually going to stick because yes, I can. I know I can speak for myself, like, with nutrition with mental health, like, you make these changes, but keeping up with them is like a whole nother story. So what like what are some, what are some things that worked for you to actually be able to keep up with taking care of yourself. And because I really love how you pointed out like, health is not just about weight loss and about your physical body. It's also about your mind and your mental health. So like, what, what really worked for you? And how did you continue doing that over

    Andrea Mishio 7:16

    time? Yeah. And I think that's the big thing is that like, the more I go into this in this journey, and whatever is like, physical in the way you look is such just one portion of the pie kind of thing, if you will, if you look at yourself as a whole pie. I'm really like my top things when people say as they say, Find something you love to do. Because if you don't love doing it, you're not going to want to do it. Like, I hate basketball. So why would think that I'm going to join a basketball league, and think I'm going to go every week. I'm not like it's just like, just like another thing on your plate that you feel like whatever. But I love to walk and I'm like, I look forward to going for a walk. So those are things I love to do. And I think another big thing that a lot of people do is they try to encompass too much. They try to change too many things. And there's no way you can do that. Like I said, like my journey was a three year journey, I say. And I changed things as things became habits. So it was like working out twice a week, I worked over twice a week for almost seven months. And then it became a habit. And I was like, okay, yeah, this is like part of my routine. This is part of how I am. And then it was like, okay, incorporating another thing. So it's just really, I say, find something that you love to do. If you don't love it, you're not going to want to do it. And then go slowly, if you try to change too many things, if you're trying to change nutrition and your sports activity, and you're trying to be superstar and whatever, it's not going to work, you're just going to burn yourself out too quickly. So it's just making small changes that you can attain and hold yourself accountable for because you're like, everybody always says, Oh, I did this, but it was too hard. Oh, I did this, but it was too hard. But like the lesson it and if it's still too hard lesson if working out one day a week is all you need for 20 minutes, that's where you start. Like it's just taking it very slowly, as to where and what works for you.

    Sara Whittaker 9:12

    That's such good advice. Like you can't go from not working out at all to pushing yourself to work out seven days a week, like that's gonna feel so overwhelming. So I really I love I love that thought process of building it into your routines making it a habit. Start small and you can kind of build on that over time and I'm with you. I love my walks. That's like my non negotiable every day is at least I'm getting a walk in, especially when you're working from home like you got to get up and get moving back. For sure. Yes. And now I go. Something that has helped me is and I'm sure you feel this way if you because you do CrossFit. I do like it's called Burn. It's like a boot camp kind Have style. But being somebody who works from home, it gets me out of the house and gets me around other people. And it is like the most motivating thing ever to be in a room of other women, it's pretty much all women. And it's just, it's that accountability. Like, we're all in this doing this together, we're all really tired, and it's hard to get there. But if you could just get there and like start your workout, you're gonna feel so much better after. So just having for me, like, having people around me who are doing the same things that I'm doing in terms of like taking care of your physical health. That's been like a game changer for me. Because I can't tell you how many times I do like my workouts from home in my basement. And like five minutes in, I'm like, I don't know, I'm like not feeling this today. And nobody's there to push me.

    Andrea Mishio 10:53

    Well, that's just it where I find like, if I workout at home, like, Oh, I'll go switch the laundry, oh, I'll go do this. And then you have your kids at home. And they're like, Mom, I need a snack and eat this. And then you're like, Well, I've just spent an hour and I spent two minutes of it working out kind of thing. So it's just like, I'm with you to like, My husband loves to workout at home and great for him. But I need to go somewhere I need to go to the gym. It is also just my like, quiet. Like, for me it is my meditation area and my Zen area for myself. Even though I and I am a self motivator, I can push myself really hard. So I don't need like somebody barking at me to do it. Like I can do it. But it's just like, I know, I just workout so much harder when I'm in that atmosphere to and just like, I'm not competing with anybody, but I'm competing with myself, like I can do one more rep. Well, I can add five more pounds, oh, I can do whatever. So that's why I say like, find that thing that works for you. And if a group fitness class works for you, because like you just said you're meeting other people. And if you're meeting a friend and stuff like that, it also holds you accountable for it too. Because you're I know when I meet up with my friends, I don't like letting them down. And oh, yeah, like, Yes, I'm coming. Or if you find that community as well. And you haven't shown up for a couple of weeks and people are checking in on you like what do you happen? Where have you been? What's happening? Like, even the gym I go to I was went on holidays for a week. And they're like, Where have you been? You weren't, like what was wrong. And I'm like, I just went on holidays. Like people knowing that this is you're all in it for the same thing. You might be there for different reasons. But you're there essentially for like, just bettering yourself in some sort of way. So I think to you, if you can find those people that vibe with you as well. And that community, that fitness community that you just is welcoming, and fits you. That also makes it that much easier as well. Yeah, I

    Sara Whittaker 12:41

    completely agree. Now, if if anybody is listening, who is in the classroom, and you know, you're at school early, you're staying at school, late, you're grading after school, you've got all the things to do. And then you go home, and now your mom to your kids and your wife to your spouse. Like, I know that there's people out there who are thinking, Well, I'd love I really want to take care of myself. And I really want to get back into, you know, getting that exercise for my body for my mind. What would you say to them? If if they're kind of like, I just don't have time for this?

    Andrea Mishio 13:17

    Yeah, and that's what I always say. And I feel like I don't have time as an excuse kind of thing. It's not something because we can all scroll on our phones. And I use this always, we can also be on your phones for 20 minutes to two hours, like all of a sudden, the time has gone? Well, you just had 20 minutes or two hours to go for a walk or to go for no reason. I don't have the energy. But if you create the cycle to get into the habit, you'll find the energy because the exercise releases endorphins and makes you more energetic, you'll sleep better. And it just links all the things. So it's just getting that like initial thing. And I say even to like it's not necessarily that you have to go work out or you have to go do whatever I say, if you are in the classroom and you need to go you're there early morning and you need to go pick up your photocopying. Take the longest route possible to the photocopier. So then at least your body is moving a bit more at lunch like my girlfriend, I have a I call her my work wife. We no longer work together but we still meet up and whatever. And we would go for lunch or walks when we didn't have supervision like that was our thing. No, you're not grading, I'm not grading, we held each other accountable. Let's go outside and let's go for a walk getting that fresh air makes such a big difference. So it's not like you need to find an hour out of your day. It's finding 1015 minutes like in just okay, do a little movement breaks with your class even to do them with your class. A lot of teachers also put a movement brake on and then they're sitting at their desks marking or doing whatever. No like take the two or three minutes and do the movement break with your class and do the jumping jacks and do the dance dance freeze and the floor is lava and whatever. Because you know what, like, I can't tell you to because I Kinda feels sluggish during the day or whatever. And I'll do those with my students. And just like your mood instantly changes and you're like, oh, like, okay, let's we're ready now and stuff like that. So I think it too, is just finding the little things all the time. Or even if you're at home, if you're going to the bathroom, go to the bathroom furthest away from you. Or if you have to go pick up the mail, like take the longest way possible to the mailbox, like, it can be little tiny things. It doesn't have to be all encompassing at one time, but just small increments throughout the day, just make that much of a move or change to. And it's just about moving your body because that links to so many other well being things.

    Sara Whittaker 15:42

    Yes, such great advice. You don't have to make it like this big thing of like finding an hour in your day. It's like these little pieces of your day. I love that. I know, like, yeah, I always use the example of scrolling on my phone to like, give myself that pep talk of like, okay, I just sat here and scrolled on Instagram for 20 minutes, don't I can't tell myself I don't have time to like, get up and take a walk. Again, like working from home, I sometimes I'll tell myself like, oh, I have I have to do XY and Z, I have all these things on my to do list like I need to go Go, go go go, I don't have time to go and take my dog for another walk. But in reality, like, even if it's a 1015 minute walk, just a little loop around the neighborhood. I always feel so much better after. And I find that, well, I just got I think I'm like the last person on the planet. Maybe I've done this, but I finally got an Apple Watch. And I tell you what, I don't know, this is my personality, maybe. But like, now I am in competition with myself in the sense of like, it's a healthy competition. But I'm like, Oh my gosh, now I really see like how many steps I got per day. And so I am taking more of those breaks now. And it's crazy, like how quickly your body gets into that routine. And now like, I want to get up and move and just, you know, maybe do some like I'll stand up and just do some jumping jacks, or like jog in place or go up the stairs a couple of times, and those little little tiny pieces that are just, you know, one or two minutes here and there. They make a huge difference.

    Andrea Mishio 17:15

    They do. And it's so funny. You mentioned the Apple Watch thing too, because that's also what I tell people like I don't have an apple, I have a Garmin one. But like, I find and I used to have a Fitbit but I find the same thing. It holds me accountable. It's like you've been sitting for too long. You've been like you need to move get up and stretch like whatever. And same thing. My girls have one too. And we'll have like little country who how many steps did you get? How many steps did you get and like, so we make these fun little things. And then like, or I used to be like, same thing like, before bed, I'd be walking around the house, my husband's like what's wrong, like, I didn't get to my 10,000 steps, like I like walk loops around my house. He's like, You were such a nerd. I'm like, I don't care. Like I just gotta do what I gotta do. So I do say like, get an Apple Watch, like or Fitbit. Like it doesn't even have to be anything super fancy. But just something that this Hey, like, it triggers you, you need to move and just like yes. Oh yeah, I do need to move. And I find that that is such a great tool. It is a

    Sara Whittaker 18:11

    game changer. Like I do the exact same thing. And my husband's like, are you serious right now. And I'm like, next next event, I'm like, I'm not getting into bed till I got my 10,000 steps. And I mean, I think it's a I think it's a great, a great thing to have. And it is it's like your own little built in accountability partner, like I love to see, like you can set a goal for how often you're standing to make sure that you're getting up and moving for at least a couple minutes every hour, your steps, your exercise, you can track how much water you're drinking, like all of these things.

    Andrea Mishio 18:43

    I'm a little I lost. And I got obsessed with it too that like when I'm on holidays, I tried to take it off and like, it's like ripping it really hard badly. No, I'm gonna do it. I'm going to fully relax. I'm not going to care. But yeah, I'm totally hard. And yeah, it is. And it becomes an obsession. But at least it's a healthy obsession. I feel like because you are like, Hey, this is making me better. So yes,

    Sara Whittaker 19:10

    I completely agree. And as we're talking about this, like I remember when I was in the classroom, I had like two work wives, same thing We called each other. And we would commit to like, again, didn't have to be every day. I think we did this like two or three days a week where the PE teacher would let us go in and we would put a workout on the screen in the PE room and we would just work out together 20 minutes and then done but like, again that I think that accountability of some sort. It really can help you to make sure that you are getting that movement in.

    Andrea Mishio 19:47

    I think so too. Yeah. And it just like it's just okay here and then it doesn't allow you to have that excuse of backing out kind of thing. Like you just said that accountability of like, okay, we're doing this and And I think that's also people. It's a mindset to have like, it doesn't have to be all encompassing. At the same time, it doesn't have to be an hour out of your day, it can be a minute or two out of your hour. And then it's just like, well, so then those two or three minutes at the end of the day have added up to 3035 40 minutes. And they've already done it was just like, break it down and stuff like that, too.

    Sara Whittaker 20:22

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    Sara Whittaker 21:58

    Now, we talked a little bit about like, kind of this holistic view of health and not just the physical aspect, but also the mental aspect. Do you have any like strategies or like routines or anything that you do to kind of get your mental health in check.

    Andrea Mishio 22:17

    So for me, it definitely is going to the gym like that, for me is my mental health capacity. And my family has even come to realize that as well. Like if I start to get really antsy, or if I start to go like whatever, if I've taken a week off, my family will be like What is wrong with you lately, like I haven't gone to the gym and however many days and they're like, Ah, you need to go like and they recognize that it is healthy for me. And like I have two girls. And that's also to was my big thing. Why started this journey was because I wanted to be a positive role model for them and not using like diet culture and all that kind of stuff. And they're like, Oh, Mom, you go to the gym to be strong. And I'm like, Yes, I do go to the gym to be strong. And I think to like, it does have an impact on my mental health, because then it's just like, okay, yes, I am strong, and I am capable. And I am doing all these things. And they're seeing that as well. But like, when I am having troubles that this is a healthy coping way. Or if I'm like, had a rough day or whatever, or in the summer when I've had them all day and my husband comes home, like I just need to go for a 10 minute walk to be by myself. And they all recognize that that is what we need to do. And I think we need to allow ourselves especially as women as moms, is the permission to do that. Like don't feel guilty about taking time for yourself, because I learned the hard way that like with through my mental health issues when my mom had passed away, and then I was trying to do everything. Like it caught up to me eventually. And then it's just like, Okay, now what, and it's just allowing yourself that time to just find what it is that works for you. If it's having a bath, that's another thing I love to do. I love to have a bath, watch my Netflix, sit there for 1015 minutes, and then just like, Okay, this is my time and my family again recognizes it. And I think as you are a positive role model you're teaching, especially the younger kids to like with my girls, that these are healthy ways to be dealing with it. And if my girls my yell oldest, she's eight. And she'll be like, Oh, I've had such a stressful like, not that she knows what stress means. But like you can just she's a little bit anxious. And she's like, can I please get in the bath? I just need to like calm down. And I'm like, absolutely. So she like has seen some kind of role modeling those behaviors already so that they can hopefully have healthy habits as they go get older and going through what is just beginning of their, like, hardships of life. Is that okay? Like yes, let's do this. Oh, let's they understand what exercise the benefits of it is because I'll bring them with me if I'm running. They ride their bikes like when was in the pandemic and I had to work out in my garage. They knew it was workout time. They were only three and five at the time. I had little weights or they would go run around and The Crescent, like they understood how they felt afterwards, even at such a young age. So I think too, like it just is finding the tricks that work for you as well. And I say like, yes, the gym is my sanctuary, it is not for everybody. But it's just finding those tips and tricks that work for you and your mental health, like, what is it that allows you to really clear your head? Is it doing yoga? Is it going for a walk? Is it going for a run? Is it reading a book, like, there's so many different things, and so many things that don't require you to even like, go out? Maybe it is a night out with your friends and stuff like that. So it just kind of, I think you need to recognize what also works for yourself. Because again, if it doesn't work for you, then why are you doing it? Just because some guru told you it works. But if it doesn't work for you, then it doesn't really work?

    Sara Whittaker 25:53

    Yeah, no, I couldn't agree more. I mean, that goes back to what you were saying at the very beginning of this conversation is finding those things that you love, because those are going to be the things that you're going to be able to commit to and in terms of like reading a book watching Netflix, like those things that bring you that joy and kind of calm you down. At the end of a long day like that those are important. And you need to build those into your schedule. And you know, if going to a workout boot camp does not sound like your idea of fun, and you're a huge introvert and you know, you're going to hate it then. Yeah, don't like force yourself to do those kinds of things. And I'm so glad you brought up about your children. Because I think it's so important that we remember that our kids are always watching. And they're also listening to the things that we're saying. Like you said, I'm glad you also brought up diet culture, like this is not about like putting yourself on a strict diet and like working out two hours a day. And these are all things that we need to teach our children as well. My daughter loves coming down and working out with me if I'm ever doing like an at home workout, too. It's so cute.

    Andrea Mishio 27:00

    So cute to just watch them and they understand like, the benefits of it and just like oh, yeah, like we want to be in they'll say like, Mom, we want to be strong like you and we want to do like, we want to lift weights. And I'm like, excellent. Like, that's what I want you to do, too. And they both play hockey. So I'm like, Well, we do these things because we need to fuel our body for hockey or you need to feel like Dora the gym. And so it's creating those healthy conversations to about like, okay, good, because they're gonna have so much other influence on them as they get older. But I'm hoping establishing it now as they're younger, like, okay, these are the things like you can have a balanced diet. Yes, we can have whatever, but we can also have a doughnut. And we're just like Halloween last night, Kate have like six pieces of candy. And they're like, what, like, because I never say that. Like that. Just like pick six, whatever you want. And then eat it and then like, and then even two, they're like, I've had four and I'm good. I'm like, okay, that's fine, too. So it's just also like, Okay, are you full? Are you eating it? Because you just want to or because it's there kind of thing. So,

    Sara Whittaker 28:01

    yes, that's been coming up with my daughter a lot. She's in kindergarten. And I tried to say to her, like, listen to your body, like how is your tummy feeling? Is it full, then you don't need to eat any more mac and cheese. If you're hungry, then keep eating like those kinds of things so that I'm not making her feel like she's restricted to certain foods. And I have to say like she like you just said about your one child who said I'm good at four pieces of candy. Like my daughter's the same way she she has a couple pieces. And then she's like, I'm good.

    Andrea Mishio 28:33

    And it is all about balance. And even with your mental health and your physical health and your emotional flake. All these things. It is about finding the balance and what works best for you.

    Sara Whittaker 28:44

    Yeah, absolutely. Now, if you're willing to kind of give us some insight, when it does come to nutrition for busy teachers and busy business owners, like do you have anything that works for you? Like do you meal prep? do you how do you handle your nutrition? Yeah,

    Andrea Mishio 29:03

    so I meal prep ish, I guess I would say so. I kind of have like so for breakfast, I have one of three breakfasts like I know, every day like this is what I'm going to eat. It's usually like a protein pancake. And I'll talk a little bit about like protein enriched meals because especially as women, and I definitely discovered this working with my nutritionist is like we do not eat enough protein and that's what satiate your body the longest. So I always say like, try to incorporate some kind of protein with every single meal or snack. And sometimes women are like, Oh, it's so hard or it's so whatever, but it's just again, finding foods you like that will fill your stomach up and it goes back to my kids too. And like you need to feel like you can eat all the goldfish you want but you're not filling your belly with like something that's going to hold you over or tie you over. And it's the same thing with teaching and being out working and whatever like you need to find something in that We'll hold you over. So having a bit like I have a yeah, like I want to three breakfasts. For lunch I kind of usually have because teachers, we get like 3.2 seconds to eat lunch and to heat it up. I just essentially have what was for dinner the night before. So I really just plan like my dinners, and then my lunches are the next thing, but it's always incorporating some kind of protein into every meal. So whether it's like cottage cheese, or beef jerky, or deli meat, or Greek yogurt and something like that, like just and don't like wait, teachers are notorious for this. Don't wait till you're starving and you're like, oh my god, I'm gonna hit the floor. Because I haven't eaten in so long. Like, don't like shy away, I always ate in front of my students all the time. I still do. Now a bit more balanced. Because obviously with subbing I don't have as many things on my plate. But you eating in front of your students also is giving that positive role model illness as well, like, okay, yes, we all have to sit down and have a break and eat. Like, I'm not a robot as much as people like to think that teachers are, we are not, we need to fuel our bodies too. And sometimes I'll be like, they'll come in from recess or whatever they're doing, and I'm still eating and I'm like, sorry, guys, like I was coaching at lunch, I had a meeting, I had this, I was doing an interview with a parent. And I need 10 minutes to eat. So you all can sit and work on whatever x y Zed, and then I will be here to teach you but I need to feel myself first because I'm also a person who gets super hangry. And if you don't want to meet that teacher for her, right, that's what I tell them to they're like, Yeah, go ahead. And like, please, please do like just having that moment and having snacks available rather than going through a drive thru to I think also helps like in my car, I always have granola bars. I always have protein bars, some beef jerky or whatever, just in the like door of my car. So that if it is like, Oh my God, I need something right now. It's right there versus going through wherever and then you're like adding up all these calories and like, oh, well, I didn't really need that. Have they been prepared? So I think that's another thing too, is I always leave the house with snacks. My husband makes so much fun of me. But like Yeah, but at least I know all of us are going to be fed, we can all have something to eat, we're not going to be cranky. So it's also knowing your body too. But yeah, like nutrition wise, it's definitely get that protein in and eat every few hours. Don't wait till you're like, Oh my God. I know. Some people are like, Oh, I haven't even had lunch yet. And it's four o'clock. I'm like, how is that even possible? Like, that's also not healthy

    Sara Whittaker 32:40

    now. And that's when the binging happens. And it's just not good for your body. Yeah, I I also I love to keep snacks in my car as well. I think that's like a huge game changer. And now, kind of a side note, but you were talking a lot about protein. Is there? Like do you follow a protein rule? Like I think I've heard you should eat like, a certain amount of your body weight in protein every day.

    Andrea Mishio 32:53

    Yeah. So the like, general number is like point six grams to one gram for every pound you weigh. So like if I am terrible at math, but if I weighed 100 pounds, point six would be like six. So I should eat between 60 grams and 100 grams of protein, which like, if you're on the 100 scale is like a lot, especially for a smaller human. And I've noticed definitely like when I changed my diet to look like that and reflect that a bit more. I definitely didn't have those highs and lows of crashes, which I tend like some people will get so you are just kind of like burning that energy consistently throughout the day. So yeah, like that's general the general rule of thumb is point six grams to one gram for every pound you weigh.

    Sara Whittaker 33:54

    Okay, perfect. And you mentioned protein pancakes. What is your recipe for that? Do you use is it like a box or do you use something else?

    Andrea Mishio 34:03

    No, I make my own so the exact recipe is 100 grams of egg whites. I use 50 grams of blueberries 35 grams of quick oats and then a teaspoon of cinnamon and baking powder. And then I just put 15 grams of vanilla protein powder, blend it in a blender and then cook it in a frying pan it's really liquidy so you kind of have to have a frying pan that has like a site and it's a big pancake don't think like traditional small ones. And then that's what I have with peanut butter on top and I eat that probably five out of seven mornings.

    Sara Whittaker 34:40

    Oh awesome. We will put that in the show notes. I love it. Finding a good protein powder that you love is like is huge too because that's just such that's how I get a lot my protein into and I am a very much with you on like find some meals that you like and repeat them like keep it simple decision fatigue is real. And if you can, like meals are one thing where you can like eliminate those decisions like get yourself on a cycle and repeat. That's what I do. Some people might find that boring that I find it comforting.

    Andrea Mishio 35:12

    And I'm the exact same way like I have like the exact same snacks like I probably have a protein bar for one of my snack because I generally driving home from work so it's easy to eat in my car. And then in the morning, it's like cottage cheese or yogurt or like, I generally like just rotate between those two because again, like decision fatigue, I'm like, just another thing, whatever. Unless I really am like, oh my god, I'm really tired of those. And same with dinner. Like I tried to keep it simple. And especially with kids like my six year old is like the pickiest eater on Earth, she'll eat spaghetti and then she hates lasagna. I'm like, it's the exact same thing. Oh, yeah. format. Like, we're having a fight on the way home today, like are driving to school. What do we want for supper? And I'm like, Okay, now let's have lasagna. I hate lasagna. We cannot eat chicken nuggets and fries every single day. Like, I know, that's what you could use. But it's not going to work. So again, it's just having those and those quick, easy meals to like a quick staple in our house is chili or tacos? Like Yes. Or even like to the Kodiak mix protein pancakes, like we often have breakfast supper, like, I don't care. It's food in our bellies. It is like we're on to as we get busier like they have gymnastics and swimming and stuff. And just kind of like prepping a bit ahead. Like I'm not saying meal plan for a whole week. But no a day or two. Like I already know the next two days worth of what we're having for dinner so I can Okay, make sure I have everything and whatever. Or if it's like, hey, I need to clean out the fridge like this is what we're having, like, so it's just kind of making sure, yeah, that last minute decision is what's always the worst because you're starving. You want it now and whatever. So whatever you can prep ahead of time does make a big difference. Yes, absolutely.

    Sara Whittaker 36:57

    Well, thank you so much. This has been really fun chatting with you. Can you just let everybody know where they can find you online if they want to connect?

    Andrea Mishio 37:07

    Oh, for sure. So the best part, or best place I would say is Instagram. And my handle is fit so fit dot wonder dot will mom so W O M O M?

    Sara Whittaker 37:22

    Oh my gosh, I never noticed that. That was mom. Okay. That's awesome.

    Andrea Mishio 37:27

    Like, and I find like it's all encompassing of all my things. So the fit is for like my fitness journey. The wonders for my teaching and wondering, always changing and opening my mindset and stuff like that. And then the woman obviously I'm a Big Mom. So those are my three big passions I say that I love to talk about. So that's the all encompassing of my name.

    Sara Whittaker 37:48

    Perfect. I love a good like story behind a name. So that is great. And we will link that in the show notes for everybody. And thank you so much for being here. This was so much fun.

    Andrea Mishio 38:01

    Thank you so much for having me. It was great talking with you.

    Sara Whittaker 38:06

    Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. To keep this conversation going connect with me on Instagram at podcasting for educators. I'm always looking for an excuse to talk about podcasting. If you're looking for support and launching, managing or growing your podcast, check out my online course the podcasting for educators prep school at podcasting for educators.com/prep school. I'll see you here next time.

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Podcasting for Educators is the podcast for TpT authors and other online educators. It's a show that will help you get your podcast in front of those who need it most - teachers, counselors, literacy specialists, SLPs, parents, and more! Each week, Sara Whittaker and her guests will share top tips and actionable strategies that you will need in order to launch, manage, and grow your podcast. You’ll learn how to leverage your show to build long-lasting relationships with your audience and promote your TpT resources, courses, and memberships, all while providing valuable and accessible content!

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