One afternoon after getting my son from school and running our usual flurry of errands, I extended the excursion to my local gym. I checked my son into childcare and crammed a quick stress-reducing workout onto the end of my long day. Afterward, my son and I emerged upon the parking lot and ran into his teacher. I noticed my son to be extraordinarily quiet during this particular encounter while the teacher and I exchanged a few kind words. As we parted ways and my son and I advanced on toward our car, I asked him why he was so quiet and not his usual friendly self as in the classroom. From my own memories of after-school chance encounters with teachers, his answer came of no surprise – “it’s weird to see Mrs. Denny at the gym”.

While this discovery may have unsettled my son, it is highly beneficial for teachers to spend their fair share of time at the local health club. Aside from stress-reduction and weight control tactics, exercise can help avert the bountiful supply of neck irritation that accompanies being one of the most valued professionals in our children’s lives. Proactively strengthening the muscles in the cervical area is key in eluding soreness. Whether grading papers or writing on boards, a teacher’s neck angles to various extremes daily. It is crucial to develop the neck muscles, including the Trapezius (a forward flexion muscle) and a true spelling bee stumper, the Sternocleidomastiod (a side tilting muscle) to improve upper spinal health. And, the time to start is now since 50% of the population begins to experience degenerative spine issues by the age of fifty.

Amazingly, abdominal exercises meet the need for neck strength. While one usually performs these exercises to effectively tone the mid-section, a dual benefit includes resilience in many of the associated spinal muscles. For instance, as you perform the well known “crunch” in an array of positions (straight-legged, crossover, wall crunch, etc.) for your core, your neck is holding an isometric contraction in order to assist with the lifting of the upper body. When you begin the set with your index fingers in each ear, your cervical muscles engage. This is the alternative to resting your head in your cupped hands, which does not lead to neck strength. Only after your neck muscles fatigue can you then hold your head in your hands and continue to completion. It may take some practice to finish the entire set in correct form. You may also encounter a little soreness while your cervical muscles acclimate to the controlled exertion. But eventually, it will also alleviate the urge to seek out ibuprofen after a day’s work.

While it is always best to be examined when experiencing unusual neck pain, pro-actively pursing strength in your core area can keep you from actively seeking pain relief, such as that found in the drugstore and even the chiropractor’s office – another one of those “weird” places for your students to run into you.

This article was written by Sherri Dodd for Edutopia Magazine.