Exercising for Health – Belleville Schools Care

To be the best one can be, you have to make healthy choices.  However, many find this isn’t as easy to accomplish once Monday comes around and the proverbial to-do list grows!  It can prove to be difficult when working full-time and trying to find the room in one’s schedule to balance the additional outside commitments everyone has.  This concern was recently raised by teachers and staff in the School District of Belleville, so the school district’s Wellness Committee made a strong effort to create healthy options for exercise in-house, making getting needed exercise a more attainable choice for its professional community.

District Administrator Nate Perry notes, “The school district’s Wellness Committee has tried to be responsive to feedback from our staff.  Last year’s survey data showed staff recognizing that they needed to be more physically active.”

To this end, exercise opportunities were created this spring for district staff to attend.  The School District of Belleville was excited to offer four group exercise classes for its professional community.  The Group Strength Class offered by Akaylah Jaeke, a Belleville resident and owner of a wellness business in Verona, started in April.  The fitness class was designed to increase participants’ heart rates, improve mobility for pain-free movement, strength training, and provide a greater sense of community.  The four Tuesday sessions have been well-received and draw upon Akaylah’s expertise.

“That is where Akaylah Jaeke has helped the school district.  She is the owner of a wellbeing space in Verona.  She lives in Belleville and knows the elementary school well as a parent.  Akaylah has put on four weekly exercise classes for Belleville’s staff through the Wellness Committee.  More and more staff members are showing up to work out each week.  At the completion of the sessions, Akaylah will give them a workout program that they can continue on their own to keep their momentum.  She has been an inspiration to our staff,” says Perry.

The classes offered have hopefully provided a starting point for staff in the School District of Belleville to get into a regular exercise routine that they can continue themselves at home before summer starts and it will be easier for them to put health first.  The district is grateful to Akaylah for her knowledge and encouragement to get healthy and for the monthly workout plan she has provided staff to continue the workout routines with which they are now comfortable doing.