Episode #16 Season 3 Beyond the Classroom: Balancing Health and Teaching

Nutrition expert and former college athlete Sam Rodgers joins the Wellness for Educators podcast to share practical strategies for maintaining health amid the demanding responsibilities of teaching. Sam reveals how his nutrition background led him to create "Dear Dad," a blog that frames wellness conversations as heartfelt letters to overcome the defensiveness many people feel when discussing their eating habits.

The conversation delves into the powerful 80-20 principle of health—how food choices make up 80% of our wellness outcomes while exercise contributes 20%. Sam explains why this makes intuitive sense: we eat multiple times daily, making those decisions compound quickly, while exercise benefits accumulate more gradually. Rather than viewing movement as merely weight management, Sam encourages finding joy in physical activity for its mental clarity benefits, describing his running shoes as "one of the most important tools" in his professional arsenal.

For educators facing the constant temptation of break room treats and holiday gatherings, Sam offers actionable advice: bring your own healthy snacks, adopt a personal rule to only eat homemade treats (skipping processed store-bought items), and fundamentally shift your mindset to recognize heavily processed foods as marketing products rather than actual nourishment. He addresses the challenge of fitting exercise into packed schedules by sharing his own morning routine and suggesting practical alternatives like lunchtime walks and utilizing school fitness facilities.

As we approach the holiday season, Sam provides wisdom about maintaining balance without deprivation. His most profound insight may be recognizing how our culture has extended "holiday-style eating" into a year-round phenomenon—by reserving indulgences for truly special occasions, we can enjoy celebrations guilt-free while maintaining healthy patterns in between. The episode concludes with Sam's powerful reminder that teachers who prioritize their wellness bring more enthusiasm and effectiveness to the classroom, simultaneously modeling healthy behaviors for students who desperately need positive examples in our food-abundant society.

What wellness strategy will you implement this week to enhance both your health and your teaching? Listen now to discover practical approaches that serve both you and your students.

https://deardadhealth.substack.com/

Dear Dad Blog

Thanks for listening!

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:18

Okay, this is Wellness for Educators, episode 16. You need to be well to teach well. That is the motto, seeking a healthy balance. You matter, and so does your health. There is life beyond the classroom. This is Wellness. Wednesday, november 19th 2025. As we are approaching the holiday season, I thought it would be nice to hear from someone that is passionate about health and wellness. My guest today is not a teacher, however. Sam studied nutrition in college and he started a blog in the summer of 2023. Sam Rodgers attended Syracuse University, where he was the captain of the football team. He's an academic All-American and he studied nutrition and entrepreneurship. He is presently the chief assistant district attorney in Madison County, new York. I'm going to let Sam introduce himself and let him share a bit about his blog. Dear Dad, welcome Sam. Thank you so much for joining today.

Speaker 2 1:30

Yes, thanks so much for having me. As you said, my name is Sam Rodgers. I started a health and wellness blog in the summer of 2023, and I titled it Dear Dad, because I realized that having these health conversations about food and exercise can be quite difficult and sometimes made more difficult when it's with people that you really care about friends or family. People take their food choices very personally, can be very defensive about it, so I thought a stylistic approach of a son writing a letter to his father might help break down some of those barriers and show a little more sentiment as you enter in these conversations. I also just really wanted a place to collect my thoughts. I like to read and research a lot about health and nutrition. As you mentioned, I studied it in my undergrad and then found my way into law school so kind of 180 turn. But after graduating law school and becoming a lawyer, I kind of got back into it and it's a hobby that I like to read a lot about and share what I've learned and what has profoundly impacted my life.

The 80-20 Principle of Health

Speaker 1 2:39

Well, I've really enjoyed reading it and I think it's got a lot of information in it. You can tell that you have really done due diligence with your research. I have a couple questions. So I have read that there's what's called the 80-20 principle that states that 80% diet, 20% exercise, which I don't know applying to healthy eating. Do you have any thoughts regarding this principle?

Speaker 2 3:13

Yeah. So I think it makes a lot of sense If you think about kind of your health in two ways, as that principle brings up what you eat and then how you move and how you exercise. Thinking 80% about kind of your food makes a lot of sense because your food choices will compound a lot faster, and what I mean by that is you have to eat every day. You eat multiple times a day, so what you decide to eat makes a big difference. Exercise is very important too, and that's that other 20%. But you'll see results a little slower when you exercise just because it's a longer timeline.

Speaker 2 3:53

But I do think that people get into trouble when they think of exercise as a tool to maintain weight.

Speaker 2 4:01

We know that it will and you need to be moving around, but I think that kind of takes the joy out of both.

Speaker 2 4:08

It takes the joy out of exercising if you're just doing it because you think it's weight maintenance, also takes the joy out of healthy eating, because both separately just make you feel so much better and it's one of those things that you almost have to experience it for yourself. You can't just be told it Um, but when you really find a way that you like to exercise, find a way that you like to move and I've heard someone else say it your body doesn't know what you're doing. So if you like, uh, jumping rope, or you like running or you like dancing, as long as you're getting your heart rate up and you're moving, that's a great start. And then you work on that. You work on eating, and there's an old adage that you can't outrun a bad diet, so I think that's kind of fits into that 80% 20% principle that you talked about. That food is really the centerpiece in what you eat, and exercise is a great way to add into your health balance.

Speaker 1 5:05

Right. I do think that eating is really important. Eating healthy is important. As educators, during this time, they are bombarded with unhealthy snacks. It might be teacher appreciation and they have lots of snacks in the teacher's lounge, or they have donuts and it's kind of hard. I don't know in a law office if you're faced with this, but what would you say is something maybe that would help to make healthier choices when you're bombarded with these donuts.

Speaker 2 5:41

Yeah, I'd say first of all, it is hard, it's very hard, I can say personally. When I first started working in the office I was I was in a cubicle that was very close to the kitchen and it was so much harder than where I am. Now. I'm kind of in a different area of the office and I'm not walking through the kitchen, which is our break room where there are people. We have a great office that bakes cookies and brings in donuts, probably similar to a teacher's lounge. So it's it. It is a hard issue or something that you'll confront kind of daily. I would say one bring your own snacks, that's. That's probably the first way to combat that is, don't find yourself walking in that area hungry. Know that you have healthy snack that you can rely on. And then, second, one little tip or mindset trick that I try to implement is only eat things that are homemade. So you know that. You see, you know people bring in the chips, ahoy cookies and just put them on the table.

Speaker 2 6:42

Just because they're there doesn't mean you have to eat them, right? But something like that that you could buy that at the store just kind of devalue it in your head.

Speaker 2 6:51

And it's a mindset trick that if someone you know who's a great baker and they baked a cookie and that's like if you're going to eat something, make it that. And that's like if you're going to eat something, make it that not robot brand thing that you could just go buy. So I'd say that is a trick, but kind of the overarching principle is. I believe as a culture really we have to start combating the idea that we eat food just because it's there.

Speaker 1 7:22

Right.

Speaker 2 7:22

Right. I think that it's so easy to do that because the food's just there. But like, are you really hungry? Is that food even that good? Is it even food?

Speaker 1 7:33

Yeah, I know, Because a lot of that stuff like the store-bought stuff is like full of processed and you don't want to eat that. That's really crap.

Speaker 2 7:41

Exactly and you can. I mean the more sometimes it's, the more you know, the more you realize. But I, I would say the third and final evolution to that is how I think about things is I just see things as not food. If I walk by and there's chips or some processed crap like you said, that's really not food. That's a marketing team trying to sell you something to consume and keep consuming it. So you'll buy more. But stay to the homemade. Bring your own healthy snacks.

Prioritizing Exercise in a Busy Schedule

Speaker 1 8:16

Yeah, that's a good idea. So getting the exercise, you know, is really important too. I feel like for my mental state it's really important. But you know you're really busy and you're training for triathlons and so you you have to really schedule the same thing for teachers but it just gets like low on the list, I think, because it gets colder. Teachers are bombarded with lots of meetings after school. They have so much work they have to do. When they get home, what do you do? How do you prioritize or schedule in your busy schedule so that you do put exercise as a priority?

Speaker 2 9:08

Well, I think the first thing is and I say all the time, one of the most important tools that I have to being what I'm hoping is an effective lawyer is my running shoes, and I mean that 100 percent serious. My running shoes, and I mean that 100% serious. It's. Running or exercising, just brings you so much moral clarity. It brings you deeper thinking, it brings you a time to disconnect from everything going on, and the amount of legal arguments or trial preparation I've done while just out on a run, letting my thoughts just kind of percolate through, is it's just unmatched feeling and you need to experience that. So I would say it's once you understand how important it is to your daily routine. So I would say it's once you understand how important it is to your daily routine, like I just know that I'm more fun to be around if I'm exercising. I feel better, I'm more vibrant, and you could make the argument. Well, you need to find a way, like you shouldn't rely on exercise to bring you that kind of satisfaction. But I don't think that's what it is. I think it's that we're meant to move, we're meant to get out and move.

Speaker 2 10:30

For me I do. I exercise in the morning. It's just how I fit it into the day. It's turned into really one of my favorite parts of the day. I like to exercise in the morning and I tell my colleagues this, because then I get to think about, or I get to decide what I think about. It's before you have those meetings or before you have to fix all these day problems. You just kind of wake up fresh. It's you let your mind go where it goes and it's a really calming, rejuvenating time. It does take going to bed at a certain time. I I am, you know, I'm 33 now I go to bed at nine o'clock, at 530. So I kind of and I'm able to maintain that routine.

Speaker 2 11:17

I understand, yes, I'm very busy in work right now, but I don't have some of the other responsibilities that I'm sure all the't have, some of the other responsibilities that I'm sure all the teachers or many of the teachers have that are listening. But you make it a priority and it's such a priority to me. I try and do it in the morning and I kind of have a rule with myself If I don't do it in the morning, I don't get to squeeze it in later in the day, because then it's easy to just, oh, I won't do it, my alarm goes off, I'll wait and I'll just do it later, and then you kind of get out of your routine. So I just know I have from 530 till 715. That's my time and I love that time.

Speaker 1 11:53

Yeah, I, I used to. For years I got up at 445 every day and went to 530 exercise and I don't know how. Honestly, I don't know how I did that, but I loved the morning, like that was a priority. And if I didn't do it, and I did put it off to the afternoon, sometimes, you're right, like sometimes I didn't do it or it just got away from me and so I love that. But I, I was probably very sleep deprived.

Speaker 2 12:22

But right that, but I was probably very sleep deprived. Right For teachers, especially depending on what grade level you're at. There might be a nice fitness center at the school you're teaching at, so utilize that. And then also like some exercise equipment nowadays has gotten relatively affordable. And one thing during COVID, my wife and I, we just bought exercise equipment to have in our house. Yeah, being able to wake up and not have to go outside is.

Speaker 1 12:53

Well, yeah, you live in a cold. You live in a cold area.

Speaker 2 12:56

Up in Syracuse, new York, so that's awesome. And then in the summer, of course, it's just great to get out in the morning. It's so nice.

Speaker 1 13:04

Yeah, yeah. There's something really rejuvenating with being outside, even in the cold. My friend she's trying to walk at lunch and being outside. I just think that there's a lot of benefits to being outside.

Speaker 2 13:22

Definitely.

Speaker 1 13:23

So if you can squeeze in a little walk at lunch, I think that that's also really helpful.

Speaker 2 13:28

Yeah, I'll say walking throughout the day too. I think one trap a lot of Westerners get into is you have your hour workout time for the day, or 45 minutes or whatever it is and then you sit at a desk the rest of the day, or 45 minutes or whatever it is and then you sit at a desk the rest of the day. And while that's better than nothing, really, the research shows that you'll have better benefits by just moving consistently throughout the day. Even if it's lower intensities like taking short walks throughout the day, that's generally better for your health than like one focus time, right.

Speaker 1 14:05

Right, and actually teachers can do that, Like they're walking from place to place. They can try to do it, you know, speed walk a little bit and try to get their heart rate. So I mean it is possible. It is possible, Um. So we're thinking about the holidays and the cookies and we've talked a little bit about this. But, like Christmas and Thanksgiving, you've got these big meals, you've got lots of goodies, Um, and sometimes people just get out of sync. Um, is there something that helps you during the holidays or even Thanksgiving? Like I don't like gravy, so I wouldn't put gravy on my potatoes. But is there any tips you might have for Thanksgiving and Christmas area?

Speaker 2 14:57

So some of them are similar to what I said before.

Speaker 2 15:00

Definitely bring your own food to different parties, or if your family's getting together for Thanksgiving, make a dish, or volunteer to make a dish that you know you can rely on and that you could stock up on. Um, if it's holiday parties, uh, don't feel bad eating before you go hungry while you're there. So if you're going to have something, it is just you know something. Little, I would say.

Healthy Eating During the Holidays

Speaker 2 15:28

Though I think this question at least makes me think of another bigger picture thing to think about, and I think some trouble that we've gotten into and kind of our eating culture is the holidays aren't really special. Like, we treat almost every day like a holiday, or we have so many holidays throughout the year, or it's Saturday after a long week of work, or, oh, we're going to celebrate birthday today, and so we've extended the holiday season that you talk about for a year long. I know that's true. If you think about Thanksgiving, how different is it really than the amount of food you're eating on some different day? And I would argue for a lot of people it's probably not that different different day, and I I would argue for a lot of people it's probably not that different. So I would, I would suggest that I would encourage to. The holidays are supposed to be fun and you don't want to have to be thinking about like, oh, I shouldn't be eating this, or having that kind of cloudy.

Speaker 1 16:36

Right, right, you want to feel guilty.

Speaker 2 16:40

And you'll be able to do that a lot better if you kind of keep the holidays the holidays and then keep into like a healthy routine throughout the rest of the year. So with that I would also say, if you do find yourself kind of eating not how you want to over the holidays or you're not getting exercise in, that's OK, just get back to it as quick as you can afterwards and don't let it come down on itself.

Speaker 1 17:08

Right, right, right. It's kind of that whole thing you eat one cookie, then they keep eating another cookie and then it's like you ate one cookie, okay, walk away, you don't have to eat the whole bag of cookies.

Speaker 2 17:19

Exactly. I'm definitely somebody that struggles with portion control and that's why, for me, black and white rules are just very helpful. So it's like if I'm somewhere where there's cookies, I just don't eat cookies, because one cookie to me makes no difference, I want to have five. So, I just know. It's just easier for me to say no, I don't eat cookies.

Speaker 1 17:43

Yeah, yeah, unless they're homemade, maybe you would. So is there a place where you go for, like, healthy recipes? Do you? Do you follow anybody, or do you do you have something that you create yourself? Or how do you get your healthy recipes?

Speaker 2 18:04

I would say social media. I will pick up some, a few cookbooks I'm also share with friends and family, kind of will send recipes for people that I know are kind of thinking a little bit more about health. I really enjoy Forks Over Knives, which is I at least follow them on Instagram and they're posting a lot of healthy recipes a lot. I also like experimenting in the kitchen. I actually, during undergrad, part of my nutrition degree was I had to take a restaurant course where I had to wear like a chef suit oh wow, how to use a chef's knife and it was was kind of funny.

Speaker 2 18:45

I used to get made fun of on the football team like I was quote-unquote one of the the people doing well in school, but oh, he's just going to cooking class, like at the time it was. I don't, I wouldn't say it was embarrassing, but it was. I was kind of laughing along with my teammates, but it's probably the class I rely on most now. Wow, all the time. So I'm comfortable in the kitchen and I just like trying stuff. I have core meals that I like with different bases of grains rice, quinoa, what have you or different salads, and then just kind of slowly adding some variety to it and testing it out.

Meal Planning and Preparation Tips

Speaker 1 19:28

That's good. That's good. I found when I was teaching I really liked the crock pot because I could put this stuff in. And I came home and it was, it was already ready, and then I actually had these little salad containers were great. They had a little cooler, little like ice pack and they had a little thing where you put the salad dressing and I would line those up on Sunday night, I would make my five salads and then I didn't have to worry about what I was going to bring for lunch the next week. So do you think that there's something to be said, or is this something that you do for, like planning what you're going to eat?

Speaker 2 20:10

Yeah, certainly I love meal prepping. Sunday afternoons, a lot of times football on in the living room and I'll be making a big pot of rice or some other grain and then I have, like you said, you had containers. I have little glass bowls for my lunches and again, I'm trying, like I I eat a lot of different things, but it's all based on the same core. So there'll be some sort of grain bowl or lettuce bowl with different vegetables and beans and nuts that I kind of add in and a few different sauces. I love spicy food, so like a lot of hot peppers and and things like that. But I think one meal planning it helps with efficiency during the week. So you're not thinking about it, you're not coming into the kitchen hungry, like we talked about before.

Speaker 2 20:59

It's also portion control Once you have your kind of in your container. That's my lunch Right.

Speaker 1 21:05

Right.

Speaker 2 21:05

So it's easier to do that at a time separate from the time that it's like. I'm hungry I need to eat now. All that made beforehand. I think that's a great, a great key that I've used, and I know a lot of other people so, like you just said yourself, that use it very effectively and it helps them a lot, like you just said yourself that use it very effectively and it helps them a lot.

Speaker 1 21:34

Good, good. So we are going to be wrapping up here. So, lastly, you may not be an educator, but you certainly spent a lot of time in school thinking about the teachers that were instrumental in your journey. If they were here today, do you have any words of wisdom that you feel would be helpful as far as taking care of their health? Because that's what wellness for educators is all about.

Speaker 2 21:56

Definitely, I would say, first and foremost, the teachers, and even the teachers that I've had you for a lot of these kids are the main adult in their life for that nine month period and they look up to you a lot. I certainly looked up to a lot of my teachers and one thing that I always noticed about teachers and the teachers that ended up being my favorite teachers were always the ones that were very enthusiastic. Yeah, I could tell they cared about the class and they cared about the material, and I think that energy and that passion comes from being a healthy, well-balanced person, and so I think you'll be the best in front of your class, you'll be the best for your students, you'll be the best at teaching your material if you take care of yourself, if you're balanced, if you think about these things.

Speaker 2 22:47

And you'll be an example for these kids, because we need it right now. I don't think our country we're in such a blessed spot where we have so much food and so many options, but that comes also with the detriment of we have so much food and we have so many options.

Speaker 1 23:02

Yeah, yeah, too much to choose from.

Speaker 2 23:06

It's hard to make the right decisions. So, as a teacher, you can always teach that, along with whatever subject you're teaching. Kids are looking up to you and your role models and make that part of what you're gonna kind of impart on them.

Speaker 1 23:22

Wow, thank you so much, sam. I am so appreciative of your time. I know you're a busy man, and joining us on this episode really means a lot, and I'm certain the listeners are going to really find this information helpful. So thank you so much.

Speaker 2 23:38

Yeah, thank you. I sure hope so, and it was great to share with you.

Speaker 1 23:44

Thank you. Remember, as the holidays approach, please put your health at the top of your priority list. Being mindful of your health will not only help you, but will certainly impact your students. We know that educators that take care of themselves are happier and usually more patient. We know teachers certainly need daily doses of patience. Remember I am here cheering for you. Thanks to Ron Coleman for providing the music and thanks to you for being a positive influence to the future generation. You are a true hero. You need to be well, to teach well, find joy in the journey. This is Lori Maxfield and I thank you so much for listening. For Wellness for Educators. If you have a friend that might benefit from this podcast, please pass it along. I look forward to connecting again in a few weeks and until that time, remember to practice self-care and don't forget your health is a priority.