Combating fatigue

fitnurse09

I love to exercise. I mean I really do. Always did but it just seems that if I do so before my scheduled 7p-7a shift I find myself so exhausted towards the end of my shift. I'm even more exhausted the next day if my muscles are sore. I take Glutamine and BCAA when I'm sore. Any suggestions?

dannybias50

Carb depleted. Your body uses carbohydrates has a source of energy.
Not eating right. Working 12 hour shifts make it hard to eat right
Stress. Being a nurse. Mentally can cause fatigue too
Dehydration also. Make sure your drinking plenty of water.

Hello_its_Dan

Iron?

canadianlbs

maybe the only solution would be to ease into the exercising and let your system have a longer period to build additional stamina. even 12 hours at a desk job would be a long time. but 12 hours of nursing sounds physical enough to carry its own cost, so maybe you're just overspending for the recovery budget you have.

mgalovic01

Cold showers. Start not so cold, and make it colder and colder. They're invigorating. Also, the breathing exercises by Wim Hof might help.

LiveLoveFitFab

You could try shorter less intense exercise on the days you work. Being a nurse is a work out in itself, so you're probably just over doing it. I know when I work full time I can't do huge work outs on a work day. When I work long hours I usually leave my big workouts for my days off and on work days I just do light cardio or rest days.

Larissa_NY

What exercise do you do? Do you take rest days? Are you fueling your workout with enough carbs?

Fatigue is really, really tough to get past. You have to sort of adjust one thing at a time until you find a decent equilibrium.

ChristineCoen

Above recommendations are good too.

Magnesium and B vitamins are very readily used in energy generating reactions in our body, so when we exercise they are used even more! Magnesium is the most commonly deficient mineral in the body next to vitamin D. Look into supplementing these! I have a few clients who when they started taking a healthy daily dose of these improved their energy levels and fatigue during workouts. Hope this helps!

Christine coen

singletrackmtbr

As a former third shifter myself, the first question I would ask is are you getting enough sleep?

fitnurse09

Larissa_NY wrote: »

What exercise do you do? Do you take rest days? Are you fueling your workout with enough carbs?

Fatigue is really, really tough to get past. You have to sort of adjust one thing at a time until you find a decent equilibrium.

I take it day by day. I don't do it often maybe once or twice before a shift. I usually run a mile or two then I weight lift. Squats and bicep curls (freestyle)

fitnurse09

singletrackmtbr wrote: »

As a former third shifter myself, the first question I would ask is are you getting enough sleep? [/quob

Between the shifts I will probably average 6 hours. Days I'm not working I get plenty of rest. (over 8)