night owl needs some help

shannonc04

I work have worked night shift for 8 almost 9 years now and have found that I have problems trying to stay on track. I work 6p-6a and get home and in bed around 7 am then get up anywhere between 2 and 3 in the afternoon. I also generally stay the same type of sleep schedule when not working (I sleep a lot better that way). I try to take healthier options to work with me cause there is nowhere to eat around where I work and want to stay away from the snack machine. I am also a very picky eater (which makes it hard sometimes) and don't eat hardly any vegetables (have tried working them in with no success so far). I have been trying to get a daily workout in and sometimes just seems hard (especially work days when I only have 2-3 hours before work to get other stuff done too). I finally got a treadmill a few days ago that I am going to try to use daily but that's it for workout equipment. There are also no local gyms anywhere close (all are over an hour away). Any tips for staying on a schedule, what types of workouts would good, and any food tips would be appreciated.

GingerLolita

I always come up with a meal + snack schedule for myself which helps me eat properly and stay on track. I'd recommend using non-work days to cook bulk quantities for your work days of foods that you like. For meals on non-work days, experiment with new recipes and hopefully you'll find some veggies you enjoy (I rarely ate veggies before I started cooking - experiment with different veggies and preparation styles for each). I'd recommend buying some weights to balance your cardio (treadmill) with strength training. You may also want to try some workout videos that you can do to vary your workout.

RodaRose

I agree about cooking once or twice a week for the whole week. That makes things in our house work so much better than they would otherwise. We supplement our cooking by buying rotisserie chickens. Then we make vegetables and salads. Hubby likes rice with the chicken.
Focus on what you bring to work as the snack machine seems to be an issue.
Good luck with the treadmill. If music helps you, get some music / playlists.

Try to reduce or put off whatever that "other stuff" is that gets in the way of your goals.
>>>> Keep reminding yourself that you are important and that anything you need to be be successful is important too.

Cait_Sidhe

You've been working nightshift for a long time now. You already know that you just treat it like any other shift as far as meals go. Personally I find it helpful to log my food on a 24 hour schedule. 24 hours is 24 hours no matter how you look at it. My diary is set up like this:
8am-12pm
12pm-4pm
4pm-8pm
8pm-12am
12am-4am
4am-8am
And I just log my food in whatever time frame I ate it so I don't go over for my 24 hours. I also prelog my food to figure out what to eat and when so it fits into my limit and macros. I bring enough food to work to last for all of my 3 12 hour shifts and pretty much eat the same thing so there's no guess work. I also work a 4th 12 hour shift elsewhere and prelog for that as well.

As far as finding time to exercise, I prefer to do it in the morning when I get off work. I am just not going to get up early to do it. It's just how I am. But if you don't have difficulty getting up early do it then. Doesn't really matter as long as it's something you can stick to.