Working Graveyard - Any Tips on what to eat and exercises?

TrishB30

So I work graveyard (10 hour shifts four nights a week) in a Group Home with Special Needs Adults. Good news is they hit the sack at 9 p.m. and sleep most of the night until 6 a.m. and I have my regular duties as house hold cleaning --- sweeping, moping, laundry, dishes, dusting, wiping down counters, stove, you get the picture... so I know that keeps me moving, sweating and burning calories, but what do I eat and what do I do for the other 6 hours of the night?

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. (And I know I'm not the only one working graveyard on MFP I'm pretty sure others are curious... just sayin lol)

jmatthews75

get some exercise in while at work. jumping jacks all night while they sleep. a little bit goes a long way...

TrishB30

Thanks, that sounds good I'll just have to take off my shoes so they don't wake up. I've been searching the web I think I can do leg lifts, squats, sit ups and something that's not too loud for anyone to wake up. But thank you.

RunningDragon

i used to be a lizard slinger. Just walk around alot, use your knees when you move 'them' and try not to fall into the trap of eating poorly like so many of us [not me anymore, I am a 9-5er, but know what you are talking about] - so many of THEM [not the lizards, the lizard slingers] do.

BreakingOldHabits

I would eat lots of protein early in your shift and then later in your shift switch to salad and lite protein. Eat snacks with lots of fiber like apples and drink lots of water. The new me that is... The old me would have a box of wheat thins and sharp cheddar as a snack. Ham sandwich and/or left over pizza for meals. With of course diet drinks, two or three times a day.

highfiveornot

when i was a cashier and i had free time i would either walk in a circle (like a weirdo lol) or i would just stand with my feet flat and then stand on my toes, like up and down, up and down, up and down...

jbiancad

If they have a tv with the demand channels go to fitness on demand (1044 in my area) and you have a whole bunch of free workout videos to pick from. That's what I used to do at my job when I only had 1 resident

DoingTheNeedful

I work four tens at night as well. I've cooked up a little game for myself, and I'm probably going to start doing this tomorrow.

What you'll need: A six-sided die, a stopwatch.

What you do: Every hour, on the hour, roll the die, and perform exercises as follows:

1: 10 burpees
2: 20 push-ups
3: 30 seconds in the plank position
4: 40 seconds of side planks (20 on the left, 20 on the right)
5: 50 crunches
6: 60 seconds jumping jacks

Adjust it to your particular fitness level, of course. Feel free to develop other lists of exercises too. There are all sorts of bodyweight exercises you can try - hindu squats, V-ups, lunges, and every kind of flavor of push-up you could want.

TrishB30

Awesome! Thanks everyone! This is such great advice! I'll see how I can modify everything!