Nurses- how do you log work activity?

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Mustang_Susie
Mustang_Susie Posts: 7,045 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm an RN in a long term care facility.
If I'm working the floor, I spend a lot of time standing with short periods of walking in and out of rooms and up and down the hallway.
If I'm supervising, I spend a lot of time sitting and doing paperwork but getting up out of my chair to answer the phone, get chart forms etc. along with walking to other parts of the facility to get supplies , help other nurses etc.
I log it either as walking at a moderate pace for an hour or a slow pace for 30 minutes.

How do you log it?
Is there a more accurate measure?

Thanks

Replies

  • spade117
    spade117 Posts: 2,466 Member
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    What is your daily activity level set to?
  • DaisyAliceB
    DaisyAliceB Posts: 17 Member
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    I'm a student midwife, I'm yet to try it out properly but I just bought myself a pedometer, that way I can roughly work out the speed I was walking at based on roughly how long I've been moving about (I hardly sit down on a shift!) and how far I've walked. It's still a crude method but at least if I can say "I've walked 4 miles today", I've got something tangible.
  • Mustang_Susie
    Mustang_Susie Posts: 7,045 Member
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    What is your daily activity level set to?

    Sedentary

    I don't work every day and I like to have my calorie limit set below where it actually needs to be.
    Helps me stay on target.
  • irishrose22
    irishrose22 Posts: 161 Member
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    You could always wear a HRM for a day and find out what you really burn.
  • Mustang_Susie
    Mustang_Susie Posts: 7,045 Member
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    You could always wear a HRM for a day and find out what you really burn.

    Does it monitor stress and how many calories that burns? :tongue:
    (jk)
  • Zampa13
    Zampa13 Posts: 75 Member
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    I got myself a pedometer last year for when I was working in Community and found I was doing roughly 15000 steps per day as I travel via public transport rather than car...its far easier in London to use public transport.


    I brought it onto the ward once but kept falling off my scrubs so got sick of picking it up every 5 minutes.

    I often feel like I do about 20 laps of the ward at least when Im working, (our ward backs round on itself) not to mention on a 'bad day' sprinting when the emergency buzzer is going off hourly...Its a wonder how I ever manage to gain weight thinking about it!
  • Kempossible
    Kempossible Posts: 158 Member
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    I don't log my work activity. Only when Im actually breaking a sweat with a elevated Heart Rate which I monitor using my Polar FT4
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    I wouldn't log it at all. You're likely not getting your heart rate up enough on short walks to make a difference.
  • mperales00
    mperales00 Posts: 15
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    I worked in a very busy transplant ICU but definitely had more activity some days than others. I never logged my work activity. I felt like that was just an added bonus to whatever workouts I did that week. I also wore a fit bit and was surprised that there was a great amount of variation in the amount of steps I took from day to day.
  • LoosingMyLast15
    LoosingMyLast15 Posts: 1,457 Member
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    i wouldn't log it - it's just what you do. dare i mention it's like cleaning the house you just do it. (that's gonna open up a big can of worms!) :) if you loose weight doing no other exercises (other than the walking standing and sitting) then log it but i suspect it does not (not meant in a hurtful manner)
  • ingies2011
    ingies2011 Posts: 127 Member
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    I wouldn't log it, also wouldn't recommend wearing a heart rate monitor as the calorie algorhythm it uses is based on sustained aerobic exercise, such as walking (constantly without stopping), running, swimming, biking etc. HRM also aren't accurate for weight training for that same reason as that is a stop start activity.
  • Scalvak
    Scalvak Posts: 46 Member
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    I'm an RN in long term care as well. I don't log my work activities, just consider them extra.
  • kathyhinsh
    kathyhinsh Posts: 3
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    I have to say, I don't log my work either. I was just curious if anyone else did, but as some people rightly said, it's what we do, therefore surely our bodies are used to it.
  • SMFRN
    SMFRN Posts: 108 Member
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    I work in an OR. I don't log my work. I look at it as extra cardio if we are busy. :)
  • jmkmomm
    jmkmomm Posts: 3,247 Member
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    Due to having MS I don't work in nursing anymore. But I have a FitBit one and it measure whatever activity you are doing, eating, walking, anything. Plus one other poster said. it is interesting to see from your on line FitBit 'dashboard' how your activity throughout the day alters. From that you might be able to tell how much to log in for the day. It shows you a whole graph hour by hour how many calories are being burned. I think all of the FitBit sync to your computer, tablet, smartphone but the less expensive will also show you your activity during sleep.

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