12 hour shifts suck the life out of you how can I be healthy.

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jessica7571
jessica7571 Posts: 13 Member
in Motivation and Support
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Basically my life right now in this pic. Having a hard time staying on track with working nights 12 hours and being short staffed. Gotta love it. Any tips or kind words friends? All I want to do when I get off work is eat mcdonalds and pass out. Just being honest haha it gets hectic sometimes.

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  • violet_820
    violet_820 Posts: 77 Member
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    Just do little things. One little healthy decision at a time is a victory.
  • Kimo159
    Kimo159 Posts: 508 Member
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    My life can get pretty busy, that's why I meal prep usually 1-2 nights per week. I make a huge batch and I put some in the fridge, most in the freezer. Usually I'll make healthy dinners throughout the week and then use my prepped pre-portioned foods for lunches and days where I don't have time/energy to cook dinner. When I get down to 1-2 meals left in the freezer, I prep again.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    My husband has been doing 12 hour shifts 2 days/2 nights for years now...he is healthy and makes the right choices at work and home.

    It's a mind set.
  • mcspeight
    mcspeight Posts: 43 Member
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    I do 12 hour shifts as well, mix of days and nights, my days are hectic and my nights...well depends. Either way, at the end of a shift I'm exhaustapaited ( too tired to give a .... lol)
    For me, meal prep and planning is key.
    And I find I have more energy on a night shift if I woke up 30 min earlier than normal and did a 30-45 min cardio on the treadmill.
    There's no way I could do that for a day shift tho lol, but if I did 30 min cardio after a 12 hr day shift I slept so much better that night and woke up feeling more energized.
    It took me a few days to get on track but once there I was looking forward to the walk after work (it helped with detachment from work too, Im a full time nurse on a psych unit)
    Good luck and don't give in to those morning drive thru temptations!
  • avrba53
    avrba53 Posts: 6 Member
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    I work 12s too. I only workout on my days off and try to do at least an hour with quite a bit of intensity. I make sure I pack breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I usually drink a Special K shake and some cut up veggies on my way home for dinner so I'm not too tempted by the Taco Bell right outside the hospital drive. I gained an F ton of weight in nursing school because I ate fast food and drank Starbucks like nobody's business, so avoiding drive thrus and stress eating after work are my main changes right now
  • daniel_d06
    daniel_d06 Posts: 1 Member
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    Excellent work on meal prepping! That alone puts you ahead of the game. But clearly what you really want is to find a way to feel less tired/have more energy.

    Try to schedule about 30 mins before getting ready for work to drink a glass of water and do some light exercise.

    We wake up somewhat dehydrated after going without any water overnight. Drinking water as soon as you wake up will help your body recover from that.

    The light exercise will help get some circulation and get your heart rate up a bit. Exercising will wake you up and give you a boost of energy.

    Next, you need to schedule some of your free time for rejuvenating activities. This could be getting a massage, going out for a walk, etc.

    This helps recharge your "batteries" and it helps to clear your mind as well.

    Combine these things to what you've been doing and your body will take care of the rest. Hope this helps!

  • lizlemon4
    lizlemon4 Posts: 36 Member
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    Meal prep and exercise is EVERYTHING!!! you have to get your head in the game and come prepared or you will gain a *kitten* ton of weight. I don't work 12 hour days but I work right next to a McDonald's and I put weight on fast. Then I prepped and started working out just 30 minutes a day and the weight has come off slowly. You gotta do it. Just do it. You'll be so happy you did.
  • NaturalNancy
    NaturalNancy Posts: 1,093 Member
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    - Preparation.
    - Pack healthy snacks to bring and eat while you're at work and prepare meals ahead of time for when you know you will be too tired to cook.
    - Make sure you're drinking enough water and getting enough sleep.
    - Eat protein.
    12 hour shifts are brutal.
    With the right preparation you can do anything you want :-)

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