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Exercise: fellow nurses and shift workers

JackieMarie1989jgw
JackieMarie1989jgw Posts: 230 Member
edited December 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Hello,
I am curious how other people with a similar schedule as me handle their exercise. I work 3 12 hour shifts a week. I wake up at 5 am, leave my house at 6 am and don't usually get home until 8 or 830 pm. I then help put my kids to bed, eat and am usually asleep by 930.
For this reason I have never exercised or really, done ANYTHING else but work eat and sleep on my 3 work days. I fit everything into my 4 days off.
What about you? Do you exercise every single day, even if you are working a long shift? Or do you fit it into your days off like me?
If you arent doing it every single day, do you have a problem with habit formation (as I do)?
I sometimes get discouraged that if I don't do it EVERY day it will never become habit, but doing it on my work days feels impossible without sacrificing sleep.
Thanks for your input.

Replies

  • Stew501
    Stew501 Posts: 65 Member
    I use to work 12hr shifts. There was no time for exercise on days I worked. I did take the stairs & tried to walk a lot during my shift. I wore a step counter for a few days & was getting 5 to 6 miles per 12 hr shift. I only went to the gym on my off days
  • jayne7470
    jayne7470 Posts: 87 Member
    I work 12 hour shifts I’m planning on going to the gym 3 times a week but not going to beat myself up if some weeks I don’t manage it ... I have to juggle work, 2 horses the gym and running a house 🥵
  • Keto_Vampire
    Keto_Vampire Posts: 1,670 Member
    I do 12+ hour overnight shifts; only the basic stuff on work days (check emails, eat, bath, sleep, etc.) & only manage to fit in about 30mins of cardio on work days (burn waaay more kcals on work days). Off days, I generally spend 1 hour lifting & 2 hours of very light cardio (usually compensate for the need to rest from strenuous/odd ball schedule).
  • StargazerB
    StargazerB Posts: 425 Member
    I'm not currently working. But I used to do 3 12's and I would not workout on my work days. But I definitely was active on those days so I feel it was ok.
  • JackieMarie1989jgw
    JackieMarie1989jgw Posts: 230 Member
    I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who saves their workouts for off days. I've never been successful with forming an exercise habit that lasts beyond a month, and whenever I read up on forming habits, everything I read seems to assume having a similar schedule every day (which we definitely don't, in addition to my schedule my husband works rotating so I am always watching the kids at different times)
    But maybe that's just an excuse, it's definitely do-able and I need to push through.
  • JackieMarie1989jgw
    JackieMarie1989jgw Posts: 230 Member
    And yes I am in hospital nursing so I am definitely not sedentary on work days, usually 10K plus steps. Just not doing cardio or strength training
  • amorfati601070
    amorfati601070 Posts: 2,890 Member
    Depending on how well the cycling infrastructure is in your city you could ride a bike to work. Do you have lockers and a shower? Active transportation has loads of benefits. Just be careful and not too sleep deprived when cycling...trust me.
  • Catho36
    Catho36 Posts: 107 Member
    I’m the same, 12 hr shifts as hospital nurse practitioner, when I did 8 or 10 hour shifts I’d fit in a 50 minute exercise dvd before work, now work, eat, commute and sleep is all I got. I joined a local gym this year and gone on my days off, normally a class then walk/run on treadmill. I’m normally there 1.5-2hrs but make up for when I cant work out, plus seems pointless commuting to gym for 30 min class, and I enjoy it
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