long work hours

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lsjd2000
lsjd2000 Posts: 287 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
so does anyone else work long hours at work - i work mostly 12hour shift but alot of time have ended up makeing some of those 16hr and i usually work the next day. So what do you do for a workout - i am usualy exhausted by the time i get off and I drive and hour one way to work so even if i do a 12hr shift i get up at 4:30 am and don't get home till almost 9pm. So does anyone have advice or can relate?

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  • tiedye
    tiedye Posts: 331 Member
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    I'm on my feet for my 12-16 hour shifts...so I count that as my workout :D I know that doesn't help much.

    Sometimes if I ate goodies at work I'll take the stairs to my apartment going home, 23 floors up!
  • purpletrillium
    purpletrillium Posts: 124
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    Sometimes I work a double shift, which was 21 hours straight on Tuesday. I exercise at work by walking briskly and stair climbing. It helps keep me awake. The hardest part is altering my eating schedule. I tend to eat more sugar and caffeine. I ate a bag of popcorn for dinner, then had cereal and milk at 3 am, and had breakfast at Noon.
  • curvygirl512
    curvygirl512 Posts: 423 Member
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    Wow, I thought I worked long hours. I'll never complain again. I find that taking 15 minute naps on my breaks helps to keep me from constant munchies. I seriously need more sleep.
  • Puffins1958
    Puffins1958 Posts: 614 Member
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    I also work about 40 miles one way to work. I generally work the 4pm-12am shift.
    I workout in the morning before I have to leave for work, which is generally 2pm.
    When I get home it's generally around 1am, too late to do anything but check emails and get some rest,
  • fastbelly
    fastbelly Posts: 727 Member
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    so does anyone else work long hours at work - i work mostly 12hour shift but alot of time have ended up makeing some of those 16hr and i usually work the next day. So what do you do for a workout - i am usualy exhausted by the time i get off and I drive and hour one way to work so even if i do a 12hr shift i get up at 4:30 am and don't get home till almost 9pm. So does anyone have advice or can relate?

    Use work and breaks as your exercise.

    There are plenty of exercises you can do while at work, some have already been sugested in this thread.
  • gmkimby
    gmkimby Posts: 58 Member
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    I can totally relate!!! I work 2 jobs!!! I work one from 7:30-5:30, then I'm back on the clock at my second job from 6:00-10 or 11pm!!! And on top of all that, I usually work 7 days per week!!! My workout is truly suffering and I'm missing the energy I use to get from my hour long gym session! But, I'm not giving up cause I know things won't be like this always!
  • IamBrande
    IamBrande Posts: 237
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    This is me... work work work. very little down time.. I also work 1hr away.. I spend 10hrs at work 2hrs on the road.. .there's 12hrs, then get home and take kids to sports, do homework, dinner, etc... my goodness most days I am more exhausted thinking of my "work" at home than I am while I am actually at work! lol

    As for exercising.......steps instead of elevator... get a pedomete and make a goal of a # of steps to reach each day...drink water more than sugary drinks... buy fat free twizzlers for a snack if you need one.. Make exercise your PRIORITY on your days off....

    There is a way to get it all done.............even 15min of something is better than 0 minutes of nothing!!

    I , do, understand!!
  • rrussell718
    rrussell718 Posts: 1
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    I just changed jobs recently from a third shift to a first shift job. It took me a while to adjust my eating and excersize habits. But now, thinks to this awesome tool, I am able to get back on track. However, I have noticed that on the days I work I eat only half my calorie goal for the day. I know that this is not good because my body will start hoarding and make it difficult to lose weight. Any suggestions?
  • november03
    november03 Posts: 205 Member
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    I also work 8-16 hour shifts. On days when I work long shifts I just don’t have the motivation to work out my feet and knees usually are too uncomfortable. I do try to take the stairs at work instead of the elevator and I park further away.
  • ngolston
    ngolston Posts: 159 Member
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    I work 3 12s a week, too and find it difficult to do a set workout on those days. I usually run 3 times a week on my off days and I'm working on getting up early once on a work day to put in 30minutes on a treadmill before showering and getting to work. Also, I work on the 3rd floor, so I always take the stairs to my floor and when running to the lab on the 1st floor. I've wore my pedometer to work a few times, and average 3.5 miles a day so that's not too shabby :-)
  • Laineegrrl
    Laineegrrl Posts: 80 Member
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    I work 3 12s too and don't work out on my work days.
  • inspiration345
    inspiration345 Posts: 218 Member
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    3 12s is the best schedule. I try to workout hard on my free days and I use my work days as recovery day. My job is not very hard but it's not sedentary either. I also get to walk 1 hour to and from work and the nearest train station and I bicycle. Denmark- Sweden are very good countries for bicycling and walking :).
  • tonilizzy88
    tonilizzy88 Posts: 968 Member
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    i also realte big time, sometimes ill start at 3pm monday and finish at 5pm tuesday (i am aloud to sleep 11pm-6.30am) i find taking my food in with me on monday for the duration helps me not pick and as for exersize i go up and down stairs, i am lucky that my client enjoys swimming so i go in with her and do 30 lenghths or so

    i do find if i dont exerasize i get tired and crave sugar
    x
  • Kellynh
    Kellynh Posts: 5 Member
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    WOW, again I will never complain about my hours. I too drive an hr each way, but I'm only working 9ish hrs a day. But then I come home to 5 kids and a husband, I have been getting up around 4-4:30 for workouts and I'm ready for the day. I also have 30 mins for lunch and usually try to get a couple gals to go walking. Do you have weekends Free? Sat and Sun is when I try for my extra hard workouts. DO WHAT YOU CAN, WHEN YOU CAN!!!!
  • lsjd2000
    lsjd2000 Posts: 287 Member
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    thanks for the replies - i do walk alot i am a unit secretay and we have a locked unit so anytime parents want in i have to get up and let them in - i also run labs etc (which i figured out is .2 miles to the lab and back) I try to drink mostly water because i tend to get dehydrated - we are not allowed to have drinks at our desk (which is good so no mindless snacking).
    So if you were a pedometer and count steps then how would you imput that into the exercise for you calorie burn?
  • inspiration345
    inspiration345 Posts: 218 Member
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    You can make your own exercise under exercise and log what your pedometer said for walking or just choose walking and up the minutes until it reaches close to what your pedometer said. Pedometers calories burn are tricky so don't eat all of the burned calories. The best pedometer is Nike+ that goes in Nike shoes but that means you have to wear sports shoes all the time, it's not cheap either and the sensor deactivates after 5 minutes of not being used and you have to remember to reactivate it.

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