Night shift- when do you exercise?

[MJB2010]

I am about to go back to nights. I don't know when a good time is, I feel like before work or after work is out, but on my off days I need to start moving. What time do you feel like working out? Do you exercise at home or at a 24 hour gym?

We need a night shift forum!!!

[Aurora77]

I'll exercise on my days (or nights, rather :) ) off. There's just too little time between shifts--I need my sleep or I'll be cranky.

[LobotRN, BSN, RN]

I exercise in the early morning on my off days, so I kind of stay in step with my NOC shifts. No doubt, its hard. If I didn't have to get my kids to school, I think it would be easier to squeeze it in right after a shift (I do try on the weekends to get to the gym because DH handles those mornings). But by the time my kids are totally out the door, it's two hours past my shift end, and I wanna sleep! I need at least 6-7 hours of sleep to be sane and safe before heading into the long, long night :) It will be nice when they are of age to totally get themselves out the door.

A little off topic, but I find I'm really liking nights (count my vote for a NOC forum!). The flow is a little more doable, and if I'm caught up right after evening med pass, its easy. Unless I have a plastics pt who had an eye/jaw re-do with some stupid orders like "ice in jaw-bra on/off q 30 minutes" and "chilled sterile saline to gauze eye pads q 30 minutes." (btw, I work a gen surg floor that does a lot of ortho, but we have a few plastics docs that send their 23 hr obs through our unit if they don't recover well in PACU, well, we get them!)

[NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN]

I exercise in the early morning on my off days, so I kind of stay in step with my NOC shifts. No doubt, its hard. If I didn't have to get my kids to school, I think it would be easier to squeeze it in right after a shift (I do try on the weekends to get to the gym because DH handles those mornings). But by the time my kids are totally out the door, it's two hours past my shift end, and I wanna sleep! I need at least 6-7 hours of sleep to be sane and safe before heading into the long, long night :) It will be nice when they are of age to totally get themselves out the door.

A little off topic, but I find I'm really liking nights (count my vote for a NOC forum!). The flow is a little more doable, and if I'm caught up right after evening med pass, its easy. Unless I have a plastics pt who had an eye/jaw re-do with some stupid orders like "ice in jaw-bra on/off q 30 minutes" and "chilled sterile saline to gauze eye pads q 30 minutes." (btw, I work a gen surg floor that does a lot of ortho, but we have a few plastics docs that send their 23 hr obs through our unit if they don't recover well in PACU, well, we get them!)

I enjoy the workflow of nights as well. If just my personal life will be affected.

[playboyesquiere]

I've been on nights since 2007. The best time for me to workout is right after the shift ends that morning for about an hour then i'll eat breakfast, drink a protein shake and then go to bed. If that doesn't work try going to sleep immediately when getting home, wake up an hour earlier than you normally do for work and get your workout in there. This works best if you don't have kids which i don't so it works well for me. Also write down a workout schedule this will make you more likely to actually do it. I'm doing the billy blanks pt24/7 workouts which is only 30 minutes and then sometimes i'll do my martial arts workouts. Just get a workout in so you don't get too lazy and gain a bunch of weight.

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

I walk to and from work. On nights the turning, washing and changing is exercise in itself. Before work, I'll do pilates and cardio for 20 to 25 minutes. On my days off depending on how many I have, I'm often too tired to exercise.

[VICEDRN, BSN, RN]

I exercise after I wake up and have breakfast. Usually between 2-4 pm.

[sandyfeet]

I am still trying to find my groove for this. I have an unpredictable commute (anywhere from 35min-1 hour) so by the time I get home in the morning, I feel relaxed and ready to go to sleep. I had no idea people were motivated enough to work out after a 12 hour shift! Sometimes I will work out before I go in, but I hate having to get up "early". Maybe I will try working out before my drive home!

[Davey Do]

From about 0830 to 1030. I exercise more on my nights off, because I exercise a bit during my regular working hours.

And I second that emotion to a Night Shft Forum!

Dave

[LR59]

We walk at work The lab tech, the radiology tech, admissions and nurses all walk in groups of 2-3 on our breaks Our facility is a square that you can do laps on. On good nights we can all get 15 minutes cardio walking done We have even tried some zumba type dance

[anashenwrath, ASN, RN]

I have the good fortune of a 24-hour planet fitness down the block from my apartment. So, if I have the motivation to exercise, I'll stop there on my way home, do a 45 minute run or lift some weights. Then I'm home in less than a minute. I have a tough time falling asleep, so I usually just relax and enjoy the post-workout glow for a bit. When I do fall asleep, I wake up feeling super energized. The tough part is convincing myself to stop at the gym in the first place!

[LobotRN, BSN, RN]

Alright. I'm going to the gym. Now. Oooof!

(You are all a bubbling font of motivation, I hope I don't fall asleep in the pool and drown).

[EarlyRN, BSN, RN]

@BluegrassRN

That's a great routine. I hope to be as disciplined.