Night shift- when do you exercise?

Biffbradford · Jan 18, 2012

I think a night shift forum would be great. I usually sleep 4 - 6 hours when I get home, then if it's nice out, I head outside in the early afternoon going biking or skiing. Taking advantage of the beautiful day while everyone else is working. Then I'll take another nap before going back in. Sure, that catches up with you after a while, but if the weather is nice - seize the day! :)

On nights off, I've gone for bike rides at 3am. Those rides can be a lot of fun if you've got the lights to use. Watch out for drunks!

BluegrassRN · Jan 18, 2012

I don't have a set time. There are simply too many factors that can talk me out of exercising if I do it at a set time.

I just do it. If I haven't exercised that day, I get up early and go run before work. Some days on my 3 day in a row stretches, I exercise immediately after work, particularly if my gym offers a class I want to take at the right time, and some days I can't seem to do more than fall into bed after work.

I just make sure I do something every 24 hours. My goals are more on a weekly basis: run at least 4 times a week with a weekly milage goal of 16-20 per week (I've only recently worked up to this), and attend at least 2 yoga classes per week. Each day I evaluate what is going to work for that day based on my sleep, my level of fatigue, what I did the day before, the weather forecast, and where I'm at in my weekly goal.

I eat at night dependent upon this as well. If I'm going to exercise after work, I wait to eat my breakfast until as late in the shift as possible (my goal is an hour or less before I exercise). If I'm not going to exercise after work, I eat around 4am.

MomRN0913 · Jan 18, 2012

When I worked nights, I exercised on the morning the day after I had off the night before. Whether or not I work that actual night. Worked out OK.

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Jan 18, 2012

exercise? what is this exercise of which you speak?

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jan 18, 2012

I shall start off by mentioning that I am working two jobs at the present time. I work Monday through Friday from 10pm to 6:30 a.m. (8 hour overnight shifts) at one job, and Saturday and Sunday from 6pm to 6:30 a.m. (12 hour overnight shifts) at the other workplace. In a nutshell, I work the night shift 7 days a week.

I exercise at the health club almost immediately after my shift ends. If I do not head straight to the gym after work, I will almost certainly skip out on exercising. Once I arrive home after working an overnight shift, I do not really want to leave the house again. I will do about 45 minutes of cardio exercise while at the gym, and I take anywhere from one to two days of rest per week. Overall, I have been managing to exercise at least five days out of every week.

In addition, I have a weight bench at home with plenty of free weights. I also have a used Gazelle machine, a rudimentary stair stepper machine, and a step aerobics platform for days when I cannot or do not feel like getting to the health club.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Jan 18, 2012

When I worked nights, I'd either walk home in the morning (a 1.5 mile walk), rollerblade (longer route since I'd cut over to the West Side Highway and go down that), or I'd exercise on my stationary bike at home before I washed up and headed to bed.

Now that I work days, I try to hit the Y on my days off. If I'm working, I try to get in one walk at lunch and, depending on how early I arrive, a pre-shift walk in the morning as well.

Biffbradford · Jan 18, 2012

May I add that exercising (or doing -something-) immediately after work is a good stress reliever. It puts one step in between your consciousness and the stress you went through on your shift. Helps you to sleep better.

anotherone, BSN, RN · Jan 18, 2012

Almost never. It is terrible I have gotten a lot fatter and less toned. I do plenty of OT and feel way too tired to exercise. Where I live there aren't any 24 hour gyms, exercising at night at home when i am awake on nights off will upset the neighbors and at night it is NOT safe to exercise outside. For most of the winter it is dark here by 4pm, no lights, unsafe and NOT pedestrian friendly . I don't think I should sleep any less than a day shift person just because I work nights so i refuse to sleep 4 horus so i can get up to go run around in the snow. ugh. if i have a lot of nights off in a row, rare, i try to switch to a day schedule to exercise outside by either running or walking.

NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN · Jan 18, 2012

We definitely need a night shift forum! OP I'm having the same problem. I'm getting married in August and just started night shift. I'm trying to loose 30 pounds before the wedding and need good workout regimen. Before I started nights I worked out 5 days a week, that has now gone down to zero. I will attempt to workout after my shift. Commuter was very encouraging. Good luck to us. Nightshift is not easy.

Blindsided · Jan 18, 2012

When I worked nights, I exercised on the morning the day after
I had off the night before. Whether or not I work that actual night. Worked out OK.

SAY WHAT??? I'm having a good laugh at myself, because the more I read this, the harder it was for me to understand :).

**NickiLaughs, ADN, BSN, RN** · Jan 18, 2012

I don't. I view my shifts as exercise or carrying my toddler around on my off days. Hauling around a 30 lb chunker counts for something right?

I could try to workout, but I already don't see my kid enough with the night shift and all the extra shifts I have to do to make ends meet.

I just try to keep my diet in check until I get a more manageable schedule. I could stand to lose maybe 10 lbs, but it could be much worse.