Fitness and nursing

Nurses Stress 101

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Hey kids. So my pondering is how many of you play a sport/hit the gym before and/or after work?

I'm a solid build and only 5'7" so I tend to play basketball during the week and hit the gym for a few hours on the weekends. I find it keeps me sharp, fit and my dexterity levels at an optimum level. I'm looking to get a professional level ( NBL, AFL etc ) fitness instructor.

I tend to play hoops in the morning and then hit the court after work, good stress reliever

Specializes in Peds/Neo CCT,Flight, ER, Hem/Onc.

6 days a week without fail. I work 4/10s so I go directly from work to the gym which means I often don't get home until 8:30. 60 minutes with my trainer at the crack of dawn on Saturday, 30 minutes cardio followed by 30-45minutes of strength training on Sunday, 60 minutes of Zumba on Monday followed by an ab workout, 30 minutes of in your face cardio followed by killer metabolic strength training with another trainer on Tuesday and Thursday, 30 minutes cardio, abs and some sort of strength training on Wednesday, Friday is my rest day. I can't wait until spring! then I will be riding my bike (20-60 miles) almost every day with strength training only on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. It is a huge time suck but so is getting old.

Specializes in Pediatric.
I work nights so on my first day I work out before work, around 3pm. On the days after that, that i work, i try to go to an 830 am water class, it's easy and I'm tired, and it's some form of exercise. Most of my off days I will either go super early in the morning or after dinner and try to get a Zumba or yoga or body pump class in addition. Depends on my schedule and the gyms class schedule. I try to get 5-7 days in.[/quote']

Ohhh I LOVE Bodypump!!

Specializes in Forensic Psych.

Ohhh I LOVE Bodypump!!

Me, too, although I lean more toward BodyCombat. Lots of aggression to let out ;)

Specializes in Critical Care at Level 1 trauma center.

I am still in nursing school but I hit the gym from 0600 till 0800. I hit 1.5 hours of weight training and 30 min of cardio. The. I go to school from 0900 till 1300 I usually go back to the gym for an hour or so and hit more cardio and abs. I am about to start working full time nights in the ER as a patient care tech so I will probly have to cut out my second work out session. I still plan on getting my 2 hours in the gym probly from 1630 till I go in at 1900. My gym has showers and a cafeteria so I will probly just get ready for work there and grab some food on my way out. Sounds like a lot but I have been "gym rat" for going on 6 years so it just kind of a life style. Good luck to all of you and stay healthy!!!!

I am still in nursing school but I hit the gym from 0600 till 0800. I hit 1.5 hours of weight training and 30 min of cardio. The. I go to school from 0900 till 1300 I usually go back to the gym for an hour or so and hit more cardio and abs. I am about to start working full time nights in the ER as a patient care tech so I will probly have to cut out my second work out session. I still plan on getting my 2 hours in the gym probly from 1630 till I go in at 1900. My gym has showers and a cafeteria so I will probly just get ready for work there and grab some food on my way out. Sounds like a lot but I have been "gym rat" for going on 6 years so it just kind of a life style. Good luck to all of you and stay healthy!!!!

The situation!!

Good job

Ever since I've started working 7-3 getting to the gym has been a struggle...When I worked 3-11 I worked out 5x a week, now its more like 3...if I'm lucky lol.

Specializes in ER, progressive care.

I work out 3-5 days/week, including some mornings when I get off after working 12+ hours. Sometimes I will work out twice a day. It is a good stress reliever. Nothing like taking out your frustration on a punching bag after you have been sworn at all night by your 5150 hold. It also helps me sleep afterwards, surprisingly.

Specializes in Critical Care.

Run a 7 minute mile and can bench my own body weight 10 times. I either go to the gym, run, or play hockey once per day. I come home after a 12 hour shift exhausted, just like everyone else but still find that ounce of energy and motivation to get out the door and make the workout happen. I go by the old adage " You must do well before you do good." In other words, you must be WELL yourself before you do GOOD for other people. I wouldn't be in nursing if it meant sacrificing my own health. I like to think that as a health care professional, we set the gold standard for a healthy person. I do at least.

Specializes in Med-Surg.

I go to the gym about twice a week. After a 12 hour shift, all I want to do is lay in a horizontal position. But exercise a couple of times a week really helps keep stress levels low.

Specializes in General Surgery.

I drank the Koolaid and joined an awesome Crossfit box last September. Being a per diem nurse, I like to pick up evening shifts so sometimes I'll get a WOD in before I head into work or take an Olympic lifting class beforehand. Bad thing about evening shifts is that no Crossfit gym is open when I leave work so I just have to make it up on other days or days off. If I don't feel like leaving home for a workout, I'll program a home workout using things like sandbags, kettlebells, 100 lb punching bags, etc.

My non-nursing dream is to own my Crossfit box/MMA gym with my husband. At that point, we would go get our Level 1 certs and additional certs through either NASM or NSCA for personal training. Then we can play around with fun equipment while getting a hell of a workout in!

I've lost 47 lbs and down to 17.7% body fat since starting Crossfit and getting my eating habits in check. It sure is hard to resist when patients bring in See's candy boxes or gummy bears or cookies though!

Specializes in Pediatric.

Congratulations on your lifestyle change! Fitness is addictive and wonderful!

I start my first nursing job, 12 hour shifts, next week. While in nursing school, I was able to train for a marathon the second year. Has anyone trained for and run a marathon, and any advice? Running keeps me sane, whether or not I will run is not a question, but whether I will put in the effort to get in quality runs and cross training/weights is largely dependent on whether I'm actually training for something. I also would love to learn more about crossfit, though I have a feeling I'll be heading to other sites for that research.

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