your favorite way to stay in shape

Nurses Stress 101

Published

Nurses Month 2024 | Discounts & Freebies AORN Celebrates Nurses Month

me I am a gym rat and do about 50 minutes of cardio each time.

I am also a certified trainer, a cscs, and teach spin classes 3 times a week at my gym. I have about 10-30 students in each class on a regular basis and I have them spin for 50 minutes with a 10 minute cool down time.

my favorite cardio machines right now are the cybex arc trainer and the precor 100i and elliptical.

If I was rich one day I would open the ultimate gym at least 30,000 sguare feet of the best equipment and class space money could buy. I would make a gym that the members love and update the equipment on a regular basis not buy something and let it sit for years like many gyms do.

Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
A little twist to this question, how do you stay motivated & how did you get started & continue to work out... just wondering, because I try & just come up with a bunch of lame excuses why I cannot work out today... when there really is no other reason than pure laziness...soooo how do you guys get yourself moving & stay with it...

chubby & not liking it... LOL...

I got moving because I grew increasingly tired of moving slowly, being clinically obese at 5'1 tall and 216 pounds, and dealing with all the aches and pains at such a young age. I already had chronic low back and leg pain due to sciatic nerve compression. In addition, a fasting blood glucose level of 99mg/dL scared me, because type II diabetes runs on both sides of my family.

In other words, I felt as if the extra weight would kill me if I didn't hit the gym and take some of it off. Now, I feel better, move faster, have more regular sleep cycles, and have lost a substantial amount of weight.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

As to the first post I also LOVE the arc trainer!! For Christmas my mom got me 5 sessions with a personal trainer at my gym, and she always had me warm up on this, and got me hooked! Its SO hard at first, but I am slowly adding on one minute every time I use it! I also do cardio, and weights--I never really used the weights at my gym until I had these sessions with her and she got me more comfortable with all the equipment and how to use it. I also love the classes at my gym-1 hour and you are done! I love Piyo which is pilates and yoga... you don't feel like you are doing much when you start out, then you are so sore! At home I also like to walk outside when its nice, I started with three miles, but just recently did five.

As to the other post about how to get started and stay motivated... I got started by taking a class through college during school, I have never really worked out, and been overweight since I was in about maybe middle school. I also changed how I eat when I started working out--not so much as to lose weight, thats a plus, but to be healthy. I stopped eating fast food... Sometimes it can be unavoidable, but generally I dont and I dont as much as I used to! Even when I do, it makes me feel sick, becasue I am not used to all the grease anymore. I have never been unhappy with my body, I have always had self confidence, so losing weight has just made me feel even better about myself. I have lost 60 lbs in about a year and 4 months. I still have a way to go, but I feel good! To stay motivated you just have to look at the end goal--for me, being healthy, not getting diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and everything else that can come from being overweight! I do have my days where I don't want to work out, and I don't sometimes and occasionally get out of the groove, but try to get back into it pretty quickly.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Telemetry.

I dance and I love to do anything outdoors.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in aged, palliative care, cardiac, agency,.
But my way to stay in shape is TO BE HAPPY and swimm. Stay happy! Muscles, body sculptural and grumppy, not for me, round and happy, could be an option, looooool, important is to be happy! Saluti!

I couldn't agree more. Dont want to fall into the trap of believing that we must look like the advertisers want us to look. However I do suffer from the middle age spread + 'hey who put all that fat on my body' syndrome! I used to be very fit and toned (worked as a fitness instructor for years) so it's taking quite a bit to accept the changes my body is putting me through emotionally as it changes it's shape to suit menopause. So I figured - either do something about it or shut up, or both hopefully. I have started lap swimming. Its only twice a week and it hasnt made much difference to how I look, but I feel better for it. I know my fitness and endurance is increasing, my arms look maybe?? a little better. But most importantly my back doesnt ache, my thigh isnt numb from my back being 'out', and I feel more positive about myself. I am never going to be toned and 28 again. But I can be happy with who I am, knowing that I am doing good things for myself. Every little bit of exercise you do helps. The other thing I did was promise myself never to use the lift - I always use the stairs. Not much I know but every little bit helps.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in M/S, Tele, Peds, ER.
I love the way I look and feel after I exercise, but I HATE actually getting to the point. That hurdle is the WORST for me!

Exercise has always been an up and down battle for me. I'll go 100% for a period of time, then get tired of it.

I have flat feet which, in addition to my feet killing me, causes problems in my knees, hips, and low back. While I was precepting in school, I was in so much pain after 1 clinical day, I couldn't imagine doing this for life!

Once I started working as a nurse, though, I realized that exercise would actually make work MORE physically tolerable for me. I have a gym membership, but I prefer to exercise at home.

woo hoo! you and me both!

I have flat feet! It causes all kinds of joint pain for me too!

I also hate GETTING in shape...but I love BEING in shape (of course!)

I wish I was one of those people that "get addicted" to working out and "craved" going to the gym! pfft! The only thing I crave is a pint of ice cream and brownies at the end of a grueling shift.... (can we say emotional eater!? lol :p)

What I do is make WORK my workout.

I'm on a pretty busy floor to begin with, but I keep well caffeinated, and just WORK... I walk walk walk (we all do! you'd think with all the walking we do we'd all be pencil thin!) and FIND stuff to do when my patients don't need anything... I snack thru the shift, never really eat a BIG meal... then I make it a rule not to eat after coming home...

I work nightshift, so I get home at 8am, and CRASH... eating something is pointless and it would only get stored away as fat

Then I make it a rule to do SOME sort of working out on my days off...

I've lost weight doing this... so I'm keeping it up!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psych.

I do some of the same tricks. I work nights and I use every opportunity to get up and walk that comes my way. It's easy to just sit there when it's quiet between 1 and 4 am (NOT every night!). I also have strict rules about what I eat at work - never anything from the break room, I bring my night meal with me. I eat an apple for breakfast and go right to bed.

As far as exercise, it's such a routine part of my life that I don't feel right without it. I also am a huge Cathe Friedrich DVD fan. I have a gym in my basement, complete with special raised floor. It has helped enormously since I graduated and have to do night shift, I workout when I find time.

Most important to me is finding something I enjoy and then setting goals, such as 6 workouts per week, x minutes of cardio. The only problem I'm having is that my sleep is so disrupted from nights and I constantly feel tired. I can't lift heavy like I used to. But I'm maintaining. When I qualify for days, I'll be able to ramp back up.

I also started going to Weight Watchers because I gained weight on nights. I was careful eating at work, but would eat a lot at home when I woke up. Now I'm counting and measuring and I've lose 6 lbs so I'm happy. I have about 8 to go and I'll be back to normal. Can you tell I'm not happy about nights? Gotta love those that can do this, I'm not one of them.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in OB, Post Partum, Home Health.
A little twist to this question, how do you stay motivated & how did you get started & continue to work out... just wondering, because I try & just come up with a bunch of lame excuses why I cannot work out today... when there really is no other reason than pure laziness...soooo how do you guys get yourself moving & stay with it...

chubby & not liking it... LOL...

Last May, I signed up for the New York City Marathon. I was so excited for it and I KNEW everyday that I HAD to run my mileage for the day or I wouldn't be ready for the marathon and I really didn't want to go all that way to DNF! Since a friend and I planned a week long vacation in NYC along with running the marathon I HAD to do it, just HAD to and I became addicted to running.

So my advice is to set a very big goal for yourself (with a very big reward), then break it down into smaller goal and eventually you will get there.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I love running, hiking, and Ripped DVD's with Jari Love. I am pre-nursing, and I am working out smarter than ever. My goal is to look and feel better than I ever have once I become a RN.

The happiest nurses and doctors I've observed, take very good care of their physiques! When you help yourself, you are more available to help others

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I agree! This summer I am hoping they accept my sisters and my application for Mount Whitney hike!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC.

I love cardio kickboxing and step aerobics classes. If I had the extra energy, I'd wake up and train before work and then train afterward. LOVE THE GYM!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment