Nurses' Health Habits

Nurses General Nursing

Published

  1. I participate in the following healthy lifestyles:

    • 55
      Exercise regularly
    • 6
      Eat organic food as much as possible
    • 3
      Vegitarian/Vegan
    • 18
      Exercise and organic food
    • 4
      Exercise and vegitarian/vegan
    • 6
      Exercise and organic and vegitarian/vegan
    • 0
      Organic and vegitarian/vegan only
    • 105
      None of the above

197 members have participated

Part of an informal study to investigate the health habits of nurses. Comments welcome!

Why is it that (most) nurses do not take care of themselves? Since we all studied nutrition and have an idea of the right things to eat and exercising, and reading labels, etc. Why don't we do it? I was reading an article about it and it said when people know "the right thing to do", and then do not do it, it's called, ""an abuse of knowledge."" So,....now I know what I am, I'm a ""Knowledge Abuser."" :) But being labeled as such did not motivate me to refuse that donut or Girl Scout Cookies, cokes, etc. Having knowledge and implementing it....two different tracks.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Okay, I must confess, that I too answered none of the above. My father is in the hospital with a stroke, my mentally ill teen is home and wrecking havoc on us all, my oldest son moved out (and took the dog) and my husband wants to spend more time with me!!!

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Specializes in Geriatrics, LTC.

I work night shift....I have yet to see carrots in the junk food machine! LOL :chuckle

I tried bringing my own and it's ok providing I get to them before the ice pack thaws and they get yucky warm. :imbar

As far as excercise...I'm a nurse.......Here is an example of my excercise schedule/work schedule:

1. Arrive to work, work abs by laughing when day nurse giving report states "it has been a really quiet day"

2. Run to storage room approx 100 times a night to retrieve various items for CNA's

3. The forward head slap when CNA tells you lady in room whatever is asking for another pain and sleeping pill even though you have just given her one about an hour ago (do this repeatedly through the night)

4. the up and down the hall run when everyone decides they are dying (until you prove them wrong and the grin and say..oh never mind goodnight)

5. The run for the door a resident is fixin to elope out of the building in hopes to find his/her car.

6. The run to the residents room because and aide has come to you looking like someone just died and quietly says to you "you need to come to room whatever" Check residents code status and Go running down hall with scope, b/p cuff and pulse ox...only to find they wanted to show you a red spot on residents heel/butt/back.

7. Arrive home to do the I'm dead tired leap into bed!

Take care everyone and try to find the humor in life....life is too short to worry all the time.

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I know the above version of exercise!!!!!!!!! aarrgh!!!!!!!!!

I like the dead tired leap into the bed or couch!!!!!!!!!!!

yes, all.......take care and find the humor in life......life is too short to worry...................

love all,

psychic micro

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Specializes in ER.

((traumas r us))

You must admit the worst part of your list was losing the dog to your oldest son. No more sloppy consolation kisses.:)

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Specializes in Hospice and Palliative Care, Family NP.

LOL Gotta love it!

In Nursing school the 'smokers' (me included) would take notes and listen intently when we studied the RESPIRATORY SYSTEM! Run out on break and light up, vowing "when we graduate, we'll quit smoking' LOL

Well, I DID quit smoking, but it took caring for several COPDers as they fought for their every breath.

Now, I'm staring down the pike at the big 5-0 and decided a little excercise wouldn't kill me. I have to admit, I feel so much better, have more energy and don't get as tired at work. So I guess it's paying off. :D

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Originally posted by donmurray

I didn't get to the top of the food chain to be a vegetarian!

BAWHAHAHAHAHAHA !!! good one Don!!!!:roll

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Appetite, unfortunately, falls into the "monkey see - monkey do" mentality. We are rarely shown empowerment; It's a mythical thing. Yule never see a person eating a carrot, or a bun of spinach, or a honeydew melon because there is zero money made via profit if folks eat food, and not buy a product. We live in a hurricane of lies and a blizzard of misleading suggestions when it comes to appetite.

Yule never see an advertisement on TV for a bicycle. God forbid you suggest to people they have the ability to transport themselves. Instead, yule be bombarded with trillions of messages to sit still and pay for cars.

Humans are resilient! Our hearts, bodies, and brains can produce energy to carry us to the planets, but we can't imagine propelling ourselves several miles under our own physical power. Rubbish. If you backed yourself into such a corner, you can always back out of it. Yes, you can. Your part of a resilient species - human!

One rule of thumb I have adopted is...if I am not inclined to touch a food with my fingers, then my GI tract probably doesn't want anything to do with it either. People over-ride their instincts to often.

Also, it's cool to eat poorly, and not take care of yourself. I look cool if I am munching on doritos and drinking diet coke, or walking into class with a drink from a fastfood venue. If a open up a container and eat fresh grapes and cheeze, I get the strangest looks. I make a specticle of myself if I bite into a fresh green pepper.

It wasn't until I reached my early thirties that I reached the "escape velocity" to blast off and away from mainstream food and started thinking for myself what is good and bad to put into my GI tract, so please don't think I am soapboxing.

The rewards for eating wholesome foods are unlimited!

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I love to exercise regularly. (usually 5 days a week for at least 1-2 hours)

I'm not a vegetarian but I do eat healthy. (though I eat junk food once in a while)

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Specializes in Community Health Nurse.

I answered exercise regularly...NOT! :chuckle Put a plate of King Crab legs and a huge tender Lobster in front of me, and watch me exercise my jaws away! :roll :chuckle

Let's see...how do I get my exercise...let me count the ways....

I walk the dog everyday as fast as he will let me. He seems to enjoy stopping to "smell the bushes and telephone post" more than he likes helping his mommy stay focused on her 30 minute power walk every afternoon. :chuckle

I clean, I cook, I eat what I want within reason, I do laundry, I vacuum floors, I shake rugs, I grocery shop when necessary, I bathe the dog and he hates every minute of it, I exercise my brain on this "nerd machine" of a computer, I read as much as my brain can absorb, I try to have as much sex with hubby as our tired bodies can stand, and I get plenty of exercise talking and laughing on the phone every day. Did I leave anything important out? Oh, twice a month, I stamp the envelopes, write the bills out, put them in the mailbox, and when I'm done, I treat myself to lunch at our local food court.

And, I haven't even begun to tell you the really fun things I do for exercise....:chuckle

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I exercise regularly by moving my hand to my mouth frequently throughout the day.:p

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Just so I don't "come off" as some "more holy than though" with some of the comments I have made, let me tell you, in addition to eating right and execising, I binge eat and drink when ever I feel like it. I binge eat weekly, and I binge drink every phew months or so. If I had a girlfriend who liked to binge drink, I'd be doing it more often.

I also like to smoke Marlboro 100's Lights in the box if and whenever I feel like it, so, I ain't preaching to no one about health, or what they should be doing. No one has said that I am preaching, but, like anybody, I have naughty habits in addition to the goodie habits, which I figure I must mention in light of all the stuff i've said :-)

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