Nurses need a pedometer

littlehoneybee · Dec 19, 2014

I wore a pedometer when I was in charge of a 70 bed cardiovascular stepdown. I ended up walking seven miles on a slower night, but eight to nine was typical.

dah doh, BSN, RN · Dec 19, 2014

My average is on par with the rest of the posters. About 10000-12000 steps in a 12 hour shift. My question...if I am walking 4-5 miles every day I work, why oh why am I not in better shape?

It wasn't until I tracked my calories in a food diary (I use My Fitness Pal) that I realized that I ate way too much & snacked on a lot of junk food! After cutting back on caloric intake a bit at a time, I also started exercising on top of my usual walking at work. I started with 15 minutes on the elliptical (felt like I was having a heart attack) and added 5 minutes every few weeks until now I'm up to 60-90 minutes (no heart attack)! It took a about a year to go from an "obese" BMI to a "normal" BMI. I had more energy but it wasn't until I added weight training that I slimmed down more even though my scale says I weigh the same after my initial weight loss. The 40 lbs has been off 3 years now. I'm in better shape and slimmer in sizing now then when my hubby first met almost 20 years ago.

When people ask what the "secret" is, I tell them eat less and make healthier food choices & exercise more! I eat normal foods (not a special diet), snack in healthier foods, have occasional junk food in small amounts and exercise 2-4 times/week. The weight stays off & I'm healthier overall.

I encourage everyone to do it because it's a healthy lifestyle & easy to maintain which crash diets & boot camp training really isn't a long term thing.

wanderlustnurse88, RN · Dec 19, 2014

They say that after your body gets use to a certain exercise, that you need to do more than just walking at work. My mom went to weight watchers and they said that while it is great that you walk the dog for 30 mins a day (or any other daily activity that you do) but after awhile your need to do more to meet your exercise needs. Makes sense to me.

Lennonninja, MSN, APRN, NP · Dec 19, 2014

One night back when I was a patient care tech, my pedometer read 9 miles after a shift. Even my toenails hurt after that night!

allnurses Guide · Dec 22, 2014

It wasn't until I tracked my calories in a food diary (I use My Fitness Pal) that I realized that I ate way too much & snacked on a lot of junk food! After cutting back on caloric intake a bit at a time, I also started exercising on top of my usual walking at work. I started with 15 minutes on the elliptical (felt like I was having a heart attack) and added 5 minutes every few weeks until now I'm up to 60-90 minutes (no heart attack)! It took a about a year to go from an "obese" BMI to a "normal" BMI. I had more energy but it wasn't until I added weight training that I slimmed down more even though my scale says I weigh the same after my initial weight loss. The 40 lbs has been off 3 years now. I'm in better shape and slimmer in sizing now then when my hubby first met almost 20 years ago.
When people ask what the "secret" is, I tell them eat less and make healthier food choices & exercise more! I eat normal foods (not a special diet), snack in healthier foods, have occasional junk food in small amounts and exercise 2-4 times/week. The weight stays off & I'm healthier overall.
I encourage everyone to do it because it's a healthy lifestyle & easy to maintain which crash diets & boot camp training really isn't a long term thing.

Congratulations!

I don't have a pedometer, but my feet don't hurt at all if I only work 4-5 hours, just a bit for 8 hours, and after a 12 hour shift i suddenly realize they REALLY hurt as i stagger to the car.

ketalopez · May 8, 2015

I usually keep up with how much I walk at work and I usually walk 5 miles in a 12 hour shift. My body feels wore out! Any suggestions on how to feel better to be able to take care of acute care patients? Recently I was introduced to THRIVE but I have not noticed any benefits from it.