Hello! So while I was in nursing school, I noticed a lot of nurses were unhealthy and overweight. Yes, we have little or no time to take breaks and eat, yes, we are constantly on our feet and get too tired to go to the gym, and, yes, we neglect our own health to take care of others. But, we need to be healthy and fit in order to take care of those in need. There are no excuses. That is why I think ALL nurses should practice what they preach!
I am a new RN. I have experienced the nurse life throughout nursing school, and will continue the nurse life for many more years to come. Before I decided to become a nurse, I worked in a gym since I was 15 (I am 23, almost 24 now). I started off as unhealthy, overweight, and unmotivated. When my father was diagnosed with prostate cancer and DM2 back in 2010, our whole lives changed. Our diets and exercise habits completely did a 180. I realized that this unhealthy lifestyle we were living, was doing damage to us. From that moment on, I decided to get motivated, become healthy, and put my father on the right track to becoming healthy as well (which, now, he is free of cancer and maintaining his DM2 via diet and no meds). I asked for help from a trainer at my gym (who has now been my boyfriend for over 2 years), who got me into shape, have a clean diet, and not only lose weight, but also maintain the weight loss. Diet and exercise is a lifestyle.
I am currently the healthiest I have ever been in my life. I workout everyday for at least 1 hour, including cardio and weights. On my 12 hour clinical days, I skipped the gym because that is already a workout in itself….and let's face it, by the time we get home, we get ready for bed and sleep. I made sure to have a healthy, consistent diet on my shifts. I currently still work part-time at my gym, while applying for hospital positions. The manger and owner of the gym offered me positions as a personal trainer. I am working on getting my personal training certificate. I don't want to just be that typical†nurse. I want to be that FIT nurse, who works hard, trains hard, and is a positive example to patients.
I think that ALL nurses and those in the healthcare field should practice what they preach. How can we tell patients to take their BP meds and Cholesterol meds, if we don't? How can we tell them to exercise every day, if we don't? What type of example are we to them?
NN, it's amazing how threads can take on lives of their own, no?
As for me, I try to eat healthy, low carb, high protein...but that ends up tossed by the wayside when I have a busy shift and resort to drinking cans of soda all night long. My attitude? It's calories and sugar, and it doesn't require me to wait to finish chewing before going into a room.
I'll save my rant on BMI and how inaccurate it is for another time. :)
I agree with you in a way that I think that anyone in a health profession should set a good example and show the patients the way to health. I feel that nurses...doctors...etc all should keep their health up to date and try to be in shape. Being in shape helps stress, helps physical fatigue, helps your body handle the crazy hours, we need good foods and nutrition to help our minds be on top and be focused. If people are offered that's because it can be hurtful but I feel this subject would of hurt feelings no matter how it was worded. Best thing you can do in my opinion is be fit and healthy and inspiring as you can, and help your coworkers out as best you can and hopefully it helps people go from there...maybe bring in homemade protein bars to give staff a little healthy pick me up so they can feel the difference of energy from good nutrition vs donuts, pizza, high sugar snacks etc.... I don't feel you were being super judgmental just wondering why so many people who want to work in health aren't necessarily healthy. Well from what I have learned is people who have never been on top of their physical and nutritional health, simply do not understand and just feel attacked.
Staying fit and healthy is definitely important. I do try to keep up. Whether it's eating healthy foods or taking the 5 flights of stairs instead of the elevator. Take a dance class twice a week. I would like to start taking a strength building class too.
What I find more unsettling is the fact that people got more upset over the OP post than the one post bashing the overweight patients that nurses are supposed to be advocating for. I found THAT post to be offensive.
I am a generally "thin" body type and I gained 15lbs. in my FIRST year as a nurse. I never gained weight in college. It is a combination of aging, having children, and the availability of junk food on the unit. Just need to take care of yourself through diet, exercise, and stress control.. Easier said then done!!!
..of our combined field staff including both part-time and full-time, 10% of our entire therapy staff are overweight but not obese, 70% of our nursing staff is more than overweight, they are actually obese.
We all have relatively the same workload, we have longevity in our company and few have worked the floor in decades but we also have a few younger and newer nurses on staff.
The therapy staff includes all therapies, not just physical therapist.
What do you think might be the underlying reason for nurses, who are paid well, treated well and the full-time staff work Monday through Friday 8 to 5, rare holidays and no nights.
So based on that info, why do you think the higher incidence of obesity is in our nurses? The question came up by a coworker and I didn't have an answer or much of a theory.
Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.
OP had asked for thread deletion few posts back. Members have offered varying opinions and advice that the OP as new RN has not experienced --- closing thread.
TheGooch
775 Posts
Your post was more of a personal attack though.