Working out and Nursing..

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Hi all, just wanted some input and suggestions about how y'all work 12 hour shifts and still manage to get your work outs in? I've recently gained some weight that I lost back.. I should mention I'm a new grad and found it so much easier to find time to workout while I was in school then when I'm an actual nurse and have more free time. Any suggestions welcomed :up:

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I am off 4 days a week. I work out on my days off. You gained beacuse you eat too much not your work our.

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I think the first thing you should do is figure out when and how often you wish to go. 3x a week before work? 2x a week after? Or just work out on your off days? For example, I go to the gym 3x a week before work. That schedule works for me because I love to get in my exercise before work; it helps energize me for the day. I wouldn't want to get off a long shift to go work out, but that's just me!

Regardless of the schedule, getting on some sort of routine would help immensely. So would a pre-workout drink of some sort.

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).

From a similar thread:

I have always done some form of exercise, but didn't realize how therapeutic it was until I had lapses and periods of inactivity. I exercise every day, even if it's for 10 minutes of weight lifting before work. I do small things, like park a good ways from the Hospital and walk the distance. I opt to take the stairs in lieu of the elevator. I go for relatively long bicycle rides at least twice a week. I have weights and an elliptical in my basement which I use routinely about 3-5 times a week.
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I work night shift 3 days a week. I drop my son off at school after work, work out for 1.5 hours, go play with my horses, go home and go to bed only on days that I'm not expected to be at work that night. On days where I'm working later in the evening, I sleep. Works for me!

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Specializes in Adult and pediatric emergency and critical care.

I do cardio for an hour before work, and do weights on my days off. I find that it actually wakes me up and sets up a good pace for the day.

Working out is also a great self reminder to not eat the left over cake that admin gifted us after they had their meetings.

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I used to work out before my shift. I was too tired to do it afterwards. Now I only work PRN, so it's not a problem to find the time.

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I bike to and from work. It's a 30 minute commute each way (give or take) and pretty flat. It saves me from having to take the train (which is generally very crowded) and allows me to decompress. I can honestly say this has been a game changer. I could never muster the energy to go for a run before or after a shift so combining my commute with my workout has been the perfect solution for me.

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I bike to and from work. It's a 30 minute commute each way (give or take) and pretty flat. It saves me from having to take the train (which is generally very crowded) and allows me to decompress. I can honestly say this has been a game changer. I could never muster the energy to go for a run before or after a shift so combining my commute with my workout has been the perfect solution for me.

Are you able to shower when you get to work? I hope so!

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Hahaha. Eww! My poor patients! Yep- there are actually really nice shower facilities.

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My hospital has a gym that's super cheap for staff. I go in an hour early to work out before my shift. I used to stay late and work out after but doing it before work yields better workouts.

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You have 4 days to work out. That is enough. I blast my cardio on those days... you don't need to work out every day.

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