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Discussion

Working Out and Working?

Just looking to hear from others.

I work 36-40 hours a week, as I am sure most of you do. While I'm not the healthiest individual, I try to run 3-4 times a week and am working on strength training.

The key word to all of this is TRY. Half the time I get home from work and crash from exhaustion. Those days that I'm not working, I feel like I need to sleep forever, and even then I don't always feel like I'm up to running.

How do you make it work? How are you working and working out and keeping fit? How are you not exhausted from work? I am open to any suggestions, advice and/or questions!

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Personally, I find it easier to go early in the morning. I go to a 24 hour gym and get up at 4:00 to work out. Gives me an energy boost, which I can sustain after eating breakfast. I've never gone after work because like you, I just don't want to do anything after working 12 hours.

I've never figured out how to stick with it. Let me know if you do...I heard that diet is 80% and exercise 20% of keeping in shape so I really try to eat healthy 80% of the time. When I do work out I have more energy and sleep better. I've found to get started (again and again) I just have to force myself to move even though I don't feel like it (because I never feel like it). Once I force myself I feel so much better that becomes motivation to do it (until I become lazy again). The most successful I've been is when I've had a friend to exercise with. I went to 8 hr shifts and I'm still tired

I usually workout before my shifts. After the workout, I feel I have lots of energy for the shift.

Usually when I miss my pre-work workouts, I usually have no energy at work.

I believe working out before the shift is the best. It gets my blood flowing and feel awake during my shift.

It's hard to get back into that rhythm. I'm finally finding my groove after 6 weeks. I've added a little bit of stamina to my body so I'm not so exhausted when I get home. I can't get up at 4am. It physically makes me ill. I get really nauseous. So, I do it when I get home. But, I hate eating so late. It's almost 8:00 now and I haven't eaten dinner yet because I spent over an hour working out. But I will say, I feel really good after working out so I'm not as hungry if that makes sense. I'm going to try to pop a healthy quick dinner down then relax for an hour and off to bed to do it all over tomorrow. I alternate weight and cardio days. Hopefully all that nursing school extra weight will melt off soon!!

I work overnight. Any suggestions on eating and working out?

There are alternatives to a full run or workout. A ten minute cardio blast can be fit in.

I work overnight. Any suggestions on eating and working out?

I work night shifts. 1900-0730 and that's PEDS ER.

This is my usual routine

1500 or 1530 wake up and drink a preworkout and head straight to the gym

1730 get home from the gym and eat dinner

1830 leave home for work

0750-0800 get home from work; quick protein shake and knockout

TRY TO SLEEP before 0830 and repeat

I usually sleep 6.5 - 7hours or sometimes 7.5

I try not to binge eat after work so I usually pop a protein shake right away.

Do you eat anything at work? I usually eat at 2:00 am

Do you eat anything at work? I usually eat at 2:00 am

Yeah. Luckily at the hospital I work for, we get 3 x 15min breaks and 1 x 30min lunch.

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When I worked 12-hour nights, I'd work out at a 24-hour gym in the morning after my shift would end.

I now work from home, and these days I work out in the afternoon or late nights. I do not like to work out at 5:00pm or 6:00pm when the gym is crowded and the streets are filled with too many cars to jog comfortably.

When I worked nights, I'd do cardio and weights for 20 minutes before work.

However, as someone mentioned, diet is about 80 percent. If you aren't eating healthy food, working out is almost pointless.

Now I walk every day and fit in 20 minute workouts 3 times a week. I'm bored of the hour long gym routines.

I'm not a nurse. I'm a professional babysitter/nanny while I'm in school (start my program in Aug) and with the assignment I have right now with twin infants, my shifts only range usually no more than 9.5 hours and nowhere near as stressful as nurse work I'm sure. I used to work 11-12 hour days as a dental assistant at a big corporate office and I know how bone tired you can be after a shift. I thrive off of the energy that my workouts provide. I notice that when I go a few days without the gym, my energy declines and I feel a lot more sluggish. I force myself to work out after work 3-5 times a week. Once I'm there, I perk up and a lot of the pent up tension leaves me. I focus more on strength training than cardio. I sleep a whole lot better when I'm regularly going to the gym. It's just forcing yourself to go when all you want to do is be at home...that's the kicker.

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