How to stay fit as a nurse

Nurses work in one of the most physically, mentally and emotionally demanding professions. The very nature of their role means it’s essential to stay fit to support their patients and ensure that they don’t burn out.

If you’re working in this valuable profession and wondering how to stay fit and healthy, the good news is that there are several ways you can enhance your health so you can support your patients — and safeguard your own wellbeing too. We’re going to cover some actionable and simple habits in this article, showing you how to make lifestyle changes to ensure that you have plenty of energy to take on the challenges of your role.

If you’re thinking about training as a nurse, then you’ll find our hints and tips invaluable to help prepare you to enter this exciting profession. Read on to discover six simple ways to stay fit as a nurse.

Sleep soundly

Sleep is an essential element of your health and wellbeing as a nurse. When you don’t get enough of it, you’re more likely to suffer from fatigue, make mistakes, jeopardize your own health and even pose a risk when driving home after a long shift.

Of course, when you’re working different shift patterns as a nurse, it can be hard to create and stick to good sleep habits — but there are ways you can mitigate shift work. Ideally, if you’re working shifts you should stick to the same routine on your days off. So, if you’re working night shifts and go to bed at 8am after getting in from work, waking at 4pm, you should stick to the same schedule on your days off if possible.

Sometimes this isn’t practical of course, so you can take other steps to ensure you get good quality sleep, including the following:

• Establish a wind-down routine an hour or so before you go to bed. This should involve banning screens and electronic devices and include relaxation practices, such as taking a warm bath or shower, meditating or listening to relaxing music.
• Ensure that your bedroom is conducive to sleep. Blackout blinds and a cool temperature can help you drift off to sleep and stay asleep. Turn off your phone and use ear plugs if necessary.
• Consider taking some time out for yourself when you get home from your shift before going to bed. This will allow you to process your working day and should mean that you are less likely to be troubled by vivid dreams and disrupted sleep while your brain tries to make sense of the day’s events.

Stay hydrated

Water is essential for a wealth of bodily functions, including cushioning your joints against injury, helping your brain stay alert and boosting your energy, which are all essential considerations for busy healthcare professionals like nurses.

Keeping hydrated is one simple way to improve your health, wellbeing and energy levels. The US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NAP) recommends 5.5 cups or 3.7 liters of fluids per day for men and 11.5 cups or 2.7 liters of fluids per day for women. Not all this fluid needs to come from water and other drinks, as about 20% of your daily fluid intake comes from food.

To increase your hydration levels, this is what you can do:

• Keep a reusable bottle with you and fill it up regularly.
• Set alerts on your phone to remind you to drink every hour.
• Get into the habit of drinking a glass of water before every meal.
• If you don’t like plain water, add flavor enhancers or slices of fruit such as lemon, lime or kiwi to your water bottle.
• Eat foods with high water content, such as lettuce, zucchini, watermelon and cantaloupe.

Eat healthily

As a healthcare professional, you already know that eating well is one of the cornerstones of good health, but sometimes it’s hard to follow your own advice, especially when you’re busy juggling the demands of work and home.

Unfortunately, getting into bad eating habits can have a detrimental effect on all aspects of your health and wellbeing. Reaching for sugary, high-fat snacks and meals won’t supply you with the constant energy supply you need to carry out your duties. It will also put you at increased risk of serious conditions such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer.

Here are some ideas to help you develop healthier eating habits:

• Choose wholegrain, instead of refined, products like bread and pasta. In addition to reducing your risk of certain diseases, wholegrain food is also a great source of dietary fiber to keep your digestive system healthy.
• Increase protein in your diet to help you feel fuller for longer and keep unhealthy cravings at bay. You can do this by adding lean meat, eggs, nuts and beans to your food intake.
• Challenge yourself to try one new healthy recipe a week. Switching up your meal plans means you will look forward to discovering new, nutritious dishes and help you to fall in love with healthy cooking.
• Increase the amount of fruit and vegetables in your diet. Pack foods that are easy to snack on to take to work, for example dates and other dried fruit, grapes, cubed melon, cucumber and carrot sticks.
• Swap processed oils for healthy ones. So, instead of reaching for sunflower or canola oils, switch to extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil or coconut oil, which are higher in heart-friendly omega-3 fatty acids.

Exercise regularly

Prioritizing regular exercise is one of the best things you can do for your health. It helps you control your weight, reduces your risk of serious diseases, boosts energy levels, improves mental health and helps you sleep better.

Of course, it can be hard to think about exercising when you’ve just returned home from a busy shift. Instead of feeling daunted by the thought of putting in a long gym session, try these simple ways to build more exercise into your daily or weekly routine:

• Set your alarm 30 minutes earlier than usual so you have time to do a short exercise video at home before you start your day.
• Build walking into your daily commute if possible. Park a little further away from your workplace and enjoy the extra walk or take public transport and get off one or two stops earlier.
• Go for a walk during your lunch break. Even if it’s just a few laps of the parking lot, it will help burn a few calories and increase your stamina.
• Stop by the gym on your way home from work. If you don’t feel motivated to exercise once you’re home, swing by the gym on your drive back from a shift.
• If you have kids, join in with their activities, whether that’s basketball, soccer or just running around in the local park.

Manage stress

Stress is part and parcel of everyday life — there’s no getting away from it. However, when it becomes excessive or we haven’t learned how to counter it, stress can have a negative effect on our quality of life, energy levels, relationships and outlook. Fortunately, you can learn to manage your stress to build resilience and cope better with the challenges of everyday life.

Consider these tools and techniques to help you manage stress more effectively:

• Take time out from screens. Constantly monitoring your phone for the latest news can induce feelings of stress and anxiety and interfere with sleeping patterns. Commit to having a set amount of time every day without looking at your phone or other screen. A good time to do this is an hour before bed, to help you wind down for the night.
• Build self-care into your routine. When you’re in a caring profession, it can be all too easy to overlook your own needs — that’s why you need to schedule in some “me time” to look after yourself. This could be whatever you enjoy doing, whether that’s taking a long, hot bath, going for a massage or spending time reading quietly.
• Practice journaling. Journaling involves keeping a record of your thoughts, observations and feelings, often in a notebook and using creative writing or art as ways of expressing yourself. Even just jotting down five positive aspects of your day can help you to unwind, gain perspective and inspire feelings of peace and gratitude.
• Try mindfulness. Mindfulness is the practice of being aware of what’s happening in the present moment and letting go of thoughts or fears relating to the past or future. It’s a skill you can learn from online videos or by taking classes and is something you can do from anywhere in just a few minutes a day.

Think ergonomically

Ergonomics is all about ensuring your workplace is set up to meet your needs, increasing productivity and reducing the risk of stress and injury. These considerations are especially important for nurses, who carry out a physically demanding role daily.

While your human resources department should be the first port of call for any issues relating to ergonomics, there are still lots of steps you can take yourself to ensure that you are working in line with ergonomic practice and safeguarding your health and wellbeing.

Keep these tips in mind while you go about your day-to-day tasks:

• Be sure to attend any training provided by your employer on moving and handling and make sure you refresh it regularly too.
• Use the ergonomic equipment provided by your employer, for example sliding boards, transfer chairs or body lifts — don’t be tempted to take “the short cut” by trying to move a patient or item by yourself.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help, whether that’s to understand techniques or get access to equipment or the help of a colleague.
• Try to incorporate gentle stretching exercises into your day. This will help relieve muscle tension and keep you flexible, reducing the risk of injury.
• If something hurts or you injure yourself, stop and seek help. Continuing to carry out a physical task while you are injured increases the risk of complications and extends recovery time.

Thinking of switching careers?

If you have an interest in health and wellbeing and have considered switching careers, why not retrain to become a nurse?

For candidates who already have a bachelor’s degree in any field, there’s a flexible pathway that allows you to easily transition to a career in nursing — the accelerated bachelor of science in nursing (ABSN). Scheduling your studies around your existing commitments may not be as challenging as you think when you consider online ABSN programs for non nurses.

Offered through reputable institutions such as the University of Indianapolis, these courses are specially designed for people who already have a bachelor’s degree and a desire to gain the knowledge and skills required to start a career in nursing.

With 100% online coursework, you have the freedom and flexibility to fit studying in around your commitments and don’t have to change location to pursue your studies. Programs such as the one offered by the University of Indianapolis enable you to qualify in as little as 15 months, studying on a full-time basis.

This program includes help and support to find clinical placement services within driving distance of your location, so you can learn practical skills while staying local. There are also two on-campus residencies so you can experience interacting with your peers and learning in a supportive environment.

It’s the fast, flexible way to transition to the nursing profession, which offers many opportunities to diversify and grow your career.

Supporting others on their journey to health

Working as a nurse is a fulfilling career path for anyone with an interest in wellbeing and a desire to support others on their journey to health. Nurses who understand the importance of staying fit and healthy themselves are in the best position to provide quality care to their patients.

If you enjoy promoting health and wellbeing and believe you can lead by example, it’s worth considering a career in nursing — even if you are currently working in a different field.