Any RNs,LPNs, CNAs, basically anyone in the healthcare industury here.....if so, please read on & TI

T

tishee

Cathlete
what Cathe tapes/DVDs have you found to be most beneficial to you with the assistance of patients,long work hours,etc....? I am currently in Nursing school(thrid year actually) and I attend full time and have a three year old son and darling husband to look after. Our days are LONG and our nights are SHORT doing good/bad weeks. I would love to know what you do to stay in shape for the job. If there is anyway that you could give me an example of your workout schedule/rountine for any given week I would greatly appreciate it. I have just started working out with Cathe but I am LOVING it. Also, any video/dvd recs that you may please do shoot them to me as I am open to all suggestions/advice/tips....etc!!!


Thanks bunches!
Tishee
 
Tishee,

I am a neonatal intensive care nurse so I don't have to lift heavy patients but occasionaly must move heavy warming tables from room to room. The best thing that you can do as a nurse to protect yourself form injury is to always use good body mechanics! Protect your back and lift with your legs; get other people to help you to do anything that is too difficult physically. I think that increasing your overall physical strength with any of Cathe's weight tapes would be of benefit to you. I change my workout routines month to month so I cannot give you any set plan. Currently I am doing PUB and PLB once each week. I also do one total body weight dvd such as Power Hour and 3-5 cardio routines (step and or kickboxing, and sometimes hi low)each week. I try to work out a minimum of 5 hours a week and sometimes up to 8. I have to admit that I am often tired because I also have 3 small children as well as work 12 hour shifts. I miss some sleep because I get up early to exercize but I find that I am just as tired when I sleep more without exercizing. I choose the exercize option as it is clearly better for my body! Good Luck!
 
hi tishee!! as a RN, i feel a strong ab/back/core is essential!! some patients are dead weight and require 100% help when tranferring from bed to chair to potty to strecher etc!! many healthcare professionals suffer from back injurys. i also feel strong legs are a must..for all the lifting and running!!
good luck with your career!! and all of cathe's workouts will support a healthy strong body!
 
Hi Maria and Joanna(my step mother has the same name, cool!,

Glad to hear that Cathes' tapes answer the needs of nurses!!! What a relief! Maria I so understand about not getting the sleep but getting the exercise instead(it HELPS alot)! I am wanting to squeeze running in my days somewhere but I haven't figured out how to do that,yet. I'm working on it though.

Thanks so much for your replies!
Tishee
 
Tishee,

First of all CONGRATULATIONS on your decision to become a nurse!! We need you - THANK YOU!! I no longer work hospital nursing, but until three and a half months ago I worked 18 years in critical care - both neonates and adults - mostly 12 hour nights. I only found Cathe a little over a year ago, but my workout schedule was almost always the same.

I aimed for 5 days a week back then - three cardio and two strength training, then I reversed that the following week. I worked out mostly with the Firm since discovering Volume 1 in 1989, but I would always try new things. I honestly don't think it was any one workout or any one instructor that kept me in shape - it was more the consistency of working out - year after year. Staying in shape helped me do my job physically of course, but more importantly it helped me stay MENTALLY focused. I'm sure you've figured out by now that it may be even more important to be mentally and emotionally "fit" to be a nurse. If your mind is not "there", your body won't be either - no matter what shape it's in. I have found in working all these years at many area hospitals that it's the nurses who are in shape who handle the job the best - both physically and emotionally. That should come as no surprise I guess. We all KNOW the many benefits of exercise!!

Since I worked nights, I would workout in the mornings, except after a night of work. That often meant only getting in four workouts a week, but as I said, I aimed for those five. It was the consistency that became important. Before I had my daughter I was often able to do a workout the day after I worked, because I got more sleep back then - LOL!! Once I went part time and worked two 12 hour shifts a week, I was able to do five days consistently.

Now I work in corporate America for an insurance company, doing medical chart review and teaching claim reps. I workout seven days a week now, getting up at 5:00 AM during the work week to do so! I figure I have some time to make up for all those days I had to forego exercise for much-needed sleep - LOL!!

Best of luck to you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Carol
:)
 
Hi Carol,

Thanks so much for replying!! I plan on going on working in CCU myself- how cool to know someone who has!!! Thanks SO much for all your encourgaement and advice!!! Thank you so much! I will aim to workout for 5 days and alternate the weeks with 2/3 days of cardio and stength training like you!! Thank for the advice on that! Off to study more class notes again thanks so much for replying! I LOOK forward to talking with you and everyone else on the boards! You all are just so AWESOME!!!
Thanks bunches!
Tishee
 
RE: Any RNs,LPNs, CNAs, basically anyone in the healthc...

As a nurse w/ 22 yrs. of bedside experience (and counting) I want to encourage you to keep your commitment to being a FIT nurse. Working out with any kind of regularity, w/ 2 days/wk. of weightlifting as a minimum, you'll be an asset to your patients and employers.

As Carol mentioned, being fit helps you mentally as well as physically. 12 hr. shifts are like running a marathon: work a few in a row, work them at night, having to fit in sleep, family and exercise will make you a better person. Taking care of people who are overweight and have the accompanying complications are great reminders of why fitting it all in is important.

Be gentle w/ yourself when you don't get in as much workout time as you'd like. Some shifts, you'll be 'on the go' enough that the most important thing you'll need will be sleep.

You're already good at balancing school, the needs of small children, your husband and exercise. When you're out of school, working at something you love, you'll be able to figure out what works best for you on any given day.

Get help whenever you can for lifting patients, try to be mindful when doing anything that requires lifting, turning, pushing equipment etc. A lot of injuries to nurses occur when we rush, or are thinking of the next thing we have to do.

Best of luck to you. I can think of a lot of work I could do, much w/ more money and most w/ better hrs., but none that would still, after all these years, make me feel so good when I show up.
:)
Keep up the great work.
Valerie
 
Tishee, you are so welcome!! I'm so glad to see more and more people going through nursing school!! We need all of you!! LOL!! I loved working in CCU. Because of so many recent advances in cardiac care, we were able to see our patients get better (most of them anyway!) and go home. It wasn't always that way in the trauma units. I'm sure you'll do well no matter which specialty you choose when you graduate!! Again, I wish you the best of luck!!

Carol
:)
 
RE: Any RNs,LPNs, CNAs, basically anyone in the healthc...

Hi Valerie,


Thanks so much for replying! Online doing some work for Patho and wanted to stop by and say hi to everyone!! Glad I did!!! I have clinicals tommorrow am at 6:45 wow!!!!! And I am getting in the bed EARLY tonight LOL!! Will respond more later when I get some 'extra web' time LOL!!!

Until then thanks so much and talk to you ladies soon!
Tishee
 
I would just like to BUTT IN :p to say I have the greatest respect for all nurses (have several in the family) & to thank you all for your hard work & skill, & especially for your caring attitude. Take care of yourself too!

Ruth:)
 
Hey, thanks, Ruth. My father had by-pass surgery a few months ago and when I'd visit him, he'd say, "I had no idea how much nurses needed to know and are responsible for." (Gee, and this from the father of a nurse! :eek: )
Valerie
 
Hi Valerie,

Isn't it always the way? LOL Many nurses have been invaluable to me & my family through my Stepfather's illness & death, & my Grandmother's extended illness. Wouldn't know what to do without them.

Hope your father's okay now?

Ruth:)
 
My father wound up w/ a quad. bypass, aortic valve replacement, pace maker insertion w/ a side order of a mild stroke befor he came home. He's a widower, lives alone, about 6 hrs. away. So he spent a wk. at a rehab facility, then came to our house for a month. Now he's home, happy and doing well. Thanks for asking.
Valerie
 
Hi,
I'm an ER nurse working 12 hour shifts of 2 Days and 2 Nights. Followed by 5 days off. The last 4 hours of that night shift feels like the end of an endurance race every single time. But those 5 days off are sweet.
I aim for 4-5 days of cardio and the PS series every week. The PS series has been my favorite lately because the pace is nice for days when I'm tired from work. I don't need to haul out a lot of different weights for it and it doesn't require as much mental concentration as S&H. For legs...I use Slow and Heavy because it's only half an hour and targets the glutes well. 2 of my cardios are on the treadmill. I run at 5:00 a.m before my first Day shift and at 0200 on my first Night shift in our Hospital gym. I would like to get in 3 days of that eventually.
The CTX series is fantastic too. Great way to sneak cardio in on a busy schedule. Lots of ABS too. Some light weight training is also included. I like using it with the PS series a lot!
 
PharmD here. Just graduated 2 yrs ago. I commuted 4 hrs/day & took care of Jory & DH in meantime. Did NOT have ajob though.,.. Anyway, on days I had an hour off b/w classes I'd go to the gym and use crosstrainer/ellipical machine. I used the machine as hard/fast as I could for about 40min & then showered. I ate my lunch during my next class. Boy, am I glad those days are over!!!
Now I work about 30hrs/week & commute about an hour a day. I have one more baby & I workout whenever I can. Usually I put baby Justin in jogger & run about 5 miles 3-4 days/week & do one video/week. I"m a cardio junkie, so very little strength training with the exception of ab work.


**Melanie**
Justin born 1/17/04
Jory born 4/9/94

" Take care of your body like it will last a lifetime. Take care of your soul like it will last for eternity"
 
RE: Any RNs,LPNs, CNAs, basically anyone in the healthc...

>Hi, I'm an xray/MRI technologist. My physical demands come from having to assist patients on and off the table, and cranking the xray tube around! And I'm on my feet a lot, walking all over the office.

what Cathe tapes/DVDs have you found to be most beneficial to
>you with the assistance of patients,long work hours,etc....?

ALL OF THEM!! Seriously...I have developed strength and stamina through the use of Cathe's workouts. Power Hour, Max. Intensity Strength, Muscle Endurance are three very good body-builder uppers.
>
>
>I would love to know what you do
>to stay in shape for the job. If there is anyway that you
>could give me an example of your workout schedule/rountine for
>any given week I would greatly appreciate it.

I do a lot of "outside" aerobic stuff, like walking, light running, and bikeriding. I do those, weather permitting, almost daily, even if only for 30 minutes. I like to get a Cathe workout in before I go to work because it gives me energy and a positive attitude. Some of her shorter workouts are good for the morning such as Supersets, Push and Pull, and Legs and Glutes. Her Pure Strength series

I have just
>started working out with Cathe but I am LOVING it. Also, any
>video/dvd recs that you may please do shoot them to me as I am
>open to all suggestions/advice/tips....etc!!!
>
You can't go wrong with any of Cathe's DVD's. She has something for everyone. Good Luck in your career.
Lisa
>
>
 
RE: Any RNs,LPNs, CNAs, basically anyone in the healthc...

Hi Lisa,

Thanks SO MUCH for your reply!! Wow, thanks so much! Off to plan another Cathe order!!! Thanks again!
Tishee
 
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