new student and finding time to work out

dixiedog6

dixiedog6

Cathlete
I am a nursing student (third week in) and I am finding it so hard to get in workout time. I was wondering if there were any other students or folks out there who just work 12 hour shifts. I would love some advice on how you fit the workouts in. I leave home a 630 am and return at 630pm. TIA
 
Probably not the response you're looking for... but I'm gonna be starting as a student in two weeks. I won't be working twelve hour shifts, but I fear the same thing! One thing you COULD do.. which may not appeal or even work, is to split up a workout: do half an hour in the am, and halff an hour in the pm. The only thing is you'll be absolutely shattered!

Sorry, you probably already knew that! :) I hope you work it out :)

I may be wrong, but I think Morning Star recently said she works 12 hour shifts; I know she still works out... it might be worth asking her :) If i'm wrong though.. sorry :S
 
try to get in 10-15 mins when you can. maybe a walk on lunch break. maybe a few exercises before you go to bed. sometimes you'll be so exhasted. laying in bed i do crunches and in same position, lifting the glutes.
sleep is super important you'll be tired for sure. try to pack your meals. you could make it on the weekend and have it ready to go. packing healthy foods to give long lasting energy will help so much, and avoid packing on pounds from fast food. using a crock pot would be really useful, and recipe zaar has meals you could freeze for later. you could do that once a month on the weekend. even if its as simple as a salad ready to go, it will help when you're too tired to make anything.
also, relieving stress will be really important. yoga, cardio, w/e floats your boat.
congrats on being accepted into the program! and dont forget great shoes w/support. hope that helps.
 
thank you both very much for your ideas. You are both right, I just have to change my mind set and fit in any exercise when I can. I am working on packing my meals. I went shopping yeasterday and got enough food for the week. Thanks again!
 
Yes, as the others said, fit it in wherever you can, making the most of lunch hours, perhaps walking to and from the hospital for home, this would be great stress relief after a long day. Also, I know doctors and the like frown on "weekend warriors" because of a tendency to over do and get injured, I have to tell you that this is a routine that works for me! If you have any two days off per week, at least make those the days in which you do it all: a long or intense cardio workout and then work half the body with weights each day, lower on one, upper on the other. This, combined with walks, the odd squats session with lots of low end pulses or tricep dips off a chair in between patients, and runing up the stairs rather than using the elevators, can get you through.

Your goal right now is not to start any new exercise program, not to set yourself a new exercise challenge, but to dedicate yourself to your nursing program and keep your mind and body ticking along while you do.

We all have years of this in our lives. For you it is nursing school, for me it was grad school with small children. Absolutely no time to work out there, so I didn't! Guess what? I am still in good shape now and you can get it all back and go further AFTER your nursing degree is in the bag.

They say there there are things you should never do within 3 months of having a baby: don't move house (my mother and I both did that, she while in labour!), don't start a new job (my husband did that the week after we moved to a new state with our 1 week old second child), etc. This new situation is the same for you: manage your stress levels by being sensible and realizing that you cannot do it all, but you can do all of one (nursing degree) and some of another, just for now. This period will not last forever.

Good luck!

Clare
 
I am a RN- working full time and in graduate school finishing up my Family Nurse Practitioner program in May, with a busy 8yr old and a laid off husband at home. I also struggle with finding time to do it all- I am a morning exerciser- I get up at 5am, then have a long day into evening- I take more rest days, try not to be as hard on myself for not reaching my fitness goals.

I tell myself when I pop in a DVD that I can stop after 20 minutes- sometimes I do, on good days I finish. My semester has just begun, and I am trying to pace myself.

Clare, your words are very wise- there is always time after you finish to reach your fitness goals. This is not the time to do a STS rotation! But do try to stay active with some light card in between. I find it helps my stress level to get my heart pumping a few times a week.

Good Luck!

Bridget
 
During my MBA and subsequent course following, my workouts were quite limited. Working 8 hours per day, 1/2 commute then 3 hours studying nightly with 4-8 hours on Saturday then clean up (2 hours on Sunday). Walking and maintaining a healthy diet became my biggest goals. On Holiday breaks, I did more intense workouts. I just finished my education on July 31st.
 
When those weeks happen to fly by where it's just not feasible to even get in 10 minutes during the day, remember: 80% of weight loss and healthy lifestyle is what you put in your body. If you are doing alot of walking to and from class and staying fairly active through your day, you are still activated the muscles in a small way. But most important, while you are going to school this much is to keep your nutrition in check and eat clean. Pack a cooler with all your meals and snacks all day and drink loads of water. Eat a protein at each sitting, and ease up on the carbs if you are not going to be very active. Make dinner your smallest meal and breakfast your biggest. Focus on 5-9 servings of veggies and limit your fruits to just one a day. Rather than lots of whole wheat breads and crackers, choose whole grain foods like brown rice, oatmeal, and quinoa. By eating this way, you will maintain your health when the day gets away from you.
And I totally agree with getting in a workout when and where you can, even if that means going to bed at 9pm and getting up at 5am and pushing Cathe into the DVD player even just for 30 mins. I think the weekend warrior idea is a great idea. Just think of moving it whenever you can. If the weekends are your workout days and your week is only freed up enough for 2 small 20 min sessions, you can still achieve results. Think at least 4 days of something. That way you'll have more days than not, of working out.
Congrats on furthering your education. That rocks and life is all about learning. Never stop learning!
 
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