How Nurses Stay Healthy

It can be hard to stay in shape as a nurse working in the healthcare field. Nurses work very long hours, which can leave little time to work out or cook healthily. Nurses are also on their feet for most of the day, making it hard to find the energy to exercise after work. Read on for ways to live healthily and stay fit as a nurse. 

Take Supplements

It is advised for you to go see your doctor when you are about to start a new health and wellness journey. The doctor can check your vitals to make sure that your blood pressure and heart rate are in a healthy range. You will also want bloodwork completed to see if you are lacking in important areas like B-12 or cholesterol. 

Once you know what your body needs, you can purchase supplements to help your body to be at its peak performance. You may be wondering what is thrive? Thrive is an assortment of products like shakes and capsules that help boost your energy and digestive system. It can provide you with all of the nutrients you need to feel your best. 

Set Goals

It is important for you to know what you want to accomplish and improve on in order for you to know when you have done it. Maybe you already walk 10,000 steps a day, but you want to up those steps to 15,000 or double them, and start walking 20,000 a day.

This can be done by taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and also by taking brisk walks during your lunch break or after work to get your heart rate up. If you have a weight loss goal, it is wise that you make it realistic, like five pounds a month. It is better to start small than to feel like you failed. 

Fun Exercises

Not all exercise has to be boring. There can be plenty of ways to burn calories and fat that are fun. Have you ever wanted to learn how to dance? Dancing can be a great way to move your body and be social at the same time. There is ballroom dance, Zumba, and hip hop to get started. 

If you want to work out with your friends, you could look into creating a bike riding or rollerblading group that meets two to three times a week. You can keep each other accountable and you will not feel alone when you go out. 

Plan Snacks

As a full-time nurse, you may not have time to take a full lunch break or sit down at a nice restaurant every day. It is going to be very necessary for you to plan ahead and prepare smart snacks to eat throughout your day. These could be bananas, trail mix, apples, celery and peanut butter, string cheese, almonds, protein shakes, or beef jerky. 

If you fail to plan ahead with what you will eat during the day, it will be easier to grab a donut or cookie from the break room. It will also be tempting to order takeout, which will likely be full of salt and fat. Pay attention to serving sizes. 

Drink Liquids

A huge part of getting and staying healthy is staying hydrated. Water should be what you drink 90% of the time. You could buy a huge water bottle that labels your ounces and provides encouragement so that you drink enough for your body. Some say you should drink half of your body weight in ounces of water.

If you are a coffee drinker, pay attention to how much sugar and cream you add. You may consider low-sugar sweeteners or switch to green tea. Try to avoid fruit juices and sodas. If you want to be as healthy as possible, you will want to drink steer clear of drinks high in sugar. Try to get your energy from food as to not heavily rely on caffeine.