I work 12 hour shifts and find myself too tired to exercise on those days. Also I have a hard time making good choices on what to eat when I finally get home at 8pm. I am pretty hungry when I get home because it's been 5 hours since I had lunch. I don't always have time at work for a snack in the evening when it would be a normal dinner time.

Anyone else have this challenging schedule or any suggestions on what to eat in the evening? Do you think I should be exercise on my work days?

Tess

Hi everyone!!!! Thanks for some really great suggestions! I really appreciate it!!!!

I think it's just the environment of not for sure getting relieved for breaks, they get cut short, interrupted and sometimes its just too wild to eat while everyone else is busy and need help. It's the nature of the beast and I don't think it will ever change, so I just go with the flow for the most part.

Tess

I know what you mean about not getting a break or it being interrupted. I have gone an entire day without eating due to the hectic days. I have been keeping a small soft sided cooler in the car, with my snacks so in between calls or on my way to the next one I can try and eat something. Or when I get a second to sit down and fillout some paperwork.

It will all work out. I am at a desk for a while working on a project so I am bored to tears even though I am working my a%@ off.

Good Luck!

Nutra grain fruit and nut bars. I grill up some chicken and venison burgers and take one of each to work. I try to eat about every four hours but since my last fill I dont eat all that I take.

Does anyone that works the 12 hour shifts, have the energy to exercise on work days? Before or after work?

Tess

I am a Respiratory therapist and I work 12 hour shifts also. They are a pain in the behind but it is so nice to have the 4 days off to be able to follow the diet much easier. If you get a chance use the stairs instead of the elevator. I do know that you are on your feet a lot and this helps with the exercise. What I have done is not ecercise on the days I work but really work hard on the days that I am off. When I am at work I try to take the stairs. For snacks I hear you about not having a schedule. It was very hard for me also. I have learned to carry around a little bag of nuts in my pocket. They are good protein and that way I don not have to worry about chesse or so forth getting warm. Then when I am heading home I wil eat some cheese or more nuts. That way I am not starving when I get home. I try to eat something every 2 hours or I just starve. Hope this helps and have a great weekend.

Does anyone that works the 12 hour shifts, have the energy to exercise on work days? Before or after work?

Tess

Hello Tess!

I had mentioned in my response that I go after work. But my work day workouts are usually only about 45 mins to an hour. I tend to do the bike or the "gazelle" type thingy. I have been on my feet for almost the entire previous twelve hours so I don't spend much time on the treadmill. Besides, I HATE HATE HATE HATE the treadmill. I feel like a mouse on a wheel trying to get a dangling piece of cheese.

If I am really tired by about 0400, and I don't feel like going after work, then I'll go walk for about twenty minutes, or take the elevator to the basement and walk up the stairs to my floor (fourth, but every floor is a FULL double set of stairs). a couple of times. When I was in better shape (read: younger) I would go try to run UP the DOWN escalator in the middle of the night. That was a GREAT workout.