How to Stay Healthy When Working Shifts

If you are working long shift patterns in which you do not get much time to eat, choosing the healthiest option can be tough. Many of those who work shifts such as nurses or policeman do not make healthy choices, as they are so exhausted they pick whatever is fastest and closely available. Eating healthy can keep you going on long shifts and can keep your body in a routine. Eating fatty foods can make you feel bloated and more tired in the long term. Here are a few ways to stay healthy when working shifts.

 Meal Prep

When you are cooking a meal for you and your family, make each portion a little smaller and keep some for yourself for your lunch at work the next day. Nobody will notice a spoonful of their meal gone from their plate, and this is a great way to reduce portion sizes, especially if you tend to give them too much. If you have time, make two meals at the same time, one for dinner and one for your meals at work. You can then keep this in the fridge or freezer so all you need to do is reheat it at work. Chili is an easy and healthy meal to prepare for shift work.

Choose the Better Option

If you don’t get time to bring a meal from home, it can often be easy to be swayed by coworkers who are getting a takeaway or fast food for their break. Try and pick the healthiest option, or say no. There is no reason you cannot have the occasional treat and you do not have to deprive yourself of never eating takeaways again, but when it becomes every shift it can soon be a problem. If you are looking for a career that may involve shift work, such as a mom training to be a nursing aide, check out the CNA salary Las Vegas to see what you could be earning.

Try and Stick to Your Gym Pattern

After doing a shift, it can be incredibly hard to find the energy to go to the gym or do any exercise at all. If you keep putting it off, you will lose your motivation entirely and, therefore, it is best to push yourself to exercise, as you will feel better for it in the long run. If you normally go to the gym for an hour, perhaps only go for half an hour after a long shift, do not over exhaust yourself either. Still getting to the gym and doing something is better than saying no and not getting any exercise in at all. If you are too tired to get to the gym, go home, get changed and go for a light run around your neighborhood.

Working shifts can make it much harder to stick to a healthy lifestyle as temptation and exhaustion get in the way of our choices. Trying to stick to a routine can help you feel less tired and keep you on track.