The Night Shift

mukebot

New member
Posts: 1
I used to exercise all the time when I worked the day shift. It was easy for me to find a workout rhythm and plan my diet. Now that I am on the night shift at my job, it is harder to plan my days out or find any information about meal planning (i.e., what are the best times to eat and what to eat). I am blessed that my job has a small gym on site. I work in a jail, and my job can be very stressful at times. To stay awake, I tend to stress eat and drink a lot of coffee. On my off days, I tend to have a normal sleeping schedule, but when I'm working, my sleeping schedule is off. So I would like other people's help in forming a meal plan and a workout routine for individuals that work the night shift.
 
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guibo94

Well-known member
Gladiator from New Asgard
Posts: 75
"Silent but deadly."
Can you maintain the same sleep schedule on work days and off days? Sleep is critical and I would focus on finding a sleep routine that works well for both "days" and that doesn't require a significant "transition" period because constantly switching will probably slowly wear you down over the long run. I wish I could help with eating, but I think Darebee challenges would be a good fit for exercise as they are simple and effective and don't require you to carve out gym days during your work week. Good luck and keep us posted!
 

PETERMORRIS966

Well-known member
Scout from Alberta Canada
Posts: 690
It’s been a couple of decades since I worked shift work; my shifts were 12 hours. Day shift was 0700 - 1900. Night shift was 1900 - 0700. I found micro workouts worked best for me, about 10 - 12 minutes in duration. I squeezed them in when I could, before, during or after. As for diet, on Days I ate normal. On Nights my mid-shift meal, usually 0300, would be fairly light but high protein. Example a black bean soup or tuna salad sandwich on whole grain bread. Always fruit on some kind.
 

Germanamazon

Active member
Posts: 37
I used to work nights. 19:00-4:00.
There are some corner things you need to consider. When do you go to bed after your shift? When do you get up? Do you have family and how much time do you spend with them? When do you have breaks at work, and how long?
Using these answers you could get yourself a work out and meal schedule set up for yourself that will actually fit your needs.
I was looking around at darebee and they have so many workouts for at your desk, low impact ones where you aren't jumping, walking in place workouts etc, you can easily set yourself a weekly workout plan for at work.
Looking online or at diet/fitness books you will hardly find any information for night shifters unfortunately.
 
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