Working Shift Work & Staying on Track

As Promised By The Fat To Fit Radio Show...

Working Shift Work & Staying on Track

Working shift work can take a toll on your physical health and well-being, causing disruptions in sleep, diet and exercise. Creating a strategy for proper nutrition, self-care and exercise will help you drop pounds and achieve a healthy weight.

DIET

Diet is responsible for 80-90% of your success or failure when it comes to staying healthy. You don’t need to freak out if you miss a workout after a long night shift, but you gotta take care of yourself while you are working with your nutrition. Losing weight means creating a calorie deficit. Reduce your caloric intake by 250 to 500 calories for a healthy weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds a week. It can be hard to turn down sugary snacks and fatty foods when you are tired, so planning and prepping healthy food is essential if you work the night shift. Eating snacks and meals that consist of complex carbohydrates, protein, healthy fat, fruits and vegetables helps you maintain your sugar levels and energy throughout the night. Skip the candy and soda, and opt for nutritious snacks. Peanuts, fruits, hummus and vegetables, whole-grain crackers, low-fat yogurt and fruit smoothies are all examples of easy and nutritious food.

SLEEP

 A lack of sleep slows down your metabolism, makes it harder to turn down foods that pack on the pounds and zaps energy to exercise. Switching off your phone and avoiding sensory stimulation after work helps your body transition into sleep mode. Reading a book, calling a friend or watching a movie may help you unwind, but they can prevent you from getting much-needed sleep. Resting in a dark, cool and quiet room allows your body go through uninterrupted sleep cycles.

EXERCISE

Creating an exercise plan specific to working the night shift will help you lose weight. Too much stimulus before bed may interfere with your sleep, and exercise may keep you up. Going to the gym on your way to your shift is a way to schedule exercise into your daily routine. If you don't want to go to the gym, slot time at home to run, do a workout DVD or lift weights. Doing 150 to 300 minutes of cardio and two or three resistance-training sessions each week will help you drop pounds. While shift workers, such as nurses and fireman, may not have a lot of predictability in their day, small efforts do contribute to weight loss. Jump rope, take a quick walk or do jumping jacks during a break.

Bruen, Judy. "How to Lose Weight Working the Night Shift". Live Strong. Jan. 8, 2014. Web. Jan 15, 2015. "http://www.livestrong.com/article/49307-lose-weight-working-night-shift/".