Simple Exercises to Keep the Busy Nurse Feeling Fit

We all know that being a nurse means long shifts. Being on your feet most of the day (up to 12 straight hours sometimes), can leave you with very little energy to go for a run when you get home. Here are some ideas of things you can do throughout the day to kick your exercise habits up a notch!

Disclaimer: This post is by no means an excuse or substitution for the gym, it's simply a way to keep you burning calories on the days you just can't find time to make it there!

Stretch Your Way Out of Bed
Stretching is an underrated form of exercise.  Stretching as you roll out of bed will get your blood pumping, metabolism moving (which burns calories), and wake you up! So bend down and touch your toes, reach your hands to the sky, and feel good about the day you're about to start.

Park in the Back of the Parking Lot
When you get to work, it's easy to feel like you need to get a parking space as close as humanly possible to minimize the walk to the door. On the contrary, by parking on the far edge of the parking lot, you'll bust out a mini-cardio workout on your way to and from work/school.  While this seems less than ideal, this little tweak to your daily routine can add up to a few lost pounds each year!  Not only will you pick up a little extra cardio on your way to work, you'll also be in far less danger of your car being scraped by the people fighting over who gets to park closest to the building.  (Bonus!)

Take the Stairs
By taking the stairs instead of the elevator, you're burning extra calories right away.  The stairs are a great thigh and buns toner and taking the stairs usually takes about the same amount of time as the elevator (or can even be faster in an elevator that makes a few stops).



Dance Around!
Dancing burns the same amount of calories in an hour as a light jog on the treadmill - around 400 to 500!  Dancing has the advantage of actually being fun and you can do it anywhere. You can dance at work, at home, in the bathroom, at school, anywhere you wanna groove go ahead and bust a move!

Jumping Jacks
This childhood gym class exercise is actually a great cardio workout while toning your thigh and calf muscles.  Jumping jacks are quick, easy, and burn a lot of calories! They can also be a quick way to wake yourself up or to get warm if you're starting to feel cold.

Keep Good Posture
Good posture while standing and sitting is another great way to keep up your circulation, and after a while, it just becomes habit! Not only will you look a little taller and stronger, you'll feel like it! It keeps your body feeling good - your spine doesn't like being misaligned so make sure to keep it straight!

One of the things to keep in mind if your goal is to make it to the gym.
Just get there!
If you walk inside the gym, no matter how tired you feel the hard part is over. Just getting yourself there will change your mindset. 

If you've made it to the gym
Great job! I have a follow-up post coming for you! A quick tip to hold you over: If you're not feeling like running or taking your best shot at the stair stepper there's another option! Try getting on a treadmill, setting the incline to 10 or higher, and walk it out (3.5 to 4.5MPH is a great speed). It's actually a great workout (burning more calories per mile than running) and is much less intimidating than running.  I usually find that the days that I start out this way, I end up shaking my motivation funk and start running.

I hope this helps you feel your best.  If you have more tips to share, make sure to put them in the comments to help other nurses like yourself!