Fitting Exercise Around Shift Work

Speaker 1 0:00

We've only just got over the last shift , or have we ? And now we're having to head in again when we get home from this shift . We've got to do the shopping . We've got to run the house . We've got to walk the dog . We've got to socialize . We've got to catch up with people . When on earth can we possibly fit in any kind of exercise at all ?

Speaker 1 0:19

In today's episode , I want to talk to you about how to fit exercise in around shift work and what we should do and when . Shift work can be brutal , but it doesn't have to be Welcome to a healthy shift . My name is Roger Sutherland , certified nutritionist , veteran law enforcement officer and 24 seven shift worker for almost four decades . Through these podcasts , I aim to educate shift workers , using evidence based methods , to not only survive the rig as a shift work , but thrive . My goal is to empower shift workers to improve their health and well being so they have more energy to do the things they love . Enjoy today's show and welcome to this episode of a healthy shift podcast . I am your host , roger Sutherland , and I personally . Welcome you to this episode and thank you for listening in All right . So what I want to talk to you about today is how do we fit exercise in around shift work and what exercise should we do and when ? Now , what I want to do today is I just want to start off with my own personal journey as to where I'm at today .

Speaker 1 1:38

Now , just on three and a half years ago , or just prior to when COVID hit , I was in absolutely ripping shape for a person my age I was probably 56 years of age . I was very , very lean and I was very muscular for my age . Now , during COVID , which absolutely wrecked us , I pretty much lost faith and gave away the training and we just ate and drank our way through COVID , which a lot of people did . We were in a position here in Melbourne , in Victoria or Australia , where we were locked down for pretty much the best part of two years and we didn't get the access to the gym , which caused us a problem . Now I at the same time started my own business , a healthy shift and I've been working on that and I've been using that as the excuse to not get back to the gym .

Speaker 1 2:29

But I had to make a decision some time ago that I needed to get back to it . I wanted to get back to it . I was scrolling through old photos and I saw I need to get back into the gym because it was my happy place and it was something that I really enjoyed . So where did I start ? What I did was I found a PT , a PT that I trusted , and I just wanted to get back into some movement patterns . So I trusted her with the movements Thank you , jay at triple zero fit . And what I did was I went back and I just started one PT session a week .

Speaker 1 3:05

Now you would think , rod , that's not enough . Well , the bottom line is it held me accountable to that one particular day , and Jay is someone who's really in your corner , really supporting you and cheering you on . It made me go every week and I started to really remember what it felt like to be moving way to going . Now is my journey about fat loss ? Nope , I haven't made it about that . I've made it literally a weight-neutral approach . Now , what does that mean ? What that actually means is that I have actually decided that I'm going into this for the exercise and to exercise and move my body . So I started that one PT session and then I added another session of my own at the local gym and I thought , no , this is it , I'm ready to go .

Speaker 1 4:01

So I started one of Coach Mark Carroll's challenges and , in fairness , I didn't even get started . It became overwhelming and I thought , oh , it's just too much . I'd set myself five days a week and it was just too much . But I was still continuing on with that one PT session and I was just going into the gym and just playing with weight on the other session on my own . Then I re-signed up to a Coach Mark Carroll challenge again and I decided that I would use the day one as the day with my PT , which held me accountable to do at least one day of the challenge to start off with . Then , on the second day , which as it turns out is the following day , I was actually training with a friend and then I would use that session as a gym session and then go off to the steam room and just walk in the pool for an hour as well , which is resistance in itself , but I would just walk in the pool for an hour and it was just therapy , relaxing and good . I'd already ticked off two days of the challenge and I only had to do one more because what I had done is I'd set myself up this time around in the challenge for just three days . So now I've got a third day to do and I would just do that either with Melissa or I do it on my own , and then I've now found myself . Here we are , probably three months later . I now go into the gym on the fourth day on my own and I just have a bonus day where I just do the bro thing , just work the shoulders and arms , but I'm just there having fun and I'm really having fun with it , and what I wanted to emphasize with that point was that this is what you do , just to work your way back into it slowly . Now , this is resistance training .

Speaker 1 5:46

All right , so to start off with , I just wanted to discuss what is exercise . Let's define exercise , because when we think of that word exercise , it gives us images of I've got a pack of bag , I've got to put my PT gear on , I've got to put my shorts and T-shirt and runners on , or I've got to put my tights on , or whatever it is that you wear to go to the gym , and you've got to . You know , ladies , you've got to tie the hair up . Oh , I've got to put the face on . Let me tell you , no one cares . All right , just go to the gym and let's just talk about taking that exercise word out of it because of the image that it creates , and let's just call it

Movement for Shift Workers

Speaker 1 6:28

movement .

Speaker 1 6:28

Now you might think that's happy clapper , yeah , okay , but just experiencing some form of movement as a shift worker is enormously beneficial . And so what sort of movement , as shift workers , should we be doing ? Well , we're all unique . Some people are experienced lifters , some people lift five , six days a week and have one day off , and they've been doing that for decades and they only just shift work just gets in the way of that and causes them grief . And we all know them , because we all work in shift working environments and we all can have a look around at the people in the environment that we're working in . And there are those people that do it , and I can tell you if they can do it , so can you , because that's a situation that they're actually in . They can actually do that . They've created that environment and they've actually done it and you can .

Speaker 1 7:25

So what we're gonna do is we're going to actually put some practice in place to get ourselves into a position where we can all do some form of movement . Take the exercise , the stigma of exercise out of it and just go with movement . So how much do we need to do ? Now , when I talk about movement , you do you . You do what you enjoy . Some people enjoy yoga , some people enjoy resistance training , some people enjoy running , some people enjoy Pilates . But it's just a matter of what you can do and what you can actually stick to , because that's the important thing that you've got to be able to do to stick to it for consistency .

Speaker 1 8:08

All right now , three sessions a week is actually enough to see benefit , and all Shift workers can literally get in three sessions a week . It's not that difficult . Don't structure five or six or sign up to something that you got to do five or six times and only get three sessions in , because you will be psychologically defeated and you'll end up giving up , whereas if you sign up for three and you get those three , you will feel quite accomplished . Now , the fact that they're both exactly the same is irrelevant , because it's a mind game that you've got to play with yourself around movement and getting that exercise in . So Sign up and do three days , whatever it is , whether it's three days at f45 or three days at body fit or three days , going to the gym , work on three days and start there and see what it where it gets you . So what exercise Do I actually recommend that shift workers do , and why do I recommend it ? Well , for a start , without any doubt whatsoever , resistance training of some form we should all be doing . It is literally so good for your health .

Speaker 1 9:20

Resistance training Now , going to the gym and getting that exercise . Is it a fat burning exercise ? No , it's not . I'll be very , very clear on that . Going to the gym is not an exercise in fat loss . What it is , it's an exercise in actually feeling your body moving and growing your lean muscle , or telling your lean muscle that it is required , because the last thing that you want to be is a hunched over old man or old lady in old age because you didn't look after your lean muscle and you've ended up with sarcopenia , which is the wastage of muscle . We don't want to get into that position . So I highly recommend resistance training .

Speaker 1 10:03

But the other reason why I recommend it as well is because , as shift workers working outside of our circadian rhythm , we really do suffer from insulin resistance in a really big way . Now , what this means is that our glucose ends up shuffling around in our bloodstream until it ends up getting part of our adipose tissue , in our adipose tissue , which is body fat , and by resistance training it actually increases our insulin sensitivity , which means that glucose gets shuttled into the muscle and assists us with actually the energy to burn and it gets burnt out of that muscle . It also helps us to maintain that lean muscle mass to either maintain it or to build muscle , if that's what you're trying to do . So that's the first one . The second exercise you do whatever you want to do and , as I've spoken about , you , just do something that you can do and you can fit in . But I do highly recommend that we do resistance training .

Speaker 1 11:03

I also did a podcast just recently in relation to LIST training , which is low intensity steady state training , and I do highly recommend that shift workers do low intensity steady state training coming out of their night shift owing to the fact that we have elevated triglycerides in our bloodstream for a period of up to 48 hours coming out of our nights . Now it's very , very important that we burn these triglycerides out of our blood . So I highly recommend that you go back , have a listen to that podcast in relation to it and it will explain to you quite clearly why it's important that we do LIST training , which low intensity , steady state on a bike or a treadmill for the first few days coming out of night shift , to burn that fat out of our bloodstream and avoid that weight gain . So how can we fit our exercise in ? And my solution to that is to schedule it . It's really , really important that we actually schedule in a session to train when you get your rosters and you know , because a lot of people get their rosters well in advance when you get your roster and have a look at it , have a look at days that are realistic for you to be able to go to the gym three times , that's all you've got to worry about .

Speaker 1 12:19

To get to the gym or do your exercise , be it body fit , be it F45 , be it go to do a resistance training session or go for a run , but schedule it in and schedule it in three times . Really important . You can do it on the night that you're going or the day that you're going into nights . There's one , and you will at least have two days off as well so that you can schedule it into those as well . But whatever you do , you know your routine . Have a look , write your shifts down , write what obligations you've actually got , and then schedule in your exercise and just go and get it done . It doesn't have to be for hours and hours on end , just literally get into the gym or go and do your exercise and get it done and just get it done . It's that simple .

Speaker 1 13:06

Now , one question that I get asked a lot is do we train coming off night shift ? And the answer to that is no , we do not . When you finish your night shift , no matter who you are , as to what type of trainer you are , your body is already highly stressed . All right , it's stressed by the fact that you are outside of your circadian rhythm . Now . You have elevated levels of adrenaline and cortisol running there , and by going to the gym and doing any form of training at that point in time , you're not going to be cashing in on the adaptations that you want to get from your training . Just go straight home and go straight to bed and focus on the best exercise you can Sleep , because sleep is the most important .

Exercise and Sleep for Shift Workers

Speaker 1 13:51

By exercising on the way home from night shift , one of the first things that you're going to be doing is stimulating your central nervous system as well . And if you're one of those people that has a pre-workout , heaven forbid , the caffeine in there will be impacting on your sleep . Now you might tell me , oh , but I need to exercise so I can sleep . Well , you're not actually sleeping properly . Your central nervous system is stimulated . Focus on a good sleep hygiene . Go home , rest and get up , and then go and exercise when you get up , all right . So no , no , no to training coming off nights . No matter what , it is All right , you've got to get yourself straight home and go straight to bed .

Speaker 1 14:34

Now , do we train after an afternoon shift when we finish at 10 or 11 o'clock at night ? I would argue no . And the reason why I would argue no is for the same reasons . A lot of people train on their pre-workouts again , high caffeine , and we've got to stop that . All right , because that's going to impact on our subsequent sleep all the time . So what we want to do is avoid having any caffeine for that good nine hours before we go to bed . Nine hours , I'll get to that , I'll talk about that shortly . And also , we are again stimulating our central nervous system by exercising , which is going to impact on our sleep . So we're not going to sleep properly afterwards anyway . Now , do we train before day shift ? Yeah , good luck to you If you're one of those people that can actually get up and go to the gym or go and do your exercise or some form of exercise before you go in for a day shift .

Speaker 1 15:29

Knock yourself out . I'm proud as punch of you for being able to do that . But I'm not one of those people . I would rather just sleep and cash in on the sleep , get up , go through a routine , get to work and that's one of the most important things . All right , so there you go . Remember that everybody is unique .

Speaker 1 15:47

Now , one thing that we do have to be aware of , and we have to be super aware of it , is the caffeine intake in our pre-workouts and its impact on our subsequent sleep . Now , I want to be very clear on this , that the new research , which is very clear now , the 200 milligrams of caffeine , which is pretty much your standard pre-workout . Now I picked up a pre-workout in a shop the other day and had a look at it . It's got 350 milligrams of caffeine in it . 200 milligrams of caffeine takes 13.2 hours before it starts to impact on our sleep . Now , if you're one of these people that has your pre-workout on an afternoon shift before you're gonna go and work out , what are you doing to your sleep ? And the other thing is , if you're coming home from night shift and you're having your pre-workout , what are you doing to your sleep ? And while we're speaking about pre-workouts , seriously , pre-workouts are just designed to take your money .

Speaker 1 16:48

The only active ingredient in a pre-workout sorry , not active the only beneficial ingredient in a pre-workout for you is caffeine . Caffeine needs to be taken an hour before you actually need it , right An hour before . That's what the research tells us . If you take your caffeine an hour before your training , that's where you get the maximum effectiveness from all right , so that's one thing . So why are you taking it just before ? Because the caffeine is actually peaking just after you finish training and anything else that's in it , like the paristhesia , which is the face tingling that's the beta-alanine . Beta-alanine's got to be pre-loaded . It's a waste of time actually having beta-alanine once every time you go and train . So most of the other ingredients that are in a pre-workout are either things got to be pre-loaded or there's very minimal research in relation to each of them , and certainly not when you're just having it 15 minutes before you go and work out . So you really need to just stop wasting your money on that and have your caffeine and have it done . But keep in mind that your caffeine even just a 200 milligram pre-workout should be taken 13 hours before it impacts on our subsequent sleep . So be careful with that .

Speaker 1 18:07

The other thing that I do recommend is have a plan B . All right , we are notorious for getting caught up or called in or doing overtime at the moment In frontline health and emergency services at the moment . They're very short staffed and everybody's getting a lot of overtime at the moment , and that may interfere with what your scheduled exercise routine is . So what I would suggest you do is just maintain flexibility . Say to yourself if this happens , I will do this . So if I don't get to the gym , I'm going to take myself for a walk anyway . If I don't get to go to the gym , I will walk around the block five times . Just by saying that to yourself can make an enormous difference and really help you out in actually formulating something in your mind that you know that you are going to be able to go and do All right , so that you don't just sit there paralyzed and then go oh well , I didn't get to the gym . Cuss , cuss , cuss , cuss . Go and sit on the couch and watch TV , all right . So keep that . And also just look for opportunities to get shorter sessions in or spread them out across two sessions . If you're at work , you get breaks . You can go for walks . If you're in a position where you don't get that break in any way whatsoever , and you get home , one of the best ways to get rid of the stress of the shift is to take yourself for a walk around the block a few times . So just keep that in mind as well .

Speaker 1 19:27

And my last point the most important point , without any doubt whatsoever is to listen to your body . It's really important that you do actually just listen to your body Now . Don't listen to your excuses . All right , if you're going to commit to do something , go and do it . All right , get off your butt and do it , because no one ever regretted a training session ever , unless you injure yourself and then you wish you hadn't done it , but that would have been due to just not doing things properly . But you never , ever , regret training . So don't listen to your body , because you know if you're tired , but call yourself out on your own BS as well . All right If you're thinking , oh , oh , just feel tired . Oh , just feel tired , and there's nothing wrong with even if you do feel tired going into the gym and just turning the weight over or going and doing your session , but you're not feeling your absolute best . Not every session is going to be the absolute best session that you can possibly do . All right . So listen to your body , but call yourself out on your own BS at the same time as well , because I think that's something that's really important , all right . Well , that brings us to the end of today's episode .

Speaker 1 20:33

When it comes to exercising on shift work , there's no one size fits all , all right . So I just want you to be very , very aware of that , that I'm not Packaging everybody into the one . Some people can train six , seven days a week , and it doesn't matter whether they're on night shift , day shift . I totally get that , but it's a personal journey . For the others , of trial and error . It's a matter of finding what works best for your body , what works best for your schedule and your own type of preferences as well , and Always remember to be patient and kind to yourself as you navigate the challenges of shift work and prioritize your well-being . There's always days off to really smash your session . All right , as always .

Speaker 1 21:12

I want to thank you for tuning into a healthy shift . I hope you found this episode helpful and inspiring and , if you did , please share it until next time . Keep moving and make a healthy shift . Thank you for listening . If you enjoyed this episode , be sure to subscribe so you get notified whenever a new episode is released . It would also be ever so helpful if you could leave a rating and review on the app You're currently listening on . If you want to know more about me or work with me , you can go to a healthy shift Dot com . I'll catch you on the next one . You