Exercise Benefits for Shift Workers

Speaker 1 0:00

For me it's that kind of passion that's there for helping these particular groups of people . When they work from the front line , there's no one there to look after them . They are like first on scene . They need to be on top of their game , but they don't get taught this stuff . So I feel like it's my job , because I've learned about it myself and been there to help them and show them that there is light , that shift work doesn't mean that they can't get in shape and they can't feel great in themselves .

Speaker 2 0:27

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 24-7 Shift Worker for almost four decades . Through this podcast , I aim to educate shift workers using evidence-based methods to not only survive the rig as a shift worker 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 .

Speaker 2 1:03

Hello and welcome back to a healthy shift podcast where I uncover evidence-based strategies to help shift workers thrive , not just survive . I'm your host , roger Sutherland , a veteran shift worker of almost four decades and an evidence-based nutritionist , and I get great pleasure in personally welcoming you to this episode of the show and to thank you for listening . Now , today I welcome my friend from the UK , rhys Neiman . Now Rhys has the catch-cry that he helps police officers and 999 workers to look , feel and perform at their very best . I invited Rhys on because , while I have a holistic approach to the nutrition side and the circadian side , rhys works with people of how the exercise benefits a 24-7 shift worker and how they should schedule it .

Speaker 2 1:57

In this podcast , we discuss where would you start and how would you go about starting . And we also talk about the importance of laying it out , planning it and scheduling , and what an ideal week should look like to a shift worker , and the idea of training post-night shift , and so much more . It really is a great chat , so let's get on with the show . And welcome to the show , rhys Neiman . How are you , rhys ?

Speaker 1 2:24

I'm very well , thank you . Seems that we've switched roles since last time .

Speaker 2 2:28

A little bit of deja vu here , isn't there , I think I'm pretty sure last time I was sitting here with my eyeballs hanging out of my head because I'd only just got out of bed and I was hanging out of coffee and you were probably getting to the end of the day and winding down , and now I'm looking at you with your eyeballs hanging out of your head .

Speaker 1 2:45

I've literally just had my first coffee of the day , so we're in a good spot . You've got me at a good time .

Speaker 2 2:50

We are absolutely on fire at this point in time . So very , very good . Anyway , we today . I really want to talk to you about how exercise benefits the 24-7 shift worker , because I'm actually going through a bit of a thing at the moment with people and I really am trying to get people to exercise because of the benefits . So I think you're going to be the ideal person to actually have on here and you can talk about the benefits , and we've got a list of things that we want to go through . Your actual catch cry is that you want to help police officers and 999 workers to look , feel and perform at their very best , and I think the benefit of this is actually going to be some form of movement or exercise anyway . So , rhys , talk us through what your background is and what led you to doing what you're actually doing now .

Speaker 1 3:38

So I'll say long story short . It'll probably be quite a long story because I will fall . But join the police was always a kind of dream job of mine from growing up and it's the case that there's a lot of stuff you need to do in the UK before you can actually join as a regular . So for me it was the case that I went to uni , done a degree . I was trained up as a special constable which you probably have something similar over there , roger but it's basically a voluntary police officer . You still have the same powers , you get your expenses paid . Basically you don't get paid to work , but it's great for getting experience . So I've done that for a couple of years and then after a while because again , like probably the same over there is , the application takes a very , very long time to join . A lot of vetting obviously , a lot of background checks and stuff like that that goes into it . So it was a case then I was able to join as a regular .

Speaker 1 4:23

But for me my journey kind of started when I was at university and trying to join as a special . A bit of background I was probably about 50 kilos heavier than I am now , so I was a lot bigger . It wasn't the case that I was full of muscle , I was just going out drinking too much and eating too many kebabs . The issue was that you had to be a certain weight to be able to join as a special . So it was a case that , very bluntly , I was told you're too fat to join . You need to lose weight .

Speaker 2 4:49

Ouch , well , that would have hurt .

Speaker 1 4:50

Yeah , it hurt a little bit . It was definitely a wake up call , though , because I was just not looking after myself , but at the same time , I didn't really have a clue where to start . Back then you had your , even more so with fad diets , detoxes , hip training , all of this sort of stuff back then , which was very big . I'm talking this was 2012 , 2013 . So there was a lot of stuff out there and there wasn't necessarily people in the industry that were helping to show that this wasn't the stuff that you needed to do to lose weight and build better and get in better shape . So I lost a little bit of weight through a lot of trial and error , just managed to lose enough to join . I think I was like a pound under where it was meant to be , so it was ideal . So I just scraped in , still had a long way to go , so it was a case . Then it was building my knowledge up around nutrition and training and stuff like that .

Speaker 1 5:36

What kind of change for me was when I joined as a regular ? The protocols and the plans I was following . They just wouldn't work . I had a lot more free time , I was able to go to the gym five days a week and I was able to pretty much cook all my meals or at least prepare them for small part-time jobs . You have it kind of in between joining , but it's a case of what I was trying to do and what I was trying to keep up was just burning me out , and I kept going through phases of like trying and trying again , just thinking that I wasn't pushing hard enough , I didn't want it enough , but the truth is it just wasn't the right approach for me . So I think that's kind of led me on to what I do now , because I've then started to understand that I needed more of a sustainable approach .

Speaker 1 6:15

I needed something that would fit in around my shifts and I was doing all the classic mistakes . I was training after night shifts . I was relying on energy during this . All the time I was just thinking this is my life . Now I'm just going to have to suck it up and deal with it . But it doesn't need to be that way .

Speaker 1 6:28

So for me it was a case that a lot of my colleagues were doing very , very similar things . I was trying to tell them a little bit differently after I'd learned that this wasn't the right thing to do , but no one's going to listen to you unless you're in some kind of an authoritative position there . So for me it was a case that , although , yeah , I still have a passion for policing now because I find it really interesting and I'm still looking around when I'm driving and like that car is dodgy , I feel like someone should be stopping them , but I feel like I've got eyes in the back of my head a lot of the time and just way too perceptive for my own good . But with that it's a case that I still have the passion .

Speaker 1 6:57

But the passion for health and fitness and self development , improving yourself , just took over for me and it was the logical next step , which was not easy .

Speaker 1 7:05

I'm pretty sure that my parents cried when I told them I was leaving the police to become a personal trainer and that kind of segue for me to go into what I do now .

Speaker 1 7:12

A lot of my ex colleagues will come to me for in person training just because they've had PT's in the past and they were like oh , bruce , you know you've done shift work , you've been a hopper , you know exactly how everything works and what we come up against and we can't eat chicken and rice , you know six times a day when we're at work .

Speaker 1 7:28

You know we can't go to the gym every morning because some days we're on night shifts , late shifts , you know , earlys and stuff like that . It's kind of just become a logical next step and for me it's a group of people I'm passionate about helping because there's no one there to necessarily look after them . They're busy looking after everyone else , but there's no one there to say you know , you need to look after yourself or you're going to die young if you don't look after yourself and you rely on energy drinks , fast food , you know , just shorted in your lifespan . So they need someone to keep them accountable and make sure that they're doing the stuff they need to do to , you know , live a better quality life , essentially , and not rely on energy drinks and coffee constantly .

Speaker 2 8:02

I love that . Let's just unpack a couple of the things that you've said there which really hit my mark as well . And you know , because you follow me and I follow you when we talk about these things I think people in frontline health and emergency services and shift workers in general really are the most selfless people . They're labeled selfish , but I think they're really the most selfless people because they literally are sacrificing their own health for others , aren't they ? And you've actually cashed in on this and put a reel up on this today or yesterday , I think . No one's coming to save you . You have to do it yourself as well , and I work very hard on the theory that people must put the gas mask or put the oxygen mask on themselves . I mean , whenever you get on a plane , they tell you that don't they Put the mask on yourself before you can help others , and unfortunately , our frontline health and emergency services people don't do that enough . They don't be a little bit selfish for themselves to actually be in a position to turn up as their best self . So that's the first point , but the other one that I wanted to really go in on was something that's sustainable , that works , and only a shift worker , only someone who's done the job Can actually comprehend and understand it , can't they , ruth ? I think this is the catch cry for anybody listening to this as a shift worker that's looking for coaching Go to someone who's done it , someone who's done what you're doing , not someone who's ripped , someone who has absolutely no idea about your job , because they're not going to have the postage that you're going to say well , if you want it , bad enough , this is what you got to do , but it just doesn't work that way , does it ?

Speaker 2 9:48

That's where we've all made the mistakes . We've all flipped our meals , we've trained on the way home from night shift , we've smashed ourselves with hit sessions , made sleep not our priority . We've caused all sorts of problems , haven't we ? And you've gone down that road yourself , and Absolutely I've done exactly the same thing .

Exercise for Shift Workers

Speaker 2 10:06

So I think that sort of leads us into what the next question was , which is why do you do what you do ? It gives you an awful lot of satisfaction when someone comes back to you and says our Reese just gets it , doesn't it ?

Speaker 1 10:17

It's life-changing for me , like when a client even if they're like leaving me and they're like it's been amazing , I've learned so much and you've literally changed my life I'm jumping up and down like I'm absolutely buzzing with that . So I think for me is just , I know how much is going to benefit them because I've been in that position , whereas if it was someone like I don't know oh , I'm coaching a bodybuilder that wants to go on stage . I've not been there so I don't get how that is . Yeah , you know the struggles of dieting and stuff , but more so this because you know they're gonna be feeling absolutely flipping great when they're out there at work and you know they're gonna be more confident in these physical situations that they might find themselves in . They're generally just gonna be safer and to have a better quality of kind of overall life as well .

Speaker 1 10:54

So for me it's that kind of passion that's there for helping these particular groups of people and you know they work on the frontline . There's no matter , look after them . They are like First on scene . You know their first responders essentially , so they need to be on top of their game , but they don't get taught this stuff . So I feel like it's my job because I've learned about it myself and been there to help them and show them that there is light Shift work doesn't mean that they can't get in shape and they can't feel great in themselves .

Speaker 2 11:20

Yeah , absolutely . Can I honestly believe people totally estimate how much of a buzz we get out of the feedback from clients when you know , and you've had them I've got clients that I think I'm not really getting through to , but they're going through the motions and then at the end they go oh my god , that's just been amazing , like you've taught me so much and you think , where do they come from ? You know , and it's just fantastic that we get to Teach them what we've learned . My attitude is and I know it's the same with you you want to show up as the person that you wish you had to guide you when you first started , true ?

Speaker 1 11:56

Yeah , 100% . I think I actually said that in a post a few months back . But , yeah , nail on the head , then they nail on the head .

Speaker 2 12:02

You just want to show up , because I started shift work 39 years ago and I know there was nothing . In fact , even today , there's still absolutely no education for shift workers at all , other than you know the people like Myself , yourself , grace that are out there doing it . But there's a whole heap of people in the background that are doing a lot of really good research and I think it's our job to understand what the research is telling us , because it's all well and good for people who Live with shift workers or have studied shift work to put it out there , but they don't get it . But you can apply it into a 24 7 shift working environment because you get it . And that's what I love about what you're doing as well , and you're so relatable and I suggest People that are listening will put the references at the end . Some of your reels are just so relatable , with little stories about what people do on , what frontline shift workers go through . What do you see are the benefits of exercise for a 24 7 shift working responder .

Speaker 1 13:03

So I think the main one is that , like we said earlier , they're just going to be living a better quality life . They're going to be living longer . But if we unpack that , it's going to mean that , you know , if they're lifting weights or they're strength training a couple times a week , they're going to be less likely to get assaulted and injured on shift . And let's be honest here , people about a strong , round fit are going to be in a better position to look after themselves without that , because if they're dealing with Violent subjects , they're not going to turn around and say , oh you know , they don't look very strong or you know , very , okay , I'll cut them some slackers like they probably want to get away , sometimes more than the officers want to catch them . So we need to bear that in mind

Benefits of Exercise for Shift Workers

Speaker 1 13:36

. But these people , depending on what they've done , could be willing to do anything to get away , and we've seen it how it can go down with officers being Unfortunately killed in the line of duty , which is terrible , but it does happen and it is a harsh reality of how things are these days . So I think that , as a main one , is that they are going to be able to defend themselves better and look after themselves better when they're at work . But then we have more kind of positive benefits . Obviously you don't expect to go to work and be assaulted , but , like I said , it's the reality of policing in this day and age . But we also have the kind of other benefits here of managing stress a little bit better , like taking the pressure off and Giving you a little bit of time away from work anyway to do something that benefits you . It'll benefit you on shift , but also in your personal life as well , because if you know , let's say , you've got kids , you can keep up with them easier and play football or soccer , you can have fun with them .

Speaker 1 14:21

It could be the case that you can just pack up one day and be like I'm going to go for a 10k hike and there's no issues because you're able to do it , you're not out of breath , you're not sweating , you're like , oh , this is actually good because I'm working myself , I'm here showing up each day , improved my health , improved my fitness , so I'm in a position to do that and , as well , we can progress for our career a lot better .

Speaker 1 14:39

If it's a case we want to go to specialist units , normally the fitness requirements are a little bit higher and , yeah , you'll have a better role .

Speaker 1 14:46

But it's the case that you obviously need to kind of maintain that level of fitness to be able to stay in that role as well . So , honestly , I could go in all day with the benefits here , but I think the main ones you've summed up is that you know you'll be safer , you'll be able to protect your colleagues , you know you'll be less likely to be assaulted and of course , we have a career progression side of things as well . So if you wanted to progress to something like firearms or armed response , you can do that because your fitness is there . Obviously , you know you still need to pass the other kind of tests , but the main thing is that your fitness is at the right level and , of course , taking the pressure of yourself and relieving some stress after a busy shift or if you're in your rest days and you want to get some training done , it's just going to help you to feel about cut back up or , as you say , you know , put the oxygen mask back on .

Speaker 2 15:26

I totally agree with that . One thing that is really underrated and I know you'll get this because I've only really recently returned to training . Probably in the last six months I took a massive hiatus through COVID and everything but had your confidence and your sense of purpose increases as well . You feel like you're part of the gang again , going into the gym and training and walking out the nod from the other person or the smile or you know , oh , have you got many sets left made ? Or you know Everybody's on their own journey , aren't they Russe ? And I just feel like you feel like you're back part of the club again . You hold your shoulders back . You know I lift weights , mate . You know I train . Even if you might not look like , you still feel like You've got a sense of purpose , you're achieving something , you're doing something . You're not just wandering from one shift to the next with no sense of purpose in any way whatsoever . And on that note because I've only just returned to training myself now You're a PT and you're doing what you're doing and you're helping shift workers .

Speaker 2 16:24

So Exercise , or what we would call exercise I call it movement , but exercise to a shift worker is a really daunting thing and I think Using the term exercise makes people think I've got to put all my gear on , I've got to get my gym bag , I've got to drive to the gym , I've got to Go into the gym and I don't really know what I'm doing . But I'll go into the gym and then , oh god , then I've got to come home and I've got to share and I've got to get changed and it's really daunting because it's got a connotation of a lot of time around it . So To an exhausted shift worker , that's a lot . Where would you start , rhys , if I was someone who came to you going , I know I need to start . What should I do ? Where would you actually just start someone ?

Speaker 1 17:07

It's funny actually say I was one of my clients I was speaking to the other day . We were literally talking about this , but because they kind of realized that it doesn't need to be daunting and you can just start small , so I would literally start with a bare basics and start building it up as part of your routine . So so something I'd get my clients to do when they join is I just get them to go outside for like 10 minutes a day . Everyone has 10 minutes of free time . They could just walk around the block maybe once or twice . They then want to go and do more . So I'm like , okay , did you do that 10 minute walk ? They're like I've done half an hour instead because they were enjoying it . They might have been listening to an audio book and getting really into it , or a podcast . They might be listening to this podcast . Let's hope so . I'll be sharing it .

Speaker 2 17:42

I hope so . They better be . So if you're one of those people that's out there doing one of Reese's walks and it's 10 minutes , I'm here to tell you . You've been walking for 18 minutes so far and we've probably got another 30 to go , all right , so keep going .

Speaker 1 17:58

Get comfy , put those , put those , comfy trainers in for the comfy trainers on but yeah , I would honestly just say to start small and build it up as time goes on and once you're able to realize , oh actually , I can actually commit time to this , I am enjoying it and it's something I look forward to because it's it's something I'm doing for me . So their surprise would be to just start small and let that snowball as For weeks and months go by . It might be that you're at the very start and it could just be you're committing to go for a walk for 5 or 10 minutes a day . It's doing something and something's better for nothing . But as time goes on it could be I'll go for my walk each day and I'll get a gym session each week for 30 minutes , or I do a home workout for half an hour . Then progress from there .

Speaker 1 18:33

So it is just the case that it's going to feel a bit weird at first , don't be wrong . Just like anything new . Probably when you first joined the police or the ambulance service or the fire service , it probably felt a bit daunting , a bit alien . You feel fine now , like you feel comfortable doing that now . So it's the same with that , but it's going to benefit you in many different ways . So start small , let it snowball and make sure you plan it in as well . Get it in the diary , look at what your shifts are for that week and just think all right , I could get 10 minutes in an hour before I leave to go to work . Easy , done .

Speaker 2 19:02

That's the next question , but I'm just going to stop there , because it takes a discipline to do that 10 minutes every day . Like you said , everyone's got it . But get out and do the 10 minutes and , of course , there's no secret here . You're in the UK and it's Probably not as pleasant to get out and walk , but everyone can still do it for 10 minutes and get out . Now , getting outside , we're actually hitting , as a shift worker and I just want to flag this with shift workers from a science perspective as well when you go outside , you're actually exposing your eyes to that 10,000 likes of light , or the UK it's probably about five likes , but anyway , the thing is you are getting that light and you're getting movement . You're actually hitting two fantastic Z-Gevers which are the stimuli to reset your circadian rhythm , which makes you feel better . So , instead of having this brain fog and fatigue and feeling exhausted , that is because your circadian rhythm is so desynchronized and it needs resetting every day . So going for that 10 minute walk and getting that outside light is actually stimulating it into . Okay , we're up and about , let's go . So I think that's one of the first things , but that's a discipline to do that . But then taking that action and doing it actually perpetuates .

Speaker 2 20:17

I've had a number of clients that don't even walk . One of them is now signed up for a half marathon . Wouldn't even walk , and that's how things perpetuate . And it doesn't have to be to work your way up to getting into the gym to lift weights . It might be I've got time now and I feel like I want to do something , or do Pilates , or I'll do yoga or I'll do whatever . Don't feel like you've got to actually get to the stage where you get to the gym and you've got to do weight , find what you love , because if you find what you love and you do , you'll continue to do it .

Speaker 2 20:51

So I want to go on now to the next question , which you literally just segwayed me straight into , which is I have found that the absolute best thing for a shift worker to do is to plan their week out in realistic terms . Right , so schedule it out , and I know you're pretty big on the planning side for people . What do you recommend shift workers do when they're planning to make it easier on themselves ? Talk about what you actually tell your clients , how they should go about it .

Speaker 1 22:12

So the first thing we obviously need to do here is just the case of logical thinking . A lot of the time we can get a little bit caught up and try to go from zero to 100 miles per hour . We commit to oh , I'm gonna do this every single day , and it gets to like you finished an hour late one day . You're like , no , I'm not gonna do that , and then the rest of the week just falls off . You write the rest of the week off . Everything falls off track . But the thing that we should be doing here which will help , helps my clients , it helps people on social media that I talk about is just writing out . If you have a whiteboard or a diary or piece of paper , just write out that week of shifts that you've got and just pick like three or four things to commit

Effective Shift Planning for Improved Wellbeing

Speaker 1 22:47

to . So it could be on Monday . You might be on a night shift and what you're gonna do before that is gonna go for a 10 minute walk and I'll make a wrap to take to work with me . So it's very easy . It takes a few minutes to do .

Speaker 1 23:01

The next day , for example , could be a rest day . You might be on a rest day , so it could be that you wanna get up a little bit earlier so you can then get to bed at a reasonable time and get back into a good sleep routine . So that could be another thing you could do there and then maybe go for a walk to obviously reset the circadian rhythm , get some sunlight in , so that could be the 10 minute walk there . Might not be wise to train on that day . If you plan on doing some class or something like that , just gonna be a little bit tired . Then it could be second rest day . Right on this day I'm gonna go and do a food shop and go for another 10 minute walk .

Speaker 1 23:28

So it is literally the case of just writing out as a plan , just being realistic , what you can commit to . And there are gonna be shifts where you're normally kept on to do overtime in the UK a lot of the time and if you're in the UK listening to this you probably laugh , but it's gonna be early shifts Is that . They're kind of the days where , if we've started with good intentions , the good intentions have probably fallen off from this day just because of how those shifts tend to go . So it would just be the case that you've planned in and been realistic with your shifts . It's about being self-aware as well .

Speaker 1 23:58

If you've normally finished late on a certain shift and it might be wise to avoid doing a class or committing to something on that day , it could be something smaller , like going for a walk when you get in , or it could just be something like taking some food with you to work that you've made the day before . So it's just a case that you wanna make sure the weeks are being planned out is my best advice there , and the best thing to do is write it down or have some kind of spreadsheet on , maybe Google Sheets or something like that , but you can use typically what I get my clients to do .

Speaker 2 24:24

Without data . Scheduling is a game changer for shift workers , because a lot of shift workers have good intentions and then they get to the end of the week and , quite rightly , what you said is they get an hour's overtime and they don't get to go to do their exercise , or they miss their Pilates class , or they miss their gym class , oh well , and I don't do anything at all . And realistically , like you've just said , make it a walk , make a wrap , make it , do this , do that and then you're under control . I hope you're enjoying the show . If you are , please don't forget to rate and review once you've finished . This helps the show's reach enormously .

Speaker 2 25:04

And have you got my free ebook , the Best Way To Eat On Night Shift ? Well , this is a comprehensive guide to the overnight fast , why we should fast and how to best go about it . I've even included a few recipes to help you . I've put a link to the ebook in the show notes . And are you really struggling with shift work and feel like you're just crawling from one shift to the next ? Well , I've got you . If you would like to work with me , I can coach you to thrive , not just survive , while undertaking the rigors of 24-7 shift work . I also conduct in-house live health and wellbeing seminars where I will come to your workplace and deliver evidence-based information to help your wellbeing team to reduce unplanned leave and increase productivity in your workplace . I've put the links in the show notes to everything mentioned . You can find me at ahealthyshiftcom or on Instagram at a underscore healthy , underscore shift .

Speaker 2 26:05

Now let's get back to the show . I mean there's a pointless saying I'm gonna go for three runs and go to do resistance training five times in the week . That's ridiculous because even though you might get that done or that's your intention , if you miss one of those sessions , there's a psychological barrier there that you fail , end of story . But if you schedule in three and then on the fourth day you get up and you think , god , I actually feel like going for a run , I might go for a run , that's a massive bonus for you .

Speaker 2 26:34

That doesn't mean you schedule four next time . You schedule your three , but you make sure that when you get your four , acknowledge how well you've done by getting the other one in as well . And I think a lot of people underestimate the power of a whiteboard marker and a whiteboard and just writing it up on the wall because we are tired , we are really fatigued , we can't think straight and it's much easier to look up on the board and go , oh okay , yeah , I've got that , that's all I need . And if you tick that day off the next day when you go to do your resistance training and you tick that day off , so accomplished , and you really really hit a goal as a PT . What would you see as a realistic or an ideal beneficial week of movement or exercise for

Realistic Exercise Routine for Shift Workers

Speaker 2 27:19

a 24-7 shift worker ?

Speaker 1 27:21

So , just touching on what we said earlier , I think if you break it down to different levels , it's probably going to be a little bit easier to manage . So it could be that level one could be going for that 10-minute walk a day and try to get outside where you can . If we then obviously implement level two , that could be okay . We'll commit to , like we said , finding something you enjoy , but , let's say , argument-safe kits . You go into the gym and maybe throwing some weights around or something , or doing like a class . You know we could be like all right . Level two can be we'll go for about 10-minute walk each day and then we'll add in maybe two strength training sessions a week .

Speaker 1 27:50

Level three could then be you know , we've done that for a couple of months now .

Speaker 1 27:53

We've been consistent with that . We've been able to tick the boxes each week , which is good , you know , albeit you might have had a holiday or something in between , but over the course of your shift , great . Level three cool , right , we're going to go three times a week and we're going to get a bonus running . We're not going to beat ourselves up . We have to miss the run , but if we get it , pattern the back and we get some brownie points with coach . So that's probably how I would look at that like going up in levels rather than saying , all right , it's time to do five workouts this week and two runs at the weekend , because it's just not going to happen . Like , we need to be logical here and realistic with the schedule . And if it's the case you're doing five workouts , they might be very poor quality because of sleep stress and your recovery as well will be affected . So it's kind of just making sure that what you are doing is going to be efficient as well .

Speaker 2 28:37

If you get up to that level three , that the best thing to do for adherence is to set small goals and force yourself to have that rest to give your body a chance . So like we don't want to be going into the gym . When we say go and lift weight , we're not talking about . You don't have to go and stand in a squat rack and put 160 kilos on the bar and squat that . You can literally squat the bar , you know what I mean . Or squat a broomstick , it doesn't matter . Everyone's on their own journey . Some people can squat heavy , some people can not . You don't even have to do squats , you can just go in and do something . So don't let that vision of string a singlet and protein shakes or sucking on your BCA he's walking around the gym put you off going into the gym , because every single person in the gym is literally on their own journey , and I know I've said that before , but I'm saying it again . Setting yourself a realistic week and ticking that off and becoming quite satisfied is definitely the goal and you've agreed with that and staging it up as you start to gain momentum , which you will definitely gain momentum .

Speaker 2 29:37

I started off with one PT session . I then went to one PT session and one on my own , and this is someone who trained a lot in the early days . But just going back , because I know if I had to set myself five days of training a week , I would have given up after a couple of weeks . It's too hard or I would have felt like a failure . But now I'm going five days a week and I'm just loving it . I can't keep me away and I think it's fantastic . This is a key question , right , and it's a really important one . Coming home on the way home from night shift and training like hitting the gym to do resistance training or an F45 . I know about it from a metabolic standpoint , but do we go training on the way home from night shift ?

Speaker 1 30:18

Definitely not . We're coming home , we're going to bed and if you fill up to it , we'll train when we've woken up and you've actually had some food and hydration in you as well .

Speaker 2 30:27

But I don't feel like training when I wake up because I'm feeling really brain fogged and fatigued . Cool , so rest , kick along with that sunshine . That's what I say . Do you know what I think the best thing is ? There's so many downsides to training on the way home isn't there . You know yourself , we're fatigued , even though we might feel good when we're in a routine of doing that . Our body is severely stressed . What's your take on it ?

Speaker 1 30:48

Yeah , I totally agree . It's just not a good idea . Your body's been up all night . A lot of the time .

Speaker 1 30:53

People aren't working a straight set of nights . We're not necessarily conditioned to be up all night . If you look back in history , we were asleep during the night and we'd be awake during the day because we could see , and it's just how humans have been . So the last few hundred years where we've been , okay , you know you're going to say up all night . Now we're like oh , yeah , okay , like what's going on here and the body's taken out of its normal routine .

Speaker 1 31:14

It's going to be very , very stressed . So if we're training , let's say , is another stress to add to the body , but it's not something the body will just do normally of its own accord . It's another stress , another stimulus . So it's the case that we need to be in a good position to deal with that . It's the same with if you're ill , okay , or if you have a cold or the flu and you go and exercise .

Speaker 1 31:32

We're having to then deal with two stresses at once because we're already under a lot of stress and then we're adding another stress to it . So it's going to take as long as we recover . It's the same with this . We're already deprived of sleep . We don't want to be adding more stress to the bucket . So it's the case we rest up , take the hit in terms of if we have to miss a session or something like that , because , again , there's always tomorrow or there's always when you wake up a little bit later in the day and you will probably start to feel awake after a few hours have gone by . You might not feel like it straight away after waking up after a night shift , but the time will go by and you will wake up and you'll be like okay , it's probably better that I train now anyway .

Speaker 2 32:04

I also think that by training , we're actually stimulating our central nervous system . At the same time , we're exciting it , which is what we want to do when we train . But we don't want to be doing that when we've then got to go to bed in an hour . And those people that are taking their pre-workouts and then on their way home from night shift . I've been reading recent research at the moment , which is game changing , to be honest , around people that are taking these pre-workouts on their way home from night shift .

Speaker 2 32:33

200 milligrams of caffeine , because caffeine is actually like the only thing that's in a pre-workout that's any good anyway . The rest of it is all just fluff and candy . Having 200 milligrams of caffeine on the way home from work and going and training , do you realize that Caffeine 217 milligrams of caffeine has an impact on your subsequent sleep for up to 13 hours , which means people can say , oh , yeah , no , but I can have caffeine and go to sleep . Yeah , you might , but it impacts on the quality of your sleep and training . You might say , yeah , but it just winds me down . Yeah , I understand that , but you're also exposing yourself to more blue light . You're also giving yourself more training . You're also stimulating your central nervous system as well .

Speaker 2 33:20

Everything that goes against sleep , and that's not what we want . What we want is we want to go straight home . We want to start that wind down routine , get to bed , get the solid sleep and then , when you get up , go and smash it , or don't smash it and wait till the day after and then go and really smash it . So here I am . I've been working shift work for 10 years . I've gained quite a bit of belly fat , which is standard , and that's really dangerous fat because it is the visceral fat that's around all of our organs . This is because I've been working shift work . I've made poor food choices . Where do I start with that ? Is that where you'd start with your 10 minute walk ?

Speaker 1 33:57

I'd start with a 10 minute walk , and if we're looking at things like food as well , it would just be having a good , honest look at your diet .

Speaker 1 34:04

Because the truth is , if you're looking to make changes , it doesn't need to be perfect , it just needs to be good enough and it just needs to be consistent . Because I always say to my clients , whenever someone joins me , I say , look , I'm going to start with a 10 minute walk . All I ask is that you give it 75 , 80% . I don't want 100% , because it's not realistic and we know for a fact that if we try to be perfect with things , it doesn't last . That's why there's loads of quick fix diets . We might lose a couple of stone in like six weeks , great . But what happens when that finishes ? There's no habit there , there's no lifestyle change . It's a quick fix , and if it sounds too good to be true , then it probably is .

Speaker 1 34:35

So it would just be having a good , honest look at your diet . Maybe it's the case that you're trying to make more filling meals about . You snack less , so it could be increasing the amount of protein you're having with your meals , maybe eating like consistently as well . So rather than just having like a cereal bar for breakfast and then going the whole shift about eating apart from like eight cups of coffee and then slamming you know two large McDonald's meals on the way home because you're absolutely starving . It's just the case of , like we said earlier with , the activity is just being self aware and thinking about where your strengths are and where your weaknesses are with that .

Speaker 1 35:10

But it could just be the case that you're having three meals a day and a protein based snack and maybe a treat when you come home , like a small chocolate bar or something to keep things interesting , rather than slamming a massive 800 calorie bar or something like that . So it would just be again having a bit of a routine with your food . It doesn't need to be perfect , but if you're having , say , breakfast , lunch and dinner , if you're on a day shift , you're going to be setting yourself up to win and it means that you're not going to go hungry and then be open to things like unnecessary snacking , like border meeting and picking up like a high calorie meal on the way home because you're absolutely famished .

Speaker 2 35:43

So common , isn't it ? How many times do we know our colleagues that end up with overtime or they're slammed during the shift , didn't eat and whizzed by the golden archers on the way home ? Or picking up a pizza or a kebab or something on the way home and slamming that and going to bed ? Common , common , common . And you can stop that by just regularly having snacks and readily available snacks and anyone that's listening .

Speaker 2 36:09

I can recommend going over and having a look at Reese's Instagram as well , because he's put some really good reels there of people that , oh , I've got no time to make a meal . Really , this is all you got to do . Crush up some wheat , put some protein into it , put some powder into it , mix that up , eat that . Who hasn't got time for that ? And it's a perfectly good meal . Make a wrap , buy a chicken , throw the chicken in . You've got a bag of salad , you've got wraps , put that together . Don't tell me you haven't got time for that . Like , seriously , it's appalling , but this is what people do and they are really , really bad at that .

Speaker 2 36:42

And , as you've said , it's not about going oh , I can't track it and I can't do the macros and I can't do this . It's literally about consistently eating nutritious food , making your stews , making your wraps , making just the meat , three veg , putting some stuff together and having that available to you . You don't have to track it , because it's going to be miles better than what you've been doing anyway , and that's where you win . You and I work in the truck together . We've been driving around , we've been absolutely run off our feet , but I'm stopping to grab macros because that's just what I do . I'm that person . What do you do and how do you combat that ?

Speaker 1 37:17

I'm whipping out my call bag . I've got place conveniently at my feet and eating my chicken

Tips for Thriving During Shift Work

Speaker 1 37:21

wrap .

Speaker 2 37:22

Okay .

Speaker 1 37:23

And I'm not going to judge you , but I'm going to plant the seed . But not only could you be saving yourself some money , but you'll probably feel better if you ate your own food anyway .

Speaker 2 37:29

So you travel with a cooler bag .

Speaker 1 37:31

I might treat myself to a Coke Zero .

Speaker 2 37:32

Yeah , yeah , just so you're part of the gang . Yeah .

Speaker 1 37:36

That's it . You don't have to get food , boss , but it could just be you pick up a coffee or you pick up a soft drink or like a zero calorie drink or something like that . So you still feel like you're kind of bad with the team .

Speaker 2 37:46

What Rhys has just said . That is really really good advice as well . If your colleague is going through the golden archers thinking that that's the only place that you can get food from , don't say , oh , no , you can't have that , that's rubbish . You can't judge , let them go , but just say , oh , could you grab me a Coke Zero ? Because that stops the conversation right there , doesn't it ? Because not , oh , don't you want a burger ? Oh , what are you doing ? Are you dieting ? Are you doing this ? No , no , no , I just feel like a Coke Zero , I don't feel like anything else , and that's where it ends . But if you say nothing , I don't want anything at all . God , I wouldn't have anything from here . Jeez , like that's the demon food .

Speaker 2 38:22

You are actually opening yourself up to being attacked by your partner and I think the best thing to say is yeah , can you just get me a small diet cake ? That's all I feel like , and have that . The amount of times that you do that , or you just get something small , or you're just taking part . But it just diverts that . And I think the other thing is whenever anyone says to you oh , you're dieting , oh , you want to diet again . Oh , you're trying to lose weight , no , I'm just eating according to my own health and goals , that's all .

Speaker 2 38:46

That's the best response for anybody . You don't have to be dieting . Anybody eating is actually on a diet full stop , because it's your pattern of eating , is the diet . So don't think it's got to be a fat loss diet . The word diet doesn't mean fat loss , it just means it's your pattern of eating . And if you're choosing to eat healthy because it makes you feel good , bouncing into your shift work and bouncing out of your shift work , all power to you , because you are the one that's thriving , not just surviving , from one shift to the next , and you're going to be the one that's clutching your chest because you've had a bit of a run after a bit of a punter down the road . So what are your non-negotiables , rhys , that people can easily implement and stick to ?

Speaker 1 39:25

I think just plan the week . Just literally do what we said earlier . Get a whiteboard . It doesn't even need to be a whiteboard , it could just be a piece of paper . Plan what you're going to do that week and be realistic with it . So , if you're doing your walks , plan those in . If you're making food , what are you having ? Planning your meals , do your food shopping . Just get outside and move . It doesn't need to be going to the gym five days a week . It can literally just be right .

Speaker 1 39:49

My non-negotiables this week are I'm going to go out for a 10 minute walk each day , or it could even be a five minute walk if you just start out , and then that will kind of propel you into going for longer because you'll start enjoying it , believe me , and Roger will agree about it as well . I'm going to take two home cooked meals and be on shift , all right , so one of them could be a wrap , the other one could be your wheat of its protein . All right , really easy . It could literally just start with that and you're going to be saving yourself a little bit of cash fare as well , because you know , but that was as expensive these days I bought a meal , a few . When was it ? About a month ago . I was coming back from a trip and it was like the only option . I said , all right , I'll go and get a chicken and bacon wrap or something which is actually not bad , but it was like five pounds . I could have made that for about 50p .

Speaker 2 40:27

It is insane , and we don't realise how much money we actually waste on that by being lazy buggers . I'm going to say lazy . I'll be honest with you . I don't actually blame the shift worker . I just think it's lack of education on how easy it can be . And that's why we're here for it , aren't we , ruth ? We're here to educate people on the best way to go about it and how to put simple strategies in place .

Speaker 2 40:48

Having that chiller bag at your feet with a bit of protein shake in there or a protein drink or a couple of snacks you're wrapping there , wrapped up , everything's really good , isn't it ? And it works so well for you to have there and ready . So your non-negotiable is just to plan it out . I totally agree . I think majority of shift workers totally underestimate the value of being when you're lucid , like when you are not absolutely bogged down for tea , to actually ride out . Okay , this is the week that's coming , because we know our roster . Ride it out and then put in what you're going to do so that when you are fatigued and you crawl out of bed , you go today's walk day , I'm going for a walk , or what your non-negotiables are . And I think sticking to your non-negotiables is what actually makes you much more accomplished with what you're actually doing . I love that . Do you think people can thrive instead of just surviving while they're doing shift work ? I know it's my catchcry , but do you think you ?

Speaker 1 41:43

can ? Yeah , 100% . It just takes a little bit more effort and you're obviously going to need to find an approach that isn't just fit for people that work a nine to five , monday to Friday kind of job . But 100% , like my clients are doing it , your clients are doing it , roger . We're seeing people all over socials and hearing about people better looking after themselves and thriving and progressing through their careers whilst living a fit and healthy life . 100% . It just takes effort and planning that it would for someone that works a kind of normal , let's say , an office job .

Speaker 2 42:11

Now , when you say a little bit of effort , I also think it just takes a little bit of effort in the beginning , but then it becomes life and then you can't imagine not having it . So I think , while people go , I don't want to have effort like this for the rest of my life you actually don't because it becomes just routine and habit and what you do it becomes your life . This is what my life is , as much as your life is crap at the moment . As a shift worker , you can turn that around . I know I've had hundreds of clients that have turned their life around and are now thriving . They're not crawling out a bed , across the floor onto the couch and smashing cancer coke and tubs of ice cream , watching Netflix until the next shift . They're actually getting out , running , walking , doing all sorts of stuff that they really enjoy and then they go to work just full of confidence and just feeling amazing , and I think that's the key . So it is possible .

Speaker 2 43:03

Anybody listening . If you don't think that you can thrive instead of surviving while you're doing night shift work , you're only kidding yourself , because you absolutely can with a bit of education and working with a coach like Reese or myself , that actually gets it from our end and will have the patience and the tolerance with you to actually work it into your social life , work it into your home life and work it into your shift work life by looking at your shift pattern , looking at your home life , looking at your social life and working in and taking all the pressure and thinking out of it . That's awesome , reese . It's been such a good podcast . Thank you so much . Where can people find you ? I mean , I'm going to tell them anyway . You can tell them , because I want people to go over and have a look at your Instagram and follow along

Find Police Health Coach

Speaker 2 43:47

with what you're doing , because you're doing fantastic content that I think people really would benefit enormously out of doing . So where can they find you on the ground ?

Speaker 1 43:56

So on Instagram I am at Reese underscore , the police health coach , and on TikTok , which I've benched on to this year .

Speaker 2 44:04

Oh dear .

Speaker 1 44:05

Just at the police health coach . There's no reason . It's just at the police health coach on TikTok .

Speaker 2 44:09

Okay , so what we'll do is I will link to both of those actually in the show notes . Are you making your TikTok a little bit more risque or are you going the norm , just posting the same content onto both ? What are you doing ?

Speaker 1 44:22

A little bit . I'm like oh okay , you know , normally if something goes down while on TikTok it will typically go down quite well on Instagram as well . So interesting , it gets a good response on there . I know it's going to get a good response on Instagram and it's a little bit easier to make TikTok content . It doesn't need to be as polished as Instagram , because I think you'll see a lot of people posting content out there and you might not realize how long it takes to create and edit and , you know , do all the funky stuff to it . It's not a five minute job .

Speaker 2 44:49

Talk to me about it and I know I bang on about this a lot , but geez , it is hard work , isn't it ? Creating content , and we're out here doing it for nothing for people just to absorb it and just move on . They won't even like it , they don't engage to it , they don't share it . And you just think to yourself what am I doing here ? Like I'm just giving all this content away and we do , we give the best of it away for nothing , don't we really ? One thing that they can't get from looking at content is just that support all the way through someone holding their hand to help them personalize to them . But , geez , people , if you're listening and you see the content , for God's sake , can you like it ? Can you share it ? Can you comment on it ? Can you just let us know that you've seen it for God's sake , because it really does help us an awful lot . Wonderful Rhys . Thank you so much . It was our second crack at it . I'm actually really pleased . I think it was a better job than the first time .

Speaker 1 45:41

Agreed . Yeah , I feel like we had a better chat . I was probably tired as well . It was like I think it was nine o'clock , half past nine , my time .

Speaker 2 45:47

The caffeine's just coming . Good . The adenosine's been chipped away from the brain . The caffeine's gone in . You're ready to go , Rhys ? The last question that I ask is if I bought you a holiday house and I bought it anywhere in the world because I've just appreciated a view coming onto the podcast and you had to live in it for six months of the year because you have to right , you can take the misses with you , but you've got to leave your house now . Where do you want me to buy it or build it ?

Speaker 1 46:12

So I actually gave a different answer last time , but I will say that it's still in a very similar place . So last time we were on here I said about a place called Pismo Beach , which is in California , where I actually proposed to my wife and it's an amazing place , amazing sunset , so you can have a house on the beach .

Speaker 1 46:26

I'm going to say we're going to go a little bit further up close because it's a little bit colder and , if you don't know , I don't really like the heat that much . I prefer it when it's a little bit cooler , like autumn's , my favorite kind of season . But a place called Carmel oh yeah , I believe Clint Eastwood is the mayor Incredible place . Been mayor a couple of times .

Speaker 2 46:45

He used to be the mayor , I think , or he was the mayor there , Carmel .

Speaker 1 46:48

At some point yeah .

Speaker 2 46:49

Beautiful little village there too , yeah .

Speaker 1 46:51

So I would go there near the Paddle Beach Golf Course would be amazing .

Speaker 2 46:54

Spot on Ruiz . Thank you so much for coming on the show . I do appreciate you , and not only that , but I really sincerely not only appreciate you coming on the show , but I know our frontline health and emergency services workers do really appreciate what you're doing , the content that you're putting out , which is so , once again , we go from the selfless roles that we've done into selflessly doing what we're doing as well . We sacrifice an awful lot of time and we appreciate you for what you're actually doing out there . So thank you so much and thank you for coming on to the show .

Speaker 1 47:27

No , thank you very much for having me a second time as well .

Speaker 2 47:30

And that is Ruiz Neiman for you . Isn't he fantastic ? He's doing great work over there and I know I said it a few times during the podcast , but I do recommend that you go across and have a look at his short form video compilations . They really are absolutely fantastic and will give you really good insights into ways that strategies and things like that that you can deal with while you're doing shift work . I'd like to thank Ruiz for joining me on this show . I really do appreciate him giving up the time and I know I said that as well .

Speaker 2 48:01

So if you found today's episode helpful , don't forget to hit the follow button so that you're notified when

Tips for Shift Workers

Speaker 2 48:07

a new episode drops , and please share it with your fellow shift workers . Keep those questions coming and remember you've got the power to be a true shift work champion and , as always , remember to be patient and kind to yourself as you navigate the challenges of shift work and prioritize your mental health and wellbeing . And , as always , I sincerely thank you for tuning into a healthy shift and I want to ask you to just keep moving forward , just one percent at a time , one step at a time , and make yourself 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 ahealthyshiftcom . I'll catch you on the next one .