Speaker 1: 1:12

At the moment, I'm running a 21-day challenge for shift workers. It's a free challenge and those that have jumped in, I ran a poll about what do they want to learn more about in relation to the week one habits? One of the week one habits is to get a 30 minutes of movement in every single day, and a lot of people have asked why is the 30 minutes of movement so important? So in today's podcast, I'm actually going to answer that question. 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 rigours of shift work, but thrive. My goal is to empower shift workers to improve their health and wellbeing so they have more energy to do the things they love. Enjoy today's show. Hello and welcome to a Healthy Shift Podcast. I'm Roger Sutherland, your host, and if you are a shift worker and you are looking for practical, evidence-based strategies to help you thrive and not just survive, boy oh boy, are you in the right place Now.

Speaker 1: 2:43

Today we're talking about one of the simplest and yet most powerful habits that you can build into your shift working routine, and that is a 30-minute daily walk. Now, let's keep this in mind. It's free. Let's keep this in mind as well. It's free. Let's keep this in mind. It's free. Let's keep this in mind as well. It's free and let's keep this in mind. It's free. You don't need any fancy equipment. You don't need any gym membership. All you need is you, your feet and 30 minutes. But don't let the simplicity fool you, because this habit packs a huge punch for your energy, your digestion, balancing hormones and overall health. So let's get into why it is so beneficial.

Speaker 1: 3:24

I'll ask the question why does shift workers need to move more? When it comes to shift workers and it comes to our normal nine to five day walkers, we need to keep in mind that the rules are different. The principles are similar, but there are different rules around this, and this is why I am here to help you to break all of that down. Because, to start off with what rules apply to our normal nine to fives that are going to bed at 10 o'clock at night, 11 o'clock at night, and getting up at six, seven, and eating at breakfast, lunch and dinner time and what applies to you as the shift worker is very different. It's very different because your circadian rhythm is designed to be a diurnal function, which means it's asleep at night and it's awake during the day, but it is still running, and what we want to do is we want to make sure that we are replying as much as we possibly can to keep in line with that circadian rhythm and that diurnal function that it actually has and that we have as a human.

Speaker 1: 4:34

So, as shift workers, we're up against some real challenges A regular sleep stress, we have long hours on our feet or, for some long hours, sitting and sedentary. We have unpredictable eating schedules, and these factors all take a toll on our hormones, our digestion and our overall well-being. No shit, sherlock, like seriously. We all know that shift workers gain weight, run the risk of cardiovascular disease, heart attack, stroke, cancers. We know that we have problems with all of this, but what are we actually doing to fix it? And I'm going to give you a free 30-minute strategy that will rectify majority of it for you. All you've got to do is find 30 minutes and do it, because that's it. It's not that hard, because the good news is just 30 minutes of walking a day can make a massive difference. And I get it, you're tired, you're time poor and just trying to get through your shifts. But this isn't about adding another thing to your to-do list. It's about giving your body a tool to work with you and not actually against you. And if you do this, you get to the stage where you look forward to doing this and then you cope with the rest of it so much better. And this is really important. And why is it important?

Speaker 1: 6:00

Let's look at the biological impacts of just walking. Let's look at the impact that it has on our endocrine system, our hormone balance and our stress reduction, because walking lowers your cortisol, which is our primary stress hormone. High cortisol levels from shift work, which is common, can lead to fatigue, will lead to weight gain, especially that belly fat, and poor sleep. And walking helps to bring all of that back to normal levels. That's the cortisol. It improves insulin sensitivity, which is a crucial aspect for shift workers, because our disrupted sleep patterns can make us so much more resistant to insulin. And when we're resistant to insulin, it increases our risk of type 2 diabetes. And a 30-minute walk can help to regulate those blood sugar levels so well and reduce that risk. And it also supports that melatonin production which helps you wind down by signaling darkness to the body, which prepares the body for sleep at night. And that's just on our endocrine system.

Speaker 1: 7:08

Number two is on our digestive tract, which is our gut health and our weight regulation. Listen to this one, because shift work really, really messes with our gut. It leads to bloating, constipation and irregular digestion. You know this, particularly you ladies. You feel it, but walking stimulates the muscles in your digestive tract which helps food move along and keep things regular. You're allowing gravity to do its thing and keep things moving through your system. No secret and I've spoken about this before with you, ladies you already have a compromised digestive tract. It is longer, your stomach is compromised digestive tract. It is longer, your stomach is less acidic, your colon is longer and it takes food 14 hours on average longer to transit through your system. So let's support it. Let's let gravity do its thing, stand up and get a walk in and rock it into oblivion. Let's get it and help it right, really help it.

Speaker 1: 8:14

Walking also helps to support our healthy gut microbiome, which plays a massive role in our mood and our immunity and also in our metabolism. Plus, walking regulates our appetite hormones. What this actually does is it reduces cravings for those ultra-processed and high-sugary foods. Have you ever noticed how you crave junk after a long night shift? Yep, a quick walk can actually help to reset those signals. Have you ever noticed how you crave junk after a long night shift? Yep, a quick walk can actually help to reset those signals. Keep that in mind. Don't just cave and say, oh, I'm craving chocolate, so I'm going to have chocolate. Take yourself for a walk, drink some water and see if you can actually negate it and how much better you'll feel for actually doing it. We don't have to actually just cave into these signals that our body gives us.

Speaker 1: 9:02

The other benefit is the physical and the mental benefits of a daily walk for ourselves, and these benefits are the ones that I get most out of. It boosts my energy and alertness. While it might seem like it's counterproductive to go out for a walk for half an hour because of the energy that it expends, the more oxygen to your brain equals better focus and less mind shift fatigue. It makes such a big difference, huge difference, by oxygenating yourself. By walking, you actually feel so much better your heart health and your metabolism, because walking lowers your blood pressure, it improves circulation and it helps with your weight management. It prevents joint and muscle pain, counteracting the stiffness and soreness from those long shifts of being sedentary or carrying all that equipment around. Getting out and having a walk free makes you feel so much better and your mental health and your stress relief, because it's a natural boost of serotonin and dopamine which will literally lift your mood. And don't underestimate being outside and walking and your brain and eyes and body. Seeing and experiencing the colors and the sunlight makes an enormous difference to just our physical health as well. The sun on our skin, all of the different spectrum of light that we're actually seeing, and then there's the spectrums of light that we're not actually seeing but our body is feeling a la ultraviolet, uvb and infrared All of those are fantastic for our personal well-being.

Speaker 1: 10:41

So how can we make this work for ourselves? As a shift worker, I know what you're thinking, rog. When am I supposed to fit this in? Well, the beauty of a 30-minute walk is it can be flexible. You can do it before a shift. It's a great way to wake up and actually get yourself feeling more alert. Remember it oxygenates you, gets you moving, helps your digestion. It does the whole lot. What about on a break? If you've got a 30-minute break, you can take 15 minutes to walk Easy. Two or three breaks, 15 minutes. You've walked for 45 minutes in one day. Get it done a few times and you're done.

Speaker 1: 11:17

Or after a shift no better way after a shift, coming home from night shift or something like that and just taking yourself for a casual walk around the block will help you to wind down and get you ready for sleep. It helps to de-stress and signals to your body that we are winding down. And hey, if 30 minutes feels like too much, for God's sake, just start with 10. Even a small amount will make a difference. Research is showing and recent research is showing that even just three times 4,000 steps a week, which is only 12,000 steps in one week I'm doing more than those in one day at the moment but three times 4,000 steps in one day is increasing longevity by over four years. Think about that, because the benefits of what I have literally just flagged with you are healthy and it's going to help you. So this is my closing thoughts on this and this is my call to action to you.

Speaker 1: 12:17

Your challenge this week is simple Start walking. It doesn't have to be perfect. You don't have to nail 30 minutes, you don't have to do 10,000 steps, you don't have to do 8,000 steps. All I want you to do is to tick off 30 minutes of movement every single day. It doesn't have to be all at once. Just pull your shoes on and just get moving, because your energy levels, your digestion, your hormones and the future you will actually thank you.

Speaker 1: 12:49

And, before I go, if you found this episode helpful, I would love if you could subscribe. Sorry, I would love if you could subscribe. Sorry, I would love if you could subscribe. I'd really really appreciate it if you would just hit follow on this podcast and share it so that other people can learn from it as well. Leave a review or share this with one of your fellow colleagues. Let's spread the word and help shift workers everywhere thrive and not just survive. And until next time, take care and keep moving forward and make it walking. 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.