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 rigors of 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 back to another episode of a Healthy Shift Podcast. My name Roger Sutherland, and I am your guide on this journey in your night, your shift working world. Now, I was having a conversation with a colleague, a friend, a good friend of mine on the other side of the world the other night, and it got me thinking in a very, very big way. Because what this conversation did was it actually highlighted something that I've been aware of, but I didn't realize it was literally this obvious. And it's a massive problem, especially for you, the shift worker. Now, before I go any further, I want to be totally really clear about something here. This is not about blame, it's certainly not about bad intentions, and it's not even about bad coaching, it's literally about lack of understanding. Because most PTs and coaches simply do not know how to coach a shift worker. And if you've ever felt frustrated or confused, or like you are the problem, you are not. Everywhere you look on social media or get into ChatGPT or look at diets and um and and listen to podcasts and things like that, majority of the advice, the supplement advice, and the things that you're actually looking at are for nine to five day walkers. You are different and you need to be treated differently. You need to be coached in a completely different way. And a lot of the reason why certain things don't work for you and why you are so confused as to what to go about or how to go about it is because what you're trying to do is apply normal advice to a shift-working life. And that doesn't work. And I can be quite clear and quite categorical. So if you're a coach and you are actually listening to this podcast, I want you to listen up and listen up very carefully. Because the advice that you are giving to your clients is fantastic to your nine to five clients, but your shift working clients are very different. And there's a number of reasons why. And as I wanted to be clear about, and I'm going to repeat this: this is not about blame. And it's not even about bad intentions, and it's not about bad coaching. It's literally a lack of understanding. And it's not your fault, it's that you've never been educated on how the difference is. You don't know that there's a difference. You just think it's calories in, calories out, and it's the same for a shift worker as it is for um for a normal nine to five client. And it's not. And I'm going to be quite clear about that. It is absolutely not. And this is what makes me a standout in my area. Now, shift worker, if you're listening to this, you are not the problem. It's up to a coach or a PT that is supporting you to find your triggers and find what works for you and how it works for you. Because when they do that, what actually happens is you get a great result. But a lot of them don't know how to be diverse and how to go down that line. It's just, oh, this is what you've got to do. Because traditional fitness equations literally go like this. What's your height? What's your weight? How many steps do you do? How many times do you go to the gym? Okay, here's your calories. I'm going to set your macros. Okay. These are the calories you're on. This is how much protein. This is how many carbs. This is how much fat. I want you to go five training sessions a week. Okay, maybe four. Here you are. Here's your four training sessions a week. And you need to get 10,000 steps a day. Now, you're having trouble sleeping? No worries. Here's some sleep supplements. Rinse and repeat. And if you're that person, if you are that person as the coach, then you are a lazy coach. Like you think you're doing fantastic, but you're not doing it well for a shift worker. What you're doing is you're doing that well for a nine to fiver, that it can work in with that. But even I would argue that that is still lazy coaching. That's not coaching. That is literally just setting something rope for people to actually do. And I know you're going to be offended by what you're what you're hearing here. And you're going to think, oh, well, who's this bloke? I'll tell you who I am. I'm someone who's coached hundreds and hundreds of shift workers over the last six years. And setting calories and macros and five training sessions a week and 10,000 steps a day, you're setting your clients up to fail. You're burdening them. You're putting more problems on them. You're not helping them. You're not coaching them. They've come to you for help. You need to coach them. On paper, that is literally how the equation works. I understand that. I know this is how I started. I literally used to calculate calories and give them their macros. I thought I was just amazing because I got results out of that. But what I then started to realize was the impacts and the problems and how I was making clients feel. Because if you're a shift worker, that equation is completely disconnected from your actual reality. Your sleep is not consistent and that causes problems. Your hunger cues are not predictable and that causes problems. Your energy fluctuates up and down and that causes problems. Your nervous system is under constant strain. You're stressed, that causes problems. And just those four things alone inconsistent sleep, which causes poor hunger cues, energy fluctuating, and a stressed nervous system causes so much conflict that you can't possibly work to those calories and macros because it's too hard. Yes, I understand there are people out there that can actually do this. No doubt about it. You've got Jenny who works with you, and she seems to have it all together and do really well. And I've done a podcast on Jenny. Not a problem. There is one in every, but that's not the general rule. And one of the reasons why you're struggling is because you're trying to do what Jenny's doing, and you are not Jenny. Now you're being handed a rigid system that assumes that your body is going to work like everybody else's, and it doesn't. Over the past six years of coaching, I've had so many shift workers come to me and they've all said the same thing about their past coach. They just don't get it. They were a great person and they do a great job and they're getting great results with clients, but they don't know how to coach a shift worker. Then you know what? They're right. They don't. Because unless you've actually done shift work yourself, and unless you know what it's like to function on broken sleep, and unless you totally understand the biological impact of circadian disruption and how to work with it, not against it, then you're going to unintentionally make things worse for the shift worker. And I'm going to say this quite clearly setting calories, macros, a gym program, and step targets is just further burdening a shift worker. They're looking for an easy way and you're further burdening them. No wonder they can't comply. You have added pressure. What you've done is you've caused guilt. And it adds another thing that you feel like you are failing at as a shift worker. So let me give you some insight onto how I actually work with shift workers. So if you're a shift worker, listen to this and compare it to what your coach does, see if it works. My clients don't have calorie targets. They don't have macros. I don't even set them. They don't track their foods. We don't do before and after photos. We don't weigh. In fact, I tell my clients to put their scales in the car and take them to Jenny's house and drop them off there and ask her to look after them. Or show me a photo of you dropping them in the wheelie bin. They don't follow a rigid gym program at all. They don't chase a step goal. And they don't rely on sleep medications at all. In fact, they don't take supplements and medications. All they do is take three evidence-based supplements that I prescribe for them. And you've only got to listen to the other podcasts to know which ones they actually are. And no prizes for guessing creatine is one of them. But that's it. And why? I'll tell you why. Because I've actually done 40 years of shift work. I've lived it. And since that time, and I've studied nutrition, I've since that time, I've studied nutrition and I've learned exactly what it is that shift workers need. And just as importantly, I will tell you categorically what you don't need. My practice is actually evidence-based. It understands chrononutrition. And chrononutrition is how food interacts with our body according to the time of day. I understand body image. I've educated myself in body image. So many problems around diets come from disordered body image. And I work with clients around that. I understand disordered eating and what causes disordered eating and eating disorders. But most importantly, with my shift working clients, is I prioritize the six inches between the ears because when you get the six inches between the ears right, then the six inches around the waist falls off. Let me repeat that. Because your mind is constantly battling exhaustion, guilt, frustration. No meal plan in the world is going to fix that. Now my clients show up on my screen every single week. They're smiling, they look forward to our call, and so do I, because I genuinely love supporting them. What do we talk about? We talk about roadblocks. We talk about real roadblocks, the challenges in their roster, the sleep deprivation, how can we command uh uh navigate this, family demands, emotional eating, boredom, mental load, chronic fatigue, poor light. And together, what we do is we reflect on the little things that we've done right and we work on the things that we're having a roadblock with, and we learn together how to navigate it. Because what works for Jenny may not work for you, but I will help you to find a way and come up with an idea based on the people that I've coached and my understanding. It's not going to be, listen here, you've got to do these steps, you've got to do these calories, you've got to get to the gym five days a week. Because that's just not achievable for you. And I know that. That's why I can stand there and I can say that I coach my clients with empathy and support and understanding. Can your coach say that? I learn. I learn from them what problems they're facing and help them to find solutions around it. That way, they learn. And then they start to thrive because then we start to navigate the problems in their life. This is not a rope cookie-cutter program. And you can't do that with a shift worker. It's no good running around skiding about the fact that you've got 50 or 100 clients and how well you're doing in business if you're not a coach. Now, I often tell people, and I'm gonna say this to you now. Unless you're driving, I want you to stop for a second and I want you to close your eyes and I want you to imagine this. What would change for you if you finally felt understood? If someone took the pressure off you of what you feel like you have to do, and if your health actually fit around your life instead of f fighting with it. Because I can promise you that change is possible. Through simple habits and simple routines and light exposure and ways to go to sleep and how to get sleep and getting off all those goddamn supplements and medications that you're spending money on. How about we just get into a normal as much as we can dial routine and work better? Take the pressure off, take the stress off, get things working for you. Because that's possible. I know you don't think so in your shift working well, but it actually is because the simple things that you can do. And in fact, majority of the clients that come to me say to me, I can't believe how easy this is. I can't believe how the simple things are making such a big impact on my life. Huge difference. And then you start to gain, you get movement, you start to feel better, and then you start to gain motivation because of that. If you're sitting there waiting for motivation to come and knock on the door, it ain't coming. I'm telling you right now. It starts with a discipline, which means you approach me, take an action, you hire a coach to help you to work through your life to do things from someone who actually understands it and has done it. And that's where the motivation comes from because you get more and more motivated, and then you won't know yourself in 12 months' time. I would love, and I mean genuinely would love to support you with this. Now I have a wait list for my coaching, but I will interview, I will speak to people, and I will sort them into an order, and I would love to help you with it. So if you're listening to this and thinking, oh my god, Roger actually gets it, then your next step is very simple. I want you to head to the show notes, down in the show notes down the bottom there, and book a 15-minute assessment call with me. There's no pressure, there will be no sales pitch, it's just a conversation where I can learn more about you, what your work is, what your challenges are, what it is that you desire, and then I will show you how I can support you properly. And if you want real customized help beyond the podcast, then message me and let's have a conversation. Let's talk because shift workers deserve a lot better than cookie-cutter coaching. Keep that in mind. Does your coach get you? Does your coach understand? Or is he trying to pack you into a nine-to-five lifestyle that simply does not work for you? In the show notes, you can book your obligation-free 15-minute call. Let's have a conversation. Let me please help you to thrive so that you can really thrive in your life. I'll talk to you on the next one. 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 ahealthyshift.com. I'll catch you on the next one.