In my 25 years as a strength and conditioning specialist, I’ve worked with clients who work every type of schedule, but the life of a nurse may well be one of the toughest to schedule a consistent exercise routine around.

I’ve had RN clients go for 12 hours on, then two days off, then five days in a row of night shifts. I’ve seen firsthand how your irregular hours can get in the way of a regular workout.

I’ve tailored this five step routine to fit into (or around) a nurse’s wacky schedule, knowing that if you’re devoted to weight loss, you’ll work out your body whenever you possibly can.

1. First, get your exercise either in your “early morning” (just as you wake from your pre-work nap or whatever is your time before heading to your shift) or on your “lunch break.” If you need to, split the time between the two to get both cardio and strength work done.

2. You don’t need access to a gym or any equipment to make real progress toward weight loss and/or energy and performance improvement goals. Step outside into the fresh air (hopefully you don’t work next to the freeway!) to power walk or jog for at least 20 minutes. If the roads nearby aren’t conducive for walking, head to a school or college track near your home or work. Another option is to get your own treadmill or elliptical trainer. Spend a couple of Saturdays on the garage sale circuit and you’ll probably find one for a song.

3. For strength training, start with 2-3 sets of 10 repetitions each of push-ups. I recommend you start with a modified push-up on your knees if your body weight or skill level prevents you from performing the standard “plank” push-up.

4. Next, stand in a doorway (using the frame for balance) and do 2-3 sets of 10 repetitions of standing leg raises and deep knee squats.

5. If you’re in a relatively private spot (at home or a closed-door break room), you can get on all fours and perform donkey kicks (extend one leg at a time straight back, flexing the glutes; repeat). Roll onto your back and do a few standard crunches plus some knee-to-chest tucks.

Breathing hard? Good! You’ve just worked your heart, chest, arms, legs, glutes and abs. And you should be able to do it all in about 45 minutes.

Of course, make sure you get enough sleep before you work out. Proper rest and recovery are critical not only for your best focus while on duty, but for your body to make proper use of the fuel you give it and the exercise you provide it. As a health care professional, you know that haphazard patterns or completely insufficient hours slept means you’re not only not at the top of your game at work, but weight loss is tougher and working out is much less efficient.

Finally, if you find yourself starting strong and then exercising less and less, team up! A friend’s support may be just what you need to break from the smoking and snacking crowd. Invite a friend along on the walk or jog, offer to teach colleagues your break-time exercise routine and give each other support as you decide not to light one cigarette a shift, to make one less candy machine visit, to drink one more glass of water, and to feel better and better every day.

I wish you the best of health.

Ideally, you’ll have at least 20 minutes to sit down with your meal. Here are some tips for when you’re visiting your workplace cafeteria:

• Get water instead of soda or juice, and be sure to drink it. A sip between every couple of bites will slow you down.
• No need for a sandwich piled high with luncheon meat — request three to four thin slices of roast turkey or roast beef.
• Tuna is terrific. Get it in a sandwich, on a salad, in a pita — request no extra mayo if your sandwich is being made to order.
• Include real vegetables on a salad — not just lettuce (primarily water and not too many other nutrients) — and skip the cheese topping. Put the light dressing in a ramekin or paper cup, and lightly dip each bite rather than slathering it all over.
• Request proper portion sizes rather than the over-generous ladling: one spoon of mashed potatoes/rice and a teaspoon of gravy (or request it on the side).
• Your chicken/turkey/fish portion should be about the size of the palm of your hand.
• Fill your plate with plenty of steamed or grilled vegetables, but skip anything slathered with sauce or oil glistening all over it.
• Get fresh fruit for dessert, but skip the whipped topping!

As a fitness trainer, I’ve worked with every kind of person with every kind of work schedule. I’ve found that the clients who get sick most often are the ones who aren’t protecting their health with regular sleep habits. For my shift nurses, it’s not as easy as saying, “Get more sleep.” I’ve had RN clients who go for 12 hours on, then two days off, then five days in a row of evening shifts.

Nurses on this schedule rarely get a full eight hours of sleep at a stretch. When the rest of the family is getting up at morning light, my clients will likely awaken as well. Some who work evening shifts have even resorted to sleeping in two shifts—for example, sleeping from 2 a.m. to 6 or 7 a.m., then doing errands and chores until they’re worn out by about 1 or 2 p.m., taking a quick nap, then picking up the kids at school and getting ready for work.

I tell them that leading a life like this is a recipe for disaster. You prop yourself up until you can’t function anymore, collapse into slumber and wake in a hurry to get moving. Your immune system steadily weakens because you’re not getting proper rest and recovery. And on top of that, you’re walking into a work environment full of SICK PEOPLE!

Below, I’ve outlined the sleep recommendations I suggest to my clients who are nurses or other shift workers. The ones who have adopted this advice have noticed considerable improvement in their energy and overall health.

• Eat the day’s final meal as soon as possible on arrival home after your shift (e.g., by 1 a.m. if you’re off at midnight).
• Start winding down as soon as possible, keep lights low and start getting into the mood for downtime.
• Go to bed (even if you’re still a little wound up, practice setting a specific bed time) within one to two hours after you eat (e.g., 3 a.m.).
• Because proper sleep is generally estimated to occur in 90-minute cycles that repeat throughout the normal “night’s” sleep, schedule your sleep segment length around these 90-minute cycles to maximize your sleep effectiveness.
• Try to get at least six solid hours of sleep (four sleep cycles). Ideally, you’ll get seven and a half hours (five sleep cycles) to nine hours (six sleep cycles). As you know, these cycles are a progression from light to deep to REM sleep.
• If you can’t get six hours in, then schedule at least four and a half hours and wake up after that. The point is, keep yourself inside the regular sleep cycles so you feel more rested when you wake and aren’t interrupting either deep sleep (which can leave you groggy) or REM sleep (which can leave you irritable and unfocused). So, if you go to bed at 3 a.m., you should wake up at 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m. or noon.
• When you wake up, have your “break the fast” meal and get started on the things you have to do, including packing your “lunch” for work. Schedule a meal three hours later and a snack just before nap time.
• Schedule a nap before you head to work, but keep that to either a power nap (no REM cycle) of 30 minutes if you’ve had at least six hours of sleep, or one sleep cycle (90 minutes) if you’ve had less.

Sweet dreams.

Editor’s Note: This article’s title has been changed from “night” nurse to “evening” nurse thanks to one of our readers who alerted us that the terminology was incorrect. We DO read your comments, and thank you!