Fitness Tips for Health Professionals

Introduction

Health professionals are the building blocks of a healthy community, and their job expects them to be perfectly fit. Not only doctors, but other healthcare workers like nurses, pharmacists, or even the hospital receptionist must take proper care of their fitness.

An ill-health professional would not be able to treat his or her patient with the appropriate care. Only with mental and physical fitness, they’d have enough stamina to deal with their everyday job responsibilities.

However, more often than not, these professionals’ demanding schedule leads them to ignore their health. Being a health professional requires you to be on your feet for an extended period, which may cause you to compromise your well-being – and that’s dangerous.

It is never a good sign because it will ultimately cause a decline in your work performance and efficiency, which could source tragic consequences. Especially in such uncertain times of the ongoing pandemic, when humankind depends heavily upon the healthcare system, the need for mentally and physically fit healthcare professionals is rising.

Today, professional healthcare workers worldwide are gaining more knowledge and education to become better at treating their patients. Nurses especially have realized that their need in the healthcare sector is enormous, and now is the time when they need to give their all to serve people.

Many of them are taking up advanced education programs like an online masters degree in nursing – it allows them to learn more about the modern-day requirements of their job and improve their performance.

Consequently, many health professionals opt for a healthier lifestyle to deal with the added burden in a healthier way. We came up with some cautious yet extreme fitness tips, which you could benefit from as a health professional. Let’s have a look.

Plan Your Diet Wisely

A good and nutritious diet is the primary step towards a healthy lifestyle. Health professionals are sometimes too busy to follow their exercise routines, but they can easily maintain a healthy diet. Just make sure that you prioritize food from all the various food groups and pay more heed to vegetables and fruits. It is best to consume protein after a long day at work, and avoid saturated fats or fizzy drinks. Select food that provides physical stability and is high on energy. Also, remember to eat some nuts and berries as they are highly refreshing and suitable for physical and mental health. Some of the best food options would be eggs and oatmeal for breakfast, beans, fruits, or black coffee for lunch, and healthy fats like fish, olives, or chicken for dinner.

As established, your diet plan should be your foremost priority to enjoy a healthy lifestyle. But along with nutritious food, it is also necessary to make your eating habits adequate and regular. To avoid fatigue, do not miss meals – even if you don’t have a long enough break, eat some nuts and fruits to fill your stomach with nutrients.

Exercise Regularly

It can be challenging to maintain exercise routines when you belong to occupation as time-taking as that of a health professional. However, it is essential, and hence, you must find some time during the day or on your off days to exercise. Plan workouts in between your shifts, and go for group meditations as it saves time and keeps one motivated. Some of the essential exercises that health professionals can practice are:

Don’t Neglect Your Core Strength

It is essential to build and maintain muscles as a health professional because the job demands you to be on your feet all day long and require long-term stamina. Many times, you have to help patients in a way that requires lifting and holding them. Core strengthening exercises can help you keep your body in shape. From standard crunches to planks – the exercises are pretty easy to maintain. You can also do Triceps Dips, Push-Ups, and Bridges to strengthen your body and get more endurances.

Don’t Skip on Aerobics

It would be best to try some aerobics for even better physical fitness as they make you more attentive and better at motor skills. Make a habit of walking some distance; if you live near your workplace, try walking to it and if you don’t, try walking to the bus station or so. Morning jog is a fantastic way to wake yourself up completely before getting on to work. Activities like cycling and jumping ropes could also prove helpful, and you could do them during weekends at the park or so. As a healthcare professional, try maintaining healthy fitness hobbies like swimming and dancing as it helps you stretch your muscles which you might not get to do a lot at work.

Fix Your Sleeping Schedule

Making your habits healthy and incorporating them into daily life is an essential step towards healthy living. One of the most neglected routines of nurses and doctors is their sleeping schedule. It is so common in people who work the night shift. Even if you work at night, remember that you don’t have to spend the entire day sleeping to compensate. And those who work in the days usually develop bedtime revenge procrastination, where they are too tired to fall asleep immediately. Hence, healthcare workers need to be careful about their sleep schedules and habits.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, you have to look out for yourself in your professional life, especially if it’s as challenging as a health professional. Remember that life and death decisions often rely upon you, and for that, you need to stay fit and healthy!

About Theresa Duncan

Originally from Detroit, MI, Theresa has been offering health and fitness advice for the last 30 years while working as an engineer. She decided to turn her passion into a profession, and finds nothing more satisfying than helping others reach their health and fitness goals.