Benefits of Exercise for People Who Work the Graveyard Shift

Working from home and on graveyard shift has its benefits: there’s no need to wear corporate attire, no headaches from unimaginable traffic, you can play music as loud as you want while you work, and the list goes on.

But as with everything, working at home also has its cons. People who work at home are more prone to distractions compared to those who work in regular offices. Also, because working from home doesn’t have strict office hours, many tend to work on a graveyard shift and neglect their fitness and health while glued to their computer screens.

Luckily, every situation has a solution. Health and fitness are two very important factors that should not be neglected even when you work unusual hours. Here are some tips on how to stay in great shape while working the graveyard shift.

Work out before, after or during work.

First, find the schedule that best suits your non-traditional method of working because it differs depending on what your daily routine is. Some work at night, go home in the morning and exercise when they wake up right before they go to work; others have it the other way around and exercise right before they finish work before they go to bed.

It also depends on how you feel during your graveyard shift. Some feel moody, tired or exhausted when they work during the night time, and a good exercise routine right before they begin their shift actually works better than a cup of coffee.

Avoid the bad calories.

Working late at night can make you feel too exhausted to prepare a decent meal. This means that you might have to rely almost exclusively on fast food and convenient but unhealthy microwave meals when you get hungry. But preparing a healthy meal doesn’t require you to exert too much effort — you just need to know the right calories. They aren’t just healthier for you, they actually help you become more productive by activating the brain cells while you work from home during graveyard shifts. Put sweet potatoes in the microwave instead of fast food fries, or nix the energy drink for a freshly made fruit smoothie.

You don’t need to actually go to the gym to work out.

Working from home and on the graveyard shift may give you the excuse of having no time and being too exhausted to go to the gym. But you don’t really need to enrol yourself at a gym to stay fit and healthy. An exercise routine can be established in your home with self-discipline as your best fitness instructor. Go up and down the staircase, do some push-ups in your living room, or do squats as you wait for that 2GB e-mail to be sent for work. The possibilities are endless, and anything that enables you to become physically active is already exercise. Make no room for excuses.

Just stay active. 

Your brain needs to keep on thinking you’re active, especially when you’re working, and it tends to work more effectively when your body is constantly moving. You stay awake more and your brain begins to work much better when you try stuff as simple as walking around the house every 30 minutes. When you constantly remind yourself that you have to stay active, your diet and decisions on what to eat follows too.

Working from home during non-traditional working hours shouldn’t be an excuse not to stay fit and healthy. In fact, you actually have more control of your time for work, and you don’t need anyone’s permission to workout. Not only does it have physical benefits, working out shakes the brain cells to make you work even more effectively as well.

Want to know more? Read VA Self – Care: How to Survive Night Shifts