How to Stay Fit and Healthy as a Travel Nurse

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| posted by Axis Staffing

Being a travel nurse and staying fit can be challenging when you’re constantly moving around every few months. When you’re not living anywhere long-term it can be difficult to create a proper fitness regime which you can stick to in the long run (no pun intended). However, you can create a routine which works for you and is adaptable to anywhere you travel to. Here are 8 simple tips which will help you generate ideas for your own schedule to keep yourself fit and healthy.

1 – Join a gym

A lot of gyms have short-term membership options, and some health clubs have memberships which allow you to use any site in the country. You can also check out your local CrossFit, Orangetheory Fitness or Pure Bare locations. These options can be pricey, but provide month-to-month options or packages you can purchase on a per class basis.

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 2 – Set up a gym alternative

If the gym doesn’t sound like your kinda fun, there are loads of exercise tutorials such as yoga on Youtube which you can do at home. There are many benefits of Yoga for Travel Nurses, including stress relief, core strength development and increased flexibility. Alternatively, you could look into dance or exercise classes, swimming, etc. if you find that you need the discipline of a membership to motivate yourself.

Travel Nurse Fitness

3 – Be active on your way to and from work

You could look into walking, jogging or cycling to work and/or back, or if you’re going to be getting public transport, try getting off one or two stops early and walk the rest of the way to work or home – if anything, this method ensures you give your body a good stretch before or after a long day.

4 – Don’t assume that the only way to stay fit is by doing actual exercise

Invest in a comfy pair of shoes and explore your local area on foot (to find out where the best coffee, pizza and ramen joints are), or walk to the grocery store instead of driving or taking public transport – gentle or ‘sneaky’ exercise is beneficial too!

Travel Nurse Fitness

5 – Join groups

Have a look at the walking or fitness groups on sites like meetup.com, or check postings on the bulletin boards for your hospital (whether real life or digital). Not only will being part of a group keep you motivated, but it will also be a great way of making friends in your temporary new neighborhood.

6 – Get in touch with nature

Even if you’re living in a metropolitan city, there will be plenty of parks to explore nearby, hiking trails to go on just a short drive away, or a gorgeous beach to walk along. Take advantage of the great benefits that being outdoors can have, both physically and mentally.

7 – Eat healthy

Cook fresh, yummy dinners for yourself at home, and prepare healthy lunches to take to work. Unhealthy food can often leave us feeling bloated, lethargic and lazy, so try and eat well as often as you can. If you find yourself lacking in discipline to make your own food, think about creating a meal planner and doing a weekly grocery shop, or batch-cooking once a week on a day off.

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8 – Stay sound of mind, as well as body

Get enough sleep, try and find time to meditate (even if it’s using apps like Calm), and give yourself plenty of ‘me-time’ during your time off. Nursing is a demanding career, so make sure to allow rest and relaxation time, and find ways to get rid of the stresses of the day.

Follow these 8 simple steps to make your next assignment the healthiest one yet!

Want to join the Axis team and begin living that fit and healthy Rock Star lifestyle? Then let’s chat!

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