5 easy while-you-work exercises to keep nurses fit

Here are five activities that’ll keep you fit, burn a ton of extra calories and help you turn your workplace into a fitness center!

Walking: OK. Speed Walking: Excellent

Here’s the good news: As a nurse, you are on your feet and moving around more than any other professional, and some estimates say that the average nurse will walk at least three miles during an average shift. That’s incredible!

But, here’s the bad news: It might not make a difference.

Unless you’re getting your heart rate up, walking doesn’t really burn many calories. So when you’re moving from room to room, make sure your back is straight, your shoulders are squared and pick up the pace! Find a long hallway and incorporate it into your rounds. Remember, the faster you move, the better the benefits!

RUN the Stairs

Just like walking, taking the stairs is a great way to burn a few extra calories. But the sad truth is, if you’re not treating the stairs like an exercise machine, you might not be getting any benefit.

So if you’ve got two or three minutes, RUN the stairs. Make it a workout. Set your phone and see how long it takes you to climb three or four flights, and see if you can whittle your time down on successive tries. Do three reps and get your heart beating. Remember–walking the stairs is good, but running them is excellent.

Transform Your Desk into a Workout Machine