10 Effective Ways to Get Fit As A Nurse

Want to know how you can get fit as a nurse? With such a demanding job, it can feel pretty difficult to find time in your day to exercise.

Let’s be honest. Being a nurse is freakin’ hard.

Many nurses come home from their shifts tired as a dog, plopping onto their couch with a big “do not disturb” sign on their forehead. Does this sound like you?

Being physically healthy as a nurse comes with habits and routines that slowly form into a lifestyle.

There is no quick-fix or overnight formula that will make you a fit nurse.

If you want to change your life, feel good when you wake up and have more energy to tackle your nursing tasks, keep reading.

Let’s talk about the top tips for nurses to get fit!

How Getting Fit Affects Your Nursing Life

When you are fit, as in physically healthy, strong, and properly fueled, you will find so much potential in yourself as a nurse.

• Your confidence will start to spike
• Your mind will gain the clarity needed to make important decisions
• You will practice what you preach to your patients
• Your mood will elevate

There are lots of cool things that will start to happen in your body that you never thought was possible for you! Being a physically healthy nurse will not only benefit you, but it will benefit your patients too.

A fit nurse inspires others to get fit too, like patients or colleagues.

It’s like the gift that keeps on giving. The benefits are endless!

First Get Your Mind Right

You cannot make changes in your life without getting your mind on board first. This definitely includes wanting to get fit.

Improving your physical health comes with a mindset that is eager, determined, and focused.

In order to get into the right headspace, you can try the following strategies:

• seek inspiration by following fitness content creators
• share this new life change with someone
• start seeing life as a journey, not a race
• find your why

Fitness is not a temporary challenge. It should not be an all-or-nothing few months so you can fit into a certain dress or look good for a certain vacation.

There is no sustainability in this, and you will honestly suffer more mentally in the long run.

10 Effective Ways to Get Fit as a Nurse

Nurses can get fit the right way if they practice habits that are sustainable and easy to fit into their current lifestyle and schedule.

Now that you have the mindset in check, let’s learn how you can get fit as a nurse!

1. Set Realistic Goals

One of the top tips for nurses to get fit is to set realistic goals for themselves.

It is important to dream big, but when it comes to setting goals, set realistic, measurable ones. 

When I started my fitness journey, I had a goal that in three months, I would see noticeable changes in my body.

I didn’t know what that change would be, I just knew I wanted to see something different in the mirror. 

I reached three months and met my goal. I saw changes in my physique, and that motivated me to set my next goal, and so on and so forth. 

By setting smaller, realistic goals, it will become easier for you to maintain the mindset required to be consistent in your fitness journey.

2. Take Progress Pictures

If you are a visual person like I am, progress pictures will become your best friends.

If you are just starting your fitness journey, take those initial progress pictures. It’s going to get uncomfortable, but it’s going to be worth it.

Throw on a bikini, put a self-timer on your phone, and snap a few angles of yourself.

Every 4 weeks from that date, get into the same bikini and take photos of yourself at the same angle. As you accumulate more and more photos, you will start to see visual differences!

The motivation you will get from these visual changes will remind you how worthwhile it was to take these photos.

3. Find The Right Fitness Program

Finding the right fitness program can take some trial and error, but do not get frustrated! You will find the best program and routine for you.

Just be sure to give each fitness program 1-2 weeks before you decide it’s not for you.

Many times, it takes some consistency to like a routine, so you don’t want to quit too early.

I tried only 1 fitness program before I found the one for me. I still use it today, and it is the Tone and Sculpt App.

I truly cannot say enough good things about it. Try it out for 2 weeks for free!

4. Be Active On Days Off

Start doing more activities that move your body on your days off.

That could be anything from:

• going for a walk
• going for a hike
• a bike ride
• a yoga session
• stretching while watching tv

If you incorporate more active things on days off, it will start to form into normal, life habits!

It will feel like second nature after some time, and being overly sedentary will become a thing of the past.

You won’t realize it now, but down the road, all the small things you do are part of progress.

5. Schedule Your Workouts

Hold yourself accountable by scheduling your workouts.

I recommend doing this every Sunday to set yourself up for a good week.

The Tone and Sculpt App has a built-in scheduler, or you can do it the old-fashioned way and schedule in a physical planner.

Cassandra over at Mama Loves Little has a wonderfully written post that breaks down how to find time to work out as a working mom!

I know a lot of nurses who are mommies, and it can feel impossible to exercise! Read her post to learn even more effective strategies.

You need a plan before going into a gym, and in order to stay consistent, you have to schedule your workouts.

Use my free “Get Fit For Nurses” weekly planner by signing up below!

6. Get A Fitness Buddy

If there is a friend or family member who is interested in or already works out, see if you can have a workout session with them.

You don’t necessarily have to work out with them and do the same exercises. Just going together and holding each other accountable can do wonders.

Plus, it gives you a chance to see them more, so make sure you like them!

7. Use the 80/20 Rule

Being fit isn’t all about physical movement.

Related: Why Being A Healthy Nurse Is So Important

In fact, the majority of it comes from what you put in your mouth. That’s right, I’m talking about food.

The 80/20 rule means:

• eating wholesome, nutritious foods 80% of the time
• eating whatever you want 20% of the time

You will never measure them accurately as you’re eating but think of it this way. There are 7 days in the week, and you should have at least 3 meals per day. That is 21 meals a week.

80% of 21 is around 17.

That means 17 of your meals per week should be healthy, while 4 of them can be whatever you want to eat.

As you start getting used to this eating rule, you will start to form a liking towards eating healthy.

You may even decrease your unhealthy meals some weeks because you love how the wholesome, nutritious foods make you feel.

Remember, fitness isn’t just about what your body looks like. It’s moreso the way it makes you feel.

8. Practice What You Preach

As a nurse, you are constantly educating your patients on ways to stay healthy. I am certain that getting fit is one of them.

Losing weight, eating healthy foods, and prioritizing your body are all things we nurses teach our patients to do if they want to live a healthy lifestyle.

You are your #1 patient!

You should take care of yourself if you plan on taking care of others.

9. Be Fair To Yourself

Nurses already are hard on themselves in their line of work, so it is very important to be fair to yourself when you are getting fit.

It is a very slow process and life will at times “get in the way”.

The most important thing is that you continuously:

• feel mentally healthy
• you are not beating yourself up for missing a workout
• you establish a routine that you are comfortable with

When you look in the mirror and you don’t like what you see, you must use that as fuel to keep going.

Your goals are attainable! Always be kind and fair to yourself because a fitness journey is just that, a journey.

10. Keep Reminding Yourself Of “Your Why”

Often times we can get comfortable with falling back into the lazy routine of minimal movement. Coming home from work and sitting on the couch is so easy.

But in times like these, remind yourself of your why.

• Why do you want to prioritize fitness?
• What is it doing for you?
• Is it increasing your confidence?
• Is it making you less stressed out?

Ask yourself these questions and they will start to motivate you and resurface your purpose in all of this.

In Summary…

Getting fit comes with a roller coaster of emotions, so make sure your seat belt is securely fastened at all times.

But with any roller coaster, there is a thrill. It is pure happiness when you start reaching your goals and seeing progress. It is the BEST feeling. And you are so deserving of this feeling!

You got this. I know you do!

QUESTION: What is the # 1 thing stopping you from getting fit as a nurse?

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