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Staying In Shape vs. a Busy IT Job Schedule?

Posted by timothy on from the no-not-the-regular-hacker's-diet dept.

tnok85 writes "I started a new job ~7 months ago at a very large company working a 12-hour night shift (7PM-7AM) in a fairly high volume NOC. Our responsibilities extend during the night to basically cover everything but the most complex situations regarding UNIX/Windows/Linux/App administration, at which point we'll reach out to the on-calls. I live 1.5 hours away as well, so it turns into 4-5 15 hour days a week of sitting still — throw in almost an hour to get ready to leave, and a bit of time after I get home to unwind and I'm out of time to work out. Unfortunately I'm pretty sure I have a very slow metabolism, ever since I was a pre-teen I would gain weight fairly quickly if I didn't actively work out, regardless of how much or what I eat. (Barring starving myself, I suppose...) So, how does somebody who works a minimum of 60 hours over 4 days, often adding another 12 another day, and sometimes working 7-10 days straight like this, stay in shape? I can't hold a workout schedule, (which every person I've talked to in my history says is necessary to stay in shape) and I can't 'wake up early' or 'work out before bed' because I need sleep. Any thoughts/opinions/suggestions?"

15 of 865 comments (clear)

  1. Its not rocket surgery... by acon1modm · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What kind of miracle solution do you want? Its easy...

    For a given workday, after N hours work and M hours sleep, is anything left? if yes, make the decision to work out or to fuck off. If not, then wait for your days off and work out hard. Also decrease caloric intake.

    There is no other solution (aside from changing work schedule).

    1. Re:Its not rocket surgery... by Ethanol-fueled · · Score: 5, Insightful
      Oh, lawdy. I hope submitter knows what they're getting into. They'd better be receiving a lot of money. That said, here are some tips for submitter:
      • Find another job. If you can't,
      • Move closer. If you can't,
      • Drink lots of coffee - working that shift will turn you into a zombie. Coffee (and tobacco, not recommended) keep you alert, give you something to look forward to, and supress the appetite so you...
      • Don't eat out of boredom - stay away from that snack machine. Bring healthy stuff to eat, because you will not be able to stay "in shape". As long as you moderate your munchies you won't gain weight (and you will probably lose weight as you'll be perpetually exhausted). You'll receive no excercise unless...
      • You make arrangements to exercise locally. Use the company gym or use your lunch break to find a local 24-hour gym and get a membership there. At least half an hour every day will be adequate. If you have only a half-hour for lunch then make an arrangement to use your mandated breaks in conjection with your lunch break to buy you some time. If your boss dosen't understand that then he's a sadist and you're better off working elsewhere.
      • If no gyms are available then bring gym clothes and spend your lunch break taking a night jog. Bring music. Night jogs are peaceful and will clear your head. Most places have at least one bathroom with a shower. If you don't have other options then it's exercise vs. stink.

      But those are only suggestions as I've never lasted more than 5 months on that shift without going crazy. You got balls, my man.

    2. Re:Its not rocket surgery... by dave562 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Ditto what the OP said. Either you are serious about wanting to work out for a little bit becauase it will improve your life, or you aren't. If you are serious about it, you will find time to do it. If you aren't, you will come up with excuses not to.

      As a completely antecdotal experience, I've been training martial arts for seven years. At this point I train five to six days a week for an hour or two each day. I'm in pretty good shape, but could still make a lot of improvements. I don't do any weight training, and I work out at a moderate intensity.

      If all you want to do is "get in shape" you can do it in 30-45 minutes a day. The most important thing is to start out with stretching, and once you're stretched out, do some cardio (jogging, jumping rope, etc) for AT LEAST 20 minutes. If you can't jog, walk. Work up to walking with short periods of running. Then run more and walk less. You really don't need to get up to any more than two or three miles a couple of times a week to see some real results after a six to eight months.

      The hardest part about working out is getting started. It feels counter-intuitive. It hurts. There is pain associated with it. Your body will tell you to stop doing it. The lazy voice in the back of your head will talk you out of it. The first couple of months are the most difficult part. Developing a schedule AND STICKING TO IT, is the most difficult part.

      Be realistic with yourself. Realize that being healthy is a lifestyle choice. It isn't something that you do for a few months and then quit. It takes a while to see results. I'm not going to lie and tell you that it doesn't suck in the beginning because it does. It is much easier to sit in front of the computer and sleep than it is to set aside an hour a day to exercise.

      The only other advice I have is to cut out drinking anything besides water. Soda is especially bad for you. Anything with high fructose corn syrup in it (most anything you'd get at 7-11 or the like) is tough for your body to digest. If you are out of shape, working out is going to burn a lot of fat. That fat is stored garbage. Your body is going to be working hard to get rid of that garbage. Water will help that process.

    3. Re:Its not rocket surgery... by ObsessiveMathsFreak · · Score: 4, Insightful

      If all you want to do is "get in shape" you can do it in 30-45 minutes a day. The most important thing is to start out with stretching, and once you're stretched out, do some cardio (jogging, jumping rope, etc) for AT LEAST 20 minutes.

      Jesus fucking christ. The attitude of some fitness nuts frightens me sometimes.

      You do not, do not, do not need to waste 45 minutes of every day working up a sweat and sore muscles if you just want to stay "in shape". If you're looking to win some medal, then yes, but be prepared to deal with the after effects of such extreme exercise in later life.

      If you want to stay in shape, you just have to cut down on junk food and get an outdoor hobby that keeps you mobile for an hour or so on the weekends. Swimming, soccer, cycling, jogging, gardening. That's all most people will ever need. These health nuts who spend who torture themselves daily, spend weekends doing yoga or karate and who subsist on treebark and goat's milk are not some physical ideal everyone should aspire to!

      The hardest part about working out is getting started. It feels counter-intuitive. It hurts. There is pain associated with it. Your body will tell you to stop doing it. The lazy voice in the back of your head will talk you out of it.

      What the fuck?! Going for a walk in the woods is actually fun in my experience. You get great views from the top of hills too. Sailing? Maybe you could try horse riding, I don't know. The point is, if exercise isn't fun, then no one in their right mind will keep it up. You have to find an activity that keeps you healthy, not a penance.

      --
      May the Maths Be with you!
    4. Re:Its not rocket surgery... by Chabo · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Another option for aerobic exercise: jump rope. Back when I did karate, that was our main aerobic exercise because there's not much else you can do in a 400 sq. ft. room...

      --
      Convert FLACs to a portable format with FlacSquisher
    5. Re:Its not rocket surgery... by networkBoy · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Well, he can do what lots of us here do when we're too slammed to work out "properly":
      Crunches and pushups. Use you body's mass as your weights. bonus points if you can install a pull-up bar somewhere.

      just do 10 or 15 reps at a time, as time permits.
      you can do this almost anywhere (aisles between cubes, DC floor, etc.

      --
      whois gawk date unzip strip find touch finger mount join nice man top fsck grep eject more yes exit umount sleep dump
    6. Re:Its not rocket surgery... by hattig · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Or indeed do a work out at the company he's working at.

      Press ups, sit ups, crunches, etc, are all doable.

      12 hour cover doesn't mean 12 hours in a chair reading slashdot incessantly. If he is babysitting, then there's plenty of time to do other stuff. Hell, write a script to send the warnings to his phone and get his sleep there. Does the company have gym facilities? Certainly he'll get several breaks overnight where you can do something active, like run up and down stairs before you grab a coffee.

      Personally I think the poster is insane, firstly to take a job working 12 hour shifts for more than 3 days a week. Secondly for living 1.5 hours away, meaning a 3 hour commute every day. 12 + 3 + 8 (sleep) leaves a grand total of 1 hour a day to live! STOP AND THINK! Or get the company to put you up overnight nearby on the nights you work.

  2. In a bind by riceboy50 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You have certainly painted the situation in such a way that you feel you have no time to do anything except sleep, eat, and work. If working out is a major priority to you, perhaps you should be looking for a less demanding job?

    --
    ~ I am logged on, therefore I am.
    1. Re:In a bind by halsver · · Score: 5, Insightful

      At the bare minimum, you need to move closer to where you work. Your commute is costing you your health and is eating your paycheck. Looking at the money you are making versus the costs, you might be better off working at the 7-11 down the street.

      Where does your social life fit in to this? I know when I work a 60+ hour week I need the weekend just to unwind, let alone see friends or do things I enjoy.

      My solution, get an apartment within 5 miles of your work and then ride a bicycle there.

      --
      Roughly half my comments are never submitted. You may be reading the better half...
  3. Working too much by spire3661 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You are working/commuting too much. IMHO, you should be looking to first reduce your hours spent working/commuting. With the schedule you have laid out, you dont have time to properly work out and its not good for your mental health either. The body and mind need rest to operate well, by throwing in physical exercise, you are only going to become more fatigued.

    --
    Good-bye
  4. NOt rocket Science by RobertNotBob · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Your current job is incompatable with a healthy lifestyle.

    This isn't rocket science; pick one or the other.

    (I suggest you pick the health, and loose that job)

    --
    ___ I don't respond to Anonymous Cowards, and I Never Mod them UP.
  5. Re:Easy Solution by sabs · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Or an old one

  6. Re: Mod parent up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    There is no mystery to weight loss. Turn in your geek card if you believe you spontaneously gain weight while eating less than your energy requirements.

    3500 kcal (aka Calories) above or below your your BMR + activity level corresponds to 1 pound gained or lost, respectively.

    If you're 30 years old and 5'10" at 200 pounds, with a sedentary lifestyle, then your BMR is about 2000 kcal/day, and your activity level brings that to about 2400 kcal/day. If you eat 100 kcal/day more, you'll gain a pound in about a month, but if you eat 100 kcal/day less (or just run 3.5 miles/week), then you'll lose a pound in a month. If you do light exercise a couple times/week, you'll probably burn about 2750kcal/day and lose 3 pounds/month.

    That feeling you get that you're "starving" yourself is a product of the fact that you've conditioned yourself to eat when you feel stressed. Learn to tell the difference in hunger and stress. Drink lots of water, take your vitamins, and get plenty of fiber. Focus on eating "filling" foods with little caloric value.

    I'll leave it as an exercise of geekdom for you to figure out the rest. You have to earn back your geek card, OP.

  7. Re: Mod parent up by vlm · · Score: 4, Insightful

    That feeling you get that you're "starving" yourself is a product of the fact that you've conditioned yourself to eat when you feel stressed.

    Actually, its a very common symptom of type2 diabetes, along with dehydration that gets worse when you drink sugar-soda, thirsty all the time, tired out, heavy central body buildup of fat, perhaps you have foot problems to some extent, etc... Conveniently the treatment for type2 boils down to lower carb diet, exercise, and lose some weight, at least at the start, which seems to be the treatment plan everyone else is suggesting for merely being fat. There are of course expensive pills that may or may not help you, but would absolutely make someone a lot of money.

    Needless to say I'm not a (medical) doctor, although I can diagnose that anyone asking for medical advice on slashdot is obviously showing clinical indications of mental insanity. A MD can quickly and trivially check your blood sugar levels to either prove this or rule it out, more or less. Probably worth checking out. Probably a good idea to visit your MD before beginning an exercise routine anyway.

    --
    "Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
  8. Nonetheless by PeanutButterBreath · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You will feel better in just about every way for however many years that you do happen to live.