GRAVEYARD WORKER SEEKS SUGGESTION

HI ALL. I actually work a swing / grave combo..4pm to 4am 4 days/nights a week. I still mostly make my own food,stay concious of what I eat (mostly) dont eat out much, but on this shift I am finding myself being hungry for crap a lot more.I am indulging a bit more too, probably more emotionally than anything else. I hear that this happens working these hours. Anyone else hearing this? Also, I used to walk or run at lunch (in the daytime) but my DC is out in the middle of nowhere (seriously, rural, nothing around) and mostly unlit. I've tried to get out there a few times around midnight and it SUCKS. Pitch Darkness in the sticks is very un motivating.I keep trying though.
I am getting in my push ups every other day, ad will incorporate crunches as well as I do have an office to do this in, but in my day job I was getting 20-25 miles a week walking or running. I try to get as much as I can on my off days, but I cant always as I am trying desperately to catch up on family time.
I would be lying if I said this shift doesn't suck. Its hard on me physically and emotionally. Its a great company with great bennies and damn good pay,and I am GRATEFUL to be working. but I topped making $$ king a long time ago. I am merely trying to hang on until a day position opens up. In the meantime, what do you fellow "vampires" do to stay fit and motivated while you work crazy hours?? Monday through Thursday there is not much room /time for anything but work, drive, sleep, repeat. Thanks!! Mike

If I were in your situation, I would decrease my calorie intake. Sounds like the only option if exercise is impossible. Then when you are spending time with your family, do things together that require physical activity.

It has been quite a long time since I had to work those kinds of hours -- about 10 years ago I was working 6pm-4am four days a week and before that 12am-8am five days a week -- but it was recent enough that I can still recall the pain.

The most important thing, I think, is to sleep regularly. When I worked until 4am, I got home at 5am and I was in bed at 5:30. I used to tie a bandana over my eyes so that sunlight in the room would not interfere so much with sleeping. I would suggest a lighter exercise routine, like the sit-ups and push-ups you talked about, after you get up on workdays. Keep the same sleep pattern over your weekends, but do a more vigorous exercise routine when you first get up. You'll be out of bed by 1 or 2 in the afternoon, you can go running or whatever, and still have the evening for friends and family and household stuff in the wee hours.

It sounds great on paper, but it is much harder to implement in real life, but I know when I worked grave a lot of my co-workers tried to have daytime lives like their friends and family. Until you can change shifts, that can't really work for you.

It is tough to work that kind of schedule, but hopefully, with a realistic plan, you can accomplish most of what you want to accomplish until you get the situation you really want.

Good luck.